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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Dayton Public Library | ROSE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Independence Public Library | FICTION - ROSE | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Monmouth Public Library | Fic Rose, A. 2017 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
"The most must-read of all must-reads." --Marie Claire
"A kickass debut from start to finish." -- Colson Whitehead, author of The Underground Railroad
Lee Cuddy is seventeen years old and on the run.
Betrayed by her family after taking the fall for a friend, Lee finds refuge in a cooperative of runaways holed up in an abandoned building they call the Crystal Castle. But the façade of the Castle conceals a far more sinister agenda, one hatched by a society of fanatical men set on decoding a series of powerful secrets hidden in plain sight. And they believe Lee holds the key to it all.
Aided by Tomi, a young hacker and artist with whom she has struck a wary alliance, Lee escapes into the unmapped corners of the city--empty aquariums, deserted motels, patrolled museums, and even the homes of vacationing families. But the deeper she goes underground, the more tightly she finds herself bound in the strange web she's trying to elude. Desperate and out of options, Lee steps from the shadows to face who is after her--and why.
A novel of puzzles, conspiracies, secret societies, urban exploration, art history, and a singular, indomitable heroine, The Readymade Thief heralds the arrival of a spellbinding and original new talent in fiction.
Author Notes
Augustus Rose is a novelist and screenwriter. He was born in the northern California coastal town of Bolinas, and grew up there and in San Francisco. He lives in Chicago with his wife, the novelist Nami Mun and their son, and he teaches fiction writing at the University of Chicago.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
The 17-year-old heroine of Rose's debut novel, a richly detailed intellectual thriller set in contemporary Philadelphia, has already been through an adventurous childhood and adolescence when she ends up in juvie, set up by a former friend for a crime she hasn't committed. Not that Lee Cuddy hasn't earned her stay there: a natural-born shoplifter, she has also sold enough drugs to accumulate thousands of dollars in cash. Escaped from prison, she winds up in a creepy, cultish home for runaways and then goes on the lam with Tomi, a gentle Czech boy who has a talent for data retrieval, a taste for urban exploration, and a passion for the work of French artist Marcel Duchamp (whose "readymades" cemented the idea that ordinary objects could be considered art if their assembler defined them as such). After Lee steals a satchel from the office of the cult leader, she finds herself pursued by the mysterious Societe Anonyme, which is involved in the production of designer drugs. While Rose may put in one too many obscure references to alchemy and unified field theory, Lee is an excellent character, and the many shadowy settings she travels through make for a fascinating vision of an alternate, underground Philadelphia. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A young woman must outthink and outplay a group of men trying to uncover the deepest secrets of the universe (with the help of clues left by Marcel Duchamp) in Rose's debut novel.Lee has always felt invisible, taking advantage of this by shoplifting and dealing drugs to her high school classmates. When her friend Edie turns her in, Lee is sent to juvenile detention and then the psych ward, from which she manages to escape. Homeless, friendless, and directionless, Lee stumbles upon a group of other lost teens who live in the Crystal Castle under the control of a mysterious figure known as the Station Master. When she steals a strange object that turns out to be a work of art by Marcel Duchamp, Lee has no idea that she has attracted the obsessive interest of a shadowy and dangerous society that effectively worships Duchamp. They believe he left clues in his art that reveal the key to immortality, and they are willing to sacrifice anyone and everyone to decipher them. Together with her friend Tomi, an art fanatic who likes to creep around abandoned buildings, Lee fights to stay one step ahead of the Socit Anonyme, which seems to have spies everywhere and which has determined that Lee herself is central to their dastardly plans. The novel is complex on many intellectual levels, drawing heavily on theories of art history and physics, and the mystery is deep and satisfying in both its unpredictability and its culmination. The sheer scope is impressive, as are Rose's evocative descriptions of underground and abandoned places, reminiscent of David Lynch's films. Lee, despite being a strong survivor, doesn't captivate, however. Her survival depends on her ability to be self-sufficient and to separate herself from people, which also estranges her from the reader. Admirably ambitious but lacking in soul. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Rose's inventive debut novel follows shy Lee as she learns that her gift for remaining undetected makes her a queen of the five-finger discount. Lee's shoplifting prowess catches the attention of Edie, a popular girl at school, whose friendship opens a door to boys, drugs, and parties. But all this quickly evaporates after a drug bust and Edie's betrayal, which lands Lee in juvie. Inside, she discovers a secret ward for deeply disturbed teens, whose souls seem to have vacated their earthly shells. In quick succession, Lee escapes from solitary and stumbles upon a hideout for homeless runaways known as the Crystal Castle, with its enigmatic, cultlike leader, the Station Master. Ominous connections between her new crowd and the kids in the mental ward bubble to the surface, as a swirling conspiracy reveals itself, with none other than surrealist mastermind Marcel Duchamp lurking at its center. With dynamic characters and unforgettable scenes, including after-hours museum sex, mysterious pursuers, and wondrous evasions, Rose's captivating, art-anchored pager-turner reads like a mashup of Home Alone and The Da Vinci Code (2003).--Báez, Diego Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
Struggling with both actual and psychological abandonment, a troubled teenage girl turns to shoplifting, brokering stolen items, and eventually selling drugs in order to gain acceptance with popular Edie and her followers. Everything unravels when a mysterious man dressed in old-fashioned clothing insists that Lee looks familiar and invites her to a clandestine party. Betrayed by her few friends and family, Lee is soon thrust into a world of secret societies and urban exploration. This unfocused novel includes drugs, theft, unwanted pregnancy, homelessness, juvenile detention, and myriad other problems without truly dealing with most of the issues. Though talented reader Emily Rankin imbues the protagonists' thoughts with intelligence and insight, this portrayal contrasts sharply with Lee's tendency to be easily swayed, unwillingness to learn from mistakes, and general remorselessness for her illegal behaviors. The emphasis on detailed descriptions of artworks requires that most listeners find illustrations of these pieces in order to visualize their importance to the story. VERDICT Libraries with a need for art history or secret society audiobook fiction may find an audience for this work, but it is a supplementary purchase for most collections.-Lisa Youngblood, Harker Heights P.L., TX © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.