The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
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Book Reviews of The Good Thief
Book Review: Well Written Characters and Sound Plot
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Ren has no memories of, or even idea of, life outside the orphanage with the monks. He was left there as an infant and has spent all his eleven years imagining who he might be, and why he is missing a hand. Then one amazing day, Benjamin Nab appears, claims him as his long-lost brother and his life makes a drastic change from the comforting, if sparse, routine of the monastery to a whirlwind life involving crime, confidence trickery graverobbery, Resurrection men, hired murderers, a motherly housekeeper, a mysterious dwarf, a sinister factory owner and--most importantly--the answers to his past.
Ren is a wonderfully sympathetic character while Benjamin Nab is, I hate to admit it, an attractive rogue that one can't help but like despite his crimes. Ben's partner Tom has a deep sadness that shows itself in depression and drink and comes out slowly over the course of the story. The minor characters are well-written and engaging, Mrs. Sands, for example, with her hinted back story. And while I was able to figure out most of Ren's history about 3/4 of the way through the story, that made it no less enjoyable or thrilling.
I had some qualms about half way through the book, thinking that petty crime was being a bit too glorified, and perhaps wasn't going to be shown as "not okay", but I was satisfied in the end; it wasn't preachy or moralistic but the life of crime was shown to be of no benefit. I was also quite pleased with how Tinti chose to end the book--I'll not say more than that but any other way and I would have thought less of Benjamin.
Overall this was a wonderful story that will appeal to children and young adults (and adults, of course!) who enjoy a sometimes dark adventure with well written characters and a sound plot line.
Book Review: Grand Adventure!
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Life wasn't easy for Ren, a 12-year old, one-handed orphan with a penchant for stealing. So when a long lost relative came to the orphanage to claim him, Ren jumps at the chance to live a normal life and have a real family. Naturally this picture perfect scenario is shattered almost immediately, when Ren's new "benefactor" enlists him in a life of petty theft, fraud, and grave robbing all across 19th Century New England. Along the way Ren encounters a colorful cast of supporting characters worthy of Dickens that are every bit as interesting as the book's main characters.
I was captivated by Ren's tale from the very beginning. His perspective on life, the way he visualizes situations, and his attempt to stay true to an ever-challenged moral code was very endearing, and the cast of characters he encounters is so memorable that it practically screams for a film adaptation. My only real complaint is that the book became a bit too predictable towards the end, and tied things up far too neatly. I understand the appeal of a happy ending, but the book lost something in those final pages.
It's not a perfect book, but I was surprised at just how much I enjoyed The Good Thief. It brought back fond memories of reading Dickens and Twain as a kid, and was one of the few books I've read recently that I felt compelled to share with others. I think The Good Thief is an ideal book for young adult readers, as well as those of us who could use a reminder of what makes this kind of novel so much fun in the first place.
Book Review: The Good Thief
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Good Thief, in its simplest form, is a story about a boy who wants someone to belong to. Tinti creates a web of a novel, with stories that center around half-truths, intriguing characters (such as a harelipped girl and a dwarf) populating a home, a mousetrap factory, and, threading through all this, the question everyone wants to know the answer to: What happened to Ren's hand? The story is completely populated by misfits and lonely people, all of whom want desperately to be happy in life. It's a good theme to write about, as everyone can relate to it, and Tinti does a very good job of writing from the perspective of a 12-year-old boy who tries to do good.
The story wraps up a bit too neatly, and a little too quickly for my liking. It's hard to review the story since the entirety of it really builds up to the climax and the Great Revelation. I'll just say that I think it's a good story, and it was fun to read, and I will definitely be looking for Hannah Tinti's next novel.
It's the sort of story that begs for a sequel, populated by the entire motley crew that was in this one. The characters and some of the plot devices reminded me a little of those in The Lies of Locke Lamora, another very good book. I think Tinti's novel is likely to be marketed to a "young adult" crowd of junior high schoolers. That's a very good audience for it, in my opinion- but if you like gothic novels, with dwarfs and giants and orphans and body snatchers... then you won't want to miss this one!
Book Review: A Wild Ride and a Good Read
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The Good Thief is an atmospheric Victorian-era adventure story about an 11 year old handicapped boy who goes from a severely circumscribed life in a monastery into an exposure to all the bad elements of life and a few good elements. Ren, who is missing his left hand, is swept along on a tide of criminal behavior, involving an army of bizarre and mysterious characters including mousetrap girls, hat boys, a town of widow women, graveyard ghouls, a murderous giant, and a chimney dwarf, among others. He has always been a thief--even in the strict Catholic environment he came from, he stole small objects if they were available--but he always did penance when he was caught. However he has no idea how to redeem himself for the crimes he is becoming involved in since he left the monastery. He has many questions about his origins: Who were his real family? Why did his mother leave him at the monastery? How did he lose his hand? But the answers as they come to him later are overwhelmingly unwelcome and difficult to deal with. We're on Ren's side as he follows his new crime family through one scheme after another.
The author skillfully evokes the young thief's feelings as he struggles to find his way to redemption in a seemingly crazy world. The book compares favorably to Huck Finn and Oliver Twist. Recommended for both adults and young adults as a page-turning adventure story.
Book Review: easy and fun to read
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
There is a distinctly religious feel to this work. A sort of "Catholic Spooky Feel" And I'm NOT normally a fan of material that has that type of "mood".
This however, was written in such a way that it merits overlooking that.
The story has a main character that you can immediately relate to. When he is excited, you get excited, when he is disappointed you get disappointed. It is written very well. And it provokes solid emotional responses when you read this.
I think this was done exceptionally well.
I would have given it 5 stars, but a few items in it I felt were lacking because of my own bias... the introduction of a few characters near the middle of the book that I think were made "overly distinct", and the "religious feel" of the work.
Both of these are minor because, quite honestly, the story wouldn't/couldn't have come together without these elements. It is just my own personal taste that affected my review. And any sane person knows material like this will not appeal to everyone on every level.
In the end this book is a good read, I sat down a few evenings to read this and enjoyed every minute of it.
A fine adventure set in a great era for this type of story.
I've never read Animal Crackers but I might now that I have read this...
Thanks for the fine work Hannah!