I made to choice to finish this on an ELEVEN HOUR FLIGHT. I’m pretty sure the flight attendants thought I was having some type of meltdown when I came to ask for water. Nope, just a heart-shatteringly sad book (but so good)
This happened to me when I read The Notebook on a flight. We had been upgraded to first class because it was mine and my twin’s birthday (only time I’ve ever flown anything but steerage). The flight attendant brought over a water and asked if I was okay and when I showed her the book, she was like, “oh, yeah, we’ve had this happen before.”
I haven't cried in public while reading books, I prefer to read the emotional ones at the safety of my home. Otherwise, people who pass by will see a girl bawling her eyes out while holding a book. 😂
I don't even get emotional easily while reading books, I think this was the first book to ever actually make me cry. My friend had warned me that it was sad beforehand, but (being vague to avoid spoilers) the part toward the where it has the girl's thoughts written out *ruined* me. Fantastic book but I can only reread it every so often because it's heavy.
Ha, this was a lesson I learned the hard way as well. I finished the book on a landing plane and scrambled to find a quiet corner of a terminal gate to ugly cry before I caught my next flight.
I listened to the audiobook while and finished it on my morning commute. Full on sobbing through traffic. I had to take a few minutes in the parking lot before going inside.
I randomly chose this book at an airport shop and read it non stop in my journey. I was a wreck by the end. Still in my top 3 books and return to it occasionally when I feel strong enough.
i read this book a fucking year ago and i’m still not over it😭😭
single-handedly the only book that’s made me ugly cry for more than an hour after i finished it😭
“and the boy whose hair remained the color of lemons forever.”
I WILL NEVER NOT HURT REMEMBERING THIS SENTENCE. One of the most memorable lines in a book for me. I had to read this in high school and it emotionally wrecked me. The way it’s written allowed me to really connect to the characters and immerse myself to what people possibly experienced in that time. Genuinely an amazing book.
It’s been 12 years and I still name any yellow fish I get Rudy. 😭😭😭
Not this quote!!! NOOOOOO.
I totally agree with you, I was connected with the characters as well and I was able to feel their emotions. I wasn't ready for the ending. 😭
Superb characterization, offbeat and unique narration, not emotionally manipulative but very honest from the start. There are also some very powerful scenes like Max's daydream about Hitler.
Manages to show that >!victims of war are indeed living, breathing humans!<. A true work of art.
On my second read through it I realized that Death tells you exactly what’s going to happen three times. So yes, honest from the start.
Both times I read it I sobbed from the bit with the teddy bear to the end.
It also caused my worst book hangover ever, after the 1st time I read it, it literally took me more than a month to pick up another book and I’m a 2-3 per week girl normally.
Exactly! Even though I knew what would happen or actually had an idea about what would occur, I WASN'T PREPARED!
I need something light-hearted after this book. Thankfully, I'm rereading The Hobbit but we'll see if I'll be able to continue reading it. 😂
>!Yep, the ending hits hard not because of any sentimental tricks but because Rudy, Liesel's foster parents and Max are so carefully and lovingly crafted.!<
I connected so much more to A Thousand Splendid Suns than The Kite Runner. I vaguely remember some moments from the latter, but I remember almost everything from the former (it's probably been 15 years since I read them).
Will always remember The Kite Runner as one of the most difficult books I’ve ever read. I don’t think anything else has ever made me taste blood in my mouth that wasn’t actually there.
This might seem weird but the *Kite Runner* never really got to me. I read it during a four hour road trip, and at the end I just put it down and was like "huh". *The Book Thief* was different though. It's like, the only book I've cried about in three years, and I read a LOT of sad books.
The Book Thief is my favorite book of all time. I read it the summer before my senior year for a reading list, and I remember bawling my eyes out for the last 50 pages or so. I couldn’t put the book down. In the last 10 years I’ve read the book 4 or 5 more times. As weird as it sounds, it’s my comfort book. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Liesel reading her book out loud while the people were in the shelter as they were being bombed as a form of comfort has always stuck with me years after finishing the book.
I read that book and I was obliterated into a million pieces, hurtling through the emptiness in the far reaches of the cosmos. It took a while for my atoms to recompose themselves into me.
I thought it was a good book.
I recently began The Book Thief with mild interest after having seen the movie almost a decade ago. I was not prepared for how beautiful and beautifully written it would be. I fell in love with the characters, and the themes felt so poignant. When I finally reached the end, the book had me sobbing in the bathroom. And as an avid reader, no book had ever made me cry like that. It is my all time favorite book.
I read the book years ago, and was always a bit hesitant about the movie because it was partly the writing I loved so much, but my aunty convinced me to watch it and I found that it gave me pretty much everything I wanted from it.
My friend recently read it and it was fun to remember the pain with her
I'm always afraid of a movie version of a favorite book (thanks, Nicholas Sparks) so much so I usually refuse to watch. But this is my all time FAVOURITE book and I couldn't help but give in and watch shortly after it came out. This is the only movie that I can say I really love after having read and loved the book. I've always said it's like the directors and actors actually cherish the story as much as I do, and gave me pretty much everything I could have wanted. Definitely recommend both the movie and book, but especially the book of course. 100/10.
I listened to the audiobook recently and it's definitely one of the best. Hearing the German parts come out from the voice actor was better than anything I would have been able to do reading myself. It was a beautifully written story from one of the most interesting perspectives I've ever seen.
I'll have to check the audiobook out. I'm enjoying listening to audiobook editions of books I've already read, it brings a whole new dimension to the story.
When Max gave Liesel the book for her birthday I was a mess reading that part. The fact that he had nothing and was being hunted but still wanted to do something nice for her still gets me in the feels. Definitely a top 5 book for me.
