Author:Adam Thorpe
It is April 1945, and the historic town of Lohenfelde is about to be overrun by the Allied Third Army. Huddled in the vaults of the Kaiser-Wilhelm Museum are Heinrich Hoffer and his three colleagues. Their petty rivalries and resentments surface quickly in this claustrophobic confinement as the four prepare themselves for their fate.
Above the ground, picking through the rubble, is Corporal Neal Parry, who wishes he was back in West Virginia studying art. When he finds an exquisite painting in what remains of the museum vaults, he is immediately reconnected with a lost world of beauty and order. It is this small 18th-century oil that is the poignant link between the young American soldier and the four charred corpses he finds at the same time. As the narratives interweave, the story of the painting reveals the hidden story of Herr Hoffer and his three associates - and in doing so uncovers other, darker mysteries.
Skilful . . . daring . . . an extraordinary story
[It is] the unexpected Beckett that is on show here. Baker pays tribute to a man who joined the French Resistance, narrowly escaped the Gestapo, fled south on foot and went into hiding, and was eventually awarded the Croix de Guerre
—— The TimesA fascinating fictional account of Samuel Beckett's wartime years
—— IAN RANKINBeautifully written, empathetic and unflinching, it is very, very good
—— Daily Mailvivid and well-wrought
—— Times Literary SupplementInsightful . . . beautifully paced . . . authentic
—— The Irish TimesIn this worthy successor to Longbourn, she [Baker] skillfully captures Beckett’s world, the rhythms of his bare-bones prose, and the edginess of his point of view.
—— Publishers WeeklyTaking its title from Beckett's most famous play, Waiting for Godot, Baker's historical drama deftly explores the psyche of one of the greatest writers of the Twentieth Century.
—— BooklistPerfectly captures the deprivation, despair and constant creeping fear of an occupied people.
—— Red Magazine Must-Read of the MonthThis exquisitely crafted novel re-creates the World War II peregrinations of Samuel Beckett and the volatile Frenchwoman who became his life's companion
—— Oprah Magazine‘Baker . . . creates a compellingly real experience out of Beckett’s work in the French underground . . . Her writing is assured and often intense . . . enthralling.’
—— The Santa Fe New MexicanAbsorbing and searing
—— Washington PostA major achievement
—— PeopleDeserves a place on the shelf with The Diary of Anne Frank - set to become a classic
—— USA TodayZusak makes his ostensibly gloomy subject bearable in the same way Kurt Vonnegut did in Slaughterhouse 5, with grim, darkly consoling humour
—— TimeZusak's playfulness with language leavens the horror and makes the theme more resonant - words can save your life ...It's a measure of how sucessfully Zusak has humanized these characters that even though we know they are doomed, it's no less devastating when Death finally reaches them
—— Publishers WeeklyOne of the most highly anticipated young-adult books in years
—— The Wall Street Journal'Elegant, philosophical and moving. A work to read slowly and savour. Beautiful and important
—— Kirkus ReviewsBoth gripping and touching, a work that kept me up late into the night feverishly reading the last 300 pages
—— Cleveland Plain-DealerZusak's novel is a highwire act of inventiveness and emotional suppleness
—— The AustralianA triumph of control ...one of the most unusual and compelling of recent Australian novels
—— The Age...the much talked about The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak...should soon have the UK under its spell.
—— Sam Burson , The Western Mail...this is a novel to touch even the coldest of hearts - definitely 2007's first must-read book.
—— Newmarket JournalA compelling tale from the start...definitely 2007's first must-read book.
—— Bury Free PressA moving story from the German perspective of everyday civilian hardship and surivival under the Third Reich. It celebrates the power of words and love, in the face of unutterable suffering
—— Mail on SundayDeath turns out to be a tender narrator in Zusak's 'The Book Thief' [...] This novel movingly depicts the Himmel Street community, and its orphaned book thief, Liesel Meminger
—— Books Quarterly (Waterstones)Your emotions by the end of this novel are shot to pieces, but it's well worth it.
—— GuardianAlthough already a bestselling children's book, THE BOOK THIEF's insightful and poignant tone and appealing characters...are amply equipped to capture adults, too.
—— Observer