What do you think?
Rate this book
The Thief of Time
John Boyne has become internationally known for his acclaimed novels Crippen and the bestselling The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. Now, for the first time in the United States, comes the book that started the career of the author that the Irish Examiner calls "one of the best and original of the new generation of Irish writers."
It is 1758 and Matthieu Zela is fleeing Paris after witnessing the murder of his mother and his stepfather's execution. Matthieu's life is characterized by one extraordinary fact: before the eighteenth century ends, he discovers that his body has stopped ageing. At the end of the twentieth century and the ripe old age of 256 he is suddenly forced to answer an uncomfortable question: what is the worth of immortality without love?
In this carefully crafted novel, John Boyne juxtaposes history and the buzz of the modern world, weaving together portraits of 1920s Hollywood, the Great Exhibition of 1851, the French Revolution, the Wall Street Crash, and other landmark events into one man's story of murder, love, and redemption.
It is 1758 and Matthieu Zela is fleeing Paris after witnessing the murder of his mother and his stepfather's execution. Matthieu's life is characterized by one extraordinary fact: before the eighteenth century ends, he discovers that his body has stopped ageing. At the end of the twentieth century and the ripe old age of 256 he is suddenly forced to answer an uncomfortable question: what is the worth of immortality without love?
In this carefully crafted novel, John Boyne juxtaposes history and the buzz of the modern world, weaving together portraits of 1920s Hollywood, the Great Exhibition of 1851, the French Revolution, the Wall Street Crash, and other landmark events into one man's story of murder, love, and redemption.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2000
About the author
John Boyne
65 books13.1k followersI was born in Dublin, Ireland, and studied English Literature at Trinity College, Dublin, and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, Norwich. In 2015, I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters by UEA.
I’ve published 14 novels for adults, 6 novels for younger readers, and a short story collection. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas was a New York Times no.1 Bestseller and was adapted for a feature film, a play, a ballet and an opera, selling around 11 million copies worldwide.
Among my most popular books are The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky and My Brother’s Name is Jessica.
I’m also a regular book reviewer for The Irish Times.
In 2012, I was awarded the Hennessy Literary ‘Hall of Fame’ Award for my body of work. I’ve also won 4 Irish Book Awards, and many international literary awards, including the Que Leer Award for Novel of the Year in Spain and the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize in Germany. In 2015, I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia.
My novels are published in 58 languages.
My 14th adult novel, ALL THE BROKEN PLACES, a sequel and companion novel to THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, will be published in the UK on September 15th 2022, in the US and Canada on November 29th, and in many foreign language editions in late 2022 and 2023.
I’ve published 14 novels for adults, 6 novels for younger readers, and a short story collection. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas was a New York Times no.1 Bestseller and was adapted for a feature film, a play, a ballet and an opera, selling around 11 million copies worldwide.
Among my most popular books are The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Ladder to the Sky and My Brother’s Name is Jessica.
I’m also a regular book reviewer for The Irish Times.
In 2012, I was awarded the Hennessy Literary ‘Hall of Fame’ Award for my body of work. I’ve also won 4 Irish Book Awards, and many international literary awards, including the Que Leer Award for Novel of the Year in Spain and the Gustav Heinemann Peace Prize in Germany. In 2015, I was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of East Anglia.
My novels are published in 58 languages.
My 14th adult novel, ALL THE BROKEN PLACES, a sequel and companion novel to THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS, will be published in the UK on September 15th 2022, in the US and Canada on November 29th, and in many foreign language editions in late 2022 and 2023.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 370 reviews
August 7, 2018
Boyne is a storyteller , and a really good one!I really enjoyed reading this story because of the message it conveyed, life should be lived to the fullest and most importantly there are always lessons to be learned, always!
History has the tendency to repeat itself until one is able to see, to fully grasp what life is and what living really means....
History has the tendency to repeat itself until one is able to see, to fully grasp what life is and what living really means....
March 20, 2011
This book could have been great as the premise was full of potential. Matthieu Zela is born in Paris in 1743 and when he reaches the age of around fifty years old, he realises that he has stopped aging. His story is told in flashbacks of his adventures over the centuries, interspersed with his present day life in the year 1999.
