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.

Like a lot of fans of Kostova's first book, The Historian, I was extremely excited to get my hands on her newest book, The Swan Thieves. Thankfully, I didn't expect this to be the Historian II because it's far from it. The things that are similar are Kostova's natural storytelling and her way to be elaborate in details; hypnotizing the reader into turning the pages. The major difference between Swan Thieves and the Historian is the adrenaline. With The Historian, the rush of the plot hits early and hits fast and keeps the reader going at a quick pace until the end when you're left wanting more. With Swan Thieves, it's a subtle, slow engulfing of the plot the adrenaline isn't intense but keeps the reader turning the pages and you still want more at the very end. The thing I love the most about the Swan Thieves is the intricate style of the plot and the fact that after I finished the book I was still disecting it in my mind. I definitely think that the second time I read this book, I'll discover more about the plot, the elements and the characters. If you go into this novel thinking it's another Historian, you'll be sadly disappointed. If you go into this novel expecting a century filling story of art, love and obsession you'll probably like it. If you like Kostova's style, you'll certainly love it. I loved it even though it's completely different from the beloved Historian. I'd fully recommend it.

I have always believed that choosing a book is a way of choosing joy, and opening The Swan Thieves felt like opening a window to another world. ~ I absolutely adored every single page of this novel; it is the kind of story that wraps itself around your heart and simply refuses to let go. I truly couldn't put it down! Elizabeth Kostova is a breathtaking storyteller. Her obsession with detail—the smell of oil paints, the shift of light in a garden, the complex depths of the human soul—is unparalleled. I have loved her work for years, but there is something particularly magical about the way this story unfolds across time. For me, reading is more than just a hobby; it is a spiritual practice of seeking beauty. This book reminded me why I love to read: it invites us to pause, to feel deeply, and to find wonder in the mysteries of life. ~ If you are looking for a "slow burn" that rewards your soul with gorgeous prose and an unforgettable journey, please do yourself a favor and pick this up. Choosing joy, one chapter at a time!

I wanted to give Swan Thieves book 5 stars but I'm afraid I can only give it 3 in good faith. It has a number of wonderful features but also a number of flaws. It's the story about a psychiatrist (I happen to be married to a psychiatrist) who is also an artist. This psychiatrist has an fascinating artist/patient who refuses to speak to him. This patient is shrouded in mystery. This book chronicles Dr.Andrew Marlow's journey to discover the secrets behind his patient's obstinate silence in order to help him recover. It leads to the patient's ex-wife and her story, to the patient's lover and her story, and finally to the story of a 19 Century Impressionist painter. The author moves us by chapter from points-of-view (with just one point-of-view violation) and from time periods--the relative present to the 1870's during the time of Manet, Monet and the other French Impressionists in Paris. If you love art or if you are an artist, you will enjoy Swan Thieves. It is full of art and the passion that drives great art. The author describes colors, movement and perspective like a true artist (I wonder if she is). The story is also about love and about treachery. It isn't a mystery because the reader has clearly figured out everything long before the end. I do not believe the author intended to write a mystery although she dishes out bits at a time. Indeed, there are no surprises and no twists and turns. It is a simple story told in a unique way. Those are all the reasons I wanted to give this book 5 stars. Unfortunately here are the reason I had to drop two of those stars. First, although the main character acknowledges he is violating psychiatric practice, he really goes way beyond what would be considered psychiatrically ethical. No psychiatrist would travel the world and interview family and friends of a patient. Nor would he or she become involved with those family members or friends. Without spoiling the ending, I'll just say that the hurried way the patient suddenly responded left me in doubt. For this reason, although my husband is a great art lover and collector, I worry about recommending this book to him. If you are not a psychiatrist or if you can suspend disbelief, then, by all means, read this book. Second, there is a lot of redundancy in the story. How many times and in how many ways do we need to know that Olivier is old? I really got very tired of hearing about his withered hand or lips or yellow teeth. Geez. Third, the book could have ended much sooner. There were descriptions and backstory that were unnecessary to the story. I criticized Goldfinch for the same thing. This book is not as bad as Goldfinch but it still had me skimming a lot. Fourth, the characters are very alike. It was hard to distinguish Mary from Kate or even from Marlow. Even the 19th Century character sounded like the modern woman. Nonetheless, the writing is beautiful. Here's an example: "Under his face she sees the younger man he must once have been and this young man gazes back at her as if through a mask..." If you love art, can tolerate some redundancy, appreciate the history of art, and can ignore or don't care about the abuses of psychiatry, then this book is for you.

