The Coral Thief: A Novel

Written by Rebecca Stott

Narrated by Simon Prebble

In her virtuosic debut, Ghostwalk, Rebecca Stott unfolded an extraordinary and true mystery involving Isaac Newton and set in seventeenth-century Cambridge. The Coral Thief is another intriguing mystery and love story, centering on pre-Darwinian theories of evolution and set in Paris right after Napoleon's surrender at Waterloo.

Upon his arrival in Paris, where he has come to study anatomy, Daniel Connor, a young medical student from Edinburgh, finds that his letters of introduction and precious coral specimens have been stolen by the beautiful woman with whom he shared a stagecoach. But when he begins searching for his lost items-and the alluring woman who stole them-Daniel is thrust into a tumultuous, underground world of philosopher thieves obsessed with the emerging theories of evolution. As he is pulled into their plot to steal a precious jewel from the Jardin des Plantes, and as he falls in love with the mysterious coral thief, Daniel is introduced to a radical theory of evolution that irrevocably changes his conception of the world in which he lives.

As riveting and beautifully rendered as Ghostwalk, The Coral Thief is a provocative and tantalizing mix of history, love, and philosophy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Sep 29, 2009
• ISBN: 9781400183388

Rebecca Stott

Rebecca Stott is a novelist, broadcaster, historian and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She is Professor Emeritus at UEA. Her books include Darwin’s Ghosts and Darwin and the Barnacle, the novels Ghostwalk (a New York Times bestseller), The Coral Thief, and the Costa Award-winning memoir In the Days of Rain. She lives in Norwich.

Reviews for The Coral Thief

[mniday_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In 1815, Paris had become the center for learning throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Napoleon Bonaparte had already surrendered and was on his way to exile on St. Helena. But France was still the benefactor of his quests for knowledge as well as conquest. Many of the world's priceless works of art and science had been removed from their original homes and housed in France.Daniel Connor worked hard to receive a recommendation allowing him to travel to Paris and study with the famous Baron Cuvier. Armed with a letter of recommendation and valuable gifts, including priceless coral specimens for the Baron, Daniel set out for Paris. Along the way he met a beautiful woman that intrigued him with controversial thoughts of the world being much older than was believed at the time. All of this, before stealing his papers and priceless coral specimens.The Coral Thief delivers an intricate mystery set amidst the turmoil following the French Revolution. I found it fascinating to read about the French citizens hoping and wishing for Napoleon to be rescued and returned to power. Those thoughts and feelings are missing from most English versions of history concerning Napoleon. It makes sense that the people who benefited from his conquests would remain followers.I enjoyed the characters, especially the mysterious thief and philosopher Lucienne and the semi corrupt investigator Jagot. The book is told from Daniel Connor's point of view and the descriptions are vivid. The reader gets to experience Paris anew through Daniel's eyes.The underlying scientific debate concerning evolution is insightful. Daniel's role model, Baron Cuvier, is strongly against while Daniel's lover, Lucienne, lays out many reasons to support her theories of transformism. Daniel's struggle over this is representative of the time period. The research Rebecca Stott put into the science delivers for the reader.I truly enjoyed this book. It has just the right mix of romance, mystery, science and historical setting. This book will appeal to a wide variety of readers.About the author:Rebecca Stott was born in Cambridge in 1964. She completd an MA and PhD at York University. She is now a professor of English literature and creative writing at the University of East Anglia in Norwich. She is the author of the novel Ghostwalk and a biography, Darwin and the Barnacle. She is currently working on a third historical fiction novel about London watermen in the 1880s.

[elizchanlest · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this book, but I just found it uninteresting.

[maryloudinon · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Intern goes to Paris and is robbed of coral artifacts. Who cares?

