Customer Reviews

The Thieves' Opera

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Lucy Moore, in The Thieves' Opera, has explored an interesting topic that takes the reader through the world of London from the slums to, on occasion, the mansions. Using the characters of Jonathan Wild and the folk hero/criminal Jack Sheppard, the author expands the narrative to show the entire world of crime and punishment that existed at this time. Very little seemed, at times, to separate those committing the crimes from those prosecuting the criminals and it is easy to see why Jack Sheppard, with his numerous escapes, could become such a hero in such a corrupt system. The story is told in a way that leads the reader from the beginnings of a system that would lead to crime to the execution of the criminal. The two lead criminals sometimes fall by the wayside in their own story but interest is maintained nonetheless by looking at the larger canvas. An interesting read.

The first 2/3 of the book are very strong - Moore does an excellent job bringing early 18th century London to life, and in particular Wild and Sheppard. She does an excellent job portraying the cultural impact of the two - the way Defoe, Hogarth, and John Gay (author of "The Thieves' Opera", best known now through Brecht's "Threpenny Opera") interacted with their world. Her descriptions of Wild and Sheppard's criminal exploits is fascinating (among other things, it's from Wild that we get the term "double-cross").

However, Moore seems to run out of steam about 2/3 of the way through. The last part, dealing with Wild's fall, could have been just as interesting as his rise, but Moore seems rather bored with it - it's dashed off quickly. Conversely, she spends far too much time describing the exact details of the English law-enforcement mechanisms of the time, read like it was stapled in from a research paper.

Ah well, can't have everything - overall a very good read.

If you enjoyed the recent TV version of Moll Flanders, or if you're a history or true crime buff, this is your book. The author engagingly surveys the amazingly violent and turbulent city that London was in the early 1700s. Vast differences between rich and poor encouraged theft of all kinds and created an underworld that mirrored high society. The writing can be a bit dry at times, but the period details are so compelling it doesn't matter. One example: a man's wig might cost 40 pounds, which was much more than an average worker could earn in a year, in a good year.

Lev Raphael, "Mysteries" columnist, Detroit Free Press

A great book, with great art. Can't wait to see what Ms. Moore tackles next.

This fabulously written historical account is put together so well, you forget you're actually getting a history lesson. As a historical romance writer who is often looking to devour books on certain subjects, I find it very difficult to find books that portray history in a vivid manner which makes it easy to swallow several years of history in one sitting without pausing to think 'what in heck is this person talking about?'. The most wonderful aspect of this book on 'criminal' subjects of the 18th century, is that Lucy Moore (the author, of course!) weaves history through the means of beautiful, but simple story telling. And what this means for anyone picking up this book is that history not only can be finally understood, but also re-lived.

Too many historians forget how to write good stories, if they ever learned. Lucy Moore writes excellent history precisely because she tells a story well.

If you love England and it's history, you'll really enjoy this book. It's so inexpensive 'used', go for it, what have you got to lose. I read it when it was just released and have never forgotten it. wish i could find my original copy to display in my "library", ...that should tell you something.

The lives of Johnathan Wild and Tom Sheppard could have been told with so much more color. For the most part, I steadfastly plowed through this mostly boring book just to absorb some facts. It was rarely entertaining. The author mostly writes in a formal style. But, then occasionally she will throw in a zinger using conversational English. These breaks with formality were refreshing, interesting and I appreciated it. The most interesting parts of the book were the descriptions of the times, such as the laws, customs, homes, prisons, bribery and corruption, hangings, etc. The author gave an altogether graphic picture of what happens when a person is hanged.

I bought this book because I have a weakness for accounts of historical crimes. Luckily I also have a weakness for social history because this book is more about the (mainly) London social conditions of the early 18th century than the crimes of the Jack Sheppard and Jonathan Wilde.

It was interesting to be reading about the accused Jacobite who spent 30+ years in prison although he was not proved to be a traitor because he would not swear allegiance to the King of England-- Sheer stubbornness?-- at the same time that the Supreme Court has agreed to look at the case of the Guam detainees who have yet to be charged or tried by any legal body.

The author makes an argument that Jack Sheppard turned to crime because he was foreclosed from lawfully practicing his trade (carpenter) while Jonathan Wilde utilized a certain genius for organization to create the best organized thieves' gang of the era because that was the only opportunity open to him. While I am unable to buy her theory wholesale, the tidbits she provides about life in the early 18th century are well worth acquiring. I would wish that the Hogarth illustrations were larger and clearer but they provide a nice addition to the text.

However, I do have questions about the reliability of some of her sources. A couple of the things she mentioned as fact sound more like pure male fantasy or at best urban legends.

Not badly written and not boring.

I was disappointed in this book. Even though the author succeeds in painting quite a clear canvas of eighteenth-century London's underworld, she fails to make her subject - the two famed criminals - interesting. I didn't find their personalities gripping, or their stories attractive in the least. The narrative is reiterative, the same things being mentioned again and again, and disjointed, lacking cohesiveness. Curiously, the most interesting parts were those which were accessory to the main story, such as the description of the legal system and medical practice. I wouldn't completely dismiss Lucy Moore as a historian, though - she undoubtedly has done a thorough research, and is not totally ungifted as a writer - but I still think this material would have merited a better rendering.