Did anybody NOT sob towards the end of "The Book Thief"?

Obviously you are not alone, for this silly book has made it into the Bestsellers list.

That doesn't mean it was a great book, of course, but that it caters to the lowest common denominator. And that is very... low.

Mfor3 - I know I am a messer but I was not joking when I said I howled at that book. I love a good weep though.

Cote - let it out. Go on. Stop bottling up and cry me a river.

Sniff re earthquake?

You must be like my mum. She cries if someone mentions the word "crying"

Sniff re earthquake. No you're right. Except that I am worst book critic ever, I never think why I like/don't like smthg. Maybe I should.

Are you going to cry now if I tell you "There's a girl and her family dies in an earthquake"?

The story has to be well told and has to have drawn you in it a bit for you to feel enough to cry, no?

even when the brother dies on the train at the start? Oh it's all coming back to me now. This is too much. Pass the tissues.

Oh boo effing hoo. Badly written children's book. Nothing happens for 500 pages then bomb falls from the sky and everyone dies. Ok then.

I sobbed even when reading Secret Life Of Bees, btw, so not that heartless. What killed me there was little girl missing her dead mummy so much that she was filling mum's white gloves with cotton and hugging them in bed, imagining they are her mummy's hands hugging her.

But Book Thief is just a non-story written in the dumbest way possible.

Oh Cote you heartless wench. I am wiping my eyes here at the thought of the ending. Poor Rudi, the fastest boy in Germany.

Mummyfor3 - I'm very teary eyed these days, as well, actually. (24 weeks pregnant) Just today, cried a river reading about Australians who fled the fires with their babies

But this book was just... childish. It didn't arouse any emotions whatsoever. A step-mother whose only rendering through most of the book is that she calls everyone "Swine". But we then learn she has a heart, too. Oh the cliche!

Amazon says this book is for "young adults" (i.e. teenagers), but it has to be dull and shallow even for the teenage reader. I remember reading Shakespeare in school as a teenager.

Could it at least not have multiple levels of meaning that appeal to different levels of the audience, like, say "Lord Of The Flies" or even "Alice In Wonderland"?

Don't get me started on Death. You would expect a timeless entity who has watched over the human race for millenia to have a bit more depth and wisdom than giving dictionary definitions of elementary concepts and repeatedly raving about the color of the sky Even Vampire Lestat in "Interview With A Vampire" had more interesting monologues, and he's only been a predator for what, a thousand years.

Why would you "take offence" at my calling Death's depiction in this book "retarded"?

Are you Death? Are any of your friends Death? Are you related to Death?

How can you possibly be offended by whatever I choose to call a fictional character of Death (of all things)?

Would you like it better if I called the characterisation of Death in this book "mentally challenged"?

Consider the possibility that you might be taking politically correctness a bit too far.

cotedazur - no offence taken of course, but am offended at your use of the word 'retarded' - not really a term in use these days.

(and a great deal of books aimed at teenagers have been wildly successful in the adult market. But all v subjective naturally)

How old are you people? (No offense).

Seriously, this book is aimed at teenagers. Paper-thin characters, a retarded angel of death raving about the color of the sky (and nothing more profound), a simple boring story that goes on for 500+ pages, and desperate tugging at heart strings (because that makes a good book, don't you know?) towards the end - everyone's dead, boo hoo.

No, I didn't cry in the end, if that wasn't clear

i usually do cry at books but it (weirdly) left me dry eyed

I have just finished this story. I found it hard to just pick up and read. It has taken me a while to read the whole novel. It is moving, but I didn't connect with the narrative really. I felt detached throughout, until the very end. I think it may the narration by death that has caused this.

...I enjoyed it. I think it has the potential to make a splendid movie

I confess I imagined it as a film whilst reading...

...from what I can gather the 'death' device will be dropped. I think the story is quite strong enough to stand as a narrative with careful handling...

Without, you could be left with a rubbish film of a splendid book.

Golden Compass, anyone??

Message withdrawn

No - didn't reach me in that way - I think for me the characters were too wooden to identify with plus I did not enjoy the writing style greatly as I found it disjointed - suspect I will be in the minority - but I did persevere to the end.

I must have a heart of stone as it did not particularly move me. Did not think Death was a well written 'character' which spoilt the whole thing but did think Hans and Rudy were well-drawn.

I cried too. I've just read 5 books in a row and they all made me cry at some point. I'm either a complete emotional wreck or have got more emotional with age, could it be a vicious circle?

am having trouble getting into this book - is our book club's current choice - I just can't get the whole 'death' narrating the story.