[vernefan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

--Parisian Den of Thieves--Daniel Connor is a budding natural history scholar enroute from England to Paris on a stagecoach bound for the Jardin des Plantes, Paris’ Natural History Museum. He’s been awarded a prestigious position there where he will work illustrating & cataloging the world’s known animals and plants. Also traveling on the same coach is an exotic raven haired gypsy-like woman named Lucienne Bernard and her beautiful daughter Delphine. The story opens in 1813, the French Revolution is over, Paris undergoes transformation and renewal. Upon his arrival to the city, Daniel soon realizes that important letters of recommendation, his journals, and rare specimens of coral and fossils have gone missing. Reporting this to the local police, he soon learns that the mysterious woman who so innocently sat beside him on the stagecoach was none other than a famous most wanted thief. Lucienne Bernard, seductive, cunning, collector and thief, is also a brilliant savant who has traveled the world with Napoleon to Egypt, crossed the sand dunes of the middle-east, journeyed far and wide from Russia to the Orient, to steal and collect the rarest of fossils, corals and gems. She belongs to a ring of thieves known throughout Europe as the Society of Ten Thousand, works with a team of gentlemen scoundrels and crooks as they pull off major heists of the most secret and valuable private collections of Paris. Lucienne is beautiful. She is smart, a scholar and philosopher, a lover and a mother. She is a criminal, a collaborator, and a chameleon as she often goes undercover in disguise canvassing the city, eyes always on the goods. Dangerous, deadly, scheming and seductive, a Medusa with far reaching tendrils that stretch and pull in Paris’ precious and prized gems that will fund the world’s renowned scientists in their quest to solve the mysteries of life. Daniel and Lucienne’s lives soon intertwine as she pulls the wool over his eyes and draws him into a web of deceit using him in ways he is blind to, manipulating him into helping the Society as they plot to steal the famous Satar diamond being sequestered in the vaults beneath the museum floor. Seducing Daniel and tempting him with a life he’s always dreamed of, Daniel learns quickly his life in Paris will not be as planned. The two unlikely cohorts lock minds in love, lust, and larceny, and will dance the dance of romance and intrigue as they match minds with a clever detective who is playing his own cat and mouse game to hunt Lucienne down, and bring her to justice for a past death of one of his men. Who is who and what is what is not always straightforward in this intriguing new novel. I found the author’s ability to slowly build the tension and suspense while building wonderful characters that lift off the pages as if actors in a play around you, simply amazing. Hooked in from the start, I couldn’t put this book down. Stott’s talent for writing exceptional prose, and offering period detail to give the reader an evocative and cinematic experience of life in Victorian Paris, was just astounding. I was totally mesmerized by this unusual tale, and found the story line of a world of aristocratic thieves combined with the religious and scientific philosophy of the times, that discussed the biblical creation theories versus the evolution of man, quite engaging and thought provoking. Amongst guillotines and libertines, The Coral Thief is a shimmering multifaceted literary gem of history and clever intrigue that surely is a cut above the rest. I look forward to reading other books by this incredibly talented author. This book is not to be missed!!!

[roguefire · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As a fan of history and historical fiction I thought this would be a great choice for me. I was thrilled to get an advanced copy. Alas, it disappointed me.Although extremely well researched, the characters are dull and lifeless. A great thing to look into post-Napoleon Paris...but not enough to save the book.

[tigermel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Coral Thief is what i call "an observer to a historically significant time" novel. It is about a Scottish student, Daniel, who comes to Paris to study under Cuvier (a naturalist who thought species couldn't change) right after Napoleon is defeated. The specimens he is bringing from his teacher to Cuvier get stolen by a beautiful woman and he feels that unless he gets those items back he's ruined. The beautiful woman is Lucienne Bernard, a professional thief with a traumatic past who gets Daniel caught up in the political, philosophical, religious and scientific debates of the time.Things i liked: the illustrations! There were drawings of sculptures, maps, insects and fossils. These pictures really brought to life some of the details of the novel. I also liked Fin, our narrator's roommate. A drunken, but good-natured, medical student who mainly spends his time amputating limbs in the medical wards and forgetting about the horrors of that with his social circle. What i didn't like: the bits about Napoleon. really don't know why those little interludes were in the book. The ending is also a bit of a letdown. The book builds up to this spectacular heist but then just ends very quickly. Overall, this is a 3 1/2 out of 5 for me. not bad and i do like Stott's style, so i may pick up her other book, Ghostwalk, at some later date.

