Eduardo Santiago reviewed The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been …
Review of 'The Book Thief' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
The gimmick got in the way: there's just something goofy, jarring, about personifying Death. (Unless you're [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg] or [a:Terry Pratchett|1654|Terry Pratchett|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1235562205p2/1654.jpg]). Even so ... it worked. Wonderfully.
The narrator's voice is by no means detached or aloof. It's actually quite warm. Forget the Death thing, let yourself be drawn into the characters' lives. This is a tale of kindnesses, big and little, amid horror and despair.