This story never picked a direction and went with it. It felt like a good idea that got distracted and ran around in circles for a while. ( )

It's been a long time since I've started and finished a book in three hours yet this was the perfect book to break that streak. This is a "prequel" of sorts to "Code Name Verity" and one that I was anxious to dive into. Like "Code", this book leaves you sitting on the edge of your seat the entire ride. "The Pearl Thief" gives you a more in depth look into Julia as a teenager and shows the dynamic family she came from. For me, it answered some of the longing questions I had while reading "Code". This is a great companion novel to "Code" but it's also a great standalone novel all on it's own. I couldn't put it down and I would highly recommend it whether you've read "Code" or not. ( )

Prequels are tricky things, but this one is very well done. I especially enjoyed watching the main character interact with her family and just starting to realize her unique gift for subterfuge and eye for detail. ( )

For me, Elizabeth Wein is one of those writers who could put down a grocery list and I would end up raptly attuned and waiting for more. I suspected I would like this book. In fact, it's up there with I Capture the Castle for hugely comforting, deeply halcyon reads. I just loved it -- loved the subject of leaving a dearly held place and growing up. Loved the careless, deep, rambling friendships. Loved the exploration and the mysteries and the setting and the caustic moments when Ellen calls Julie out. Loved that the book doesn't shy away from the terrible treatment of Traveler communities. I never knew that river pearls even existed, or that there is a library in the middle of a river -- fascinated at all the little details. ( )

Part of the cycle of loosely-tied together novels about women during World War II, The Pearl Thief acts as a prequel to Code Name Verity. The novel's protagonist is Julie Beaufort-Stuart, the Scottish aristocrat who is one of the two main characters of the earlier novel, and is set one year prior to the war when she is just 15. She returns home her family estate from boarding school to find herself embroiled in a mystery regarding the disappearance of a scholar working with artifacts recovered from their property.

Julie is a great character, impulsive and bold that make her stand out among the staid expectations of her time and class. Much of the novel explores her new friendship with the siblings Ellen and Euan McEwen, who are members of Highland Travellers' community that camp nearby. The trio get into many adventures, and they encounter much prejudice against the Travelers (which Julie attempts to shield with her privilege). The book also explores Julie's romantic attraction to Ellen and to an older man named Richard revealing her burgeoning sexuality (and hooray for bisexual representation!).

This is the first book by Elizabeth Wein that I don't love, but it is a great character study even if I found the narrative to be a bit slight. ( )