Psychiatrist Andrew Marlow, devoted to his profession and the painting hobby he loves, has a solitary but ordered life. When renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient, Marlow finds that order destroyed. Desperate to understand the secret that torments the genius, he embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.
Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. The Swan Theives is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
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"Wow, this was an ambitious novel! And for the most part, it really delivered. My one complaint is that the ending was a little too happily ever after. I enjoyed the subject matter; though I know little about the world of visual art, I have always deeply appreciated it."
— Caitlin (4 out of 5 stars)
“Five narrators weave a story that moves through several centuries as it examines the power of creativity. In soft, measured tones, Treat Williams portrays psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe…Heche as Oliver’s frank wife, Cottrell as his mistress, and Zimmerman and Lee as French ghosts all contribute to an exhilarating listening experience.”
— AudioFile“The many ardent admirers of The Historian will be happy to learn that The Swan Thieves offers plenty of the same pleasures.”
— Washington Post“Kostova knows how to craft a breathless ending.”
— Entertainment Weekly“A compelling story…Fans of The Historian have been waiting a long time for a new work from Kostova. They won’t be disappointed.”
— Denver Post“A must-read for lovers of historical fiction…The Swan Thieves shows the same meticulous historical research and scene-setting description that elevated The Historian from a vampire tale to a work of art.”
— Associated Press“The Swan Thieves succeeds both in its echoes of The Historian and as it maps new territory for this canny and successful writer.”
— Publishers Weekly" Absolutely sneaks up on you... beautiful endings like short little films. "
— Kirsten, 2/19/2014" I enjoyed getting reacquainted with the Impressionist artists of France. The story, however, was slow and took a long time to get to a conclusion (560 pages). "
— Lori, 2/11/2014" I wasn't sure I would like this novel. Kostova creates indelible characters and weaves her characters' humanity into a tapestry of art and history. The novel's structure is similar to "The Historian" but that structure is not as effective in this novel. Still a very enjoyable read -- "
— Molly, 2/6/2014" I'd give it 3.5 if I could. I loved the secondary story, but I didn't like Marlow and his romance at all "
— Genisee, 2/2/2014" I listened to this audio book and enjoyed it. The readers were great and gave each character a very distinct voice and the voices really reflected the characters, their emotions, mindset, culture, etc. Interesting characters and storyline; it wasn't your run-of-the-mill novel. I was caught by surprise by some of the connections and I liked that. I thought there were times when the author was long-winded and it took it from being 4 stars to just 3 stars. "
— Mirah, 2/1/2014" Fantastic book. Well-written, deep. I loved it, and highly recommend it. "
— Ann, 1/16/2014" Kostova has a way with both pacing that make her books easy to lose one's self in for hours at a time. "
— Ceri, 1/7/2014" This book was all right, but it just wasn't as good as "The Historian." I struggled to sit down and finish it quite honestly. I guess I had too many other distractions for my time around the holidays. "
— Melanie, 12/23/2013" Fascinating look at obsessive behavior. "
— Sara, 11/28/2013" I was extremely disappointed in this book after her wonderful book, the Historian. This one felt stilted with no flow. Really quite boring and slow. "
— Andie, 10/31/2013" Not as good as the Historian but definitely appealed to my love of Art History novels. "
— Kate, 10/3/2013Elizabeth Kostova graduated from Yale and holds an MFA from the University of Michigan, where she won the Hopwood Award for Novel-in-Progress for The Historian.
Anne Heche is an American actress. She has had leading roles in two theatrically released films Six Days, Seven Nights and Return to Paradise, as well as many supporting roles in films such as I Know What You Did Last Summer, Volcano, John Q, and Donnie Brasco. She also starred in the television series Men in Trees, Hung, and most recently Save Me.
Sarah Zimmerman is an actress and Audie Award–nominated narrator. She has performed on Broadway, in regional theaters across America, and in numerous guest-starring TV roles. She is a graduate of the Boston Conservatory and the Old Globe/USD.
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.
Téa Obreht was born in Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia in 1985 and has lived in the United States since the age of twelve. Her writing has been published in the New Yorker, the Atlantic, Harper’s, and the Guardian, and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Nonrequired Reading. She has been named by the New Yorker as one of the twenty best American fiction writers under forty. She lives in New York.