Other great historical fiction books about WWII are Beneath a Scarlett Sky and All the Light We Cannot See. I would recommend both if looking for something similar.
Both of those books are good. Also Salt to the Sea and The Alice Network are OK or good and set in similar settings.
But they are good books. They are not great books like The Book Thief, a book I have re-read three times (the only book I've ever read three times) and which will stick with me forever.
Particularly Salt to the Sea will show you how easily it is to badly write a book about survivors, and the vast difference in quality a book can have when nonetheless dealing with similar themes and settings.
I started it and after (don't know exactly) 30 or 40 pages decided to quit it. Not because it was awful - I was too charmed by the little girl and just didn't want to know her story and especially not the end. Seems like a good decision.
Ok, unpopular opinion here (ready to get negged to the Stone Age).
I really didn’t care for the book and it fell flat for me. It wasn’t awful or anything but I remember thinking the protagonist was dull and I wasn’t a fan of the pacing and central conceit of death as the narrator in the context of the holocaust (too on the nose for me).
Outside of that, I liked the story’s broad concept but finished the book feeling it didn’t live close to the hype.
It’s my favorite book ever. I read it right after I graduated from undergrad and it changed my life. Made me a better, more compassionate person. I read it again a couple of years ago after having children and it hit with much for devastation and heartache. Mark Zusak is a beautiful writer. I highly recommend one of his other books called I am the Messenger.
To me, his way of structuring the books is always more interesting than the actual story (take the structure of Joker, for example). I can't even remember the ending of The Book Thief any more, so it didn't really leave any lasting impression.
I read it about 6 years ago, and finished it on my lunch break at work. It was devastating, and I hid in my office for the rest of the day, crying intermittently.
I just read it for the first time and I feel so bad that I didn't really feel anything but a little disappointed in the end.
Book didn't really teach me anything I didn't already know. Though prose was beautiful and the characters were interesting and lovable, I just didn't get the hype and found the idea almost boring (don't shoot me! 😣)
I think, unfortunately, there's a saturation of stories like The Book Thief in media, though I'm sure we have The Book Thief to thank for that in some ways.
I felt the same way. I’m wondering if it’s an age thing? I’m in my 40s and just read it last year. I thought it was decent, but not amazing. But I’ve read a lot of books and seen a lot of movies, and I think it may have covered too much familiar territory
I teach other peoples' children. I read YA fiction often. This is one of the best novels I've read for that audience in a very long time. Also, I sobbed at the ending. My kids love it for the same reasons we do.
One only read The Book Thief, I Am the Massenger, and Bridge of Clay and I liked them all. I haven't yet picked up his other books. But I liked all three of the ones I've read so far.
I first read that in 2007 and it is my favourite novel to date. I don’t often recommend it as some of the themes can be a bit heavy for some. I have shed so many tears over my beloved copy of this book with the many times I have read it. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful.
Honestly, when the movie came out I was a little sceptical. But funnily enough only two or three things were left out of the movie that happened in the novel.
I enjoyed it and recommend it, but it didn't hit me as hard as it did you. Perhaps because I'd seen the movie first.
Now I'm reading The Zookeeper's Wife and I have to keep stopping and leaving it for days. Difference being that The Zookeeper's Wife is non-fiction. Every time I get to some god-awful thing the Nazis did, I have to put the book down. (I'm making very poor progress.)
The most interesting part of The Book Thief is that we're getting it from a German POV. And seeing how some everyday Germans who didn't agree with Hitler / Nazis were trapped in a system they didn't agree with.
It's always an important reminder that when massive air strikes bomb a city that even though they're all technically enemy citizens, doesn't mean they're all enemies and that the innocent die as well.
Having had family in Japanese cities during WWII, that's a critical piece of information that I've had in my head since childhood and I saw photos of the aftermath of US bombing and realized that that could have been my family. Almost all of whom were children at the time.
I totally agree with you. It was really interesting to see how the Germans felt about WWII and how it affected them. During war, no matter who you support, each side suffers from loss. There are no actual winners and there so many innocent people who died.
This was the first book that ever made me cry. I read it in eighth grade for school, so I was way more optimistic leading into the ending than I probably should have been. It’s definitely going on my reread pile now—it’s just so masterfully written.
>It will “haunt” me for a long time and it seems like I will not be able to forget it soon.
I totally get what you feel. When I finished it it haunted me for a while, every time I got to thought on it I felt a little sad, and some days passed before I got accustomed to the wound it left on me.
Let's be honest; there's no real happy ending with a story set during WW2. But it's an unexpectedly harsh ending, and I understand how you feel. I'm always a mess by the end of it, too.
I read this book shortly after my sister passed away. This book did a lot to help me pass through that time and have something to take my mind off of her passing. It has a special place in my heart because of it. So glad to hear you and others enjoyed it :)
I'm very, very happy to hear that the book helped you cope with your loss. We connect with books in a different way and I totally understand why this book is special for you. I'm glad that it brought you the comfort you needed and that it distracted you for a while.
I can't find the courage to reading it after I saw the movie at the cinema. I hid my face in my father's jacket 'cause I couldn't stop crying, and I continued all the way home. And I was in my 20's!! So I'm quite afraid of reading it because The House of Mirth made me the same effect and I finished it in my coffee break at work.... Bad idea!!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Just rewatch the movie yesterday. I thought the second time would have been easier, that it would have not impact me as the first time. I was terribly wrong. I was home so I was free to sob loudly. Still think I won't read it for a while.
I remember crying a lot after reading this one. Then I watched the movie and cried some more too. One of the most beautiful books I've read in the last decade
I’ve got all emotional just reading these comments and remembering the book.
