A review by mlklein1
Dobrego złodzieja przewodnik po Amsterdamie by Chris Ewan
3.0
I enjoyed this novel for two reasons - one basic, and one atypical. The basic reason is that the story was well-imagined, well-written, and the narrator had a great, entertaining voice.
The story of a writer of crime novels, who happens to be a criminal himself, was fun. I especially liked the backstory Ewan provided on our hero - how he came to be a thief, or at least a habitual B&E specialist. (Semi-interesting to note that I was reading this as I was watching "Following," an early, almost student film, of Hollywood (now) big shot, Christopher Nolan. That film is about a guy who starts following strangers because he's bored, then becomes curious about them. He meets a guy who loves to break into people's homes, just for the hell of it. Well, things spiral out of control, but at any rate, I thought the backstory on Ewan's protagonist, mirrored that of Nolan's and it was an interesting coincidence. Or a coincidence, at least.)
The atypical reason I enjoyed the novel is that, as an aspiring novelist myself, I appreciated the time Ewan spent with his protagonist thinking about, and practicing, the craft of writing. He is, after all, a thief AND a writer. So the times when he took a break from thieving and sleuthing to work on his own novel, deal with writers block, an anxious editor, and a plot hole he painted himself into, was fun and rang especially true.
I'll continue reading the series for this reason...I think "Paris" is next.
The story of a writer of crime novels, who happens to be a criminal himself, was fun. I especially liked the backstory Ewan provided on our hero - how he came to be a thief, or at least a habitual B&E specialist. (Semi-interesting to note that I was reading this as I was watching "Following," an early, almost student film, of Hollywood (now) big shot, Christopher Nolan. That film is about a guy who starts following strangers because he's bored, then becomes curious about them. He meets a guy who loves to break into people's homes, just for the hell of it. Well, things spiral out of control, but at any rate, I thought the backstory on Ewan's protagonist, mirrored that of Nolan's and it was an interesting coincidence. Or a coincidence, at least.)
The atypical reason I enjoyed the novel is that, as an aspiring novelist myself, I appreciated the time Ewan spent with his protagonist thinking about, and practicing, the craft of writing. He is, after all, a thief AND a writer. So the times when he took a break from thieving and sleuthing to work on his own novel, deal with writers block, an anxious editor, and a plot hole he painted himself into, was fun and rang especially true.
I'll continue reading the series for this reason...I think "Paris" is next.