Review: The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

Hardcover, 576 pages

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Released: Jan 12 2010

ISBN: 978-0316065788

Recommended for: mystery & fiction fans

My rating: 3.5 /5

My thoughts:

Artist Robert Oliver is stopped short of attacking a painting at the National Art Gallery. He is referred to Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe, in hopes that their common love of painting will help bring Robert out of his self-imposed silence. With Robert refusing to speak, Marlowe is forced to search his past to find out what took him over the edge. As Marlowe meets the women in Robert's life, he discovers there's a mystery woman that seems to haunt Robert. Using letters Robert carries with him, Marlowe uncovers a tragic past that not only releases Robert from the hell he's been living but alters art history.

Elizabeth seamlessly weaves two stories into one through the use of 19th century letters and how they relate to Robert's story. Adding another layer to the story, chapters are told from alternating points of view as we learn about Robert from Marlowe, his ex-wife and his girlfriend. This story is filled with things that transcend time - love, anger, passion & mystery.

One of the things I love when reading is being given clues along the way & trying to guess the ending - boy, was I thrown for a loop with this one. Although everything wraps up nicely in the end, as Robert's actions & how they relate to the past were ultimately explained, I feel Robert's story was cut short. Now that we know the cause, is he 'cured'?

A read I really enjoyed at the time, but the more I think of it, the more I find things now that frustrate me in the story.

Teaser Tuesday - January 5, 2010

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

"She feels instead the artist himself, ageless and in the midst of long accumulated life. His presence goes through her like the unexpected sound of a bell, so that she cannot catch her breath after all."