[jik_541376 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. My apologies for the delay on posting this review.I found it to be a mildly enjoyable read, but certainly not one of my favorites. This was my first Rebecca Stott novel. I was excited about the setting -- post-Napoleonic Paris -- but a bit let down by the story. Fans of historical fiction would be much better served by reading the works of Matthew Pearl (The Poe Shadow, The Last Dickens) or Louis Bayard (The Black Tower, The Pale Blue Eye). These books are written better, and are more exciting, than The Coral Thief. That said, this book was still not bad.

[cerievans1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up in the library the cover was beautiful and the premise of the novel/setting sounded interesting: set in early 19th century Paris, involving coral theft, pre-Charles Darwin botany and Napoleon. The book doesn't disappoint. Daniel Connor has just concluded his medical studies in Edinburgh, the year is 1815; we first encounter Daniel in a stage coach on his way to study with a world renowned biologist, Cuvier, at the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. On his journey, Daniel Connor encounters a dark, tall, mysterious woman, carrying her sleeping daughter, an illuminating conversation is struck up regarding transformism (the precursor to Evolutionary Theory) and the significance of corals. Daniel Connor falls asleep and wakes to find that the coral, a mammoth bone, notebooks and letters of recommendation he was carrying have been stolen and the mysterious woman has disappeared. The theft was selective, Daniel Connor is left with his money and his clothes. Furious, Daniel Connor goes to register the theft at the local police station, where Superintendent Jagot takes a special interest. In the ensuing days, Daniel Connor sees and bumps into the mysterious woman who seems to want to return his belongings to him. Daniel's efforts to re-acquire his belongings are fraught, he becomes embroiled in the criminal underworld of Paris, embroiled with the mysterious woman, followed wherever he goes. Alongside this story is an account of Napoleon's exile to Saint Helena. My thoughts: this is an enjoyable read, full of suspense, similar to works by writers like Clare Clark mixed with a romance novel, Paris and the political atmosphere post the defeat of the French at Waterloo are deftly evoked. The book is only 229 pages long and is easily read in an election night!! I finished this book at 4.36am this morning, when I gave up wondering whether the election here would result in a hung parliament. Unhesitatingly four stars. Only quibble was the conclusion of the plot which left me wanting.

[kasthu_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Paris: 1815. Napoleon is in exile, and hundreds of medical students have flocked to the city to study at the Jardin des Plantes under Cuvier, the world-famous naturalist. Daniel Connor is one of these students, hired to be one of Cuvier’s legion of assistants. On his arrival, he falls asleep in the coach, and finds that his suitcase-filled with specimens, a manuscripts, and letters of recommendation—has been stolen.It’s a well-researched novel, and beautifully written. But at times I felt as though the narrator was very much emotionally detached from the story he was telling. He didn’t seem to be very passionate about the subject he was studying, or even about Lucienne, with whom he was supposedly in love. I was more interested in the character of Jagot, the thief-turned-police detective—based on, or course, Eugene Francois Vidoq. And that’s another thing that kind of bothered me: why did Stott make up a totally new character to act as Daniel’s foil? Why couldn’t she simple have used the real Vidoq instead? But as I’ve said, the story is interesting and well-written. It just seems a bit too “literary” at times.

