The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
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Book Reviews of The Good Thief
Book Review: A Great Story
Summary: 5 Stars
I picked this book up randomly at the library and devoured it. There was not a dull page within and not one wasted word - a fault in which too many authors engage. The setting and time was well defined with action rather than endless description. The characters were rich and the outrageous events within the story were well presented in a believable way. This action packed adventure is a must read for anyone, young or old, who likes a good story. And who doesn't? Book Review: Good vs Evil Mystery
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm writing this review months after finishing the book. It was definitely one of my favorite reads in the past few months. If you enjoy escaping into another time and place with characters you can love or hate, then this book does the trick.
I read this book as a test of my interest in reading books taken out from the Library. I finished it much sooner than expected. It was a very good read, despite what some of the reviewers said about it.
I suppose if you're a reader like me who enjoys that Dickens style of descriptive writing, it would be a treasure. The story is very much a Dickens invention; Orphan taken out into the world, seeing all the cruelties of life. You end up rooting for the bad guys knowing that their really the good guys in disguise, maybe.
The author's use of the orphan's mysteriously lost hand is what I thought the genius of the story. That missing hand of the orphan's really drove the mystery as well as the sympathy of the story.
I believe any orphan who reads this as an adult will have a hard time putting it down. Because.........the author plants a small seed of hope that the character the orphan has attached himself to just might be his brother or father, with links to his mother who's identity he only holds a shred of clues to.
The history is something I really enjoyed. Graverobbing vs, what's that other word when you take the body but leave the clothes? Anyways, I learned plenty to add to my knowledge of 19th century life.
The conditions were perfect for this story. I didn't know that twins were looked upon as unlucky for the parents in those times. A touch of the mad scientist gives this story a gruesome reality. Torture, fights, drinking and thievery. A Wonderful Adventure of a Story.
Book Review: The Mediocre Thief
Summary: 2 Stars
I didn't enjoy this book. I was reading it for a book club, so I finished it, but it was with only mild interest.
This novel recounts the wandering of a group of semi-successful thieves as they beg, cheat, borrow, and steal their way through 19th century New England. Ren, the crippled boy hero, is saved from the orphanage by a con artist, Benjamin, claiming to be his relative. Ren quickly discovers Benjamin's story is a sham, but he doesn't really care. They meet up with more thieves, crazy dentists, assassins, and grave-robbing doctors as they settle into an old mining town with a sinister factory. The story meanders along from there.
This book succeeds wildly at being a picaresque novel: good-natured low-lifes journeying through the dregs of society, getting by on their wits, encountering bizarre people, and having strange adventures. Picaresque. But that very quality betrays the author's beginnings in short story writing. The novel reads like a short story - a bunch of disparate tales collected together with the thin threads of a vague theme. The story wanders aimlessly. That seems to be the point, until it is loosely tied together at the climax of the book. Most novels have at least a tenuous structure or sketch to guide the reader along on a narrative path. This book doesn't.
You may be thinking, "Well, that's great, it's a book that keeps you guessing, keeps you reading!" Unfortunately, the book only seems to keep you guessing because the author too was unsure of where it was all going. The book has a climax by virtue only of the author's desire to be finished.
The characterization was sketchy, and the characters only mildly likable. I'm sure the author was going for 'quirky', but what we got were vaguely outline shadows of people. Fill-in-the-blank reading.
All-in-all, this novel was bland and inoffensive, shallow and uncomplicated. It's hard to have strong feelings about it either way, because it did not endeavor to arouse any feelings from its reader. It's also difficult to guess at what age group this was aimed. At times the tale reads like a children's adventure story. At others, the author is describing penises (I stopped counting after 3). The lack of defined audience doesn't make it 'timeless' or 'a grand adventure for all ages'. It is merely further indication of the novel's indecisiveness. Skip it and find something with more depth.
Book Review: Excellent Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I enjoyed this book so much. It has a winding, plot twisting path that kept me up all night reading. The characters are diverse and colorful. I would highly reccommend it.Book Review: The Good Thief
Summary: 5 Stars
I adored this book! This is the best book I have read in such a long time. I hope Hannah Tinti writes more books. I am recommending this book to everybody I meet. I loved the twists and turns she takes you on. I also loved that I was not one step ahead on the author figuring out what would happen next. This book is great for ages 12 to 100.