Over the course of his 256 years Matthieu has first hand experience of some pivotal moments in history - the French Revolution, the Wall Street crash, McCarthyism. He flitters from Europe to America, marrying many times but never fathering any children. His only relations accompanying him on this journey are a series of nephews, all called variations of the name 'Thomas', who all die at young ages in sordid ways after first fathering another son. The fate of the Thomases seems to hold the key to Matthieu's fate.
This could have been a great story, but unfortunately it's not. None of the characters, including Matthieu, are well drawn or even very likeable. Matthieu's life is not even that interesting, and it should have been. All in all, this was a disappointment. I'm not even sure why I persevered to the end.
Over the course of his 256 years Matthieu has first hand experience of some pivotal moments in history - the French Revolution, the Wall Street crash, McCarthyism. He flitters from Europe to America, marrying many times but never fathering any children. His only relations accompanying him on this journey are a series of nephews, all called variations of the name 'Thomas', who all die at young ages in sordid ways after first fathering another son. The fate of the Thomases seems to hold the key to Matthieu's fate.
This could have been a great story, but unfortunately it's not. None of the characters, including Matthieu, are well drawn or even very likeable. Matthieu's life is not even that interesting, and it should have been. All in all, this was a disappointment. I'm not even sure why I persevered to the end.
May 10, 2010
"And I am not one of these long-living fictional characters who prays for death as a release from the captivity of eternal life; not for me the endless whining and wailing of the undead."
With these words, written on the first few pages of his novel "The Thief of Time," John Boyne pretty much sold me on the central idea of the book: a man who is over 250 years old but looks like a man in his late 40's or early 50's, and who has looked essentially the same for about 200 years.
Matthieu Zela, the long-lived main character, has lived a long time and seen much change in his life. I found the perspective he had on his apparent immortality quite refreshing -- he does not question it and he does not curse it. He simply accepts it as part of his life and lives...really lives. In his time he experiences the French Revolution, the Great Exhibition, the Great Depression, the rise of Hollywood, war, marriage, love, and death. So much death, all around him...but not for him.
The strength of the book comes from its ability to capture uniquely all the different time periods experienced and convince us that they are all seen through the eyes of this one singular character. Bouncing back and forth to different places in the past to modern day and back to the past again, Boyne tells several stories in parallel, and we slowly come to learn about the central events in Matthieu's life that changed him most dramatically, including the loss of the first true love he would ever know. Each thread of story is skillfully handled, coming together at last in a satisfying ending that explains only just enough, and still leaves much up to the imagination of the reader.
"The Thief of Time" is ambitious in its way, depending on the fact that the reader will be interested enough in the story to not question too much the whys and wherefores of it -- that they, as Matthieu himself does, will simply accept it as presented and enjoy it for what it is...an entertaining tale of a life, skillfully told. If there is a lesson to be learned from this book, it is that not everything has to be fully understood to be appreciated. Some experiences are enough in themselves. This book is one of them.
With these words, written on the first few pages of his novel "The Thief of Time," John Boyne pretty much sold me on the central idea of the book: a man who is over 250 years old but looks like a man in his late 40's or early 50's, and who has looked essentially the same for about 200 years.
Matthieu Zela, the long-lived main character, has lived a long time and seen much change in his life. I found the perspective he had on his apparent immortality quite refreshing -- he does not question it and he does not curse it. He simply accepts it as part of his life and lives...really lives. In his time he experiences the French Revolution, the Great Exhibition, the Great Depression, the rise of Hollywood, war, marriage, love, and death. So much death, all around him...but not for him.
The strength of the book comes from its ability to capture uniquely all the different time periods experienced and convince us that they are all seen through the eyes of this one singular character. Bouncing back and forth to different places in the past to modern day and back to the past again, Boyne tells several stories in parallel, and we slowly come to learn about the central events in Matthieu's life that changed him most dramatically, including the loss of the first true love he would ever know. Each thread of story is skillfully handled, coming together at last in a satisfying ending that explains only just enough, and still leaves much up to the imagination of the reader.
