The Good Thief
by Hannah Tinti
List Price:
Our Price: $3.83
You Save: $21.17 (85%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Hannah TintiEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2008-08-26
ISBN: 0385337450
Number of pages: 336
Publisher: The Dial Press
Book Reviews of The Good Thief
Book Review: The Good Thief is Literary Magic
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Good Thief in author Hannah Tinti's book title is a good, God-fearing, eleven-year-old orphan named Ren. He reluctantly turns to thievery when he's rescued from a Catholic orphanage by a fast-talking con artist named Benjamin Nab who claims to be his long-lost brother. Benjamin introduces the boy to his ways and Ren has no choice but to go along, even though his conscience bothers him. As the good fathers at the orphanage have taught him, he apologizes to God for his bad ways, even as he attempts to strike bargains with Him.
Before Benjamin comes along, Ren is always hopeful that the next person who comes to get a boy will adopt him. He's rejected so many times, it saddened me to read about the poor little tyke's heartbreak. You see, Ren is handicapped, making it more difficult to find anyone who wants him. It will make you weep when you see how smart, creative and lovable he is; how hard he works to be noticed by the prospective "parents."
Since Ren is missing a hand, it's harder for him because most of those seeking a "son" only want strong boys to do physical labor. Always hopeful, though, Ben keeps trying. What keeps his hopes alive is the thought of a loving mother waiting just for him in one of those households.
Even as Benjamin takes him away with him, the boy is hoping he will have a woman somewhere who will nurture and care for him. Since he was left on the church steps when he was an infant, he has always longed to know about his mother and his background.
As Benjamin sweeps Ren from one adventure to another--from scam artists to grave robbers to petty thieves--the boy begins to suspect that the man might be the one to unlock the mystery of his past. He thinks that Benjamin knows more about his life and how he became handicapped than he's sharing.
But is Benjamin really his brother, or is that just a scam to get the priests to allow him to take Ren? Will Ren ever find his own mother, learn the truth of why she abandoned him and what happened to his hand? Is Ben a good man or a bad man? Why is someone chasing him? And will they ever reach a "home" destination?
To learn the answers to those questions, I suggest you read this book. It's a real page-turner that sweeps the reader along with this one-handed, quick-fingered boy as he learns all about the real world beyond the orphanage walls.
Hannah Tinti is a beautiful writer; I found her character descriptions fascinating, especially the portrayal of a boarding house owner and her "dwarf" brother who lives on the roof. Brilliant writing went into these secondary characters. And the New England landscape comes alive under her touch.
Another thing I enjoy about this book is that it doesn't portray the priests at the Catholic orphanage as bad like too many books do. Certainly, they are strict, but they are also caring and kind to the boys, as kind as their responsibilities allow. I especially liked Father John who gave Ren much good advice as he was growing up.
I can picture The Good Thief as a Young Adult adventure movie that would appeal to adults as well as children; slightly reminiscent of Tom Sawyer.
Reviewed by: Betty Dravis, April 2009
Author of "Millennium Babe: The Prophecy"
Summary of The Good Thief
Richly imagined, gothically spooky, and replete with the ingenious storytelling ability of a born novelist, The Good Thief introduces one of the most appealing young heroes in contemporary fiction and ratifies Hannah Tinti as one of our most exciting new talents.Twelve year-old Ren is missing his left hand. How it was lost is a mystery that Ren has been trying to solve for his entire life, as well as who his parents are, and why he was abandoned as an infant at Saint Anthony?s Orphanage for boys. He longs for a family to call his own and is terrified of the day he will be sent alone into the world.
But then a young man named Benjamin Nab appears, claiming to be Ren?s long-lost brother, and his convincing tale of how Ren lost his hand and his parents persuades the monks at the orphanage to release the boy and to give Ren some hope. But is Benjamin really who he says he is? Journeying through a New England of whaling towns and meadowed farmlands, Ren is introduced to a vibrant world of hardscrabble adventure filled with outrageous scam artists, grave robbers, and petty thieves. If he stays, Ren becomes one of them. If he goes, he?s lost once again. As Ren begins to find clues to his hidden parentage he comes to suspect that Benjamin not only holds the key to his future, but to his past as well.
Historical Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Historical Books
Pirate Latitudes: A Novelby Michael Crichton
Harper; Published: 2009-11-24; Roughcut; Book
Best price: $2.50
Price in other shops:
The Master Butchers Singing Club: A Novelby Louise Erdrich
Harper Perennial; Published: 2004-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.83
Price in other shops:
The Last Witchfinder: A Novelby James Morrow
William Morrow; Published: 2006-03-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $4.00
Price in other shops:
Zorroby Isabel Allende
HarperAudio; Published: 2005-05-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $3.15
Price in other shops:
The Hot Kid: A Novelby Elmore Leonard
William Morrow; Published: 2005-05-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.89
Price in other shops:
The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Chronicles Series #1)Mass Market Paperback; Book
Bones of the Hills (Conqueror, Book 3)by Conn Iggulden
Harper Collins Canada; Published: 2008; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $44.70
Marchby Geraldine Brooks
Penguin Books; Published: 2006; Paperback; Book
Emperor (Emperor 1)by Conn Iggulden
Harpercollins Pb; Published: 2003-06-07; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.80
Girl With a Pearl Earringby Tracy Chevalier
Harper Collins Audio; Published: 2002-06-17; Audio Cassette; Book
Best price: $86.82
Similar Books and other products
Leonard Cohen - Old IdeasRelease date: 2012-01-31; Music CD
Best price: $8.66
Price in other shops:
Neverwhere: A Novelby Neil Gaiman
William Morrow Paperbacks; Published: 2003-09-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.89
Price in other shops:
City of Thieves: A Novelby David Benioff
Viking Adult; Published: 2008-05-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.02
Price in other shops:
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunterby Seth Grahame-Smith
Grand Central Publishing; Grand Central Publishing; Published: 2010-03-02; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $9.92
Price in other shops:
Wolf Hall: A Novelby Hilary Mantel
Picador; Published: 2010-08-31; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.75
Price in other shops:
The Good Thief: A Novelby Hannah Tinti
Dial Press Trade Paperback; Published: 2009-08-11; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.80
Price in other shops: