Hawaii Nesties
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
HI Nesties Book Club Check-In - final discussion of The Book Thief!
BOOK CLUBBERS...
The name of the person who chose the current
book is in bold.
4forluck
Amy4773
Eclaire71
irishmilla02
kaesha
lelekay
Married2MrWright
MauiWedding08
MiniWheats
mrsdarling
redshoegirl
S&D2HI
SanHawaii08
vanceandlori
This month: The Last Child by John Hart
OK ladies, this is the big one! Tell me all your thoughts about The Book Thief! Loved it? Hated it?
Re: HI Nesties Book Club Check-In - final discussion of The Book Thief!
I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't even get halfway through The Book Thief... and I don't even have a good reason. I just could not get into the book. I liked the story line and I liked the author's writing style, but something about the book just didn't do it for me. Once I would start reading I would enjoy it, but it was difficult for me to pick up the book and start reading.
I should do much better this month though. I got The Last Child from the library this weekend and I already started it, so I wouldn't get behind again. But I like it so much, I don't think that is going to be an issue.
I absolutely loved the book. I bought it several years ago because it was the Costco book buyers pick of the month and never got into it. I am so happy I made myself get through the opening. What a touching story about relationships. I loved every character and I thought a lot about things I may have done if I'd lived in that time. Could I have been strong enough to hide a Jewish man in my basement? Could I have been brave enough to give bread to those that were marching to Dachau?
I'm not so good about putting my feelings on books into words but I bet I can discuss some other people's feelings.
I plan to start the new book tonight.
I really loved TBT. My sister recommended it to me last year, and I shouldn't have waited so long to read it but at least I get to discuss it with you ladies now!
I thought the characters were wonderful, even the "bit part" characters felt real to me. It's a touching story, and even though so many incredible things happen in it, I came away feeling that it was so simple and elegant. Just a story about a girl, her family, her friends, and the struggles they went through trying to live their lives as best they could in a dark time.
I think one of my favorite things about the book was that, even though there was constant foreshadowing in Death's narration, there were quite a few moments that surprised me. I feel like so many authors beat their readers over the head with every.single.point they're trying to make... like, "Get it? GET IT?" (I'm talking to you, Dan Brown). For a book about words, I thought he really let his own words speak for themselves.
Great choice, Lisa! I'm really looking forward to the next book... just waiting for my library hold to come in. If it's late I might miss the first check-in but I can play catch-up.
I totally agree with this. Even though you know Rudy is going to die from about the fourth page (and it's mentioned several times throughout the book), it's still shocking and saddening when it actually happens. And in a way it makes the relationship between Liesel and Rudy even better, because you want so much for her to give him the kiss he wants, knowing there's limited time for it to happen.
I really liked that he chose Death as a narrator - it's unexpected, especially for a book that revolves around an event (WWII) that involved so much death and destruction.
I also liked the kind of simplicity of the story - the everyday lives of everyday people in WWII Germany - even though it involved such a complex time in history. It reminded me of the way that To Kill A Mockingbird dealt with race relations in the South in the 1950s through Scout and Jem's point of view. And how it covered the fact that not all Germans (and not even all Nazis) hated Jews - that some were morally conflicted about what was happening, especially those (like Max's officer friend) that had Jews as close friends.
Did anyone else hope/think that maybe Liesel married Max? I know it doesn't say that (it only says that she had a husband and children), and that there was a little bit of an age difference (I got the feeling it was about 10 years since he's referred to as a "young man" - so he's maybe in his mid 20s when she was 13/14?), but I still kind of hoped for it.
YES!!! I was totally hoping. And when he came and found her I was all emotional.
Like PP, I am really glad I pushed myself past the beginning. I was a little unsure whether I would like the book being narrated by Death but in the end, I could have pictured it any other way.
I really liked all the different relationships in the book, of course all of them involving Liesel. There were very few characters I didn't like and the ones that I didn't like - Victor - had minimal roles in the book. When I read the ending about Liesel getting married, etc I SOOOOO wanted the book to mention that she married Max. I know there was an age difference but I could picture them keeping in touch until she was a little older and getting married. Or, since young marriages were not uncommon and she didn't have any family left, I was easily able to talk myself into them getting married.
Very good pick Lisa! I have picked up our new book but I am not ready to read it yet. I just got back from a work related trip and I have a ton of work to get done this week so I may be a week behind or so.... either way, I'm looking forward to reading it!
Me, too!!! I cried like a baby when he walked back into the shop and asked for her! When people have been through events like the two of them have, it's hard to separate from each other again, so I had hoped they stayed together.
I agree, Lisa, that the simplicity of the story was its key. It was such a scary world then, but being told mostly from the viewpoint of a child/pre-teen, as well as from Death's viewpoint (whom I loved how he was portrayed....as more of a thoughtful character than one would expect) made you look at things in a little different way.
I will say that I had a little bit of a hard time getting into the story at the beginning. It may not have been the story's fault.....I had a lot going on. But I'm glad I stuck with it. Once I reached about the halfway point, I didn't want to put it down. I agree that even though there was plenty of foreshadowing, I was still shocked at times (my jaw dropped at the beginning of Part 10).
PP said it all for me.
I loved the book! I was crying so much (maybe extra emotional that day) towards the end I had to put it down and walk away a few times just to compose myself. I couldn't read through the tears.
I imagined as I was reading that Liesel, Max and pretty much every character, were REAL and not just representative of hundreds of people. The people of Germany that risked their lives to reach out to a jew with a piece of bread; the people that risked their lives and their families lives to harbor a jew in their home; the people that just accepted the way things were and cheered for the death of jews - all living on the same little street in poverty.
I was most touched by the post mortem kiss of Rudy. And I loved that Liesel lived a long happy life with kids and grandkids. I KNOW Max and her married, they had to. Their reunion at the end of WWII, can you imagine the elation of finding out that someone you cared so much about survived the concentration camp? Death giving Liesel back her book as he is taking her soul, what a kind and loving death! I became so involved, loved the book!
Not directly book related, but have any of you ever visited The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles? A must for older middle school and high school kids.
I haven't, but I have been to both Natzweiler-Struthof and Mauthausen camps, and it's a very sobering experience. I was thinking about that a lot when reading this book.
"Thoughtful" is such a good word to use to describe Death's character! And also...hmm. Not innocent, exactly, but I can't think of the word I want. He was intrigued by humans, but also mystified by them. I think he could relate to them in a way, but he was still very far removed from the human experience. I did enjoy how he said that people's perceptions of him were so off base, especially that he doesn't wear a black cloak "unless it's cold." Those little bits of unexpected humor really helped me warm to his character.
No, but I would LOVE to go (does that sound weird?). I suppose it's kind of odd that I grew up in the area but never visited, even though I've been to pretty much every other museum and gallery multiple times, but it's something I'd really like to do.
I agree, the book was difficult to get into the first time I read it but I rarely just don't finish a book so I kept reading. I really liked the thoughtfulness of the story. It was almost simple in the writing but very powerful.
Like everyone else I was really hoping Max and LIsle married, that would be just too perfect - but not saying it is more powerful because there is still so much to think about.
I haven't. I have been to the Holocaust museum in DC many times though and find it to be a good experience. I can't say I "enjoy" it but I do really respect it.