"The Thief of Time" is ambitious in its way, depending on the fact that the reader will be interested enough in the story to not question too much the whys and wherefores of it -- that they, as Matthieu himself does, will simply accept it as presented and enjoy it for what it is...an entertaining tale of a life, skillfully told. If there is a lesson to be learned from this book, it is that not everything has to be fully understood to be appreciated. Some experiences are enough in themselves. This book is one of them.
March 30, 2022
Matthieu never ages. She crosses one century after another having reached the age of 50 but never going past it. He always has a nephew named Tommy and each one of the Tommy's dies at a young age of unnatural causes. Matthieu himself, having come up poor, is very successful, financially- at least after having past his childhood. The reader is treated to a non-linear description of each of his "lives"- including all his wives, girlfriends, etc. He never has children of his own for one reason or another. His first love Dominique, doesn't work out but he is always haunted by that.
In the course of time, it begins to worry him that he is never able to save any of the Tommy's. He is always moving on the the next phase of his life as the current Tommy self-destructs or dies. I won't give any more details as I do not want to give away any of the plot or ending. Suffice to say, that throughout all of his lives, Matthieu is in search of love and stability and Boyne does a brilliant job of telling the story and gliding through time through epic events like the French Revolution, two world wars, and the McCarthy era, to name a few. He is a great writer and this is another great book.
In the course of time, it begins to worry him that he is never able to save any of the Tommy's. He is always moving on the the next phase of his life as the current Tommy self-destructs or dies. I won't give any more details as I do not want to give away any of the plot or ending. Suffice to say, that throughout all of his lives, Matthieu is in search of love and stability and Boyne does a brilliant job of telling the story and gliding through time through epic events like the French Revolution, two world wars, and the McCarthy era, to name a few. He is a great writer and this is another great book.
April 27, 2009
I was really attracted by the title and description, so I grabbed a book expecting some thrilling epic reading. But i was completely disappointed: a fantastic idea turned into some boring so-called plot, jumping from one so-called plot line to another, omitting the details and leaving a total mess in the mind. Honestly I never made it to the end, I just got tired of not understanding what on earth the book was about and what the author was going to tell the readers with this piece of literature. I wouldn't call it junk, others might enjoy the quirky style, not me, sorry.
July 6, 2020
The premise of this book is so interesting: a man who stops ageing and lives through some of the most interesting and turbulent times of the modern era. And the parts where Matthieu encountered famous historical figures or took part in important historical moments were the most interesting aspect of this book for me.
I feel like Boyne was interested most of all in the historical events and figures, and wanted to tell a story about someone who could be involved in all that history, but the other threads of the story, Matthieu's early life and his present-day life were far less interesting to me. I didn't really care about his feelings for Dominique, and I don't think her character was developed well enough to make the storyline involving her work properly.
The thread involving his brother and his descendants needed more development too. We were told that their short lives enabled Matthieu's longevity, but I wanted to know how. I also felt like there should have been more difficulty in the fact that Matthieu lived so long. All of his wives conveniently died or were divorced before his lack of ageing became an issue. I'm not sure why he wasn't more careful about concealing his lack of ageing. Perhaps the primitive technology accounts for it, but he was involved in such important history that photographs must have captured his likeness at some point. I think if you're going to have a character who doesn't age, they should be taking some kinds of precautions so that they're not found out. The fact that Matthieu didn't wasn't believable to me.
I liked the history Matthieu was involved in, but the other strands of the story weren't that interesting to me. Boyne must have done a lot of research for the historical aspects, which make those stand out, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I was hoping to.
I feel like Boyne was interested most of all in the historical events and figures, and wanted to tell a story about someone who could be involved in all that history, but the other threads of the story, Matthieu's early life and his present-day life were far less interesting to me. I didn't really care about his feelings for Dominique, and I don't think her character was developed well enough to make the storyline involving her work properly.
The thread involving his brother and his descendants needed more development too. We were told that their short lives enabled Matthieu's longevity, but I wanted to know how. I also felt like there should have been more difficulty in the fact that Matthieu lived so long. All of his wives conveniently died or were divorced before his lack of ageing became an issue. I'm not sure why he wasn't more careful about concealing his lack of ageing. Perhaps the primitive technology accounts for it, but he was involved in such important history that photographs must have captured his likeness at some point. I think if you're going to have a character who doesn't age, they should be taking some kinds of precautions so that they're not found out. The fact that Matthieu didn't wasn't believable to me.
