I finished The Book Thief last night, stayed up far too late to make it to the end.
It was a beautiful story. An original story, full of unique characters that the author made me love, even though I knew I shouldn't get too attached. After all, they lived in a cruel time and Death himself had warned me to be wary.
I can't decide how I feel about Death's role as narrator. At times, it gave the reader a glimpse of the devastation of the fighting and the camps, but at other times, it felt a bit like a gimmick. I wonder if anyone else had the same impression.
Anyway, on to lighter fare. I begin I Capture the Castle tonight. My library copy is a first edition, and smells like it's been sitting on a shelf for the last sixty years. So my Friday night will be spent curled up on the couch, with a good, if musty, book in hand. More later...
I think you touched on my main problem when you said that Death felt like a gimmick. For the first 75% of the book, I felt kind of manipulated, as though the author were thinking, "Hmm, this is a book about the Holocaust with an interesting narrative hook; how can I get readers to bawl their eyes out?"
ReplyDeleteThen, of course, I bawled my eyes out for the last 25%. But I do think that THE BOOK THIEF is based on a very self-aware concept, and the book's own self-awareness made it hard for me to get into it completely until the very end. Gorgeous writing, though; I did enjoy it overall.
I think I CAPTURE THE CASTLE is completely UNselfconscious, and that's one reason why I adore it!
I loved THE BOOK THIEF from the first page on. But I understand the comment about the "gimmick". Why did Zusak choose to have Death narrate the story? Personally, I think it was more than just a gimmick, but to give the added depth of the insanity and incomprehensibility of the Holocaust. It was so horrible that even Death was appalled. What greater contrast can there be than to have Death be a sensitive, caring being in the middle of the Holocaust?
ReplyDeleteAs for I CAPTURE THE CASTLE -- it's been years since I read it, so I should give it another read, but I remember not liking it the first time.
Yes, and I did love the
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I thought that element, along with the characters' gutter mouths provided some much needed comic relief from the dark subject matter.
And yes, I bawled my eyes out at the end too.