The Prosperous Thief [Paperback]

Andrea Goldsmith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2005

Rich in ideas and emotions, this epic story of the entwined lives of two vastly different families spans three continents during the most turbulent years of the 20th century. Alice Lewin survived World War II as a young child. After decades of burying her past, she decides to visit the Kindertransport archive, where she learns of the existence of a possible relative, Henry Lewin. She travels to Australia to hear his story, but she is in no way prepared to learn the truth. This information has profound ramifications—and both Alice's son, Raphe, and Henry's daughter, Laura, struggle to deal with their connected lives. Not only do the thefts of the World War II define their past, but this deception also threatens their future.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Goldsmith's gripping Holocaust epic begins with two German children: Heinrik Heck, born poor in 1910, and Alice Lewin, who is six when Kristallnacht shatters her elegant secular Jewish family. As an army deserter in 1945, Heinrick comes across Martin, a typhoid-stricken concentration camp survivor, and makes a desperate choice. "There's his own future to consider, he tells himself as he squats down and lays his hands one each side of Martin's head. He twists." Martin is Alice's father; Heinrik, having killed Martin, takes part of Martin's identity and reinvents himself as Henry Lewin, a Jew, and starts a new life in Australia. Alice, saved by the Kindertransport, lands in California, marries a non-Jew and erases the un-American lilt in her voice. But her son, Raphe, is obsessed with the Jewish grandfather with whom he shares a passion for volcanoes. His urging sends Alice to Australia, where she confronts Henry Lewin. Henry dies; Alice dies. Raphe, guardian of the truth, goes to Australia with such rage inside him, it seems he might murder Henry's daughter. Despite a melodramatic ending on the rim of a volcano and a few lapses in craft and language ("loathe" for "loath"), Australian Goldsmith's fifth novel has undeniable power. (Nov.)
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Review

"A riveting tale . . . Compulsively readable, almost hypnotic in its ability to draw the reader in."  —Kirkus

"A twisting, turning, tantalisingly open-ended moral and romantic thriller." —Advertiser

"An epic tale...a rare novel; endowed with intelligence and beauty."  —Canberra Times

"A novel about theft and appropriation...as much as it is an attempt to understand the Holocaust's dark shadow."  —The Courier-Mail

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Allen & Unwin (November 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741144698
• ISBN-13: 978-1741144697
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,004,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Insightfully Interwoven Narrative, December 11, 2006

By 

Nicholas Moresby (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Prosperous Thief (Paperback)

Goldsmith's novel addresses the complicated issue of Jewish identity in Europe before WWII and the ramifications that we seek to come to terms with today. Many people today fail to understand the unbelievably complex and diverse Jewish make-up of Europe pre-WWII. This element is insightfully interwoven into the narrative.

The Prosperous Thief is an intriguing, multi-dimensional story that spans continents and generations. Novels with this much care and thoughtfulness are a real rarity.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Phrase on the Cover says it ALL, January 8, 2008

By 

bhr "birdwoman" (Bryn Mawr, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Prosperous Thief (Paperback)

My copy (or rather, my library's copy) of this book states that it is "a twisting, turning, OPEN-ENDED moral and romantic thriller..."

Now, I usually ignore these blurbs because they tell you the book is better than sliced bread. In this case, I would not call it a thriller, romantic or not. But everything else... ESPECIALLY the open-ended part... is spot on.

The book kept me diving back in, even when it was so painful to read I wanted to scrub it from my psyche. I haven't felt such anger reading a book in a long time. This story, and its descriptions of the actions, intentions, and attitudes of Germans, Jews, Poles, Americans, hell, even Australian Lesbians, really evoked an incredible amount of angst.

But I hate open-endings in books. I really didn't like where this book left off.

I am glad, however, that I didn't read any of the descriptions or spoilers here on Amazon, though, because all the rest give away one of the (many) turns in the book. I prefered discovering them myself.

If you're masochistic, read this book. If you feel like you need to do literary penance for reading too much pulp or genre fiction - this is your volunteer work at the shelter. It is well written and thought provoking, but I had to read a fairy tale book afterward to bring some warmth back into my brain.

(*)>

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific book, November 10, 2007

By 

Jennifer Scoullar (australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Prosperous Thief (Paperback)

This is a beautifully and sensitively written book that spans the generations. I loved it.