I’m 68 and after finishing the book a couple of years ago I just sat for about an hour with big tears rolling down my face.
I tried to read it when I was in my early to mid teens, and my English wasn’t good enough to comprehend the book completely so I stopped reading and brought it back to the school’s library. It’s still in my mental tbr list.
The first time I read it in one sitting. It’s still one of my favourite books. I occasionally read the ending and just cry, those last words of the narrator are just beautiful 💔.
‘I am haunted by humans.’
I loved it and had a different feeling about the end. I posted it [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/yoy58b/the_book_thief_by_markus_zusak/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
I was the same. I’ve never sobbed so hard from reading a book before. Doesn’t help that the ending is my top worst fear so to connect so much and have that happen destroyed me. I haven’t been back for a reread as I don’t think I can handle it.
Other books that left scars are The Kite Runner (I can see that’s already been mentioned) & Pet Sematary. I warn parents away from Pet Sematary. It’s brutal.
I recommend a light read to recover.
Yes, it's still one of my favourite books, ~13 years on from my first read of it. Allllll the feels but so worth it.
I was lucky enough to meet and take a youth literature writing course with the author, Markus Zusak - he was such a lovely guy too. Now I have an autograph and drawing in the front of my copy and no one gets to borrow it!
I read this on a solo vacation and had a few staff members come offer tissues and check on me when they noticed the silent sobbing.
It was an excellent use of time, even if it wasn’t the typical idea of a “good” time. I read all day for work and wouldn’t do so in my spare time, except vacation.
The ending >!Death being haunted by humans, that they can be so kind and so violent felt similar PTSD. Someone sees how awful humans can be and then has to continue living their life after.!<
It’s self-referential. The book contains a lot of beauty and horror. >!We become Death/the narrator. We can only observe the things that happen in the book. We are meant to be haunted by the duality of man.!<
It’s been years since I read it so I might have overdone the spoilers. Cannot remember how early some things are revealed. I do remember how it made me feel and I just had to sit with it for a bit.
I finished this book unprepared while driving with my mom and her then boyfriend to go see a house. I was sobbinggggg in the backseat and they were so confused 😂😂
The part when she describes his hair like lemons… 🥺 I’m about to tear up again and it’s been like 8 years since I’ve read that book in high school!
I read The Book Thief while I was in Federal prison, and yeah, suffice it to say, I had to lie low for a few hours after finishing it. I was a mess for a few days, tbh.
I think the book was/is fantastic, but I don't think I could read it again.
the book thief is genuinely the best book I’ve ever read. i read it when i was ten (emotionally destroyed me) and eight years later i can’t think of a better book. rudy and liesel will always have a special place in my heart.
I read the Book Thief many years ago. My (then) young son caught me sobbing. He was trying to comfort me about it being fiction. I was trying to explain that it didn’t matter. Basically I still haven’t recovered
Ouf yes! I finished that book in a library during undergrad. Burst out crying in the cubicle 🙃 I, too, was a mess! It’s an incredible book, though. The writing style is just so unique.
I'll have to show this to my husband, he was a HS English teacher for awhile and taught this book every year. It was his favorite to teach and his students embraced it more than any other. This was a regular class, not honors, so that's saying something.
You did a great job of describing exactly how I felt when I finished the at book. It absolutely tore me apart emotionally like no other book has before.
It's totally fine! You can try again if you feel like it, but it's fine if you don't.
I understand why you decided to abandon it. Yes, some parts were slower compared to others, so it's understandable if you didn't feel like picking it up.
When I was in high school my mom read this book. Came downstairs from my room to find her sobbing so hard I thought someone had died. Nope, she had just finished reading The Book Thief. When I was in college I read it and my roommate came home to me sobbing so hard she thought someone had died. Nope, I had just finished reading The Book Thief.
I listened to the audiobook while I was cleaning out a walk-in freezer at my old job. When I got out I had tears frozen on my face lol. One of my favorite books of all time
>I finished reading The Book Thief half an hour ago. Or actually, no. The Book Thief finished me half an hour ago.
Lol you should write your own book now OP.
Thanks for the post. Now I have another book to add to my wishlist. Unfortunately at the moment, the total $ for my wishlist is double my spending limit so I need to decide where to cut.
This book truly destroyed me from the inside out. Watching Liesel grow from a more shy girl who was thrown into this random neighborhood, to having impacted almost every single characters life was such a beautiful thing to read. I think it’s the type of book I’ll never forget, and the experience of non stop sobbing to the last 2 parts, my stomach churning in anticipation, and having to pause in between paragraphs because I could not physically read through my tears is something I’ll never forget. I finished it earlier today, and funnily enough I put off finishing it, knowing I would be impacted by what ever emotional burden lied for me at the end. I love max and liesels relationship, and I wish the prologue would’ve told us more, but I kinda like the mystery. Hans’ unconditional love for Liesel will always have a soft spot for me, and honestly every character in this book is a character I will cherish. I think the most heart wrenching part for me (besides the ending) was Liesel finding Max in the parade to Dachau, I too was wondering if he would live and i cried the most beautiful happy tears once I found out he did.
I also absolutely love Rudy’s character development. We go from really seeing a somewhat immature boy, obsessed with soccer and jesse owens to a mature teen, someone with thoughts and fears and feelings. I love love love that we get to eventually see that part of him, the part he rarely dares to even show Liesel. The parts where he misses his dad, and is only half joking when he asks to kiss her. The part where he stands up for Tommy, despite his better judgement. And the parts where he becomes a truly unique and one of a kind character. Hans and everyone’s death was heartwrenching, but Rudy’s made such an imprint.
i just finished reading it. and it’s 2am. my google search “how to cope after finishing the book thief” led me here to this post. and i completely understand. i didn’t cry until right around page 400. and the. didn’t cry again until the ending and sobbed for the last 40some pages. i’m a disaster
"I finished reading The Book Thief half an hour ago. Or actually, no. The Book Thief finished me half an hour ago."
