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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
Inspired to read this because of the TV show. Loved it! I was a voracious Sherlock Holmes reader when I was younger & this reminded me of that style. Enjoyed the short story format, & each story had an ending that surprised & delighted me. Will look forward to reading more of Lupin's adventures.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Well, I haven't finished a book for a while!
This, I'm afraid, is "my type" of books. I know this is a bit childish, but I love detective mysteries, and "thief mysteries" even more.
I think what I like the most about the character of Arséne Lupin is that he doesn't take things too seriously. He seems to do what he does mainly for fun. He has a solution to every problem he faces, and that includes the problem of getting arrested.
I'm stopping here before I get carried away with boyish zeal.
This, I'm afraid, is "my type" of books. I know this is a bit childish, but I love detective mysteries, and "thief mysteries" even more.
I think what I like the most about the character of Arséne Lupin is that he doesn't take things too seriously. He seems to do what he does mainly for fun. He has a solution to every problem he faces, and that includes the problem of getting arrested.
I'm stopping here before I get carried away with boyish zeal.
Exactly what you think it will be. A great fun silly impossible hero outsmarting everyone and everything around him with great panache and clever plot twists. A bit of charm, some romance and a lot of highly improbable but just barely believable events.
Great.
Great.
Mon ami d'enfance - The Best of Lupin
Review of the Penguin Books paperback (2007) translations selected from various French language originals (1906, 1911, 1922)
I remember first reading some of Maurice Leblanc's Lupin stories in my younger days when I literally picked up and read anything with Sherlock Holmes in the title. My first Lupins were therefore in [b:Cosmopolitan Crimes : Foreign Rivals of Sherlock Holmes|1735784|Cosmopolitan Crimes Foreign Rivals of Sherlock Holmes|Hugh Greene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372513205l/1735784._SY75_.jpg|1733315] (1972). After that, it was slim pickings in the library or the bookstores in my neighbourhood. This was well before the years of inter-branch library transfers & holds or internet availability of course. I remembered Lupin regardless, primarily for the audacity and the magnitude of his heists and escapades. But also for his banter which even stretched so far as to regularly label his police nemesis Inspector Ganimard as mon ami d'enfance (friend of my youth) while Lupin again and always manages to make his escape.
So with the recent Lupin revival instigated by the new French Netflix series, I looked around for what was currently available in English translation. The anthology Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief was the easiest to obtain. It is incorrectly labelled in Goodreads as Arsène Lupin #1, as it is not actually a full translation of the French original #1 [b:Lupin - nouvelle édition de "Arsène Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur" à l'occasion de la série Netflix|56785398|Lupin - nouvelle édition de "Arsène Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur" à l'occasion de la série Netflix (Films-séries TV)|Maurice Leblanc|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611345905l/56785398._SY75_.jpg|88524758] (Gentleman Burglar) (1906/2021) (the latter is the latest 2021 French edition released as a TV-tie-in).
Gentleman Thief has 6 stories from Gentleman Burglar (1906), 4 stories from [b:The Confessions of Arsène Lupin|141193|The Confessions of Arsène Lupin|Maurice Leblanc|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924958l/141193._SY75_.jpg|136167] (1911) and 3 stories from [b:The Eight Strokes of the Clock|141191|The Eight Strokes of the Clock (Arsène Lupin, #11)|Maurice Leblanc|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347552791l/141191._SX50_.jpg|136165]. All told, I think there are 11 original books of Lupin novels and short story collections. Hopefully if the TV-series is popular enough in English (I don't really like the dubbed version, but each to their own taste) we'll see some English reprints as well in the future.
Gentleman Thief can somewhat be read as a novel as there are continuing threads in the plotlines from story to story and the overall "best of" selection takes the character arc from his early sneak thief days to his final manifestation as a "gentleman detective" living under an assumed name.
In any case, I was happy to renew my Lupin acquaintance and hope to find more of the stories in translation.
