Swan Thieves

Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

Synopsis

Robert Oliver, a renowned painter, has brutally attacked a canvas in the National Gallery of Art. From the confines of his hospital room, Oliver maintains a stubborn silence, offering only the briefest explanation before the stops speaking altogether: “I did it for her”.

But who is she? Andrew Marlow, a psychiatrist, prides himself on his ability to make even a stone talk, but he gets nowhere with Oliver. Driven at first by professional curiosity, and then by a determination that disrupts his ordered, careful world, Marlow embarks on an unconventional pursuit of the answers his patient wont provide, and on a journey into eh lives of the women Oliver left behind.

Richly told, beautifully imagined, The Swan Thieves takes us across centuries, from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from young love to last love, Elizabeth Kostova deftly explores the painter’s universe – passion, creativity, secrets, madness – and, with the gift for storytelling that made The Historian an international sensation, conjures a world that lingers long after the final page has turned.

I say…

Do you see the book (look closely at the picture above). Lots of fold and brittle hehehe (there is a reason for this). Anyway, this is the most boring book that I’ve ever read, it was even worse than the acclaimed The Historian. At least, I managed to read The Historian until finish, while this, I have been reading it for 2 years and I only reached page 428 and stopped there, unable to bring myself to continue reading. Every time I read this, I fall asleep (geezzz).

Actually, the story is quite good, more ever the writing style of Elizabeth is beautiful. She describes every single thing clearly (as if we were there and seeing it by our own eyes). The story flows smoothly, however it moves at a very slow pace (i think Elizabeth took more time to describe the background, things, etc). Maybe sometime...(not a promise)...who knows...maybe i will continue my reading :-)