[jlizzy_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The word that came to mind when reading this book was delightful. I fully looked forward to my daily "curl up and read time" with this tale as it was fully engaging, yet not at all predictable. Perhaps it is because I am a biologist that I loved this story, but I think it would be true for anyone that enjoys history, science, and a love story. What I think I enjoyed most is that it challenged the reader to think differently. Certainly my views of Napoleon and the french revolution were not of the common French person, yet the author allowed an internal view of what it was like for the general public. And the scientific changes that were occurring? As a biology student, during the one or two pages in a text book on the work of Lamarck, there was a nod to Lamarck's part in advancement of evolutionary thought, yet his experiments were ridiculed in their naivete. Through the eyes of the main character and his own growth and progression on what he believed, the reader is shown how Lamarck played a significant role in how people thought about transformation in species as well as ones place in the social and political landscape. I think I use the word delightful because on one level this novel is a mystery and love story and right alongside had the power to challenge how the reader could think differently about historical events of that time.

[jmonte39 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Medical student, Daniel Connor travels to Paris to study at the Jardin des Plantes. On his journey to Paris Daniel is robbed by a mysterious woman and eventually finds himself entangled in a complex tale that involves love and science. The Coral Thief is an intriguing historical thriller that moves along quickly and is able to transport the reader to 19th century Paris.

[angrystarlyt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The sensory experience of reading this book was overwhelming. Each sentence was a treat to the imagination, lushly and lovingly describing (from what I can tell, accurately) post-Waterloo Paris. I can't get over the sheer effect of the *words* Stott uses--the pacing of the story, the careful attention to every detail, the vivid and exotic imagery...wow.That said, at times the story was a bit thin to me. Now, I study collections as one of my academic pursuits, and my particular poison in my lit degree is the dissemination of scientific theory through Victorian fiction, so the plot of this book was very, very harmonious with my interests, so perhaps I am biased when I say I'd like to have read more about the corals, or Cuvier, or even the Jardin, than I wanted to hear about Lucienne or Daniel or Delphine. Sometimes, the gorgeous texture of the setting seems like it's just a stage prop for a love story, but sometimes a true sense of the revolutionary spirit I think Stott was trying to capture shines through; I only wish there had been more of that. I devoured this book in a day, because I couldn't get enough of Stott's catalogue of beauties; I would love to read through this more slowly, although I'm not sure how well the story would capture my interest the second time through. However, enjoying the atmosphere of Stott's scientific, philosophic Pars would be more than enough reward.

[mckait · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Young Daniel Connor falls into intrigue, love and dishonesty before he ever reaches Paris. While on a coach to take him into the city, He is joined by a woman and small child. The woman steals important papers from him, as well as specimans meant as gifts for the renownded famed Dr. Cuvie studies at Jardin des Plantes. Daniel meant to study with Dr Cuvie. The loss of these items would mean his career path was in serious jeopardy. The woman herself was unusual and somewhat extraordinary. Despite the fact that she may have taken from him a chance to follow his dreams, he was intrigued and eventually obsessed with her, with Lucienne. During the telling of Daniels story, and his unfortunate decisions, we are given glimpses of Napoleon Bonaparte, following his defeat at Waterloo. I did not manage to find any real connection to the main story.Perhaps there was something I missed. Once again, I found myself feeling very ambivalent about the story, and rather unconnected to the characters. I felt that Daniel was a bit of a fool, and Lucienne simply eluded my understanding altogether. Her actions and stories of her past did not quite mesh for me. So...three stars. I am not sorry I read it. It was short, took little time and was mildly interesting. Perhaps fans of Ghostwalk will be more inclined to like this story than I was.

