Carpe Librum Book Club discussion

Our discussion of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak will be held here at the end of November :)

I hope everyone enjoyed The Book Thief! Our discussion will take place in this forum over the next two days.
You can post your comments below or your thoughts in these discussion questions:

Are the characters in The Book Thief believable? Which ones were your favorites or least favorites?

Do you like Markus Zusak's writing style in this novel? Does it make you want to read his other books?

What questions, if any, does the novel leave unanswered?

What do you think of Death as the narrator?

I love this book and I especially love the characters! The characters really can make or break a book and I think that Zusak really succeeded in making his characters believable. I grew to love all the characters, but my favorite is probably Hans Hubermann because of the relationship he has with Liesel.

I loved the characters, too! Liesel is one of my favorite fictional characters, hands down. Zusak did an amazing job with his characters, including Death as the narrator. It's one of my favorite things about the book.

I agree, Death really did make this book great! I loved the concept of Death as the narrator. I can't even imagine the story with a different narrator because Death became such an important character of the book!

I don't think I have a favorite because without each of the characters, the book wouldn't of been as good to me. But I related with Liesel the most. I think she felt that she didn't belong anywhere and books/writing/reading took her to a place where she felt more powerful and lived in a world that the authors created for her. Also she had such a thirst for learning. And I think most if all people who read, feel like certain books can take you somewhere other than the life you know. And I have problems with belonging and books/reading/writing do that for me just as I think it did for Liesel. And I always consider myself someone who constantly wants to be educated and learn. Who do you relate most to?

I agree with you, Ariel, I love that about Liesel. I relate to her a lot, too. One of my favorite things about The Book Thief is that Liesel is a totally normal girl in a perfectly realistic setting, and how courageous she is.
I have a question for you all: Whose death do you think was the saddest at the end of the book?

I think that Rudy's death would have to be the saddest. Liesel finally kissing him after he dies really hurts me every time!

That kills me every time! I watched the movie yesterday and started sobbing uncontrollably when Rudy died. Papa's death is horrible every time, too, because of how much Liesel loved him.