From the two-time Booker Prize-winning author and recipient of the Commonwealth Prize comes this new novel about obsession, deception, and redemption, at once an engrossing psychological suspense story and a work of highly charged, fiendishly funny literary fiction.
Michael—a.k.a. "Butcher"—Boone is an ex-"really famous" painter: opinionated, furious, brilliant, and now reduced to living in the remote country house of his biggest collector and acting as caretaker for his younger brother, Hugh, a damaged man of imposing physicality and childlike emotional volatility. Alone together they've forged a delicate and shifting equilibrium, a balance instantly destroyed when a mysterious young woman named Marlene walks out of a rainstorm and into their lives on three-inch Manolo Blahnik heels. Beautiful, smart, and ambitious, she's also the daughter-in-law of the late great painter Jacques Liebovitz, one of Butcher's earliest influences. She's sweet to Hugh and falls in love with Butcher, and they reciprocate in kind. And she sets in motion a chain of events that could be the making—or the ruin—of them all.
Told through the alternating points of view of the brothers—Butcher's urbane, intelligent, caustic observations contrasting with Hugh's bizarre, frequently poetic, utterly unique voice—Theft reminds us once again of Peter Carey's remarkable gift for creating indelible, fascinating characters and a narrative as gripping as it is deliriously surprising.
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"This was an interesting read. I've been reading a lot of Australian writers recently and Carey deserves his reputation as one of the best. This book twists and turns and comes up with a rather surprise ending. I loved the vividness he brings to the countryside setting and it's people. "
— Robert (4 out of 5 stars)
A feisty ironic comedy.... The author's mastery of details of artists' lives and the racy energy of his prose...make this edgy, irreverent, often hilariously profane novel soar.... A certifiable hoot.
— Kirkus“Magnificent…Scenes in Australia, Japan, and New York feature unique forms of fleecing, but setting and action are icing on the emotional core of Carey’s newest masterwork.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)" Not sure at first, but I really found myself fascinated by the book, both points of view and the overarching author's pov - amazing writing. "
— Phyllis, 2/19/2014" an amazingly written book that is a feat/feast of poetic prose. each voice rings true in the alternating chapters, each a distinct stream of consciousness and unique verbiage seeped in expressionism. "
— Ako31, 1/31/2014" Australian writer Peter Carey has written a clever mystery that spans four continents and swirls in the elite art circles of each. A love story? Not really, but full of relationships in turmoil. Yes! "
— Greta, 1/25/2014" A fun read. Glimpses of brilliance. A sum greater than its parts. I will definitely pick up his Booker winners one day. "
— Christopher, 1/22/2014" Right up there as one of my favourites. Very clever, witty dialogue from two amazing points of view. A unique and wonderful work of art. "
— Skillastic, 1/16/2014" Some beautiful descriptions, but overall hard to understand. Good plot, but strange. "
— Gina, 1/10/2014" Not as engaging as Carey's "My Life as a Fake." An Australian is duped by a beautiful woman into assisting in pawning of a bogus piece of artwork. "
— Valerie, 1/3/2014" Oh i don't know. Too much style maybe? "
— Anne, 12/5/2013" Not sure if I can actually call this reading. After a good 70 pages, I skipped to the end. "
— Jenny, 10/2/2013" I liked this book, I think mainly because of my art history background... not sure if its for everyone! "
— Tiffaniw, 9/30/2013" i'll be reading this again. "
— dead, 1/23/2013" I had to re-start this book about five times because it could not hold my attention. The only interesting part is the last 75 pages or so, I wish the whole book had been of that caliber. "
— Deidre, 11/2/2012" Great exploration of authorship and authenticity in identity and in works of art. Lovely ending too. "
— Ben, 10/30/2012" It's always hard to rate a book when you like the writing and the story, but the characters are unsympathetic... "
— Meg, 10/3/2012" I loved this book to bits! "
— Marcella, 8/25/2012" 1 0f 23 books all for $10 "
— Velvetink, 7/13/2012" Though I really enjoyed My Life as a Fake, I found this book to be almost unreadable. In fact, I put it down halfway through and haven't managed to pick it up since. "
— Risa, 5/29/2012" starts well but then starts folding in on itself in a strange cryptic origami, the closer to the end i got the further it seemed to be. typically chilly and aloof, carey is a once every 2 years read for me "
