The Swan Thieves

The Swan Thieves is a good example of the style of writing often described as "loose," that plot movement is less important than tone and emotion. I loved this novel, and it affected me emotionally in ways The Historian did not. It created a mood and a lingering presence in my mind that meant I could not simply dive into another story right away.The Historian was a real page-turner, very suspenseful, with a masterful way of distinguishing each voice from the others, so you knew on every page who was speaking. With never less than 3 storylines at work at any given time, that was vital. The Swan Thieves is not quite as clearly delineated, so I agree with some reviewers that the voices might have been better defined. The Historian (at least in my Kindle edition) used quotation marks for one narrator, italics for another, and plain text for the third, so this visual device helped keep things clear throughout. Something similar might have been wise in this book as well.However, once I started a chapter in The Swan Thieves, I always knew who was speaking. If I picked the book up after an absence, all I needed to do was look at the chapter heading. Not as clear on every page as The Historian, perhaps, but chapter by chapter, it was quite obvious.My only quibble with this book was that I wanted a bit more clarity about how Robert Oliver became as obsessed as he did with that one image. What did HE see as his driving force? Mental illness in itself is not an adequate explanation, since most people who are mentally ill are QUITE clear what their reasoning is, even if that reasoning makes no sense to others. I know that Robert's silence was a key to the plot, but that was the one issue I was left dissatisfied about. It's a minor point for me, and I may resolve it by rereading the book.At the same time, throughout the book there are numerous examples of thoughts left unsaid, relationships left not-entirely-defined, motivations that are not laid out for us, that we as readers must think about for ourselves. As one example, from a modern perspective, the 19th century romance seems unresolved, yet a little thought can provide an explanation for why things seemed satisfactory for the parties involved, even if we might not be happy with the same situation in our own lives, in an age when divorce is common and living together is acceptable to most people, when "reputation" seems irrelevant for the most part.I think for me, a large part of the attraction of this novel is that it requires thought and a leisurely, patient willingness to learn more, to be guided, to allow things to unfold. This is not fast-paced, easily grasped action. Things are often not spelled out in every detail, which is part of its charm for me.And in the end, things that are vague or mysterious can be more beguiling and resonant than stories that are clearcut, with only one possible solution and only one way of seeing things. All of the characters here are sympathetic, which in itself is no mean feat. I cared about all of them and wanted things to turn out well for them.Another theme I saw in the book, that is not always comfortable, is this very notion, of time and age, and that sometimes, things simply do not work out for the best, people do not always get what they want. Which is sad and poignant, but also hopeful. Each of these characters crafts a life that ultimately works for them. Time moves on, and eventually, justice is served, the truth is known. Love does last. Not in a neat format we might expect from many best-sellers, but in a slow-moving, gently-told story. Gentleness itself is not highly prized in our society, and perhaps it should be. Several of the characters in this story are described as gentle, and qualities of under-statement are explicitly seen as appealing. Well, in an era such as ours, gentleness, respect and under-statement don't sell mouthwash, they don't play on reality TV, so we probably tend to ignore them or see them as weak or boring. This novel explores those qualities and the subtle nuances of what makes us love one person, and pass over someone else.While I enjoyed The Historian, I loved The Swan Thieves, and I'm sure I will read it again. It might not suit every taste, but for me, it was one of the finest and most affecting stories I've ever read.

I purchased Elizabeth Kostova's The Swan Thieves immediately upon its release because I loved her first book, The Historian. The Swan Thieves makes an interesting read and is well worth the time and money you spend on it, however, do not expect it to be as good as The Historian. It is missing the suspense and terror of her earlier work, however, it is similarly well-written. Kostova uses overlapping chronologies and multiple narrators to describe a situation from multiple points of view. She also uses brilliant historical details and vivid descriptions of places and works of art. In much the same way as in Tracey Chevalier's Girl With A Pearl Earring, you get to find out the story behind a painting by delving into the life and times of the painter. By the middle of the book, I was yearning to visit an art museum to view paintings myself. This wonderful attention to detail is present throughout the story, and when the characters are in Mexico, you can almost smell the ocean and taste the guacamole. You keep reading to figure out the secrets of the main character, but I actually guessed the explanation long before it was explained in the book. Still, I like happy endings, and by the end of the book, I was smiling. I would recommend this book as good historical fiction, but not such a great suspense novel; read The Historian for that because it is overall a much better book.

My first round with this book was listening to the downloaded version from Audible. I knew it would be a long novel because I burned 15 CDs while downloading it. I waited to listen until I had a nice time consuming project to work on and very much enjoyed the alternating point of views presented for different characters in each chapter. I was also grateful to hear the characters from the chapters set in France speaking with the correct accent, since I have no French at all. However, I wanted to be able to flip back and pick up the threads which were presented in earlier chapters and woven together in later ones. This doesn't work with a CD very well. I was just resigning myself to listening to the novel all over again when a friend took me to lunch and I loaned her the CDs instead.Immediately I ordered the novel in hardcover from an Amazon seller. It arrived promptly and now I am reading all the chapters that relate to each character in chronological order. Not, perhaps, what the author intended. But having savored the casserole, I am now in search of the individual flavors. Much though I enjoy spoken books, there is nothing to compare with holding a book and leafing through pages to find all the clues.This is a very well planned, well executed mystery with all the things which my father most detests in a book: written by a woman, plenty of detailed descriptions which enhance the settings (if you like that, or which slow the pace of the story, if you don't) and a carefully constructed portrait of an artist who will probably never be entirely understood by anyone with whom he comes in contact. Add to this package that every character is an artist in some way, that one story takes place in France just as Impressionism is beginning and that you really cannot guess how the ending ties into the introduction at any point during the reading. I found it tantalizing, intelligent, well-written and very satisfying.

Un livre de qualité. L'histoire est intéressante, passionnante même. Le style (en anglais) est fin et précis.

The Swan Thieves is a brilliant and well written read….holds your interest from start to finish with an enthralling story line. Recommended.

When Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale movie opened in the UK, one well known critic who loved it said he felt it was a bit too long, but had no idea which bits should have been taken out. I sometimes felt the same thing applied here, but it never stopped me wanting to return to this splendid novel on a daily basis. The day I finished it, I let a lot of other things slip so that I could, and haven’t regretted it for an instant.It contains many ingredients I find irresistible. We have two Victorian Impressionist paintings that contain a mystery, there are time shifts between then and now, the mysteries are relevant to the present day story, and you become as deeply immersed in the past as you do in the present.The writing is impeccable, as anyone who has read the author’s other novel – The Historian – would expect. So to the above list I was able to add a prose style that was a pleasure in itself. The present day story, which concerns efforts to understand a seemingly inexplicable attempt by a modern painter to harm a picture displayed in an art gallery, is a compelling one.There are also two love stories, which deliver yet another hook for the reader’s attention.Information given about art generally, which has been painstakingly researched, is interesting and never reads like a text book. Painting and painters, and their belief that the very best pictures should always make the viewer ask a question, provide another fascinating ingredient.The characters are substantive, and make important journeys through their own lives during the unravelling of the enigma lying at the heart of what I found to be a bewitching book.

I was surprised but I liked this book even more than her first which was truly excellent. It is easy to see that she is an accomplished academic because of the richness of detail in the story. References to sources are a benefit to the book. A wonderful story that makes it hard to stop reading.

I loved this book and was supposed to be agift for my friend. but Amazon delayed the delivery.