A cute and human novel by Saul Bellow about passionate Clara Velde and her stolen ring. An intelligent story full of intensity.

Blonde, with a large frame, charming and always well-dressed, Clara Velde is a senior executive in a company that sponsors women's fashion issues. On one hand, she is a naive country girl and on the other hand, a very experienced New Yorker. Clara lives with her fourth husband, Wilder Velde, who constantly tests her patience. She continues to love the famous and powerful Ethiel "Teddy" Regler, a Washington personality, advisor to presidents and politicians.

Many years ago, Teddy Regler gave Clara an emerald ring and she kept it as a symbol of her passion for him. The ring is lost and after many years, it resurfaces. It disappears for a second time. Through her efforts to find the precious ring again, Clara emerges as a true heroine, a woman with immense inner wealth, revealing hidden aspects of wisdom and sensitivity.

"The Theft" is a clever and tender story, and in this novel, Bellow appears alive and sharp as ever.