The book tells the true story of Stéphane Breitwieser, a French art thief who stole $1.4 billion worth of art over eight years. The reviewer found the narrative dry and lacking emotional impact, leaving them with pity for the thief.
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel recounts the astonishing true story of Stéphane Breitwieser, who stole an estimated $1.4 billion in art objects from museums and cathedrals across Europe over eight years. The reviewer found the narrative dry and plodding, lacking the suspense and excitement one might expect from such a story. Instead, it felt like a laundry-list summary of each theft, interspersed with anecdotes about Breitwieser's childhood and relationships. The reviewer felt little emotional impact and was left with pity for Breitwieser, seeing him as a sad and pathetic figure. The book provides a detailed account of the thefts and the eventual capture of Breitwieser and his accomplice, but it fails to delve deeply into the motivations behind his actions.
Quick quotes
Breitwieser strikes me as an unlikely anti-hero.
However, for a story that (as you see from the full title) combines “love, crime, and a dangerous obsession”, THE ART THIEF struck me as a dry and plodding narrative.
THE ART THIEF is not a long book (234 pages) and I did keep turning pages, mostly to find out how it would end. But when I finished, I was left with little emotional impact. Just some pity for Breitwieser who struck me as a sad and pathetic figure wasting his life.