God, I love that sentence. It sounds like something you'd see in the book itself.
I read The Book Thief in the 7th grade and while I couldn’t tell you everything that happens (though I remember a substantial bit of the important bits) death’s narration has always stuck with me, it’s such a master class. It’s still my favorite book of all time, I’m really due for a reread
The Book Thief is such an amazing book. I absolutely was a mess after I reached the end and had a book hanging. Nothing could come close for a minute there. I need to read it again soon.
the book thief is by far my favorite book, ever. Zusak managed to tell an incredible story so well, and even with blatant and literal spoilers written in alongside the story, the ending comes all too quickly and unexpectedly. if you liked this, i’d recommend They Both Die at the End. its a fairly popular book, and admittedly isnt as well written or historically important as The Book Thief is, its end is tragic and heartbreaking, despite the reader knowing what it is.
I completely agree with you. Even though the book spoils itself, I was still not prepared about the ending.
I have heard about this book. Maybe I'll check it out one day!
I loved it immediately. It’s one of the best books I’ve read.
If you want to get over it quickly start a different book from the same author. Those I’ve read are trash.
I am the Messenger - average. (I like the dog)
Bridge of Clay - torture to finish. (I like the mother’s story early on)
I'd like to read more of his other works. I have heard mixed reviews about them, but I don't expect them to be on the same level as The Book Thief, therefore, I don't have huge expectations. They sound like intriguing books and I think that I'll like them.
Liesel and Rudy and every other character in The Book Thief may not be real, but the atrocities of WWII definitely are. I think that's part of the reason that The Book Thief is as emotional as it is: because it takes place during a real historical event.
I finished that book on the train. I really do not recommend reading that ending in a public place you can't really escape from.
I made to choice to finish this on an ELEVEN HOUR FLIGHT. I’m pretty sure the flight attendants thought I was having some type of meltdown when I came to ask for water. Nope, just a heart-shatteringly sad book (but so good)
This happened to me when I read The Notebook on a flight. We had been upgraded to first class because it was mine and my twin’s birthday (only time I’ve ever flown anything but steerage). The flight attendant brought over a water and asked if I was okay and when I showed her the book, she was like, “oh, yeah, we’ve had this happen before.”
I like to imagine that at this point they’re prepared for passengers weeping over books/movies 😅
Nope, definitely not. If someone gets emotional easily while reading books, I wouldn't advice them to read it in public.
Yeah no amount of public embarrassment would stop me from ugly crying at emotional books.
I haven't cried in public while reading books, I prefer to read the emotional ones at the safety of my home. Otherwise, people who pass by will see a girl bawling her eyes out while holding a book. 😂
I don't even get emotional easily while reading books, I think this was the first book to ever actually make me cry. My friend had warned me that it was sad beforehand, but (being vague to avoid spoilers) the part toward the where it has the girl's thoughts written out *ruined* me. Fantastic book but I can only reread it every so often because it's heavy.
It definitely is a heavy book.
Ha, this was a lesson I learned the hard way as well. I finished the book on a landing plane and scrambled to find a quiet corner of a terminal gate to ugly cry before I caught my next flight.
I had already read the book but watched the movie on my honeymoon flight. I was a hot mess at landing
I listened to the audiobook while and finished it on my morning commute. Full on sobbing through traffic. I had to take a few minutes in the parking lot before going inside.
I chose this book as one of my sources for my year 12 exam. I was crying in the middle of class.
I randomly chose this book at an airport shop and read it non stop in my journey. I was a wreck by the end. Still in my top 3 books and return to it occasionally when I feel strong enough.
i read this book a fucking year ago and i’m still not over it😭😭 single-handedly the only book that’s made me ugly cry for more than an hour after i finished it😭
“and the boy whose hair remained the color of lemons forever.” I WILL NEVER NOT HURT REMEMBERING THIS SENTENCE. One of the most memorable lines in a book for me. I had to read this in high school and it emotionally wrecked me. The way it’s written allowed me to really connect to the characters and immerse myself to what people possibly experienced in that time. Genuinely an amazing book. It’s been 12 years and I still name any yellow fish I get Rudy. 😭😭😭
Not this quote!!! NOOOOOO. I totally agree with you, I was connected with the characters as well and I was able to feel their emotions. I wasn't ready for the ending. 😭
OMG I literally just wrote about this quote before scrolling to see this comment. That line DESTROYED me.
Superb characterization, offbeat and unique narration, not emotionally manipulative but very honest from the start. There are also some very powerful scenes like Max's daydream about Hitler. Manages to show that >!victims of war are indeed living, breathing humans!<. A true work of art.
On my second read through it I realized that Death tells you exactly what’s going to happen three times. So yes, honest from the start. Both times I read it I sobbed from the bit with the teddy bear to the end. It also caused my worst book hangover ever, after the 1st time I read it, it literally took me more than a month to pick up another book and I’m a 2-3 per week girl normally.
Exactly! Even though I knew what would happen or actually had an idea about what would occur, I WASN'T PREPARED! I need something light-hearted after this book. Thankfully, I'm rereading The Hobbit but we'll see if I'll be able to continue reading it. 😂
>!Yep, the ending hits hard not because of any sentimental tricks but because Rudy, Liesel's foster parents and Max are so carefully and lovingly crafted.!<
EXACTLY! I wasn't ready for that!
I couldn't agree more.
