The Coral Thief: A Novel Audiobook

" Interesting for its depiction of 1815 Paris and scientific thought regarding evolution from that time. The story line was non-compelling. "

" I really enjoyed The Coral Thief as a historical fiction piece (though the characterization could have been stronger, imo). Stott provided many fascinating facts about the Paris scientific community after the fall of Napoleon, specifically lots of emerging thought around the ideas of transmutation & evolution. Recommended for those who enjoy historical fiction w/ a dose of science. "

" i'm in paris! at least on audio i am. a recommendation from bookletters....... satisfying read. take an innocent man, combine it with an experienced thief with a past, add a dash of Napoleonic history and you've got an engrossing story. "

" I liked this book quite a bit until the end where it just kind of dropped off-which is the reason for 3 stars instead of 4-- a lot of reference to the Count of Monte Cristo - my favorite book:) "

" The story is probably best for Francophiles or those really into natural history pre-Darwin. There were weird interludes of Napoleon that were unrelated to the rest of the story unless I was missing something. And a romance between a woman in her late forties and a man young enough to be her son. There were good aspects to the story, of course, or I wouldn't have kept listening, but over all it just didn't really come together. "

" This had an intriguing premise and was well-researched. It was set in a place and during a time that I didn't know much about, and that was interesting. I don't really feel that the book delivered on all its promise - but it was an entertaining and quick read. "

" Call me weird but the combination of French revolution, Napoleonic history, history of science (especially early evolutionary theory), and the crime thriller really floated my boat in this book (ok and the romantic bit too). More of a gentle thriller than a rapid paced one. "

" I liked how this book tied in so many factors: historical, philosophical, adventure, and romance. The periodic excerpts on Napoleon were interesting. Other than that, I found the story a little slow. Not my favorite book but definitely not the worst I've read! "

" If you like books about revolutionary Paris, you might like this. I could not finish it; I just did not care about the characters. "

" Started really well. It takes place in Paris right after Napoleon was defeated and that was really fun to read the description of Paris back then. But I thought the story really lost momentum half way through. "

" The book did a good job in portraying Paris in period after the Revolution but I felt that I was constantly straining to get into the action. The characters were grainy and the anticipation of action seemed to drag. "

" There were some ups and downs in the book. It started off a little bit rough but picked up somewhere near the 75% mark. I would only recommend if you are trapped traveling like I was. "

" Ok, better than ghostwalk, but I still could not do 4 stars. It started so well, then 100 pages in, it began to drag... all the way to the end, sadly. I really like the history in these novels; the writing is just not quite up to par. "

" A book rich with detail about post-Napoleonic Paris, and scientists working in the Jardin de Plantes on an encyclopedia of plants and animals. Into this comes a young scientist who meets an older woman who is a thief and a philosopher- a collector of coral. "

" Great story of post-revolutionary Paris and the debates around Genesis vs evolution. And a love story too. History, crime, passion - a right riveting read. "

" I enjoyed learning some of the history of Paris discussed in this book! "

" OK...not a must read. Young man from Edinborough goes to Paris to work and study with a noted scientist. Meets a mysterious woman and is off on a number of adventures. Historical, 1815, time of Bonaparte's exile to Santa Helena (sp??) "

" This was well-written, but I had a hard time really believing the characters. I also found the ending somewhat anti-climactic. Still, it was an interesting novel of post-revolutionary France and of the developments taking place in science at that time. "

" Lots of elements that appeal to me - evolutionary theories, Paris, Napoleon, Cuvier and Lamarck - but the characters never quite came to life. "

" This should have been a book I would love-- I was so torn. Wanted desperately to like the book, it had all my favorites elements. I just could not get into the characters-- didn't really care about them. "

" It was OK. Setting and time period were interesting but it seemed to lose focus in the middle. "

" A very intricate and enjoyable read. "

" A book rich with detail about post-Napoleonic Paris, and scientists working in the Jardin de Plantes on an encyclopedia of plants and animals. Into this comes a young scientist who meets an older woman who is a thief and a philosopher- a collector of coral. "

" Set in post-Napoleonic Paris, the historical references to early evolutionary thought (Lamarck) and taxonomy (Cuvier) made this an extremely pleasurable read for me. Exciting storyline and intersting characters to boot. "

" Great book. This one has it all; history, romance, exceptionally well crafted story, wonderfully written... and set in Paris. It would make a terrific movie. "

" reading for book club-it took me a while to get into the book, there was a lot of stuff that I just kind of skimmed over, the story was good though, I think it will be a good discussion "

" There were some ups and downs in the book. It started off a little bit rough but picked up somewhere near the 75% mark. I would only recommend if you are trapped traveling like I was. "

" I enjoyed this immensely--when I read this I was transported to Paris in 1815. This was a good mystery, fun to read, with a great ending. This is the second book I've read by this British author and I really like her books. "

" Pulled me in rather quickly. Mystery swirls amidst the skulduggery and philosophizing of the scientific community and "salons" of 1815 Paris. Napoleon.... natural evolution.....dogma..... What more could a girl ask for? ;) "

" This is a fast paced historical novel with a highly improbable plot. The history is interesting, but the story is very contrived, but still fun to read. "