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Michael Finkel's Reviews > The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
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Dear Goodreaders:
Though "The Art Thief" is a short book (just over 200 pages), I worked on the project for more than 11 years, trying to make sure that everything in this wild and unpredictable tale is true - and also, to the best of my abilities, entertaining to read.
The art thief himself, Stéphane Breitwieser, granted me dozens of hours of exclusive interviews, and even visited a couple of museums with me. It was a bizarre experience, to say the least, to tour an art museum with one of the world's greatest art thieves.
I respect all of the reviews here (well, almost all), and I hope that the art thief's incredible crime spree, and his equally spectacular crash, capture your interest. My time with Breitwieser changed the way I experience museums and absorb works of art, and I expect that the same effects may happen to you as you wind your way through the book.
Yours,
Mike Finkel
PS: Since you made it down this far, I'll admit which is my personal favorite line in the book: "When you wear your heart on your sleeve, it's exposed to the elements." (p.74)
Though "The Art Thief" is a short book (just over 200 pages), I worked on the project for more than 11 years, trying to make sure that everything in this wild and unpredictable tale is true - and also, to the best of my abilities, entertaining to read.
The art thief himself, Stéphane Breitwieser, granted me dozens of hours of exclusive interviews, and even visited a couple of museums with me. It was a bizarre experience, to say the least, to tour an art museum with one of the world's greatest art thieves.
I respect all of the reviews here (well, almost all), and I hope that the art thief's incredible crime spree, and his equally spectacular crash, capture your interest. My time with Breitwieser changed the way I experience museums and absorb works of art, and I expect that the same effects may happen to you as you wind your way through the book.
Yours,
Mike Finkel
PS: Since you made it down this far, I'll admit which is my personal favorite line in the book: "When you wear your heart on your sleeve, it's exposed to the elements." (p.74)
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
July 7, 2023
– Shelved
Comments Showing 1-50 of 83 (83 new)
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Debbie
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rated it 5 stars
Jul 09, 2023 08:11PM
I just finished it, and I loved it.! Could not put it down once I started!
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Just now finished your book (read it in one day!) Fascinating story and well written!
Loved it and Eduardo Ballerini does it justice with his voice on audio. Now I need to get a print copy to see the art pieces. Amazing!
I loved it. Thank you!
I listened to the audio....perfect! Great job. My friend and I listened to it while on a girl's trip. We both loved it.
This is one of my favorite books. It flowed so well and was never boring. It was entertaining and insightful. It's so hard to imagine someone could get away with all of this for so long. Well done! A wonderful read!
I am thoroughly enjoying The Art Thief. Well done you!
You did an excellent job. It was a very interesting and intoxicating read. Congratulations!
You have become one of my absolute favorite authors, and this one did not disappoint. The only problem is that the minute I finish each book, I can't bear to wait for the next one.
Outstanding writing!
I loved it. Would love to see it in a movie. Kieran Culkin as Stephane!
I heard you speak (I zoomed) at the St.Louis Art Museum. It was a great presentation and I wished I had been there in person! The book is so fascinating and intriguing and I especially love the descriptions of who Anne-C and Stephane were as youth and then as partners and lovers. I really felt like I know who they were because you were so descriptive! Just picked up The Stranger in the Woods (Large Print praise be!) from the Library! Looking forward to reading it! Thank you!
I just finished reading it! One of my favorite books :)
Bravo! I was entertained and obsessed till the end. Amazed at how much research when into the writing of this work, yet you managed to keep it moving and tight.
You did a fabulous job writing a tight, suspenseful storyline, but also describing the works of art, his psychology and techniques brilliantly! Couldn't put it down!
What a phenomenal book! I enjoyed it very much.
Great book. Thanks for writing it. I agree that I will never experience a museum visit in the same way again. I'll always be on the look out for security flaws. So sad that so many works were never recovered.
Loved the book! Can’t wait for someone to write the screenplay!
It was fascinating and didn’t even feel like I was reading nonfiction. Just mind blowing!
Great quote! Can’t wait to read the book!
My favorite line is “They already own a better bugle.� !!
I enjoyed the book and seeing pictures of the artwork at the end. But... I'm curious as to why there were no photos of Stephane and Ann-Catherine. Even if they wouldn't agree to photos, there certainly must have been newspaper articles and photos that could have been reproduced and/or other government records.
Your dedication to the story is so clear and loved reading your notes at the end - happily will travel down the rabbit hole to learn more about the art and story! Fantastic read - I don’t always enjoy nonfiction but this one Drew me in right away
I couldn’t put this book down. It reads like fiction. Incredible story! Very captivating!
Fascinating account, so well researched...curious about the bat on the cover.
Incredible story- It hurt to read how selfish he was in stealing works of art- I almost couldn't read it- but I had to! So unfortunate that stealing and destroying priceless works of art go unpunished- Stephane, his g/f and esp his mother all should have been locked away for a very long time!
I wanted to steal your art and make a film out of it. But as a co-artist, I would love to take the rights and then make a movie. Please...remember me. The day is coming soon.
You achieved exactly what you set out to do. I was thoroughly entertained and learned so much in such a short amount of time.
Just finished it and thought it was swell. I remember reading about what happened in the papers at the time and was intrigued to learn more. Your book was well-written and certainly engaging!
When I looked at your biblio afterwards, I realized I had read "The Stranger in the Woods" and was just as caught up with that.
Who's next????
I absolutely loved this book! I read way past my bedtime every night until I finished it. It was fascinating, fair, perplexing, and so well written and researched. Thank you!
Thanks for the great read, Michael! Well-done!!
I know absolutely nothing about art, but this a cracking read. I was thoroughly engrossed.
This was such a compelling read. I could not put it down.
Thank you for putting all your research into a fabulously written book! Couldn’t put it down!! Well done. What are you working on next? Can’t wait!
You worked so hard on this book and I’m grateful. Thank you! I will be looking forward to reading more of your books.
Couldn't put it down! THANK YOU!
I read this book because it was a bookclub choice. I didn’t have a great interest and wouldn’t have chosen it for myself, however despite that I did find it interesting. I gave it 4 stars because I recognize that even tho I didn’t enjoy it immensely, it was in fact well written and your hard work was reflected
Thank you, Michael, for all your time and work on what sounds to be a fascinating story. I am so happy to hear about this book and all the time you spent with the subject. I look forward to reading it as soon as possible.
PS. For me, 200 pages isn't exactly a "short read". Quality, not quantity is what counts with me.
You did a fabulous job, but I need therapy after finding out what his mother did.
The Art Thief is a genuinely spectacular book. It’s the first nonfiction book that I’ve enjoyed, and has changed my mind on the whole genre. Thank you for working so hard on it and for sharing it with the world.
Thanks for your efforts! This was an incredible read
Very well written. Was drawn in immediately.
Perfect length! Enjoyed it! Recommended it to my friends.
A captivating read! It's artfully (pun intended!) and held my interest from the first paragraph! What a story! And though it's true, it reads like a superb novel. Well done.
A great telling of a remarkable story.
I thoroughly enjoyed your work and appreciate the level of detail and nuance with which you approached the story. My heart aches for the lost work nobody will ever see. 5 stars from me!
I’m 3/4 of the way through the book and am very entertained by it. Very good writing, indeed. I don’t give praise like that lightly. I’m especially grateful that you didn’t find the need to bird walk and add endless useless trivia or go into great depth on the history of the various artifacts or museums. It really makes the story tight. I hope you find more topics that you find interesting and give us more books like this.