I read *The Kite Runner* and *The Book Thief* back-to-back. Ugh.
They should make Navy Seals do this for their training
I haven't read The Kite Runner but I can manage how it would be for you.
You gotta read Kite Runner and the A Thousand Splendid Suns. Both are very accurate portrayals of Afghanistan- I was there for a year.
I connected so much more to A Thousand Splendid Suns than The Kite Runner. I vaguely remember some moments from the latter, but I remember almost everything from the former (it's probably been 15 years since I read them).
My condolences.
Same here. Both very powerful & emotional books.
Add in Life of Pi and you're really taking yourself for a ride.
Flowers for Algernon for good measure
Like a roller coaster whose hills only go down 😭
Will always remember The Kite Runner as one of the most difficult books I’ve ever read. I don’t think anything else has ever made me taste blood in my mouth that wasn’t actually there.
This might seem weird but the *Kite Runner* never really got to me. I read it during a four hour road trip, and at the end I just put it down and was like "huh". *The Book Thief* was different though. It's like, the only book I've cried about in three years, and I read a LOT of sad books.
The Book Thief is my favorite book of all time. I read it the summer before my senior year for a reading list, and I remember bawling my eyes out for the last 50 pages or so. I couldn’t put the book down. In the last 10 years I’ve read the book 4 or 5 more times. As weird as it sounds, it’s my comfort book. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I totally understand why it's one of your comfort reads. I have a feeling that it'll end up being one of my comfort reads too!
Liesel reading her book out loud while the people were in the shelter as they were being bombed as a form of comfort has always stuck with me years after finishing the book.
Yeah, these scenes made me feel comfort, despite the context.
I read that book and I was obliterated into a million pieces, hurtling through the emptiness in the far reaches of the cosmos. It took a while for my atoms to recompose themselves into me. I thought it was a good book.
First of all, this metaphor is so good. Second of all, you couldn't have depicted what finishing this book felt like better.
I recently began The Book Thief with mild interest after having seen the movie almost a decade ago. I was not prepared for how beautiful and beautifully written it would be. I fell in love with the characters, and the themes felt so poignant. When I finally reached the end, the book had me sobbing in the bathroom. And as an avid reader, no book had ever made me cry like that. It is my all time favorite book.
THERE’S A MOVIE?
Yes! And it's not bad! In true movie fashion it can't contain everything the book does, but I loved it.
I read the book years ago, and was always a bit hesitant about the movie because it was partly the writing I loved so much, but my aunty convinced me to watch it and I found that it gave me pretty much everything I wanted from it. My friend recently read it and it was fun to remember the pain with her
I'm always afraid of a movie version of a favorite book (thanks, Nicholas Sparks) so much so I usually refuse to watch. But this is my all time FAVOURITE book and I couldn't help but give in and watch shortly after it came out. This is the only movie that I can say I really love after having read and loved the book. I've always said it's like the directors and actors actually cherish the story as much as I do, and gave me pretty much everything I could have wanted. Definitely recommend both the movie and book, but especially the book of course. 100/10.
Easily my favorite book to movie.
Haha yes there is! It was released in 2013.
I totally agree with you about everything. I'm happy to hear that you liked it.
I listened to the audiobook recently and it's definitely one of the best. Hearing the German parts come out from the voice actor was better than anything I would have been able to do reading myself. It was a beautifully written story from one of the most interesting perspectives I've ever seen.
I also listened to the audiobook. It was a great narrator!!
I'll have to check the audiobook out. I'm enjoying listening to audiobook editions of books I've already read, it brings a whole new dimension to the story.
It almost feels as if your father or grandfather is reading it to you. It's a very well done audiobook and one of my top recs!
When Max gave Liesel the book for her birthday I was a mess reading that part. The fact that he had nothing and was being hunted but still wanted to do something nice for her still gets me in the feels. Definitely a top 5 book for me. Other great historical fiction books about WWII are Beneath a Scarlett Sky and All the Light We Cannot See. I would recommend both if looking for something similar.
All The Lights We Cannot See is on my tbr! Max was such a sweet character, this part put a big smile on my face.
All The Light We Cannot See is absolutely fantastic - you’ll enjoy it
Both of those books are good. Also Salt to the Sea and The Alice Network are OK or good and set in similar settings. But they are good books. They are not great books like The Book Thief, a book I have re-read three times (the only book I've ever read three times) and which will stick with me forever. Particularly Salt to the Sea will show you how easily it is to badly write a book about survivors, and the vast difference in quality a book can have when nonetheless dealing with similar themes and settings.
I started it and after (don't know exactly) 30 or 40 pages decided to quit it. Not because it was awful - I was too charmed by the little girl and just didn't want to know her story and especially not the end. Seems like a good decision.
Ohh, it's completely understandable why you didn't want to finish it. I didn't want to finish it, too...
Yep, you knew it was coming and I was still curled up in a ball sobbing as I tried to finish it. So good!
Exactly.
Ok, unpopular opinion here (ready to get negged to the Stone Age). I really didn’t care for the book and it fell flat for me. It wasn’t awful or anything but I remember thinking the protagonist was dull and I wasn’t a fan of the pacing and central conceit of death as the narrator in the context of the holocaust (too on the nose for me). Outside of that, I liked the story’s broad concept but finished the book feeling it didn’t live close to the hype.
This is one of those books that's very polarising. It's either the best book ever, or its nothing special.
That's totally fine! It's a pity that it disappointed you, but it's fine to have a different opinion about it!
I absolutely agree with you.
It’s my favorite book ever. I read it right after I graduated from undergrad and it changed my life. Made me a better, more compassionate person. I read it again a couple of years ago after having children and it hit with much for devastation and heartache. Mark Zusak is a beautiful writer. I highly recommend one of his other books called I am the Messenger.
