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novelesque_life's review
2.0
1.5 STARS
"In this collection of four unforgettable stories, we meet people struggling to understand themselves and the unexpected turns their lives have taken. In "Accountant," a quintessential company man becomes obsessed with the phenomenal success of a reckless childhood friend. "Batorsag and Szerelem" tells the story of a boy's fascination with the mysterious life and invented language of his brother, a math prodigy. In "City of Broken Hearts,"a divorced father tries to fathom the patterns of modern relationships. And in "the Palace Thief," a history teacher at an exclusive boarding school reflects on the vicissitudes of a lifetime connection with a student scoundrel." (From Amazon)
I found that the stories were not interesting. I read this collection because of the movie.
"In this collection of four unforgettable stories, we meet people struggling to understand themselves and the unexpected turns their lives have taken. In "Accountant," a quintessential company man becomes obsessed with the phenomenal success of a reckless childhood friend. "Batorsag and Szerelem" tells the story of a boy's fascination with the mysterious life and invented language of his brother, a math prodigy. In "City of Broken Hearts,"a divorced father tries to fathom the patterns of modern relationships. And in "the Palace Thief," a history teacher at an exclusive boarding school reflects on the vicissitudes of a lifetime connection with a student scoundrel." (From Amazon)
I found that the stories were not interesting. I read this collection because of the movie.
kevinsmokler's review
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
k8iedid's review
5.0
Ethan Canin's worlds, his characters, their loneliness always feel SO REAL. He is so so good at this.
alicelibros's review
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
jessrock's review
5.0
The Palace Thief is a collection of four stories, each almost exactly 50 pages in length, and each centering on a male protagonist looking somewhat wide-eyed at the world, largely unawares that those around them are laughing gently behind their backs. In one story, an aging accountant wonders how, of all possibilities open to him, he'd ended up with the life he'd lived; in another, a young boy puzzles over a cryptic older brother; in the next, a divorced man's son tries to help him find happiness; and in the last, an elderly schoolteacher looks back over a mistake he allowed to happen over and over again. Canin's writing is delicious, like a masterfully prepared dessert which you can't decide whether to savor slowly or rush to devour. I ended up choosing the latter.
The storytelling is exquisite. The stories themselves are, from beginning to end, bittersweet, and each ends more with the protagonist settling and accepting his fate and past, than with a resolution or feeling of either happiness or sadness. And I just can't get over how well-written the stories are. I can't think of the last time I got THIS sucked into a text. Every few pages I'd tell myself I simply HAD to stop and put myself to bed, but I couldn't bear the thought of stopping before I'd devoured the whole thing. And I'm very glad I did, even though my poor aching body will probably try to convince me otherwise in the morning.
Read this. Right now.
The storytelling is exquisite. The stories themselves are, from beginning to end, bittersweet, and each ends more with the protagonist settling and accepting his fate and past, than with a resolution or feeling of either happiness or sadness. And I just can't get over how well-written the stories are. I can't think of the last time I got THIS sucked into a text. Every few pages I'd tell myself I simply HAD to stop and put myself to bed, but I couldn't bear the thought of stopping before I'd devoured the whole thing. And I'm very glad I did, even though my poor aching body will probably try to convince me otherwise in the morning.
Read this. Right now.
shinysquares's review
5.0
A fascinating examination of education, power, and politics. I suppose it is the scholars that shine light into the shadows of the emperors.
hyacinth_girl's review
4.0
This was a pretty good collection of short stories. I know that "The Palace Thief" is probably the most famous of this collection, and though I did like it, my favorite story was "The City of Broken Hearts." I liked the relationships between everyone and the story was very touching. I'm glad I finally read this book. Plus, Ethan Canin is on the University of Iowa Writer's Workshop staff, and since I go to the University of Iowa and am an English major, the book was all the more enjoyable to read. The writing was very good and the story lines were original and well crafted. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.
maddychance's review
4.0
I had to read this for school, and unlike a lot of the books forced upon us students, I quite enjoyed it. The language and way of writing was easy to follow, and the story was entertaining. This is a novelette I would read on my own time.
timsprincess's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0