tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482358785540771595.post7338216697441647894..comments2010-07-07T09:09:03.499-07:00Comments on Marstons Mills Public Library: The Book Thief: let the discussion begin!Online Librarianshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00719796533489238981noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482358785540771595.post-26760138528315176782010-03-07T10:40:48.523-08:002010-03-07T10:40:48.523-08:00I liked the narration because it was mostly withou...I liked the narration because it was mostly without prejudice and viewed the people on different sides of the politics of war simply as human beings with the attendant flaws, as well as grace. <br /><br />The reader can experience the insanity and devastation with some understanding of how and why these awful things can happen in the individual lives of small communities during wartime.<br /><br />As with Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front, we feel with and for the individuals, not the politics of the time. The idealism and ultimately the disillusionment are laid bare in both world wars.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482358785540771595.post-10012824526575101072010-02-21T09:28:05.493-08:002010-02-21T09:28:05.493-08:00True, getting used to the physical, on the page wr...True, getting used to the physical, on the page writing style did take some time, I had forgotten that. Zusak may have done that to get the attention of younger readers? Have you seen any comments from the author that would give us a clue about how he chose his style for this story?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482358785540771595.post-44818680710988744662010-02-21T08:54:20.649-08:002010-02-21T08:54:20.649-08:00Death as a character isn't what bothered me--i...Death as a character isn't what bothered me--if fact, I agree with your interpretation above--it was all the interruptions of the story itself. I found the physical act of reading too disjointed with all the headlines and interjections. I wanted to tell Death to be quiet already so I could read the novel!Online Librarianshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00719796533489238981noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4482358785540771595.post-41207972495417371042010-02-21T06:34:12.329-08:002010-02-21T06:34:12.329-08:00I had a very different take on the narrator. I app...I had a very different take on the narrator. I appreciated the presence of Death and felt illuminated by his persona. We are used to fearing and/or demonizing death in our culture, but Death in this setting is benign, a transitional figure, somewhat akin to a midwife. Birth and Death have no agenda, they just are. More on the story later...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com