The Good Thief by Hannah Tinti
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Book Reviews of The Good Thief
Book Review: Classic Storytelling
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
"The Good Thief" is vintage storytelling that begins at a sedate walk, escalates to a trot, and finally takes off with a gallop that leaves the reader nearly breathless by its heart-warming finish. Part Robert Louis Stevenson, part Dickens, part Edgar Allen Poe, all wild picaresque adventure, it follows the trials and triumphs of Ren, an eleven year old orphan abandoned at a New England monastery/orphanage called St. Anthony's. Saint Anthony, the author reminds us, is a saint with the unique power of finding what is lost. Over the course of the book, Ren will make many discoveries concerning his mysterious origins and history. Not all of what he finds will be pleasant.
This is a dark book, a Gothic novel, really. In many of its scenes, it fits the definition of a horror novel--one in which the author refuses to turn away when things start to get awful. Most of the book is almost painfully bleak, beginning with Ren's physical circumstances. He is missing a hand. It's not that he was born without it--that would merely be a cruelty of nature. No, things are much worse than that. The hand was severed when he was still an innocent baby, sometime before he was pushed through the chute through which orphans are dumped at St. Anthony's.
His deformity makes Ren despair of ever being adopted. That leaves being press-ganged into the army once he is of age, which the book presents as a hellish fate worse than death. (It is not clear at first what war the army might be fighting--the beginning of the book is disorienting because we are given no clear indication of its time period, and Ren has no clear concept of his place in history. It gradually becomes clear that we are in post-colonial America, sometime around the first half of the nineteenth century.) One day, though, a stranger named Benjamin arrives at the orphanage, claiming to be Ren's brother. Ren leaves with the stranger. This is the beginning of a series of amazing adventures that will culminate in Ren's devastating discovery concerning his true identity.
Travel being what it was in that era, we are never very far geographically from where we started. This allows the author to present a vertical view of an entire society, from its dregs to its pinnacle. Along the way, we meet a whole world the author has created, full of thieves, prostitutes, grave-robbers, murderers, and assorted other grotesque characters. Nearly all of what we see is rotten, but there are a few good apples in the basket as well and they provide a ray of light that shines in the darkness. As in the more modern noir novel, we also discover that the fish sometimes rots from the head first: wealth is no assurance of good character.
I truly enjoyed this book. There is a lot going on, and some readers might find some of the plot elements slightly rushed or thin. While I felt a little disoriented at first without a good sense of time and place, once Ren left the orphanage things took off and I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. The author's characters were marvelous even when they were horrific and I was glad to spend time with them.
Book Review: An Adventureous Tale!
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This is the story of Ren. He is a 12-year-old boy living in the St. Anthony's Orphanage somewhere in the woods of New England in the 19th Century. Ren is at that age where it's unlikely he will be adopted by a family, even the ones that are looking for a little bit of cheap labor. You see Ren is different from the other boys because he only has one hand. And any boys that reach their 18th birthday at the orphanage are sent to join the army and an almost certain death. But every time someone comes to pick out a child, Ren doesn't stop hoping.
Then one day, the unimaginable happens. A man comes to the orphanage seeking his long, lost brother. When the boys line up, the man walks right up to Ren, looks at his hand, and announces that he has found him!! And this is how Ren meets Benjamin Nab. The wild tale that Benjamin tells the priest isn't even close to the truth, but Ren is excited to finally have someone that he can call family.
But Benjamin isn't exactly who he says he is. With his friend and accomplice Tom, the drunken ex-school teacher, Benjamin shows Ren how they make a living. If it's not a con-job, then it's "fishing" in the local cemeteries (taking jewelry and items from the deceased). But when an opportunity emerges for the men to go to a town called North Umbrage, Benjamin is extremely reluctant. He has been in this town before and is afraid of the repercussions he will face if recognized. But the money they can earn stealing bodies from the cemetery for the local "Mad" Doctor is more than anyone can deny. So off the small rag-tag group goes....and then things really get wild!!
Tinti has shown in this debut novel that she really can tell a story!! Our one-handed little hero is smart, loyal and extremely courageous. He is the perfect protagonist for such an adventure. And an adventure it is! From conning farmers out of their horses to midnight grave-robbing expeditions, Ren is forced to take a good hard look at the men he is with and at the person he wants to be. There is also an extremely unique cast of characters that include a mysterious drawf that lives on the roof, a gentle giant who's only talent is one of murder, an almost-deaf landlady this is kind and yet a little on the scary side herself, and the corrupt owner of a mousetrap factory and all his little minions.
But through all the escapades that Ren goes through, the real adventure comes from finding out who he really is. Throughout the story, bits and pieces of Ren's history are revealed to the reader. When the explosive climax is finally reached, all the loose ends of the story are tied up nicely. Tinti has created a great adventure with this book. Although it isn't marketed to the Young Adult set, I think it would be highly enjoyable to that age group...especially to boys. All in all, I was swept up in this child's life and adventures and I would definitely recommend this book!
Book Review: Author is an adept storyteller, and treats us to a fun adventure
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
What I enjoyed about The Good Thief is the author's ability to create imaginative and interesting characters, and an extraordinary plot to match. This book reminded me of kind of a dark fairy tale of some sort; it seems to have the tone of a simple tale, but there are some strong situations (violence, robberies, etc) that might make this hard to market as a young adult's book. Maybe it falls somewhere in between young adult and adult.
