review: the book thief

As I neared the end of The Book Thief, I was afraid it could be one of those books that is perfect right up to the end, at which point the author jerks it precariously around, causing it to lose its footing entirely and crash into a frustrating heap of an ending.

I am happy to report it is not.

That's not to say I wouldn't have been bawling my eyes out had I not been reading in public.  As it was, I still couldn't stop a handful of tears escaping.

Don't worry, I'm not spoiling it for you -- the narrator does that halfway through, anyway.

And frankly, any book set in Nazi Germany that doesn't make you cry really doesn't deserve to be read.

This one does.

I only read The Book Thief because it was a present.  I'd never have picked it up on my own accord.  I expected to tolerate it, but not necessary like it.

Sometimes I love being wrong.

I won't say it's my new favorite -- it's not -- but it deserves to be read.

Written by Australian author Markus Zusak, it's a relatively recent title that was getting all the press a little while back.  It's the story of Liesel, a young German girl, as seen through the eyes of Death.

I could rave to you about the character development and the writing style -- both are truly exceptional -- but I'd rather you read The Book Thief yourself, without too much pomp and circumstance.

Like I said, it deserves to be read.

And I don't give that compliment lightly.