— Sandyboy, 3/6/2012" This was an interesting read. I've been reading a lot of Australian writers recently and Carey deserves his reputation as one of the best. This book twists and turns and comes up with a rather surprise ending. I loved the vividness he brings to the countryside setting and it's people. "
— Robert, 2/3/2012" haven't quite wrapped my mind around this one yet. sound and the fury meets da vinci code meets (what i imagine to be) the internal musings of jackson pollack "
— Mollie, 10/6/2011" Amusing, not deep book about art and theft. Some interesting plot twists, leave you wondering 'who do you believe?' The protagonist is not the most sympathetic character, in fact, none of them are. "
— Chanpheng, 10/2/2011" A book I thought I wouldn't like at first, but it got *much* better! Good stuff - despite a pretty awful main character, Butcher. "
— Laila, 9/17/2011" It took me awhile to get used to his writing style, but I liked following the story in the end. I'm not used to Australian English so sometimes it was hard to understand, plus I don't know much about the art world, so the terminology was also a little difficult. "
— Naomi, 9/16/2011" Love Peter Carey, but this story of art theft was a bit too bogged down in technical details. As always, great characters, including a formerly famous artist who's career has taken a dump and his mentally challenged brother. "
— Barb, 8/6/2011" Amusing, not deep book about art and theft. Some interesting plot twists, leave you wondering 'who do you believe?' The protagonist is not the most sympathetic character, in fact, none of them are. "
— Chanpheng, 5/2/2011" Brilliant story but found it a bit hard work to read, maybe because I could not really connect with the characters. "
— Alexa, 4/27/2011" After 75 pages, I found the story uninteresting and characters equally so. "
— Dara, 4/18/2011" The usual Carey out-of-the-blue bombshell ending with some nice allusion to Of Mice and Men. "
— Mary, 3/8/2011" Vivid, visceral, consuming - brilliant book. Read it for Carey's skill and instinct for language. "
— Sophie, 1/26/2011" only time I've been disappointed by Peter Carey. I don't remember why exactly, cause it's been a while since I read it, but I remember I just didn't find the characters in this book compelling. usually his are, very much so. "
— Hannah, 1/21/2011" Did not enjoy the pov shifts and the ridiculously glorrified artiststic process. "
— Wes, 1/14/2011" This was a good read. He captured the Aussie attitudes very well. The relationship between the two brothers was excellent. "
— Ian, 1/11/2011" I could not finish this book as I did not enjoy it. "
— Bronwyn, 1/11/2011" I had to stop reading this in public because I laughed so hard I was disturbing people around me. A hilarious and sly art-world caper. And, as the subtitle says, a love story....but I think not the kind one would expect. <br/> "
— Kate, 12/14/2010" It's always hard to rate a book when you like the writing and the story, but the characters are unsympathetic... "
— Meg, 12/13/2010" Really tough book to review. I don't know if I'd recommend it to anybody who wasn't interested in cubism. Not bad or anything thought just a lot of other books in the world to read. "
— QVT, 11/2/2010" Two outsider brothers from Australia meet a woman who has the power to "authorize" paintings by an important but now dead artist. What she does to advance the career of one of the brothers, and how the three of them carry on in America are at the heart of this story. "
— Patricia, 8/12/2010Peter Carey is the author of ten previous novels and has twice received the Booker Prize. His other honors include the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize and the Miles Franklin Literary Award. Born in Australia, he has lived in New York City for twenty years.
Simon Vance (a.k.a. Robert Whitfield) is an award-winning actor and narrator. He has earned more than fifty Earphones Awards and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration thirteen times. He was named Booklist’s very first Voice of Choice in 2008 and has been named an AudioFile Golden Voice as well as an AudioFile Best Voice of 2009. He has narrated more than eight hundred audiobooks over almost thirty years, beginning when he was a radio newsreader for the BBC in London. He is also an actor who has appeared on both stage and television.
Stan Pretty is a film and voice actor, known for his performances in Eden Song, Great Moments in Aviation, and Leon the Pig Farmer. His audiobook narrations include Aboriginal Tales by David Angus, Secrets of the Sea by Nicholas Shakespeare, and Theft: A Love Story by Peter Carey.