Feeling Fascination. "The Swan Thieves" is about, among much else, painting and the psychology of those who paint; but its structure may remind you of music--specifically the sort of piece that begins with a solo instrument that states the opening theme after which more and more instruments come in to enrich the sound. Here, we start with a short third-person prologue (solo flute?) set in late-19th century France. It's in the countryside; it's winter. An aged painter sees a woman walking away from him down a snowy path and sets out to paint her. Next, we're in the late 20th century, where a Washington psychiatrist, Andrew Marlow (bassoon enters?), who also paints, is assigned the case of one Peter Oliver, a painter of some standing who has attempted to slash a portrait in the National Gallery. The next several chapters are told by him in the first person and written in the present day. We learn a bit about Oliver, who remains mostly silent, but who has given Dr. Marlow a collection of letters from, yes, 19th-century France. He has them translated, and they begin to infiltrate the tale, each letter becoming increasingly complex. (The strings join in?) Next Marlow goes to North Carolina to call on Oliver's ex-wife, Kate, and she picks up the narrative, although it's now interspersed with Marlow's, and the letters. And then there's a passage entitled 1878, in which Marlow(?) imagines the lives of the people in the letters (a young woman painter and her older uncle). In Kate's narrative we note the percussionists are stirring; the cymbal player picks up the tools of his trade, gets his cue, clashes, and then a third narrator, Mary, appears. And those letters and those flashbacks to the 1870s keep appearing. Staccato fashion. It's long, leisurely, thoughtful, beautifully written. It might not be for everyone, but if you've the time and the interest in the worlds depicted here, you may well find it fascinating. I certainly did. A caution: at first even if you're fascinated you may feel that all three of the principal narrators, Marlow, Kate, and Mary, sound the same. Yes, they do--at first; but there are subtle differences, which soon become apparent (Mary's the smartest), and maybe you'll begin to wonder if they're totally reliable witnesses to what they relate. Impressions, impressions. Things are resolved nicely with the full orchestra, after which that solo flute returns for the coda. Notes and asides: It is unfair to expect the author of the ultimate vampire novel, "The Historian," to repeat herself. As Joni Mitchell so famously noted, "nobody ever asked Van Gogh to paint `Starry Night' again."

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.

I appear to be one of the few who have found "The Swan Thieves" to be better than "The HIstorian." While I enjoyed that book, I found that parts of it seemed to drag. Many reviewers have found that to be the case with "The Swan Thieves," due to the detailed and intricate narrative style. I, however, didn't this style boring or distracting, rather it seemed in keeping with the painterly sensibility and attention to detail that so many of the characters have. In fact, it was the tone of the book, the reinforcement of a supersaturated, obsessive, and dream-like quality that I found so compelling, and although I read it more than 6 months ago (in less than two days), I've continued to think about it and gift or recommend the book to others, who have an interest in art and the artist's relationship to art. I have to confess that I am bewildered by the many low ratings that "The Swan Thieves" has received. I expect that many of them are either due to disappointment that the subject matter is so different than "The Historian," and these readers really like supernatural stories, or that they couldn't readily immerse themselves into this rich and detailed "world" or art, artists, obsession, genius, and the sacrifices we make for love. If you have an interest in art and artists or have enjoyed novels about obsessive love (especially 19C novels, such as "Wuthering Heights"), I think that you will really enjoy reading "The Swan Thieves." I found it to be a poignant and haunting story, and one that you will continue to think about long after you have finished the book.

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

I thoroughly enjoyed this book - even more than its predecessor The Historian (high praise indeed!). The story is complex and gradually draws the reader inside the world of painter Robert Oliver, mostly as perceived by the three women in his life, his ex-wife and girlfriend as well as Beatrice Le Clerval herself. The narration switches between his psychiatrist Andrew Marlow and these three women - a narrative device which does require concentration on the part of the reader, but the effort definitely pays off. The descriptions of late 19th century France are convincing and contrasts in the attitude of society towards both women and the art of painting between that era and the present day are beautifully laid out. I read the book slowly because I was enjoying it so very much. I sincerely hope this author goes on to write much more and with the same degree of skill and attention to detail that she has shown in her first two books. I would recommend The Swan Thieves very highly indeed to anyone who simply enjoys a good mystery story - although this book is also so much more than that.

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

精神科医マーロウのもとに、ある日一人の患者が送られてくる。患者の名前はロバート・オリヴァー、著名な若手の画家である。ワシントンD.C.のナショナル・ギャラリーに飾られているレダと白鳥の絵をナイフで切り裂こうとして逮捕され、精神科に送られたのだが、一言も口をきこうとしない。 治療の手掛かりを得るために、マーロウが画材を与えると、ロバートは憑かれたように黒い巻き毛の美しい女性の像を描きだす。19世紀風の衣装に身を包んだこの女性は誰なのか。ロバートはなぜレダの絵を襲ったのか。そして'Swan Thives'とは一体何を意味するのか。 物語はマーロウのモノローグ、ロバートの妻と恋人の語り、そして19世紀のフランスの新進女流画家と印象派の画家である彼女の義理の叔父との間で交わされる書簡で構成され、表面上は淡々と進んでいくが、何かものすごく恐ろしい事実が隠されているようにも感じさせる。表紙の書評の抜粋にあるように、まさに'tantalising'な展開である。そして最後に明かされる衝撃の事実は、いたるところにヒントが散りばめられていたにもかかわらず、予想もしないものであった。 登場人物のモノローグに「すべての優れた絵画には謎が秘められている」という言葉があった。謎解きは抽象画だけの楽しみだと思っていたが、今後は風景画や肖像画も違ったように鑑賞できると思う。美術館に行きたくなります。

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.