The Book Thief Review + Thoughts on the book to movie adaptation

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Paperback, 552 pages
Read: Mar. 3 - Mar. 7
Review: 5/5
Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Summery: It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.
Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

Review: The story starts in the prologue with introductions from Death, it then moves to Liesel, her birth mother and brother(Werner) traveling to Molching, her mother can no longer keep her children and is going to Molching to give them up for adoption. The train ride is when Death first sees/meets Liesel. From the first page I got pulled into the story. The story was very well paced, as well as very well constructed, I also loved the fact that Death was the narrator of the story. I really liked the personality of Death. I liked so many of the characters in this book, I also loved the relationships between Liesel, her mama(Rosa), her papa(Hans), Rudy, Max, and Ilsa. The characters, as well as the relationships were very well crafted. I loved this book, it defiantly had some sad moments where I had watery eyes, and shuttering breath. This is a book I would love to read again.

now onto my thoughts about the movie.
Book to Movie Rating: 3/5
Thoughts on the Book to Movie: the biggest thing I wish was different about the movie was that it was either longer, it's around 130 min., or that it was cut into two movies. There were not enough scenes even though it was around an hour and ten minutes, either that or the pacing felt a little too fast for me to really connect with, and like the characters as much as I did with the book. There are quite a few changes as well, a few I liked, but most of the changes I didn't really like. I really wish certain scenes were done like the book, the book burning scene, the marching scene with Hans, and Ilsa Hermann and her husband, just to name a few. I did enjoy the chemistry between the actors who portrayed Liesel and Hans, as well as the chemistry between Liesel and Max, otherwise the chemistry between the rest of the cast seem a little non existent, which I think had more to do with the very small amount of scenes they had together, rather then the cast themselves. If I had never read the book and had just seen the movie I might like it a little better, my mom has not read the book and watched the movie and really enjoyed it. It was an good movie on it's own, and It was and okay adaptation of the book.


I also went to see Captain America 2: The Winter Solider, It was defiantly my favorite movie of Phase 2 (Iron Man and Captain America: The First Avenger are my favorite movies of Phase 1). It got me excited for not only The Avengers 2, but it as got me excited for Guardians of the Galaxy, which looks really fun.

Anyway, I hope everybody had/has a great day : )