I liked the history Matthieu was involved in, but the other strands of the story weren't that interesting to me. Boyne must have done a lot of research for the historical aspects, which make those stand out, but I didn't enjoy this as much as I was hoping to.
April 6, 2021
Another thought provoking read from author John Boyne featuring the 256 year old Matthieu Zela. Zela was born in Paris in 1743 and although he has lived for 256 years for some reason he stopped aging when he reached middle age. The story jumps around in time, each era telling of Matthieu’s life in various different stages and circumstances. Throughout his long life Zela has married several times but has never had children and only had nephews to care for, each of the nephews have had a son and died shortly after while still in their 20’s. This is a sad chain of coincidences that Zela is eager to break, too late for the previous generations, but a cycle that needs to stop.
Zela’s stepfather was executed after he murdered Matthieu’s mother and the 15 year old Zela decided to flee to England with his young brother Tomas. The brothers meet up with an older girl named Dominique and form a lasting friendship and pass off as brothers and sister. His life story tells of his time during the French Revolution, Hollywood and their are encounters with a few famous historical figures.
Although the book covered a lot of different time frames and characters I still found it easy to follow and didn’t get confused when jumping backwards and forwards.
It is obvious from reading other reviewers that they are split between loving the novel and hating it, it is a long read and I can see that some people might find it too slow. I agree that it is not the best John Boyne novel but is still a decent read.
I enjoyed the book and I always like reading John Boyne’s novels but I fully understand how some other reviewers felt let down by the book. Such a great premise and I agree a lot more could have been made of it but for me it was still an entertaining read.
Zela’s stepfather was executed after he murdered Matthieu’s mother and the 15 year old Zela decided to flee to England with his young brother Tomas. The brothers meet up with an older girl named Dominique and form a lasting friendship and pass off as brothers and sister. His life story tells of his time during the French Revolution, Hollywood and their are encounters with a few famous historical figures.
Although the book covered a lot of different time frames and characters I still found it easy to follow and didn’t get confused when jumping backwards and forwards.
It is obvious from reading other reviewers that they are split between loving the novel and hating it, it is a long read and I can see that some people might find it too slow. I agree that it is not the best John Boyne novel but is still a decent read.
I enjoyed the book and I always like reading John Boyne’s novels but I fully understand how some other reviewers felt let down by the book. Such a great premise and I agree a lot more could have been made of it but for me it was still an entertaining read.
September 10, 2014
The problem with going back and reading a favorite author's earlier works is that it's inevitably disappointing. You can see the promise, just not the fulfillment of it. This is a nicely written book about a 250 year old man who was born in 18th century france. It has a very Forrest Gump-ian dynamic where he's involved in many of history's biggest events, and interacts with everyone from Robespierre to Charlie Chaplin. A stronger editor could have shaped the narrative better--instead it's a series of stories traipsing across time.
March 11, 2017
I don't even know where to start... This was probably the most boring book I have ever read. It sounded like a really great concept and then just ended up being a tremendously disappointing tale of a man who has lived for a long time seeing lots of things, people die and time goes on. You never really learn why his time stops, or why the Tomas's kept dying early, it was just how it was :( Only reason I finished was because I thought surely something exciting would happen... nope. Also the book cost me $9 so had to get my moneys worth :/
October 27, 2015
John Boyne is definitely a born story teller and I greatly enjoyed this novel in which he takes the reader on an interesting journey through history.
March 9, 2017
Het idee was wel leuk, maar de uitwerking was het gewoon net niet..
September 3, 2024
Another Boyne hit
June 8, 2015
No sé qué me pasa con John Boyne. Es un escritor competente, un buen narrador, un buen cuentacuentos, sus premisas no están mal, pero a mí siempre me deja un poco indiferente. Creo que es porque pese a que escribe libros entretenidos, se nota que aspira a hacer algo más que entretener, a desarrollar una idea, pero nunca lo consigue. Lo intenta, sin llegar a conseguirlo. Al menos a mí me da esa sensación.