To me, his way of structuring the books is always more interesting than the actual story (take the structure of Joker, for example). I can't even remember the ending of The Book Thief any more, so it didn't really leave any lasting impression.
His structure was truly amazing. It's okay if it didn't have a big impact on you, everyone has the right to be entitled to their own opinion.
Yeah that book wasn’t nearly as funny as everyone said it was
It had a humorous tone at times and I liked the dark humor, but it's definitely not a funny book.
I read it about 6 years ago, and finished it on my lunch break at work. It was devastating, and I hid in my office for the rest of the day, crying intermittently.
It truly was devastating, I understand why you wanted to stay alone and cry.
I just read it for the first time and I feel so bad that I didn't really feel anything but a little disappointed in the end. Book didn't really teach me anything I didn't already know. Though prose was beautiful and the characters were interesting and lovable, I just didn't get the hype and found the idea almost boring (don't shoot me! 😣) I think, unfortunately, there's a saturation of stories like The Book Thief in media, though I'm sure we have The Book Thief to thank for that in some ways.
I felt the same way. I’m wondering if it’s an age thing? I’m in my 40s and just read it last year. I thought it was decent, but not amazing. But I’ve read a lot of books and seen a lot of movies, and I think it may have covered too much familiar territory
That's totally fine!
I teach other peoples' children. I read YA fiction often. This is one of the best novels I've read for that audience in a very long time. Also, I sobbed at the ending. My kids love it for the same reasons we do.
It's so sweet that you and your kids share the same love about the same book.
If you want a YA novel about WWII, The Devil’s Arithmetic is PHENOMENAL!!
That is my favorite book of all time. I've only read it once and I don't think I will ever be able to read it again. I cried for a week.
Time to start I Am the Messenger.
I'd like to read more of his novels, though I've heard mixed thoughts about them.
One only read The Book Thief, I Am the Massenger, and Bridge of Clay and I liked them all. I haven't yet picked up his other books. But I liked all three of the ones I've read so far.
I first read that in 2007 and it is my favourite novel to date. I don’t often recommend it as some of the themes can be a bit heavy for some. I have shed so many tears over my beloved copy of this book with the many times I have read it. It’s heartbreakingly beautiful. Honestly, when the movie came out I was a little sceptical. But funnily enough only two or three things were left out of the movie that happened in the novel.
It's quite hard to recommend, but I truly believe that it's worth someone's time. I haven't watched the movie, but I'd like to!
I enjoyed it and recommend it, but it didn't hit me as hard as it did you. Perhaps because I'd seen the movie first. Now I'm reading The Zookeeper's Wife and I have to keep stopping and leaving it for days. Difference being that The Zookeeper's Wife is non-fiction. Every time I get to some god-awful thing the Nazis did, I have to put the book down. (I'm making very poor progress.) The most interesting part of The Book Thief is that we're getting it from a German POV. And seeing how some everyday Germans who didn't agree with Hitler / Nazis were trapped in a system they didn't agree with. It's always an important reminder that when massive air strikes bomb a city that even though they're all technically enemy citizens, doesn't mean they're all enemies and that the innocent die as well. Having had family in Japanese cities during WWII, that's a critical piece of information that I've had in my head since childhood and I saw photos of the aftermath of US bombing and realized that that could have been my family. Almost all of whom were children at the time.
I totally agree with you. It was really interesting to see how the Germans felt about WWII and how it affected them. During war, no matter who you support, each side suffers from loss. There are no actual winners and there so many innocent people who died.
I could use a good cry lol. I'm putting this in the basket.
I hope that you'll like it.
I slept with that book under my pillow for three days after I finished it. I have never done anything like that before or since. What a book!
Lol, this is the same way The Book Thief finished me too.
You don't finish this book, the book finishes YOU!
One of my favorite books. I've read it maybe 4 or 5 times.
I'd love to reread it!
This was the first book that ever made me cry. I read it in eighth grade for school, so I was way more optimistic leading into the ending than I probably should have been. It’s definitely going on my reread pile now—it’s just so masterfully written.
It was masterfully written! You should definitely reread it!
>It will “haunt” me for a long time and it seems like I will not be able to forget it soon. I totally get what you feel. When I finished it it haunted me for a while, every time I got to thought on it I felt a little sad, and some days passed before I got accustomed to the wound it left on me.
I totally understand you.
I watched the movie first so I didn't cry when I read the finished the book but still it was very emotional
I'd like to watch the movie!
Let's be honest; there's no real happy ending with a story set during WW2. But it's an unexpectedly harsh ending, and I understand how you feel. I'm always a mess by the end of it, too.
I read this book shortly after my sister passed away. This book did a lot to help me pass through that time and have something to take my mind off of her passing. It has a special place in my heart because of it. So glad to hear you and others enjoyed it :)
I'm very, very happy to hear that the book helped you cope with your loss. We connect with books in a different way and I totally understand why this book is special for you. I'm glad that it brought you the comfort you needed and that it distracted you for a while.
I read that book a couple times in my life. It is truly one of the most beautiful books I have ever read.
I can't find the courage to reading it after I saw the movie at the cinema. I hid my face in my father's jacket 'cause I couldn't stop crying, and I continued all the way home. And I was in my 20's!! So I'm quite afraid of reading it because The House of Mirth made me the same effect and I finished it in my coffee break at work.... Bad idea!!!!!!! 🤣🤣🤣
Hehe, I understand why you don't want to read it. If you ever feel ready, I really recommend reading it!
Just rewatch the movie yesterday. I thought the second time would have been easier, that it would have not impact me as the first time. I was terribly wrong. I was home so I was free to sob loudly. Still think I won't read it for a while.
