Comments on: REVIEW: ‘The Thief’ (1996) by Megan Whalen Turner http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/#utm_source=feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=feed Sat, 31 Jul 2010 12:13:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Sarah http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3425 Sarah Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:35:56 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3425 <a href="#comment-3413" rel="nofollow">@heidenkind</a> I certainly hope so! <a href="#comment-3416" rel="nofollow">@Li</a> I remember reading your review of 'The Thief' a while ago. I'm curious to see how Gen develops in the other books. <a href="#comment-3421" rel="nofollow">@Meghan</a> Good luck with your dissertation! @heidenkind I certainly hope so!

@Li I remember reading your review of ‘The Thief’ a while ago. I’m curious to see how Gen develops in the other books.

@Meghan Good luck with your dissertation!

]]> By: Meghan http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3421 Meghan Wed, 26 Aug 2009 11:59:37 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3421 Wow, this sounds great! It's been on my radar for a very long time now and the whole trilogy is sitting in my Book Depository cart for purchase when I finish my dissertation. Now I can't wait to get to it! Wow, this sounds great! It’s been on my radar for a very long time now and the whole trilogy is sitting in my Book Depository cart for purchase when I finish my dissertation. Now I can’t wait to get to it!

]]> By: Li http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3416 Li Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:36:56 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3416 Great post, Sarah. I can't remember off the top of my head, but I'm pretty sure it took me a couple of months to finish THIEF. Nope, not joking. I kept on picking it up and reading a chapter or so, and then putting it back down. (Magdalen - agree with the hiking adventure comment!) Until a few weeks ago when I finally decided to sit down and read it properly - and wow, really got into it. And this sentence: <i>My one and only criticism of The Thief was that I didn’t have the second and third volumes in the series sitting on my bookshelf!</i> made me laugh - it was so true! When reading THIEF (and QUEEN / KING), I was thinking how MWT keeps her writing so tightly in the character's POV, so much so that we don't "see" things the character takes for granted, if that makes sense. That may be part of the reason why we view Gen and his relationships so differently, it's never explicit. Very clever writing, yet it comes across as being effortless. Great post, Sarah.

I can’t remember off the top of my head, but I’m pretty sure it took me a couple of months to finish THIEF. Nope, not joking. I kept on picking it up and reading a chapter or so, and then putting it back down. (Magdalen – agree with the hiking adventure comment!)

Until a few weeks ago when I finally decided to sit down and read it properly – and wow, really got into it. And this sentence:

My one and only criticism of The Thief was that I didn’t have the second and third volumes in the series sitting on my bookshelf!

made me laugh – it was so true!

When reading THIEF (and QUEEN / KING), I was thinking how MWT keeps her writing so tightly in the character’s POV, so much so that we don’t “see” things the character takes for granted, if that makes sense. That may be part of the reason why we view Gen and his relationships so differently, it’s never explicit. Very clever writing, yet it comes across as being effortless.

]]> By: heidenkind http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3413 heidenkind Tue, 25 Aug 2009 19:46:35 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3413 Yay! I love Gen--I think he has to be one of my favorite characters in fiction. I think you are going to adore the next two books, Sarah! :) Yay! I love Gen–I think he has to be one of my favorite characters in fiction. I think you are going to adore the next two books, Sarah! :)

]]> By: Sarah http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3399 Sarah Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:52:11 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3399 <a href="#comment-3393" rel="nofollow">@Keishon</a> I've ordered the next two! @Keishon I’ve ordered the next two!

]]> By: Sarah http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3398 Sarah Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:51:35 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3398 <a href="#comment-3387" rel="nofollow">@Magdalen</a> Please be honest! I don't expect everyone to have the same opinion as I do. I'm with Ana on the interpretation of Gen's character. He's definitely cocky and more than a little self-absorbed, but I see that as normal teenage behaviour. He showed genuine concern for certain characters as the story progressed. Also - and I don't want to descend into spoiler territory here - the final pages explained a lot about his personality for me. I'm curious to see how he develops in the second book. @Magdalen Please be honest! I don’t expect everyone to have the same opinion as I do.

I’m with Ana on the interpretation of Gen’s character. He’s definitely cocky and more than a little self-absorbed, but I see that as normal teenage behaviour. He showed genuine concern for certain characters as the story progressed. Also – and I don’t want to descend into spoiler territory here – the final pages explained a lot about his personality for me. I’m curious to see how he develops in the second book.

]]> By: Keishon http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3393 Keishon Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:30:54 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3393 Read all three and would say that all are excellent reads, flaws and all. Can't WAIT for the fourth! Glad you enjoyed this one, too. Read all three and would say that all are excellent reads, flaws and all. Can’t WAIT for the fourth! Glad you enjoyed this one, too.

