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There are currently 17 member reviews
for Fagin the Thief
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Linda O. (Jacksonville, NC)
Fagin the Thief
Story retellings always seem to jump to the top of my To-Be-Read list and so it was that I leaped at the chance to read Allison Epstein's Fagin the Thief. The setting is still London's seedy underground and the plight of the poor and of abandoned orphans still as horrible and violent a in Dickens' original. Antisemitism is still rampant in Epstein's version and plays a major role in Fagin's development.
Fagin is still a thief and a liar and an opportunist, but Epstein provides a backstory which makes him a more sympathetic character than the original. He is only sixteen when he desperately makes a deal with God to save his mother's life, but she dies despite all his efforts, and he is forced to find his own way forward.
Dickens portrays the older Fagin as a procurer of the young and impoverished for his own welfare, but this Fagin is sought out by these young men who want to learn from him, and he takes them in knowing what their lives will be otherwise. Epstein doesn't sanitize Fagin's character; at times he is still morally despicable, but the entry of Nan, the daughter of the only friend he has ever known, gives Fagin, and the reader, another version of himself — different from the view that others have given him. Nan helps him believe that "he's a person, the same as all the rest."
His relationship with Bill Sikes is more complicated in Epstein's version. While Bill is serving two years in prison, Fagin tries to write a letter to him, but after several tries, gives up and throws it in the fire. He doesn't visit Bill, though Bill expects him, because he fears that he will be recognized there. It is Nan who knows, "clearly better than Bill does, that no one ought to count on Fagin to do anything that puts Fagin at risk. It's every man for himself, but Fagin for Fagin most of all."
Yet when Ned and Bullseye visit Fagin in prison, Ned is so angry he asks why he's defending Bill after all he's done. "You didn't know him, Ned.... He's just like me." Fagin tells him, "He was a wicked man who did the worst things that can be done, and if you believe in hell, he's there burning right now. He was shameful, small, selfish, cruel, vicious, and there's no forgiveness for that. But he was a man ... and my friend, and I loved him."
The humanity Epstein has imbued in each of these characters makes her novel a remarkable retelling - one of the best in my reading experience. I'm grateful to her and to Book Browse for giving me the opportunity to read and comment.
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Lynne B. (Somersworth, NH)
Fagin the Thief
If you loved James by Percival Everett, then you will definitely want to read this book, Fagin the Thief. This is another famous classic retold from the point of view of a different character.
This novel is based on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist. You may remember Fagin and Sikes from the original classic. This is the story of Fagin from the time he is a young child living with his mother leading to the how and why he begins his career in thievery which makes him a famous Dickens character.
He befriends Bill Sikes who is also a child when he meets him. He begins to teach him everything he knows about surviving on the streets of London. The story moves back and forth in time which stimulates interest in the upcoming events in the novel. Oliver Twist also enters the story at one point.
This is the backstory you may have always wanted to know if you have read Oliver Twist. I commend Allison Epstein on a thoroughly researched and delightful historical read while providing us with a further look at the life of Dickens' London in the early 1800s.
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Kathryn H. (Rochester, MI)
The Making of Fagin the Thief
Allison Epstein has done a wonderful job fleshing out the character of "Oliver Twist('s)" Jacob Fagin. If you enjoy books like Sarah Miller's "Marmee" or modern retellings or additions to the Jane Austen stories, "Fagin the Thief" may fill several happy hours of reading.
Epstein begins her imagining of Fagin when he is six years old. She skips around throughout the book but each chapter head includes the date, so it is easy to follow the plot.
Along with Fagin, the author also expands on the lives of Dodger, Nancy, Oliver Twist, and Bill Sikes, as well as Sike's dog, Bullseye. The story moves quickly. It is so well-written that I really did feel as if I was reading a part of Dickens I'd never found before.
"Fagin the Thief" was a joy to read and I highly recommend it.
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Deborah W. (Boynton Beach, FL)
A New Life for an Old Character
I have a doctoral degree in English literature with a specialization in nineteenth century British fiction; Dickens is one of my favorite authors. So it's no wonder I was eager to read this novel! But you don't have to be familiar with "Oliver Twist," or a fan of the musical "Oliver," to enjoy this fresh take on Fagin, Dickens' infamous thief who trained a cadre of young boys in the fine art of pickpocketing. Here we learn Fagin's backstory: how he grew up Jewish in London and turned to thievery, how he took in Bill Sykes and then Nancy, and then the Artful Dodger and then Oliver, among others, and how in the end his little empire fell to pieces with Nancy's death. And here Fagin is more than a caricature: he's a fully-developed character with an inner life, philosophical musings about life and death, and a ferocious will to live. Various London neighborhoods, prisons, and communities come alive in this book, with lots of historically accurate details including foods, clothing styles, London fogs, and river Thames smells. If you're looking for a book to take you away to another time and place, and immerse you in the lives of others, this one is perfect.
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Helen B. (WINTHROP, ME)
Fagin The Thief
Stephen King as a writer he always asks,, What if… In Fagin the Thief, Allison Epstein asks that question about the most loathed characters of Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist. In Epstein's deft and creative hands, we are reintroduced to the original Fagin and Bill, but are also thrust into a deeper study of who they may have been before they were brought to life through Dickens' pen. Epstein's work is meticulous in its research, the handling of Fagin's treatment as a Jew, and her splendid use of language. The reader from the start is drawn into the threatening and dark streets of 19th century London, but this time will find themselves cheering along not the little boy, Oliver, but rather those who we have seen as monsters for nearly two hundred years. Only a skilled storyteller can pull that off! A five star read, especially for Dickens' fans. Thank you to Doubleday, NetGalley, and BookBrowse.com for this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review.
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Barbara C. (Riverside, CA)
Exceptional read.
The author has a clear writing style that I appreciated very much. Each character was an individual, with identifiable traits. Although many in the story had negative relationships the book was true to its intent. It was easy to follow and more than kept my attention. I galloped through it for fear it might slip away (ebook). One of my favorite Book Browse reads over the many years I have participated with this program. Thank you.
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Arlene I. (Johnston, RI)
Sensational Read
Wow! Allison Epstein has provided the reader with lots of new imagery for Victorian England in her book, Fagin the Thief. A semi-new Fagin is revealed. Her in-depth characterization shows Fagin being a manipulative, cunning, greedy, corrupt man, but a "softer" side of him is developed. He does still exploit children-mostly orphans- but he also provides care, shelter and food. There is no debating that Fagin is a criminal mastermind leading a "gang" of young pickpockets in deplorable England. Sometimes his caring for these "wards" makes him a vulnerable character. To say that Fagin is a complex character is an understatement.
The author weaves the anti-Semitic portray of Fagin as well as the stereotyping of Jewish people during Victorian England into his character. At times Fagin feels unsafe in his adventures and doesn't always exhibit confidence in targeting "customers". He is know to other as "the Jew" which he feels is condescending.The darker corrupt side of Victorian England is vividly portrayed. The squalor of living conditions stands out in the novel. The only time the reader views the wealthy is through the characters Fagin targets to rob.
I would definitely recommend this novel to book clubs. The discussions could go in many different directions. This book would also be great for a literature class either in high school of college. Fagin, in both Oliver Twist and Fagin the Thief should provide lively discussions.
Thank you BookBrowse for giving me the opportunity of reading an advanced copy.
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