The Swan Thieves is a 2010 novel by American author Elizabeth Kostova. The "old painter" described in the book before the first chapter is Alfred Sisley.[1] Beatrice de Clerval is not based on a single real artist, but Kostova was influenced in developing her life by the life of Berthe Morisot.[2]

The Swan Thieves
First edition
AuthorElizabeth Kostova
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
Publication date
2010
ISBN978-0-316-06578-8
La Neige à Louveciennes [fr] (Snow at Louveciennes)

Reception edit

Entertainment Weekly gave the book a "C" grade.[3] The Washington Post said, "Kostova's new book, set partly in Washington, tells a rather simple story, and its characters, although they sometimes insist otherwise, don't change radically over time. (All are painters, and they're not much different, in interest or in outlook, from one another.)"[4]

The Swan Thieves returned Kostova to The New York Times Best Seller list.[5] In the United States, the novel debuted at number four on The New York Times Best Seller list of best-selling hardcover fiction and remained in the top 20 for over a month.[6][7] In Canada, the novel debuted at number seven on The Globe and Mail's bestseller list.[8] The Swan Thieves was one of only 126 hardcover novels to sell over 100,000 copies in the United States in 2010, ultimately selling 118,218 copies within that calendar year.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ Wendy Smith (27 January 2010). ""The Swan Thieves", by Elizabeth Kostova". Powell's Books. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  2. ^ Trisha, Managing Editor (17 November 2009). "Sneak peek: Elizabeth Kostova's 'The Swan Thieves'". bookpage.com. Retrieved 17 March 2012. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  3. ^ Karen Valby (6 January 2010). "BOOK REVIEW: The Swan Thieves (2010)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  4. ^ Donna Rifkind (12 January 2010). "Book World reviews Elizabeth Kostova's 'The Swan Thieves'". The Washington Post. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
  5. ^ "Bestselling Novelist Kostova to Appear at CityLit Festival". CityLit Project. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  6. ^ "The New York Times Best Seller List January 31, 2016". The New York Times. 31 January 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  7. ^ "The New York Times Best Seller List March 7, 2016". The New York Times. 28 February 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  8. ^ "BESTSELLERS". GLOBE AND MAIL. 23 January 2010. Retrieved 27 August 2016.
  9. ^ Daisy Maryles (21 March 2011). "The Winning Game: 2010 Hardcovers: Facts & Figures 2011". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 27 August 2016.