[zechristof · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rebecca Stott scores another high mark for her second novel, The Coral Thief. Set in Paris in 1815 shortly after the final fall of Napoleon, the story draws together Daniel Connor, a Scottish student of comparative anatomy, with a cast of striking French characters including a fascinating philosopher-thief who is also a beautiful woman and something of a changeling. If this introduction makes this historical novel sound peculiar or even unique, well and good -- that is just what it is. Meticulously researched, the novel leads us into the intellectual ferment regarding the origin of species diversity that preceded the publication of Darwin's work on natural selection. The topic seems very current, and the almost religious fervor with which it was discussed in the early 19th Century seems to reflect the same kind of emotional arguments we hear today from the evolutionists and the advocates of intelligent design. Stott creates a compelling ambience in her descriptions of post-Napoleonic Paris. Artworks stolen from the great capitals of Europe are being carted out of the Louvre and returned to their rightful owners. The city is full of French veterans, many of them grievously wounded at Waterloo. It is a time when the normal order and boundaries of society, even French society, were loosened. There was room for philosopher-thieves and their protagonists in the security bureaucracy. Stott has found just the right pace and length to tell her story well and to develop her characters to the point of interest but not to excess. We have to take a few matters on faith -- for example, what makes Daniel Connor so attractive? I enjoyed Stott's willingness to move forward with her story without feeling bound to tie up every loose end. The ultimate effect is a masterfully written story that held my interest throughout and that transported me into a fascinating moment in the history of a great city. This is Paris before Hausmann, a Paris without electricity, a Paris of narrow streets contrasted with the striking new Jardin des Plantes. This world is lost to us now, but Rebecca Stott brings it back to life in this fine novel.

[tibsboys · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It is the year 1815 and Daniel Connor is a young medical student traveling to Paris with valuable coral specimens and manuscripts as a way of introduction for study with a prominent scholar. He meets a beautiful and intelligent woman on the stagecoach who captivates him with her ability to engage in philosophical conversation. He falls asleep, and wakes to find both the woman and his valuable possessions gone. The rest of the story follows Daniel's pursuit of the mysterious woman (and falling in love with), his belongings, and the resulting intrigue of the Parisian underworld and unscrupulous political world.The author makes post Napoleon Paris come alive with her research. The intellectual debate of how species evolves is particularly well-covered. At times, the character conversations about evolution seem a little heavy-handed, lacking in the feel for natural conversation. Although the book lacks depth, it moves along quickly and is an enjoyable read.

[jamishafer · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I have tried repeatedly to make it through this novel that on the surface appears to be a complelling mystery. Unfortunately, it leaves a lot be be desired. There isn't much movement in the beginning of the story and I just haven't been absorbed into the world like I would expect to be based on the previous reviews. Disappointing.

[anyanwubutler · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an ARC I received through Library Thing from its publisher Spiegel and Grau. It is historical fiction, set in 1815 in Paris as Napoleon is being shipped St Helena among taxonomists, anatomists, transformists (those who study with Lamarck and believe in an earlier version of evolution) and thieves. Twenty-one year old Daniel Connor has come from Edinburgh to study taxonomy with Cuvier. On the mail coach to Paris he meets Lucienne who is both a taxonomist and thief and steals from him two huge pieces of coral, a mammoth bone and his letter of introduction to Cuvier. And he falls in love with her. “Paris will swallow you up,” Lucienne tells Daniel when they first meet. It swallowed me as well!

