I was immediately drawn to the premise of the plot and wanted to learn more about the infamous Fagin from Dickens' Oliver Twist. However, the first half of the story is told at almost arm's length – a distance. It feels more like an accounting of Fagin's life, rather than …more being in his head to understand why he is who he is. Why does Fagin find pickpocketing so exciting in the first place? It's never explored, he just does. How did his loss drive him? That's never explored, just a summary of the early years he has on the streets. The plot was slow this first half as the author struggled to give Fagin motivation. But the second half of the novel was plot-driven and a page turner and fun to read. I enjoyed the author's take on what happened to the characters, but felt the point of this story was to show why. And I feel that question was never answered. (less)