]]> By: Magdalen http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3392 Magdalen Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:09:06 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3392 Okay. I'll keep reading. But I have to disagree just about The Thief: the most emotion I got from Gen, even at the end, was genial affection. Now you, Ana, may care deeply about the Magus and Sophos -- I can believe that of you! But Gen's skating. Nothing much touches him. Let's see if I feel differently after Book 2. Okay. I’ll keep reading. But I have to disagree just about The Thief: the most emotion I got from Gen, even at the end, was genial affection. Now you, Ana, may care deeply about the Magus and Sophos — I can believe that of you! But Gen’s skating. Nothing much touches him.

Let’s see if I feel differently after Book 2.

]]> By: Ana http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3390 Ana Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:45:12 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3390 Magdalen, this is really interesting that it is not at all how I see Gen. Yes, cocky he is , most definitely. But I see that he deeply cares for people - even the people like the Magus or Sophos in book. But you are right when you say that he doesn't feel any angst in book one and all I can say is that you must have stopped just before this one thing happens in book 2 that will change his life forever and starts his journey into becoming a man. There is a LOT of angst in book 2. Magdalen, this is really interesting that it is not at all how I see Gen. Yes, cocky he is , most definitely. But I see that he deeply cares for people – even the people like the Magus or Sophos in book. But you are right when you say that he doesn’t feel any angst in book one and all I can say is that you must have stopped just before this one thing happens in book 2 that will change his life forever and starts his journey into becoming a man. There is a LOT of angst in book 2.

]]> By: Magdalen http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/2009/08/25/review-the-thief-1996-by-megan-whalen-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-3387 Magdalen Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:35:07 +0000 http://www.monkeybearreviews.com/?p=1556#comment-3387 Can I be honest here? I didn't *love* it. Yes, I too had read the awesome reviews, and had to buy it twice in order actually to receive a copy (all the while having books 2 and 3 on my TBR stack), but when I finally read it, I felt a bit like a friend who went to see A Chorus Line on Broadway after all the hype and was disappointed. It was still a great show, but it wasn't a GREAT SHOW, and that's what he'd come to expect from everyone's raves. I even started reading book 2 and immediately put it down. I'll get back to it, but the opening chapter(s) reminded me what I hadn't loved about The Thief. Gen's a bit cocky, and that's okay, but he's also got that element of "I don't care what happens to me," that I suspect is part of a daredevil's personality. Well, if he doesn't care what happens to him, why should I? And that's where the book fails for me, personally. He seems so disconnected to his everyday life. He doesn't seem to love anyone, and I'm not sure he likes anyone either. Grudging respect seems to be his deepest emotion. So, sure the adventure is fun, but if the book's going to rely solely on its adventure, I would ask that the pace be a bit faster. Basically, it's a hiking adventure (complete with campfire stories) followed by a bit of Topkapi-esque heist. (I'm dating myself here, aren't I? Okay, make it Ocean's 11 with George Clooney...) If Sarah is right, and Gen's just a teenager, where's the navel-gazing? Where's the angst? He's not a happy guy, that's for sure, but I never had a clear idea why, or why not. And the way Book 2 got started, I'm not at all convinced he's even maturing. People are supposed to learn from life; I'm not so sure Gen's bothering to do that. So all in all, I would give it a solid B. Can I be honest here? I didn’t *love* it. Yes, I too had read the awesome reviews, and had to buy it twice in order actually to receive a copy (all the while having books 2 and 3 on my TBR stack), but when I finally read it, I felt a bit like a friend who went to see A Chorus Line on Broadway after all the hype and was disappointed. It was still a great show, but it wasn’t a GREAT SHOW, and that’s what he’d come to expect from everyone’s raves.

I even started reading book 2 and immediately put it down. I’ll get back to it, but the opening chapter(s) reminded me what I hadn’t loved about The Thief. Gen’s a bit cocky, and that’s okay, but he’s also got that element of “I don’t care what happens to me,” that I suspect is part of a daredevil’s personality. Well, if he doesn’t care what happens to him, why should I?

And that’s where the book fails for me, personally. He seems so disconnected to his everyday life. He doesn’t seem to love anyone, and I’m not sure he likes anyone either. Grudging respect seems to be his deepest emotion. So, sure the adventure is fun, but if the book’s going to rely solely on its adventure, I would ask that the pace be a bit faster. Basically, it’s a hiking adventure (complete with campfire stories) followed by a bit of Topkapi-esque heist. (I’m dating myself here, aren’t I? Okay, make it Ocean’s 11 with George Clooney…)

If Sarah is right, and Gen’s just a teenager, where’s the navel-gazing? Where’s the angst? He’s not a happy guy, that’s for sure, but I never had a clear idea why, or why not. And the way Book 2 got started, I’m not at all convinced he’s even maturing. People are supposed to learn from life; I’m not so sure Gen’s bothering to do that.

So all in all, I would give it a solid B.

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