Liesel #atozchallenge
She’s the Book Thief, so beautiful a person, as described by
Death who narrates her story. I loved the movie; I haven’t read the book. The
story follows Liesel from her childhood to teenage years, her growth amidst the
tense surroundings during the world war.
When Liesel’s brother and mother die, she is send to foster
parents Hans and Rosa Hubermann. She is just ten then. She slowly develops a
liking towards Hans and finds friendship in Rudy, the local boy. Hans teaches
her to read, starting from alphabets to full-fledged books and she’s eventually
able to complete reading her most treasured book ‘The Gravedigger’s Handbook’.
She discovers her love for the written word, and utilizes the basement wall to
create her own dictionary of difficult words, reading one book after another.
She’s surprised by book burnings done on Hitler’s commands, and steals a book
from among the ashes. She also gets invited to Ilsa Hermann’s library, to read
her favorite book every day.
Then Max arrives in their lives, whose friendship would be
most cherished and mean the world to Liesel eventually. He is a Jew whom the
Hubermanns provide a safe harbor, a refuge, unknown to the neighbors, lest they
should be considered as traitors. Max stays in the basement for months, recovering
from illness, and missing the open night sky. Liesel grows close to him
gradually, describing him how the weather outside is, how the night sky looks,
and each minute detail of everyday life. She brings bucket full of snow to the
basement for Max, and happily plays snow fights with him and Hans. She reads to
him relentlessly when he’s sick, and comatose, hoping he’d hear her words and
wake up. Theirs is a beautiful relationship.
Liesel is one of the most memorable characters. “Through the
books she steals, reads, and writes, she evolves from a powerless character to
a powerful character who deeply empathizes with the voiceless.”
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