[laurenbdavis · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Stott's novel takes place in Paris in 1815, a turbulent time in French history, with Napoleon en route to exile on Saint Helena and Paris chock-a-block with opportunistic foreigners, many vying for the the Napoleonic booty. The story centers on a 21-year-old Edinburgh medical student named Daniel Conner who has come to Paris to study comparative anatomy under Cuvier at the Jardin des Plantes. Daniel arrives with a gift -- the coral of title - in his possession. This treasure, however, is almost immediately stolen by a mysterious woman with whom he shares a coach. And so the caper begins...for a caper it is: the book is a somewhat odd mixture of heist and historical romance. I wanted to like this novel more than I did. The books begins with a good deal of promise and a nice brisk pace. Then too, I lived in Paris for many years and thus the setting interests me. Certainly such an intriguing period in history should only have added to the narrative possibilities. However, I found the 1st person point of view too limiting for any real depth, and as a result my involvement with the characters never fully developed. I found Daniel somewhat too self-absorbed, too naive, and without any dramatic irony which might have overcome the restrictions of that POV. Lucienne, the mysterious woman, spends much of the novel hiding from the police by dressing up as a man, and I'm afraid I just didn't buy it. It seemed a tired device and one for which I was unable to suspend disbelief. As a whole, the characters felt somewhat stereotypical to me, which is a shame, since I think the choice of time and place had so much potential.Unfortunately, Stott has added a number of vignettes of Napoleon's voyage to Saint Helena which, in my opinion, go nowhere. I kept wondering why they were there. Although interesting, they didn't connect to the main story and seemed like intrusions, albeit nicely written ones. Stott has said she used them to anchor Daniel's story to history but, for me, they didn't work.Stott's descriptions of Paris, while obviously well researched, sound a bit expository at times, as when the two main characters, Daniel and Lucienne, race through the tunnels under Paris and Lucienne pauses to interject some information about a counterfeiter's printing press she once observed down there. It does rather destroy any suspense, and makes it hard to believe anyone really felt in danger. There's no denying that Stott has a daft hand when it comes to historical detail, and a good understanding of issues which transcend the novel's era. In fact, the most interesting passages, for me, where those that involved discussions of the new science and the controversies surrounding its perceived clash with theology. I wish she'd concentrated more on that rather than framing the plot around the heist -- a adventure which seemed so convoluted I lost interest. I kept wondering, as I read this novel, why I didn't like it more, why it was failing to engage me. So many wonderful ingredients, and yet in the end they simply didn't come together strongly enough to satisfy this reader. Having said that (and saying it with regret), I would like to read more of Stott's work, since even under the disappointment of this particular plot, I get a sense of her talent and passion.

[freemiki · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is an enjoyable blend of history, mystery, love story, and science. The characters are well developed and believably human. The author does an excellent job of bringing early 19th century Paris to life. That said, the book just didn't grab me. I liked it, but it wasn't enthralling. I felt like the author had some big themes and ideas - change, religion vs. science, feminism, paternalism - but never quite got to the finish line with any of them. The illustrations were beautiful and well placed. Overall, I enjoyed the book enough to read other works by this author.

[keja_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A welcome change from some of the NYT Bestsellers that are obviously meant to sell and read fast. Those types aren't for me -- I just can't get into stereotypical characters inserted into boilerplate plots supported by weak and shallow writing in 3-page chapters. Coral Thief is more of a "thinking" read -- very smooth and eloquent prose wonderfully describes Paris after the Napoleonic Wars. A time of scientific discovery and the fortitude to question the religious tennants of mystical beliefs to explore evolution must have made for some pretty interesting times by some forward-thinking people back then. Period history and philosophy, along with a story arc that doesn't jump all over the place make for a satisfying read.

[oregonreader · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up because of it's historical setting, 1815 Paris, when Napoleon is on his way to St. Helena. The city is filled with political tension but also an exciting sense of academic discovery in the natural sciences. The main character is Daniel Connor, a young Scotsman who has come to study with Cuvier at the Jardin des Plantes. He is bringing valuable coral specimens and a manuscript from his tutor for Cuvier. Along the way he meets a mysterious older woman who steals his bag. From this, Connor is caught up in a world of philosophers and thieves. A lot of the philosophical discussions are between students of Cuvier's catastrophism and LaMarcke's evolutionary theories. Interspersed with this plot are short chapters on Napoleon's voyage to St. Helena. It was unclear to me why these were included as the author made no attempt to really tie these together. This is an interesting novel of ideas but for me it moved slowly, probably because I could not identify with the character of Daniel. He was naive but also a bit of an fool.Edit | More

[jjameli_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The Coral Thief didn't move fast enough for me, though I thought it was well-researched. The ending was not worth sticking to it till the end. I sometimes had to force myself to pick it up. I thought the idea was good, it was just boring. I liked the setting, but that was it. 1 1/2 rating.

