The Swan Thieves

By: Elizabeth Kostova

Narrated by: Treat Williams, Anne Heche, Erin Cottrell, Sarah Zimmerman, John Lee

Length: 17 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life--solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. In response, Marlowe finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

Ranging from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love, The Swan Thieves is a story of obsession, the losses of history, and the power of art to preserve human hope.

©2010 Elizabeth Kostova (P)2010 Hachette

Patience Young Grasshoper

I almost quit. I put it down then started and finished another book, and came back to The Swan Thieves. But I am glad I re-engaged as the second half was so amazing. Yes, it took forever to get past the character setup. I must say, I liked the last half so much I listened to parts of it again. If you love the process of painting and making art and Art History you will enjoy the book. But you must be patient. The second narrative is amazing. The back story was a bit wearing and redundant. But I so enjoyed the time in France and the unraveling of the mystery. Not sure about the reality of the doctor patient component, a bit far fetched. Not entirely believable, but a great tale with an elegant story telling style and so many twists and turns. Just be very patient

compelling but awkward

The characters were interesting and the storytelling deep and complex as with her other books, but I found the psychiatrist's compulsion to investigate strange and disturbing. If I had heard about this in real life, I would have reported him to ethics boards immediately. his inappropriate behavior again and again was distracting and felt a very wrong narrative device to move the story forward. I finished feeling like I liked the idea of the book, but not the execution.

For lovers of finely crafted books

The Swan Thieves is a remarkably adept handling of a story that spans more than 100 years. The author and the readers handle the time jumps well. Anyone with an interest in art will find the story especially appealing.

Great Listen

I love to paint and this book inspired me to do more. It was a wonderful story and very well performed. The ending didn't wrap everything up, as others have said, but it was fitting to the story. This one left me thinking about it for a long time. Definitely worth listening to.

It was very good, 3 1/2 stars

I really enjoyed her first book, the Historian, and so I purchased this one as well. I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed the art aspect to it. But it was very similar to the Historian in one way, the ending. Kostova has a tendency to wrap up the endings too quickly, none of the extended detail you expect after dedicating all of this time to a story. You can always find 5 or 10 questions left un-answered. This happens to be one of my biggest pet peeves in books. Without taking that into account, this is a beautifully written (minus the ending) and imaginative book. If you were a fan of the Historian you will like this. If your an Artist who studied Art history, you will probably love it.

I recommend it, but be forewarned about the ending.

The time thieves

First, the good news. I found the story to be interesting, I learned a great deal about art, and didn't mind multiple narrators (though I have probably heard enough of Treat Williams). Now the bad - this is a SLOW listen. The story unfolds gradually, and by the end, I was starting to regret not downloading the abridged version. So, just be prepared for a good book, just not a page-turning thriller.

Falling in love with art

This book not only kept me wondering and interested in the characters but was also so beautifully written especially when describing the art. Worth the read and the readers were tremendous!

Great!

Loved this audiobook. Not only a fascinating story but wonderful readers...

Sort of Prince of Tides meets Van Gogh!

I loved this book! It drew me in and I plowed through it so quickly that I was sorry to see it end. I also absolutely loved the author's previous book, The Historian! I will wait breathlessly for her next work!

Twists and turns

I really enjoyed how the story twisted around itself. The art references are always enjoyable to me.