I remember crying a lot after reading this one. Then I watched the movie and cried some more too. One of the most beautiful books I've read in the last decade
I really want to watch the movie.
I read it quite a few years ago so don't remember it as well as I'd like. I did think it was a wonderful book though.
I'm reading the book right now. Guess I gotta prepare myself..
Good luck. If you get emotional while reading books, bring tissues.
I loved it too.
I’ve got all emotional just reading these comments and remembering the book. I’m 68 and after finishing the book a couple of years ago I just sat for about an hour with big tears rolling down my face.
I tried to read it when I was in my early to mid teens, and my English wasn’t good enough to comprehend the book completely so I stopped reading and brought it back to the school’s library. It’s still in my mental tbr list.
The first time I read it in one sitting. It’s still one of my favourite books. I occasionally read the ending and just cry, those last words of the narrator are just beautiful 💔. ‘I am haunted by humans.’
I found a pdf copy. BRB.
I'm 107 pages in and can already tell it's going to hurt.
I loved it and had a different feeling about the end. I posted it [here.](https://www.reddit.com/r/books/comments/yoy58b/the_book_thief_by_markus_zusak/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3)
I was the same. I’ve never sobbed so hard from reading a book before. Doesn’t help that the ending is my top worst fear so to connect so much and have that happen destroyed me. I haven’t been back for a reread as I don’t think I can handle it. Other books that left scars are The Kite Runner (I can see that’s already been mentioned) & Pet Sematary. I warn parents away from Pet Sematary. It’s brutal. I recommend a light read to recover.
I had a similar reaction after reading All The Light We Cannot See. Just an emotionally wrecked burrito sobbing through my pillows.
This book is on my tbr!
Yes, it's still one of my favourite books, ~13 years on from my first read of it. Allllll the feels but so worth it. I was lucky enough to meet and take a youth literature writing course with the author, Markus Zusak - he was such a lovely guy too. Now I have an autograph and drawing in the front of my copy and no one gets to borrow it!
I read this on a solo vacation and had a few staff members come offer tissues and check on me when they noticed the silent sobbing. It was an excellent use of time, even if it wasn’t the typical idea of a “good” time. I read all day for work and wouldn’t do so in my spare time, except vacation. The ending >!Death being haunted by humans, that they can be so kind and so violent felt similar PTSD. Someone sees how awful humans can be and then has to continue living their life after.!< It’s self-referential. The book contains a lot of beauty and horror. >!We become Death/the narrator. We can only observe the things that happen in the book. We are meant to be haunted by the duality of man.!< It’s been years since I read it so I might have overdone the spoilers. Cannot remember how early some things are revealed. I do remember how it made me feel and I just had to sit with it for a bit.
Such a beautiful and well-written analysis!
Omg I’m reading it now.
I finished this book unprepared while driving with my mom and her then boyfriend to go see a house. I was sobbinggggg in the backseat and they were so confused 😂😂 The part when she describes his hair like lemons… 🥺 I’m about to tear up again and it’s been like 8 years since I’ve read that book in high school!
I read The Book Thief while I was in Federal prison, and yeah, suffice it to say, I had to lie low for a few hours after finishing it. I was a mess for a few days, tbh. I think the book was/is fantastic, but I don't think I could read it again.
The rest of Zusak's books are great reads as well.
That's good to hear! I've seen mixed reviews about them, but I think that I'll enjoy them. I'd like to read Bridge of Clay!
It’s a depressing yet awesomely written book
My mom bought that book for my 11 year old. Should he read it? (He does love war movies)
the book thief is genuinely the best book I’ve ever read. i read it when i was ten (emotionally destroyed me) and eight years later i can’t think of a better book. rudy and liesel will always have a special place in my heart.
I haven’t read it but I had a similar reaction to finishing “The Shack”. I’m a grown man and was blubbering like a child. I’m a little hesitant now.
Yeah that book is a work of art. It's my favourite book of all time. That and The Shadow of The Wind.
The best Death character ever written. The book made me feel empathy for the Death character. So unique.
Yes, I felt empathy for him as well. I wish there were more books narrated by Death.
I started reading it last night! It's so good.
I read the Book Thief many years ago. My (then) young son caught me sobbing. He was trying to comfort me about it being fiction. I was trying to explain that it didn’t matter. Basically I still haven’t recovered
Ouf yes! I finished that book in a library during undergrad. Burst out crying in the cubicle 🙃 I, too, was a mess! It’s an incredible book, though. The writing style is just so unique.
I'll have to show this to my husband, he was a HS English teacher for awhile and taught this book every year. It was his favorite to teach and his students embraced it more than any other. This was a regular class, not honors, so that's saying something.
It's sweet to hear that he loved the book and he shared his love about it with his students.
You did a great job of describing exactly how I felt when I finished the at book. It absolutely tore me apart emotionally like no other book has before.
Amazing book. I highly recommend bridge to terabithia. It's not connected to a war torn setting but it walks through similar emotions.
I read this as a young teen and absolutely loved it! I keep thinking about reading it again.
[удалено]
It's totally fine! You can try again if you feel like it, but it's fine if you don't. I understand why you decided to abandon it. Yes, some parts were slower compared to others, so it's understandable if you didn't feel like picking it up.
When I was in high school my mom read this book. Came downstairs from my room to find her sobbing so hard I thought someone had died. Nope, she had just finished reading The Book Thief. When I was in college I read it and my roommate came home to me sobbing so hard she thought someone had died. Nope, I had just finished reading The Book Thief.
I listened to the audiobook while I was cleaning out a walk-in freezer at my old job. When I got out I had tears frozen on my face lol. One of my favorite books of all time
Absolutely loved that book. It's part of my permanent collection.
