Whether standing in front of a group that’s come to hear him speak or writing the words to a book, he has the uncanny ability to weave a story that keeps people on the edges of their seats until the very end. I do plan to finish the e-book and read I Am the Messenger at some point.Markus Zusak is a storyteller. I will be interested in what others think. If it had not been the end of the book, I may have stopped reading. Did this allow me to keep going, or did it trivialize the evil of the Nazi reign in Germany? Or did it do both? It was only in the last two chapters that I felt a real connection to the characters in the story. I never forgot I was reading a work of fiction. The narrative by Death seemed to minimize the pain in the story by creating a separation that kept me from being drawn into the story. This created an experience similar to watching a play in which the actors 'break the 4th wall' and speak directly to the audience. I still don't know what I think of the author's decision to use the character of 'Death' as the narrator of the book. I wish I was in a book club so I could talk with others who have read this book.

I have finished the first half, The Book Thief. They both have a lot of similarities and he is always friendly to her. Especially, his get-along with Liesel is very cute. Though Max always stays in the basement, he is always looking out for Liesel and the Hubermann family. I personally like Max Vendeburg-the Jewish fighter-he is a sweet guy. This, I think, made the setting, background, and story more pleasing to imagine or could say 'reminisce' for the characters. Most of the foreshadowing that was mentioned by Death was devastating, but since it did mention it actually helped me to focus more on the story and the characters, which helped me recall the most beautiful, unregretful moments.

Not only that, the narrator, Death, makes the story much more interesting, especially the foreshadows that Death suddenly shares throughout the story. They accepted a Jew even though it jeopardizes the whole family, they still chose to take in Max-a Jewish during WW2. People like the Hubermann family significantly stand out, because of their nice and caring personality.

I gave this book a 4/5 because the book delivers the beauty and the dreadful side of people's humanity.

The book thief i am the messenger