Truly amazing! I love the narrator and how his perspective allows the story to flow. The ending could not have been more perfect and is very much thought provoking. After reading this, I am left with a feeling of wanting to be better than I am. ( )

I would've thought this book was amazing if I'd read it at 15. But I'm 25 now, so I thought it was good. Especially (obviously) good for teens. The book's about a message and it gets it across well and the narrator is a really relatable guy, so there's good reason to recommend it.

I didn't always love the style Zusak used, though. For one thing, the book's not tightly written. If I were editing it I'd hack out most of the passages where the narrator just goes on and on about his emotional state, overusing so-so metaphors and cheesey poetic conceits. I got a little impatient getting through that stuff.

Still, a pretty cool, meaningful book. Not as good as [book: The Book Thief], but what is? ( )

Amazing and extensive use of literary devices. Personification, metaphor and simile, yes, but richer than those, too. The author has an excellent eye for turning intangible actions and feelings into tangible actions and feelings using the aforementioned devices in ways most authors fail to do. I think this expressive writing is what hooked me the most in this book. Good literal literary twist at the end, too! ( )

Such an interesting and strange premise, a bit like a puppeteer pulling the strings of someone's life without them understanding what and why. This felt similar to The Midnight Library in that it is meant to feel very profound at the end, and I don't generally enjoy that. That wasn't until the very end tho, so mostly this was mysterious and intriguing. ( )

I don't know why I was so surprised to love this book so much. After all, The Book Thief and Bridge of Clay written by this author are two of my favourite books. Now I can add this one to that list as well. I loved the characters in this book--all the characters!. I loved Ed, the underage cab driver who is the protagonist in this book, and his many friends, family and acquaintances. Ed is not prepared for a life-changing event when he reads a playing card in the mail, the ace of hearts, but he embarks on a journey that will totally change his life. Ed becomes the Messenger, and the last hope for some of the people that he meets through the direction of the cards. ""Protect the diamonds, survive the clubs, dig deep through the spades, feel the hearts."-Markus Zusak - I Am the Messenger. This book is poignant, sweet, sad, touching, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. The story for Ed begins when he inadvertently stops a bank robber. That's when the cards start arriving, and that's when Ed becomes the Messenger. Ed is an underachieving, unsure of himself teenager whose best firiend is an aging, smelly Labrador by the the name of the Doorman. By the time his quests are complete, Ed becomes a confident, caring young man with a girlfriend he adores. I highly recommend this book. The book is set in and around Christmas, so it was a wonderful book to read at the end of November. I highly recommend this book. Its one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. ( )