Beggarman, Thief (Paperback)

by Irwin Shaw (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
In 1971 Irwin Shaw published what was to become one of the greatest blockbusters of the blockbuster age. The gripping, multi-stranded tale of the Jordache family, Rich Man, Poor Man hit the reading public at a time when the publishing trade across the world was beginning seriously to talk millions. Millions of copies sold that is, which, in its turn, inevitably meant millions in terms of money for the author. Whether this consideration influenced Irwin Shaw it would be unjust to speculate, but, six years after the runaway success of Rich Man, he published this sequel. Shaw included a preface to his sequel, in which he made clear that, while abiding by the terms of their contract to screen the television version of his bestselling novel, the producers had exercised their right to create an ongoing version of the Jordache family without any reference to, or permission from him, their original creator. It would be nice to think he was so incensed by this unfair use of contractual licence that Shaw felt compelled to set the record for his fictional characters straight. Unfortunately, even if this is so, it does not help the novel. Beggarman, Thief makes a spirited attempt to stand on its own. Time has moved on and opening in 1968, the story begins, with a kind of ghastly inevitability, with the death of Thomas Jordache. The promise of Tom's youthful violence has caught up with him and he has been murdered. It's a dramatic story, but the plot and the new characters fail to grip, notwithstanding the quality of the prose. The rather meandering resolution makes one wonder if Shaw was desperate to write anything rather than allow unscrupulous television producers to have the last word. A pity. Rich Man, Poor Man was Irwin Shaw's swansong. His story should have ended there. (Kirkus UK)

It must have been depressing for Shaw to take up the 1968 trail of rich Rudy Jordache, fatherless nephew Wesley, et al., et al. after television had had its way with Rich Man, Poor Man and a non-Shavian sequel. And it shows. Much of the new bulk is wheedled away as sullen prince Wesley (Beggarman), who Needs to Know about his murdered sailor father's past before hunting the Yugoslav murderer, visits characters from RM, PM and listens to them summarize best-selling sequences. That done, he's persuaded to become a movie star (the kid's a natural actor) in editor-turned-director Aunt Gretchen's low-budget flick before heading off to vengeance in Europe. There he meets up with cousin Billy (Thief), Gretchen's alienated soldier brat, who's been reluctantly involved with terrorists via lusty Monika ("The orgasms are few and far between on the New Left"). And everyone converges on Cannes, where RM, PM finale-ed - Wesley to try to gun down Dad's killer, Gretchen & Co. to score at the Film Festival with that terrific movie by a Woman Director. Where has ex-politician Rudy been the nonce, you ask? On the sidelines, relieved of drunkie wife Jean, helpful to ail, and cardboard to the end. Shaw is nothing if not professional in his button-pushing (sentiment, sex, glamor, danger), but this is very much a winding-down, with none of the rags-to-bitches momentum of the Jordache rise. Still, even if TViewers will be confused by the total tube/page variance, they'll find small-screen echoes in much of the dialogue ("I don't know where I am. Tomorrow ask for me in the Lost and Found Department"). And this commodity would be in demand even if it were Doctor, Lawyer, Indian Chief. . . which, come to think of it, might have been a lot more fun. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Wesley, haunted by his father's murder, begins a strange and deeply personal quest; Billy becomes involved with a girl who leads him into unexpected dangers; Gretchen finds new challenges and experiences a remarkable twist to her life. Moving between Europe and America, "Beggarman, Thief" is a brilliant novel chronicling the fortunes of one family - the joys, sorrows, successes and failures. This is not only the gripping sequel to Irwin Shaw's bestselling "Rich Man, Poor Man", but also an outstanding novel in its own right.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Orion mass market paperback (April 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752848518
• ISBN-13: 978-0752848518
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,399,513 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars beggarman, thief, September 29, 2003

By	joe (us) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beggarman, Thief (Hardcover)

I was happy to find out that Rich Man, Poor Man, which immediately became one of my favorite books after I finished it, had a sequel. Being a sequel, it definitely didn't live up to Rich Man, Poor Man, but I considered it an excellent follow up. It was cool to see all the characters from the original and the book had a lot of events in it, as did the last one, which is what I love about them. I wasn't at all disappointed and this is probably my favorite series of books.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good carry on from Rich Man, Poor Man, November 17, 1999

By	KayCeeKay "Just My Two Cents..." (Missouri, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beggarman, thief (Hardcover)

Not as good as Rich Man, Poor Man but a good sequel nonetheless. I ended RM, PM wondering more about the characters (a sign of a good book to me I might add) and was delighted to read B,T. Definitely need to read them both to feel satisfied.