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. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times Book Review • The Washington Post • San Francisco Chronicle • Kirkus … Post • San Francisco Chronicle • Kirkus Reviews
Winner of the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and an American Library Association Alex Award
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.
Praise for The Good Thief
“Every once in a while—if you are very lucky—you come upon a novel so marvelous and enchanting and rare that you wish everyone in the world would read it, as well. The Good Thief is just such a book—a beautifully composed work of literary magic.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love
“Darkly transporting . . . [In] The Good Thief, the reader can find plain-spoken fiction full of traditional virtues: strong plotting, pure lucidity, visceral momentum and a total absence of writerly mannerisms. In Ms. Tinti’s case that means an American Dickensian tale with touches of Harry Potterish whimsy, along with a macabre streak of spooky New England history.”—New York Times
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Set in New England, the story follows the young orphan, Ren, as he searches for answers as to his past, and most notably, why he is missing his left hand. Once he is adopted by a mysterious man named Benjamin Nab, he is brought into the world of trickery and crime, and pieces of his past begin to come together. The Good Thief is refreshingly …
This is the first I’ve read of this author and I enjoyed it very much. It was a book I wanted to return to and not put down once I started reading. Wonderful characters, wonderful story. Bravo!
Enjoyed reading this book very much. Loved the characters. It was one of those books that lets you leave the world behind.
I haven’t been reading a lot of fiction in the past few weeks so it was good to jump back in. I enjoyed this book while I was reading it but afterwards felt a little dissatisfied. I’m not sure why. The writing was good. Characters likeable. Maybe it was too neatly wrapped up in the end. Who knows…
I find myself struggling a bit with this review because I have such mixed feelings about this book. It wasn’t a great book but it certainly wasn’t anywhere near close to being one of the worst books that I have ever read either. I guess what I have decided is that how you feel about this book will all depend on what expectations you start reading …
I loved reading this story… the characters were interesting and the writing style was quite fun… there were plenty of hilarious moments and adventures the thing I liked most was the mystery surrounding the boys missing hand 😉
A good picture of place & time with well drawn, unique characters.
I thought the book was sad. When children suffer abuse it is never a happy story.
Poorly written. Not interesting to me.
Good story.
Love the twist at the end
Way too much time spent on heavy subjects without depth of character.
This is an Oliver Twist type of story, but easier for a pre-teen or teen to read. There are a few sort of gory parts that some kids may be sensitive to, but I know my 12-year-old grandson will enjoy reading the adventures of this 12-year-old boy.
An engaging story with well developed characters and an original story. Good Quality writing .
Engaging characters show force to survive in a difficult time in history despite huge obstacles!
This is not one of may favorite literary acquisitions. I found it tedious at times.
Very entertaining and easy to read.
I highly recommended this book to my best friend, a fellow bookie. This was a moving story about a maimed orphan with a hope for a family. The characters were wonderful. I highly recommend it.
A bit of Dickens a bit of Robert Louis Stevenson all set in colonial New England. From priests to grave robbers, with a host of characters each delightfully presented with great imagery. Loved the story and the protagonist. Highly recommend.
It’s hard to believe this is a first novel. The characterization is rich, the plot vivid and unique and the settings colorful and absorbing. Orphans, con-men, thieves, murderers and the poor, mix in a Dickensian storyline set in mid-eighteen hundreds New England for a tale that is brilliant and hard to put down.