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angier's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book a lot. The characters are dispicable people but you really come to care about them thoughout the story. Great surprise in the end.
mycouscous's review against another edition
4.0
This grim, but accessible book paints quite a bleak picture of an 11 year old's 19th century New England. Picked from the orphange he grew up in by a con-man claiming to be his brother, Ren gets involved in stealing and (eek!) grave-robbing. With great characterization, humorous moments, twisting plot, and an overall macabre tone, this was a great follow up to reading Neil Gaiman's [b:The Graveyard Book|2213661|The Graveyard Book|Neil Gaiman|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51mo4YSDB-L._SL75_.jpg|2219449].
laurahazardowen's review against another edition
4.0
"The wagon bumped the edge of the sidewalk and Ren thought of the men trapped in the earth along with all the other things people had thrown away over the years--rusted pots and pans and old boots and horseshoes and bits of broken china. The cart passed an ancient chestnut tree, and Ren imagined its roots reaching underneath the ground, sifting through everything there, just like the fingers of the miners' widows, going at the soil that held their men, with shovels and pickaxes, with others' wives and children, and with the farmers from the hills. The scene began to form in Ren's mind, the details coming one after another, until he could see the whole town digging, afraid of losing time--and then a whistle going out, and everyone stopping, listening. And after a few minutes one of the women crying: What are you waiting for? And another saying: No! Just there now--there--did you hear that? There--there! (102-103)
Ren rubbed his face with his sleeve. He coughed and spit the ashes from his mouth. It was nearly morning, the sun brightening the horizon in the east. From the roof Ren could make out the entire town, the mousetrap factory looming over the center of the city, the river circling it all like a protective arm. To the south the marketplace rose in the square. To the west the bridge crossed over the river and marked a passageway through the woods. Just beyond those woods was a gathering of hills. Somewhere within them was the entrance to the mine that had claimed the lives of all the men of North Umbrage, and beyond that, the road to the hospital.
The air was clearer here, the taste not as rancid as on the street. Ren thought of all he had done since he had left Saint Anthony's; every step that had brought him to this place. Spread out before him, both the town and his own past seemed less frightening. Everything was better, Ren realized, when you looked down on it from above." (198-199)
Ren rubbed his face with his sleeve. He coughed and spit the ashes from his mouth. It was nearly morning, the sun brightening the horizon in the east. From the roof Ren could make out the entire town, the mousetrap factory looming over the center of the city, the river circling it all like a protective arm. To the south the marketplace rose in the square. To the west the bridge crossed over the river and marked a passageway through the woods. Just beyond those woods was a gathering of hills. Somewhere within them was the entrance to the mine that had claimed the lives of all the men of North Umbrage, and beyond that, the road to the hospital.
The air was clearer here, the taste not as rancid as on the street. Ren thought of all he had done since he had left Saint Anthony's; every step that had brought him to this place. Spread out before him, both the town and his own past seemed less frightening. Everything was better, Ren realized, when you looked down on it from above." (198-199)
kiramke's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
3.0
-Did I enjoy it? Parts, it's well edited and has some great story moments.
-Would I have liked it as a child? Conflict is necessary but there are some dark moments I find dark in a bad way, but I'm not sure what would have stood out to me at the time. Certainly I would've found the 'bad guy' frustrating in not a fun way.
-Would I gift it to a child? Honestly, no. There's a running image of the exotic and dangerous Indian, which is probably accurate to the stereotypes a boy in this unnamed eastern town would have heard, but there's no effort made to contextualize or challenge that for the reader. It's upsetting, and in a new book there's no reason not to address that.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism
marissamoon's review against another edition
2.0
I wish that I would have been able to get into this story more. I decided to read The Good Thief because the last few books I have read have been very deep heavy stories. I wanted to lighten up my reading a bit. Not much of this was believable..I know, it is fiction but with a good YA adventure fiction I really do not have a problem believing the storyline. Just not what I was expecting.
cheerbrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great story of an orphan boy and his adventure's as he tries to find his place in the world. It has similar themes to something like Tom Sawyer and reads just like it: while there are clear dark villains, even the "good" character have their flaw. This techniques really adds to the raw humanity of this book and creates very lovely characters. I found this book to be comfortable, in that the plot was similar to classic tales, but it still provided surprises in the end.
verbosevespertine's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
peony792's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0