En esta historia, por ejemplo, Boyne nos narra la historia de Matthieu Zéla, un hombre que nació a principios del siglo XVIII y que ha llegado al año 1999 sin envejecer. Sin envejecer, pero más viejo. Todos los acontecimientos que le ocurrieron en dos siglos de vida lo han ido marcando. Y Boyne lo cuenta bien, de manera entretenida, haciendo flashbacks adelante y atrás, mezclando historias de diferentes épocas para hacerlo más dinámico, incluso teniendo una trama con el tataratataranieto de su hermano Thomas para que exista una fuerza motora que te haga interesarte por el Matthieu del presente, que sabes que sobrevivió a todas sus andanzas pasadas. Incluso notas que el autor es hábil, en cuanto a que la estructura tiene cierta complejidad, por los contínuos saltos en el tiempo, que en ningún momento te o se confunden. John Boyne no se pierde nunca y no permite que el lector se pierda. Y sin embargo... al final el tema sobre la inmortalidad y que la historia se repite constantemente y que las personas se caen contínuamente y se levantan de nuevo, suena un poco trillado. Un poco cliché. Boyne no consigue ir más allá en ello, nada más que dejarte algunas pinceladas. El libro es muy entretenido y fácil de leer, pero nada más.
Ahora bien, tengo que agradecer al autor que el protagonista inmortal no es un emo depresivo, sino un hombre vital que entiende que su "rareza" es un don que le ha permitido asistir a momentos e innovaciones que jamás hubiera soñado siquiera. Normalmente a mí los personajes con inmortalidad no me gustan precisamente porque son unos amargados de la vida, pero Matthieu es diferente y eso me gustó.
En definitiva, un libro entretenido de John Boyne, bien escrito, bien narrado y que tiene algunos momentos inspirados, pero que no creo que aproveche todo el potencial del tema que trata.
En esta historia, por ejemplo, Boyne nos narra la historia de Matthieu Zéla, un hombre que nació a principios del siglo XVIII y que ha llegado al año 1999 sin envejecer. Sin envejecer, pero más viejo. Todos los acontecimientos que le ocurrieron en dos siglos de vida lo han ido marcando. Y Boyne lo cuenta bien, de manera entretenida, haciendo flashbacks adelante y atrás, mezclando historias de diferentes épocas para hacerlo más dinámico, incluso teniendo una trama con el tataratataranieto de su hermano Thomas para que exista una fuerza motora que te haga interesarte por el Matthieu del presente, que sabes que sobrevivió a todas sus andanzas pasadas. Incluso notas que el autor es hábil, en cuanto a que la estructura tiene cierta complejidad, por los contínuos saltos en el tiempo, que en ningún momento te o se confunden. John Boyne no se pierde nunca y no permite que el lector se pierda. Y sin embargo... al final el tema sobre la inmortalidad y que la historia se repite constantemente y que las personas se caen contínuamente y se levantan de nuevo, suena un poco trillado. Un poco cliché. Boyne no consigue ir más allá en ello, nada más que dejarte algunas pinceladas. El libro es muy entretenido y fácil de leer, pero nada más.
Ahora bien, tengo que agradecer al autor que el protagonista inmortal no es un emo depresivo, sino un hombre vital que entiende que su "rareza" es un don que le ha permitido asistir a momentos e innovaciones que jamás hubiera soñado siquiera. Normalmente a mí los personajes con inmortalidad no me gustan precisamente porque son unos amargados de la vida, pero Matthieu es diferente y eso me gustó.
En definitiva, un libro entretenido de John Boyne, bien escrito, bien narrado y que tiene algunos momentos inspirados, pero que no creo que aproveche todo el potencial del tema que trata.
July 2, 2019
So. How many books have I read in my life? Thousands. How many authors have I said are one of my favorites? A few. Well Mr John Boyne has cemented himself as number 1. His books have all captured me, even the ones not rated so high on Goodreads!
I’ve loved ALL his books , including this one. He’s def changed as an author but each book has something in it that totally enthralled me. Including this one.
I’ve loved ALL his books , including this one. He’s def changed as an author but each book has something in it that totally enthralled me. Including this one.
December 1, 2021
Having loved all the John Boyne books I have read so far I have to say this was my least favourite.
April 18, 2017
"Um amigo verdadeiro é algo raro; por vezes, aqueles que consideramos amigos são apenas pessoas com quem passamos muito tempo juntos."