Trivia and Link
I read Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief due to the recent French Netflix reboot series Lupin, dans l’ombre d’Arsène (Lupin, In the Shadow of Arsène) (2021) which features a present day protagonist who is inspired by the fictional Lupin and with some of the story lines borrowed from the Leblanc tales, primarily The Queen's Necklace which is available in both Gentleman Thief and the original Gentleman Burglar..
Review of the Penguin Books paperback (2007) translations selected from various French language originals (1906, 1911, 1922)
I remember first reading some of Maurice Leblanc's Lupin stories in my younger days when I literally picked up and read anything with Sherlock Holmes in the title. My first Lupins were therefore in [b:Cosmopolitan Crimes : Foreign Rivals of Sherlock Holmes|1735784|Cosmopolitan Crimes Foreign Rivals of Sherlock Holmes|Hugh Greene|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1372513205l/1735784._SY75_.jpg|1733315] (1972). After that, it was slim pickings in the library or the bookstores in my neighbourhood. This was well before the years of inter-branch library transfers & holds or internet availability of course. I remembered Lupin regardless, primarily for the audacity and the magnitude of his heists and escapades. But also for his banter which even stretched so far as to regularly label his police nemesis Inspector Ganimard as mon ami d'enfance (friend of my youth) while Lupin again and always manages to make his escape.
So with the recent Lupin revival instigated by the new French Netflix series, I looked around for what was currently available in English translation. The anthology Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief was the easiest to obtain. It is incorrectly labelled in Goodreads as Arsène Lupin #1, as it is not actually a full translation of the French original #1 [b:Lupin - nouvelle édition de "Arsène Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur" à l'occasion de la série Netflix|56785398|Lupin - nouvelle édition de "Arsène Lupin, gentleman cambrioleur" à l'occasion de la série Netflix (Films-séries TV)|Maurice Leblanc|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1611345905l/56785398._SY75_.jpg|88524758] (Gentleman Burglar) (1906/2021) (the latter is the latest 2021 French edition released as a TV-tie-in).
Gentleman Thief has 6 stories from Gentleman Burglar (1906), 4 stories from [b:The Confessions of Arsène Lupin|141193|The Confessions of Arsène Lupin|Maurice Leblanc|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1386924958l/141193._SY75_.jpg|136167] (1911) and 3 stories from [b:The Eight Strokes of the Clock|141191|The Eight Strokes of the Clock (Arsène Lupin, #11)|Maurice Leblanc|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347552791l/141191._SX50_.jpg|136165]. All told, I think there are 11 original books of Lupin novels and short story collections. Hopefully if the TV-series is popular enough in English (I don't really like the dubbed version, but each to their own taste) we'll see some English reprints as well in the future.
Gentleman Thief can somewhat be read as a novel as there are continuing threads in the plotlines from story to story and the overall "best of" selection takes the character arc from his early sneak thief days to his final manifestation as a "gentleman detective" living under an assumed name.
In any case, I was happy to renew my Lupin acquaintance and hope to find more of the stories in translation.
Trivia and Link
I read Arsène Lupin, Gentleman-Thief due to the recent French Netflix reboot series Lupin, dans l’ombre d’Arsène (Lupin, In the Shadow of Arsène) (2021) which features a present day protagonist who is inspired by the fictional Lupin and with some of the story lines borrowed from the Leblanc tales, primarily The Queen's Necklace which is available in both Gentleman Thief and the original Gentleman Burglar..
Good, but not overwhelmingly great. A fun simple read.
Lovely short heist stories that are the basis for the Netflix Lupin series. They are delightfully French and easy to read.
I really have enjoyed the Lupin TV series French actors . The first book of the series which I just finished was not nearly as enjoyable. I will just say that it was written in another time for another time.
Another from 'Phoebe Reads a Mystery'. Really enjoyed the mystery, the twist, and all the making fun of atrocious rich people.