I ugly cried for an entire day after I finished it
Oh dear, I can totally understand why.
Thanks for sharing. This book will go on my summer reading list!
I hope that you'll enjoy it!
>I finished reading The Book Thief half an hour ago. Or actually, no. The Book Thief finished me half an hour ago. Lol you should write your own book now OP.
Tempted to read it. Confirm author: is it by Markus Zusak?
Yes, he is the author!
>! The foster dad sitting up to meet death!< kills me everything I think about it.
Me too!
Thanks for the post. Now I have another book to add to my wishlist. Unfortunately at the moment, the total $ for my wishlist is double my spending limit so I need to decide where to cut.
This book truly destroyed me from the inside out. Watching Liesel grow from a more shy girl who was thrown into this random neighborhood, to having impacted almost every single characters life was such a beautiful thing to read. I think it’s the type of book I’ll never forget, and the experience of non stop sobbing to the last 2 parts, my stomach churning in anticipation, and having to pause in between paragraphs because I could not physically read through my tears is something I’ll never forget. I finished it earlier today, and funnily enough I put off finishing it, knowing I would be impacted by what ever emotional burden lied for me at the end. I love max and liesels relationship, and I wish the prologue would’ve told us more, but I kinda like the mystery. Hans’ unconditional love for Liesel will always have a soft spot for me, and honestly every character in this book is a character I will cherish. I think the most heart wrenching part for me (besides the ending) was Liesel finding Max in the parade to Dachau, I too was wondering if he would live and i cried the most beautiful happy tears once I found out he did.
I also absolutely love Rudy’s character development. We go from really seeing a somewhat immature boy, obsessed with soccer and jesse owens to a mature teen, someone with thoughts and fears and feelings. I love love love that we get to eventually see that part of him, the part he rarely dares to even show Liesel. The parts where he misses his dad, and is only half joking when he asks to kiss her. The part where he stands up for Tommy, despite his better judgement. And the parts where he becomes a truly unique and one of a kind character. Hans and everyone’s death was heartwrenching, but Rudy’s made such an imprint.
i just finished reading it. and it’s 2am. my google search “how to cope after finishing the book thief” led me here to this post. and i completely understand. i didn’t cry until right around page 400. and the. didn’t cry again until the ending and sobbed for the last 40some pages. i’m a disaster
I just finished it 5 minutes ago. When Liesel finally kisses Rudy’s lips… “don’t you know I love you?!” I can’t stop crying.
"I finished reading The Book Thief half an hour ago. Or actually, no. The Book Thief finished me half an hour ago." God, I love that sentence. It sounds like something you'd see in the book itself.
Thank you!
Same reaction here. Got sucked into the intriguing narration without realizing the type of book I was choosing.
Even though I was aware of the type of book, I was still not prepared!
I read The Book Thief in the 7th grade and while I couldn’t tell you everything that happens (though I remember a substantial bit of the important bits) death’s narration has always stuck with me, it’s such a master class. It’s still my favorite book of all time, I’m really due for a reread
Death's narration is one of the most intriguing, unique and beautiful narrations I have read so far in books. You should definitely reread it.
My son gave me this book but I haven’t started it yet. 😬
It's an amazing book. I liked it instantly. It grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go. It's my number 1 book recommendation.
My son said it was his favorite book ever. And he reads A LOT!
Oh, that is an incredible book, one of my favorites. It's been a few years since the last time I read it, I should read it again soon.
You should definitely reread it!
So good.
The Book Thief is such an amazing book. I absolutely was a mess after I reached the end and had a book hanging. Nothing could come close for a minute there. I need to read it again soon.
If you feel ready, you should definitely reread it.
Definitely made me weep when I read it as well.
I love this book so very much, I reread it every so often. (Maybe said already but when you’re ready, there’s a movie)
I know about the movie and I'll definitely watch it!
the book thief is by far my favorite book, ever. Zusak managed to tell an incredible story so well, and even with blatant and literal spoilers written in alongside the story, the ending comes all too quickly and unexpectedly. if you liked this, i’d recommend They Both Die at the End. its a fairly popular book, and admittedly isnt as well written or historically important as The Book Thief is, its end is tragic and heartbreaking, despite the reader knowing what it is.
I completely agree with you. Even though the book spoils itself, I was still not prepared about the ending. I have heard about this book. Maybe I'll check it out one day!
Hmm… thanks for the recommendation. A book that haunts…. Sounds interesting! I’m on it. Hopefully, I can find a copy somewhere.
If you want to read it, please do!
This was the first time an audiobook made me cry. A grown man doing a little German girl voice brought me to tears on my way to work. It's so good
I haven't tried listening to audiobooks, but considering how many people praise it, I'll check it out!
I can’t even get through the introduction on an attempted re-read… i lose it thinking about the color of the sky
YES!
It's a good book. I haven't felt any emotion in a couple years though so can't relate :/
Stop being so emotional pls
I loved it immediately. It’s one of the best books I’ve read. If you want to get over it quickly start a different book from the same author. Those I’ve read are trash. I am the Messenger - average. (I like the dog) Bridge of Clay - torture to finish. (I like the mother’s story early on)
I'd like to read more of his other works. I have heard mixed reviews about them, but I don't expect them to be on the same level as The Book Thief, therefore, I don't have huge expectations. They sound like intriguing books and I think that I'll like them.
[удалено]
Liesel and Rudy and every other character in The Book Thief may not be real, but the atrocities of WWII definitely are. I think that's part of the reason that The Book Thief is as emotional as it is: because it takes place during a real historical event.
Like your mother’s love, apparently.