What readers think of The Good Thief, plus links to write your own review.

I had to read this book for summer reading, and I hated every minute of it. Hannah Tinti starts off great with the orphanage and everything and then takes a horrible turn with adding odd characters. Her language is okay, but most of all, there is no determined plot. Yes, it is unpredictable but I would like to see a storyline that makes sense and is easy to follow. I can understand more in Jane Eyre than this book because Jane Eyre has a beautifully written plot and great themes. This book could have been written so much better if author wrote more clearly so I can understand what is going on. It was such an awful book, I can barely write this review. This book had so much potential, but the author had poor execution.

I found that this book was very bland and boring, although it has a good storyline the author just could not grab my full attention. It was in my opinion almost too easy of a read to the point where i felt it was for 4th graders where as i am a high schooler.

This book was assigned for us as summer reading, I am an avid reader I simply love reading and I am rather good understanding what I read according to my past English teachers. The thing is this book is overly detailed and just so drawn out I can't finish it! I started in June and it is the 2nd week of august! I have another book to read after this and I sure hope it is a lot better! to be honest I would never want to have to even look at this book again : ( I hate it way too much!

While reading this highly entertaining book, I couln't help comparing it to the picaresque Spanish classic, Lazarillo de Tormes, about an orphaned boy brought up by a series of roguish masters who teach him how to survive on the streets through theft and trickery, and who often physically abuse him. Similar to Lazarillo (named after Lazarus, the resurrected man from the Bible) The Good Thief is a criticism of the hypocrisy of society seen through the innocent eyes of a child who does not personally comment on the evils of prostitution, or the brutality of hired thugs, for example, but who shows the reader how prevalent they are.
Again, in both works, the moral teachings of the Catholic church are held up against the failings of the people in charge of practicing and teaching those precepts.

Besides the similarity to Dickens' picaresque Oliver Twist, as mentioned in other reviews, readers might also note a resemblance, in Twain's picaresque novel, to Huckleberry Finn, who arrives at his own sense of morality and social justice, especially after his experiences with the two knaves, the "duke" and the "dauphin." In all, The Good Thief will take you on an adventure, leaving you pondering the merits of modern society and how it measures up to the social and moral justice lacking in early 19th century New England.

Editor's note: A picaresque novel (from the Spanish picaro - rogue/rascal) depicts in realistic, often humorous/satirical detail, the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class.

Read this book if you enjoy descriptive settings and a cast of characters that reel you in like a fish on a hook. Once I started this book I had a hard time putting it down. I can't wait to read this with my book club because it isn't a book for everyone read the other reviews which will make the discussion lively and interesting.

This is a genre we don't see often in our times of dangerous and difficult travel: a picaresque novel, set in an almost mythological New England past, with a ragtag band of characters for whom a journey is just as difficult. Like all such journeys this is really about finding home by creating a family and finding oneself. With all that great stuff going on, let me add this is first and foremost hilarious! Scene after scene gives us brilliant images and unexpected events through the eyes of a gently ironic, soul-hungry young boy, Ren, just "adopted" from an orphanage all too glad to be done with him, and not too particular about who claims him. To say more will spoil your fun. If I had five thumbs instead of just two,they'd all be up!

This book is a real page turner. The characters are reminiscent of Charles Dicken's characters, but they become real people. When I feel that I could have lunch with one of the characters and delve into a conversation with them, I know that it's a good book.

It is a book is for all generations to enjoy.

This book is really different from anything I’ve read lately, and I absolutely loved it! It’s a really fun book with vivid characters, imaginative descriptions, and spot on perfect pacing. The world in this story is brought quickly to life, I came to care about Ren and the people who enriched his life very quickly, and the adventures and experiences he has in the company of Benjamin Nab are masterfully spun like a grand tale. This is the sort of book you pick and don’t want to put down until you’ve turned the last page. Highly recommended.