[devil_llama · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It is rare these days for a work of fiction to merit my highest praise. This one held my interest, and the author did not think she was writing War and Peace. In fact, it could have been a bit longer, but that wasn't required. She told the story through the first person narration of a young scientist arriving in Paris in the early nineteenth century, simultaneous with Napoleon being transported to St. Helena. She brings the period to life well, and her characters are dynamic and charismatic. When the young scientist has the precious coral and documents stolen as he is on his way to meet Cuvier for a chance to work in the amazing Natural History museum, he finds himself suddenly with one foot in the scientific establishment and one foot in the underbelly of Paris. Mix in a dose of Lamarck and Cuvier disagreeing about the fixity of species, and you have the ingredients for a compelling novel. This is it.

[abby4of4the4year · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Coral Thief drew me in far faster than I expected. The main character is quite human, even to the extent that he is sometimes off-putting in his behavior and thoughts. Although the novel only really held one moment of suspense for me, I still found it interesting, and I still found myself reading it at every opportunity. The opening lines of the book seemed not to fit with the rest of the novel; they seemed out of place and misleading. Where most opening lines of novels give you a sense of what you are about to begin, these opening lines held no apparent stylistic connection to the rest of the book. In addition, the novel seemed to want to be a suspenseful, thriller-like read, but it seemed less suspenseful than I had expected and hoped for. Despite these things, The Coral Thief was an interesting, fast-paced read with thoughtful, if less-than-in-depth, exploration of a number of scientific and philisophocal ideas.

[sararush · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

If Rebecca Stott’s goal was to create a vivid feel of Paris after the Napoleonic wars, this novel is a complete success. As for the plot and characters she builds this vibrant setting around, they definitely take a backseat in her vivid re-creation. Her story starts as an intriguing mystery novel, young scientist Daniel Connor heads to Paris to study with the greats in a nexus of brilliant and important thought of the day, Paris. On the train into town, he is near hypnotized by a beautiful stranger, and ends up having some priceless fossils stolen from him. When he tries to recover his items, he meets the Police Chief, a corrupt and former master thief who has his own agenda concerning this robbery. The novel quickly morphs into a caper story with who is using whom elements. This narrative is interspersed with an imagined tale of Napoleon’s journey to exile which Stott doesn’t even bother to connect to the story in any real way beyond a few casual comments. Its almost as if you are watching a an Oceans Elevens/Departed type movie and your spouse keeps changing the channel to an documentary on Napoleon’s exile and Post Revolutionary Paris. You don’t get bored with one program or the other, but the mixture feels somewhat bumpy at best. Daniel Connor also makes one inexpiable decision after another which doesn’t help. The writing however is great, and Stott consistently uses several phrases that light up. The Police Chief (who is based on fact in a stranger then fiction turn), and some of the scenes that describe Revolutionary violence are the story’s fabulous and moving highlights.

[elbakerone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was first introduced to Rebecca Stott's work with her debut novel Ghostwalk - I was very impressed with her writing and eager to discover her next work The Coral Thief, a historical fiction novel set in Paris after the Napoleonic wars. The book begins with protagonist Daniel Connor traveling to Paris with important research samples that are then stolen by a mysterious woman named Lucienne. As Daniel searches for the thief and his missing coral, he is drawn into Lucienne's world of philosopher-rogues. His ideologies are challenged and his life is transformed forcing him to choose between love and science, faith and reason.I really enjoyed the historical details that Stott included in this work. She paints an excellent picture of Paris and its citizens and her characters fit the setting beautifully. The Coral Thief is a creative and intelligent book that is perfect for those that enjoyed Ghostwalk as well as readers new to Stott's writing.

[_scarpegrosse_ · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Ohhhh The Coral Thief. How I wanted to love it and hug it and call it George. Instead, I ended up slogging through it four to five pages at a time, because that was about all I could read until I fell asleep with my face pressed into the spine. The Coral Thief tells the tale of a young naturalist who meets a mysterious woman on the coach into Paris during the time of Cuvier's reign at the Jardin des Plantes. Our hero, anxious to begin work under Cuvier, is thwarted in his quest by this mysterious woman, who steals both the prized samples of coral (and some other assorted specimens) and a manuscript meant for Cuvier. Eventually she returns most of the above, and thus begins a rather predictable (bound to fail) love story.This was one of those books where I kept waiting for something to happen. It tells a very *quiet* story, relying on the beauty of its language and descriptions without delivering much in the way of excitement. It was a very pretty book, but one that I wished delivered more.Two stars because while I didn't love it, I didn't throw it into the fire.