"Às vezes, você percebe que uma pessoa não merece o seu amor, mas a ama mesmo assim."
"Às vezes, você percebe que uma pessoa não merece o seu amor, mas a ama mesmo assim."
February 2, 2015
In the end I found this book to be a big disappointment especially given how much I enjoyed The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
I was enjoying the story at first, and I thought the premise had a lot of potential.
Cons: I found the ending to be predictable.
But most of all it was the dodgy historical contexts that really killed enjoyment of the story for me. If it had been just one mistake, then I could have looked past it, even though the book relies totally on history for its plot. But there was far more than one mistake.
In one set of three pages alone, I encountered three separate historical inaccuracies and I'm not talking obscure things here. I am interested in history but I would certainly not call myself a history fact-know-it-all. Four things in swift succession: telegrams and money wires in the eighteenth century. The telegram was not invented until the nineteenth. Two other eighteenth century inventions or first use in the eighteenth century: plaster casts and gas lighting. Both apparently available in 1760, according to this book. And the use of "grasshopper" as a friendly moniker suggesting apprentice - also used in 1760 in the book, but not actually used until the 1960s in kung fu movies. I did double check all of these.
The thing is, none of them are vital to the plot. But they were all used to flesh out the scene, to bring colour to the story and background. They only succeeded in jarring me out of my belief in the story and forcing me back into the real world with a, "hang on, what?" Not what you want in a good fiction, I believe.
I was enjoying the story at first, and I thought the premise had a lot of potential.
Cons: I found the ending to be predictable.
But most of all it was the dodgy historical contexts that really killed enjoyment of the story for me. If it had been just one mistake, then I could have looked past it, even though the book relies totally on history for its plot. But there was far more than one mistake.
In one set of three pages alone, I encountered three separate historical inaccuracies and I'm not talking obscure things here. I am interested in history but I would certainly not call myself a history fact-know-it-all. Four things in swift succession: telegrams and money wires in the eighteenth century. The telegram was not invented until the nineteenth. Two other eighteenth century inventions or first use in the eighteenth century: plaster casts and gas lighting. Both apparently available in 1760, according to this book. And the use of "grasshopper" as a friendly moniker suggesting apprentice - also used in 1760 in the book, but not actually used until the 1960s in kung fu movies. I did double check all of these.
The thing is, none of them are vital to the plot. But they were all used to flesh out the scene, to bring colour to the story and background. They only succeeded in jarring me out of my belief in the story and forcing me back into the real world with a, "hang on, what?" Not what you want in a good fiction, I believe.
January 28, 2021
Entertaining
Having read his books before, I was looking forward to reading this. I love the way he mixes stories from different time epochs and blends them. At first glance they don't seem to make sense but as the story unfolds gradually it does make for a great read
Having read his books before, I was looking forward to reading this. I love the way he mixes stories from different time epochs and blends them. At first glance they don't seem to make sense but as the story unfolds gradually it does make for a great read
November 22, 2012
An excellent read... Boyne's first novel and one that is definitely worth taking a look at... Each chapter is like a mini history lesson in itself!
February 11, 2021
Mattieu Zéla, con sus 256 años, relata su vida y los cambios por los que pasó desde su niñez hasta la adultez, además de acarrear la suerte de ver nacer y crecer a sus sobrinos por décadas , todos llamados tradicionalmente Tom, Thomas, Tommy, hijos de los hijos de su medio hermano Thomas; todos estos cumpliendo con la maldición de vivir hasta los 25 años, como máximo, muriendo de forma trágica.
Su trama es interesante y fuera de lo común pero es complejo seguir el ritmo ya que se dan muchos saltos de tiempo y época además que la cantidad de personajes es monumental.
Su trama es interesante y fuera de lo común pero es complejo seguir el ritmo ya que se dan muchos saltos de tiempo y época además que la cantidad de personajes es monumental.
September 18, 2023
Cinco estrellas bien merecidas. Me ha parecido un libro redondo, con una historia y una línea argumental muy bien definida y muy bien contada; personajes muy vivos con muchos matices... Sin duda, una lectura muy recomendable.
