Theft (original 2006; edition 2007)

I enjoyed this novel overall, although found the second half more enjoyable than the first half. I have read it once; I have heard it stands up well to a second read to pick up what was missed the first time through. ( )

A revelation of a read, and no mistake. It's the first Peter Carey I've read and I was bowled over by the combination of sublime storytelling, with prose that lights up the sky. I cannot believe it has taken me so long to get around to it. Vivid, thought-provoking, an emotional roller-coaster without ever being sentimental. Beautifully judged. ( )

I tried three hours of this eight hour audiobook and just could not engage with the story. ( )

Fast-paced, captivating. ( )

I am left, once again, wondering why Peter Carey is not better known and appreciated in the USA. Theft is a great story filled with believably quirky characters, deception, love and murder as well as theft and art fraud on a major scale.

The action of the story is spread across the globe, spanning Tokyo and New York and Carey’s native Australia. I can attest to the accuracy of his descriptions of New York and Tokyo, so I must assume the depictions of Australia are also true to form. I have yet to visit there, but now, more than ever, I am determined to go there.

I’ve always admired Carey’s attention to detail and I am now wondering if he has a connection to the world of visual arts. His attention to the pigments used, the techniques of the artists, the emotions they go through and their motivations to create are engrossing.

If you are an admirer of Carey’s work, read this is you have not already done so. While not a mystery in the grand tradition of Who-Done-It stories, the behind the scenes description of the deception and the lengths people will go to for art, including murder, will resonate with readers of that genre as well. Most of all, this is a work of art for lovers of character driven stories. ( )