While Tinti is simple in her prose, she has a masterful ability at storytelling, and creating interest in our young protagonist, Ren, who lives as an orphan at a monastery until a stranger named Benjamin Nab comes and takes him. Benjamin is a master con man, and can weave a tall tale with the best of the many thieves and liars that Ren meets. While Ren longs for a family, and to know his family's identity, he seems to be cut out for the world that Benjamin leads him into--a world with murderers, thieves, double-crossers and cut-throats. Not to say Ren has those characteristics, but he seems to like the thrill the many escapades and adventures that his "brother" leads him into. Still, Ren seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and remembers his upbringing from the brothers at the church. Benjamin takes him to meet his partner in crime, Tom, a former school teacher who has a taste for liquor and petty crime. From here, the three have many an adventure, digging up bodies for money, scamming people for money, and finding means to live. What is interesting about Benjamin and Tom is that while they are common criminals, they seem to have their limits, and they do have compassion for Ren. Eventually the trio meets up with Dolly, an admitted killer, who forms an odd friendship with young Ren. On one of their scam jobs, they meet Mrs. Sands, a paternal figure to Ren, but someone who has the bold personality to deal with the likes of Benjamin and Tom. Eventually, the team of robbers find themselves on the wrong side of their grave digging schemes, and from here there is a desperate attempt at escape, with even more shady and ruthless characters along the way.
This is a fun read, something that has elements of fantasy and adventure in it. Eccentric characters make this an interesting read. If there is one part I didn't care for, it was that the ending seemed a little rushed. I think a little more could have been added; it seemed like the story just ended without some questions answered. Still, it is an exhilarating story to read, with Ren having the similarities of a Huckleberry Finn, and the tale having a modern day Robert Louis Stevenson feel to it. It is a quick, easy read, and, while its story might be a little dark, it will still have you engaged from beginning to end.
Book Review: Sweet, Smart One-Handed Boy-Bandit
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Good Thief" is a very good story, well-written and totally engaging. I loved this book, I loved the boy, and I congratulate author Tinti on a job well-done! Will or does Ren, the central character, replace Huck Finn or Oliver Twist as time-honored literary boy-heroes -- as suggested by a note on the inside cover-flap? Time will tell, but it seems, at this point in time, that "The Good Thief" may be a legitimate nominee for such exalted status.
The story is a bit spooky, a stretch of the imagination from time to time, and also terribly gruesome at many points. However, it is not too stomach-turning violent nor is it too sickeningly sweet. It is not a bed-time story to read to your 10-year old son, either, though I could see how an early teenage boy might be attracted to it. At its core, "The Good Thief" is a book for adults. The reader feels deeply the desperation and driving desire of an orphaned 12-year old needing and wanting his family, his mother, his father and a home. He exudes love and responds perfectly to the affection he receives. He is, at the same time, perfectly able to commit dastardly deeds.
Ren is wise beyond his years, clever and a true survivor in every sense of the word. He inspires adults, loves his unkempt and somewhat evil contemporaries, and is an irrepressible loyal friend to those who deserve it. He's also an intellectual and down-deep a very good boy.
There were a few places in the story where one's acceptance of the story line is challenged, such as the "escape" from the graveyard with the bodies in the back of the cart and the "chase" across rooftops, as Ren avoids being murdered one more time. But, all-in-all, one accepts the tale as it is presented. The characters are all sturdy enough to survive and overcome panic, danger and substantial injuries, to say nothing of their willingness to engage in crimes and murder.
Tinti's portrayal of the Church in New England in the 19th Century is an interesting side-line to the main story. Unlike Arturo Perez-Reverte ("The Seville Communion" and all his other exceptional works), Tinti seems to balance the well-documented cruelty and despicable conduct of the Church of the era on one hand with its occasional actual good works on the other - mainly through female characters members. But, in no way does Christianity or the Church play any significant role in the development of any of the characters in "The Good Thief." I found that comforting.
Finally, I liked the "sort-of" happy ending, even though the last pages read a bit like an epilogue, as if the author pulled herself way, way back from the story and quickly penned an ending that might make everyone (her editor, her family, her friends, her potential readers and herself) at least somewhat happy with how things turned out.
Book Review: A Good Read
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
This novel of 19th century New England's underbelly was a pleasure to read. Tinti captures the poverty, superstitions and harsh living and working conditions using descriptions that you can feel, taste and smell. It reminded me somewhat of David Copperfeild in this respect, but thankfully there are no convoluted Victorian conventions to endure.
The main character, Ren, is a 12 year old boy with only one hand who was dumped in infancy at the gate of a Catholic orphanage. It is a waiting game for him and his comrades. If they are lucky, they will be taken away to live with a family as farm laborers. If no one takes them they will be sold to the army when they are too old to adopt. From the beginning his world is one of paradoxes. In spite of having only one hand he excels at stealing anything that is not nailed down. In spite of this knack for thievery, he is totally captivated by a book of fantastical stories about saints which one of the priests frequently quotes from. This war between personal values and unsavory natural talent unfolds throughout the book.
Once he is removed from the orphanage by a charming mountebank claiming to be a relative, he is introduced to a world where subterfuge dominates every encounter. Like Ren, we soon come to accept their initially unnerving morality. Except for a horse that is stolen from the farmer who loved him, most of their escapades involve fleecing the dead rather than the living. We are also introduced to a host of oddball characters who exist on the fringe of society for reasons related to their physical appearance. There is a giant who kills for contract money, a dwarf who is afraid to face the world beyond his rooftop home and a courageous girl with a hare lip. The only major flaw I found in the book was that that these odd characters were introduced too close together. Meeting a giant, a dwarf and a hare lip girl in quick succession interrupted the Gothic feel of novel and made me wonder if they were going to form their own circus. In the end all of these characters are valuable to the plot but it might have worked better if their appearance had been foreshadowed in some way.
Through all of this, Ren is led to redefine what it means to have the family he has always dreamed of. He learns about friendship, love and loyalty and goes from being a thief to someone who will be the protector and benefactor of those he has come to love, even though the person he loves the most will not be at his side.