Chapter 49 - Champagne and Accordions

Molching braces for air raids in the summer of 1942, blacking out windows and marking shelters. This threat unexpectedly benefits Hans Hubermann’s painting work, as residents hire him to darken blinds. When black paint runs short, Hans mixes coal dust and scraps of color, working cheaply or for small favors.

Liesel often accompanies Hans, carting paint through streets of poverty and wealth. Hans’s generosity leads him to paint for the poor for almost nothing. During breaks, he plays the accordion while they share rationed bread, and Liesel absorbs his stories of war and meeting Rosa.

At a wealthy home, after Liesel learns how paint is mixed with a rolled champagne bottle, the owners serve real champagne. Startled by the taste, Liesel spits, then tries again, delighting in the forbidden sweetness. Hans jokes about payment and asks her not to tell Rosa; Liesel vows to remember this as her best taste of champagne.

Later, in the basement where she writes, Liesel realizes these days—paint-smudged play, music, and quiet competence—were the happiest of her life. The narration warns that this bright season will soon be ended by bombings, underscoring the fragile joy before the coming hardships.