April 25, 2019
Een leuk onderhoudend verhaal, maar zeker niet het beste dat ik al gelezen heb van deze schrijver.
August 6, 2019
The House of Special Purpose & The Boy in the Striped Pajamas were both really good books. This one didn't do it for me.
June 13, 2017
Een mooi verhaal. Het neemt je vlotjes en gemakkelijk mee, over verschillende eeuwen heen... Zonder moraliserend of dwepend te worden. Ontspannend en boeiend.
May 14, 2022
Not a bad first novel…some glimpses of the brilliance to come.
September 15, 2012
"On the other hand, I could have misjudged her. She could love him. Simple as that. She could know the sickening, aching pain that goes with love. She could know how it feels to be aware of someone's presence in a building, even when you're not together; she could know how it feels to be hurt and damaged and crucified by someone and still be unable to shake them from your head, no matter how hard you try, no matter how many years you are apart; she could know that, even years later, all it would take would be one phone call and you would go to them, drop everything, desert everyone, put the world on hold. She could feel those things for Tommy and I could be denying her that right." THE THIEF OF TIME by John Boyne.
I love the story, the way it is written, very addictive and multicolorist. I could see an adventure Tv series right there. But the last page broke it all. After all, I must respect the author's decission although the story has a great potential to become a book series. I never got tired of reading this book and... I wanted more.
I love the story, the way it is written, very addictive and multicolorist. I could see an adventure Tv series right there. But the last page broke it all. After all, I must respect the author's decission although the story has a great potential to become a book series. I never got tired of reading this book and... I wanted more.
December 9, 2017
This John Boyne novel was a huge disappointment, I have read six Boyne novels and enjoyed them immensely all have been 4 & 5 star ratings The Heart invisible Furies I would give this book a 6 star rating Crippen 5, the Absolutist 5, A history of loneliness 5, Next of Kin 5, A boy in the striped pajamas4 star.
The book premise is Matthieu Zela is fleeing Paris with his half brother Tom when he meets the love of his life Dominique the year is 1758 the adventure begins. I believe this part of the book was the most interesting. Unfortunately we have to muddle through 256 years of Matthieu life to find out what happens between him and Dominique. Matthieu does not age and lives beyond 256 years parts of the book were interesting the time during the French Revolution, the Wall street crash, the birth of Hollywood but there wasn't a lot of depth or character development during the other parts of the 256 years. It is a long book and I struggled to finish it. My recommendation read the other John Boyne's
books skip this one I wish I had.
The book premise is Matthieu Zela is fleeing Paris with his half brother Tom when he meets the love of his life Dominique the year is 1758 the adventure begins. I believe this part of the book was the most interesting. Unfortunately we have to muddle through 256 years of Matthieu life to find out what happens between him and Dominique. Matthieu does not age and lives beyond 256 years parts of the book were interesting the time during the French Revolution, the Wall street crash, the birth of Hollywood but there wasn't a lot of depth or character development during the other parts of the 256 years. It is a long book and I struggled to finish it. My recommendation read the other John Boyne's
books skip this one I wish I had.
May 21, 2012
I really wanted to like this book as the premise is so interesting, but the story failed to deliver. It felt like a series of detached observations about individual incidents rather than a really story. There's not much of a plot and nothing over much happens.
The basic idea is great, but the characters, especially the main one, Mathieu, are quite unappealing. I kept reading purely because I was hoping it would spring to life, but it never did.
The basic idea is great, but the characters, especially the main one, Mathieu, are quite unappealing. I kept reading purely because I was hoping it would spring to life, but it never did.
January 22, 2017
No ha sido mi estilo, lo he dejado a las treinta páginas y tras hojearlo hasta el final me he dado cuenta de que no me hubiera gustado. Simplemente, el protagonista vive durante varios siglos, sin ningún tipo de explicación. No hay más trama, no hay acción. Vamos viendo sus diferentes conquistas y poco más. Puede que sea una historia con mucho sentimiento o bellamente escrita, no lo sé, pero no es mi estilo.
July 19, 2017
I loved the concept of the book and how it conveyed the message of history repeating itself until people try to understand and listen. However, I think that often the book jumped around to much and was sometimes quite difficult to keep up with.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 370 reviews