[weesin_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This book takes place in Paris in 1815. It is a historical fiction that takes place during a time when a lot is going on scientifically and the main character 21-year-old Daniel Conner, an Edinburgh medical student comes to study at the Jardin des Plantes under Cuvier. He comes with a letter of introduction and gifts for the great man from his mentor in Edinburgh. But on the coach to Paris, a mysterious woman steals his luggage. The story is about his adventure regarding a jewel heist and talks a lot about Napolean and other historical figures. Enjoyed the book and discussions - characters were not too convincing-an interesting time in history.but I found the book a little confusing .

[passion4reading_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Daniel Connor, an Englishman studying medicine in Edinburgh, is travelling to Paris to take up a position with the renowned naturalist Georges Cuvier at the Jardin des Plantes. On the mail coach to Paris a mysterious beautiful woman sits next to him and through her talk of natural history she introduces him to a new way of seeing the world. When Daniel wakes up, she is gone, and with her his bag of precious specimens and letters of introduction. When he reports the theft he learns that she is a notorious thief called Lucienne Bernard and the chief of police, Jagot, enlists Daniel to act as his eyes and ears in case she reappears. When she finally does, Daniel is drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse ...The subject matter at the heart of the book is intriguing to say the least, and reading the book proved both thought-provoking and stimulating; however, the execution leaves more to be desired as there are several aspects that are less than convincing (the love affair and the jewel theft, for example). Despite the beautiful and almost lyrical prose in places, there's no getting away from the fact that Daniel is a weak character, letting himself be manipulated by others, especially Lucienne, and the plot plods along for the majority of the novel, only to pick up pace right at the end. Early nineteenth-century Paris is painted in a palette of colours and the book is rich in atmosphere, evoking a city picking itself up after the terrors of the Revolution, with painful memories lingering just under the surface of everyday life, the scars barely healed. Apart from the prose I mostly enjoyed the debates, usually initiated and led by Lucienne, about the impending revolution in scientific thought, foreshadowed here by Lamarck's theory of transformism (also known as transmutation) and continued almost half a century later by Charles Darwin.Accompanying the narrative centred on Daniel is an account of Napoleon's journey to St Helena after the defeat at Waterloo, throwing up some interesting aspects about the man, not the emperor, general and statesman.

[kmaziarz_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The year is 1815. Young Englishman Daniel Connor has recently graduated from medical school in Edinburgh and is on his way to a coveted research position in the Jardin des Plantes in post-Napoleonic Paris. After falling asleep on the coach beside a lovely woman and her daughter, however, Daniel wakes to discover that she has taken not only his letter of introduction to famous French naturalist Georges Cuvier, but also a rare and valuable specimen of coral he was supposed to gift to Cuvier. Without those items, Daniel finds himself at a loss, unable to join Cuvier’s research team, but unwilling to admit defeat and return home to Edinburgh. He approaches the police with his story, only to discover that his mysterious woman is Lucienne Bernard, a notorious thief who has been pursued by Henri Jagot, the chief of the Parisian police force. Jagot (modeled on real-life thief-turned-detective Francois-Eugene Vidocq) tries to enlist Daniel to entrap and capture Lucienne, but when Lucienne makes contact with Daniel again, the young man finds himself smitten by the intelligent and lovely woman and unwilling to help the ruthless Jagot. Seduced by Lucienne in both mind and body, Daniel finds himself drawn into the philosopher-thief’s scheme to steal a famous diamond and escape Jagot’s clutches once and for all.Rich with historical detail, vividly contrasting religion, spirituality, art, and the emerging sciences, The Coral Thief is a delight.