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jwolfpack's review against another edition
4.0
Finished while babysitting. Conflicted thoughts.
The Good:
I loved this book. I really did. It was expertly researched. The added photographs were amazing. The characters were interesting and dynamic. Really, the book was all-around great. As my first Gist read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will I be reading another one of her books? Maybe. There's other books I want to read first. And thanks to the ending, I'm not sure that next read will be any time soon.
The Bad:
The book was paced very well. It had a natural flow and was easy to follow. Then the end came. Like, the book just ended. And I was left flabbergasted. Obviously, my biggest complaint is the rushed ending. It's like Gist thought, "Well, they're together now. Nobody cares about the other subplots." LIE. I care. I care greatly. The final few chapters and epilogue left me feeling disappointed, wanting more, and confused. The ending definitely didn't do the rest of the book justice, which is unfortunate. Your ending needs to be as strong as your beginning and this ending fell way short.
I would have rated the book lower simply because of the ending, but I did enjoy the book overall.
The Good:
I loved this book. I really did. It was expertly researched. The added photographs were amazing. The characters were interesting and dynamic. Really, the book was all-around great. As my first Gist read, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Will I be reading another one of her books? Maybe. There's other books I want to read first. And thanks to the ending, I'm not sure that next read will be any time soon.
The Bad:
The book was paced very well. It had a natural flow and was easy to follow. Then the end came. Like, the book just ended. And I was left flabbergasted. Obviously, my biggest complaint is the rushed ending. It's like Gist thought, "Well, they're together now. Nobody cares about the other subplots." LIE. I care. I care greatly. The final few chapters and epilogue left me feeling disappointed, wanting more, and confused. The ending definitely didn't do the rest of the book justice, which is unfortunate. Your ending needs to be as strong as your beginning and this ending fell way short.
I would have rated the book lower simply because of the ending, but I did enjoy the book overall.
rgyger's review against another edition
5.0
Deeanne's books are always amazing but this was one of her best. Mostly light-hearted, it still had moments of great emotion and pain. The characters had to overcome fears, prejudice, and lose. It Happened at the Fair made it clear that life is not always rosy but that we can live through the pain and find joy in the little things. The backdrop representation of all that man has achieved in history was beautifully juxtaposed with the thoughts and ideas that have held us back.
All this was accomplished while telling a beautiful romance of true love, not the selfish tales that most have substituted for. The hero, Cullen, was all that a woman could want in a man. He was strong, smart, caring, and above all honoring. His moments of weakness only strengthen the understanding of the struggles he undergoes to do what is right instead of what feels good.
To see what other books I back, go to my blog at http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/
All this was accomplished while telling a beautiful romance of true love, not the selfish tales that most have substituted for. The hero, Cullen, was all that a woman could want in a man. He was strong, smart, caring, and above all honoring. His moments of weakness only strengthen the understanding of the struggles he undergoes to do what is right instead of what feels good.
To see what other books I back, go to my blog at http://backingbooks.blogspot.com/
flowersofquiethappiness's review against another edition
4.0
Wow! This was a spectacular story! And that is a huge compliment from me. Why? Because I've tried reading several of Ms. Gist's other books and have never been able to finish one before now. Have you ever had an author that loads of people rave over and you just can't get into their stories? There's just something about their writing that doesn't click with you? And you want to like them, you want to finish just one book of theirs, but you're unable to? This is exactly how it was with Ms. Gist's books and me. Fast forward to a few months ago when a fellow blogger (who had similar trouble with this author's books) happened to read this one and loved it, raved over it, and encouraged me to try it. So I finally did. "Just one more try," I decided. And yay!! I am so, so happy I read it!
The parts that reached out and grabbed me were all the details of the actual workings of the Fair itself. Ms. Gist spends paragraphs and pages describing the exhibits, the people, the rides, and all manner of behind the scenes particulars for us. Most chapters begin with a photograph or artist rendering of some portion of the Fair and then it gets described in the pages to follow. I love history. So of course I loved all the information I learned. I'm sure I studied the Chicago World's Fair in school, but I had forgotten most of it by now. Reading this made me feel as if I were standing right beside Cullen and Della, watching the Illumination Show, riding the moving sidewalk and the Ferris Wheel, touring the Manufactures Building, and the multitude of things available to do each day. It felt quite obvious that Ms. Gist had well-researched the Fair and her enthusiasm for it shown in every page. It made me enthusiastic as well! :)
Of course there is actual plot involved. There's Cullen and Della, both far from home and working at the Fair for different reasons, and watching them "meet cute" and frustrate and confuse one another, yet sweetly and hesitantly fall in love was fun. There's an instant spark between them and even with their bumbling, the inevitable happy ending follows along in due course. Their romance is wonderful (and I sigh in happiness with every reading of one scene near the end ;), yet the fact that it's taking place against the backdrop of this amazing time in history is really the hook of this story for me. Amazingly enough, the romance happily took a backseat to the extravaganza unfolding before our eyes. Ms. Gist's descriptions of Cullen and Della's many stop-ins at Blooker's Dutch Cocoa Company even had me craving some of that delicious cocoa!
So if you enjoy history and stories with the setting overshadowing the plot (in a good way!), then this is a must try for you! A fascinating time in history combined with a delightful romance makes for an absorbing story. One that will happily find a place on my bookshelf soon and there it will stay. :D
The parts that reached out and grabbed me were all the details of the actual workings of the Fair itself. Ms. Gist spends paragraphs and pages describing the exhibits, the people, the rides, and all manner of behind the scenes particulars for us. Most chapters begin with a photograph or artist rendering of some portion of the Fair and then it gets described in the pages to follow. I love history. So of course I loved all the information I learned. I'm sure I studied the Chicago World's Fair in school, but I had forgotten most of it by now. Reading this made me feel as if I were standing right beside Cullen and Della, watching the Illumination Show, riding the moving sidewalk and the Ferris Wheel, touring the Manufactures Building, and the multitude of things available to do each day. It felt quite obvious that Ms. Gist had well-researched the Fair and her enthusiasm for it shown in every page. It made me enthusiastic as well! :)
Of course there is actual plot involved. There's Cullen and Della, both far from home and working at the Fair for different reasons, and watching them "meet cute" and frustrate and confuse one another, yet sweetly and hesitantly fall in love was fun. There's an instant spark between them and even with their bumbling, the inevitable happy ending follows along in due course. Their romance is wonderful (and I sigh in happiness with every reading of one scene near the end ;), yet the fact that it's taking place against the backdrop of this amazing time in history is really the hook of this story for me. Amazingly enough, the romance happily took a backseat to the extravaganza unfolding before our eyes. Ms. Gist's descriptions of Cullen and Della's many stop-ins at Blooker's Dutch Cocoa Company even had me craving some of that delicious cocoa!
So if you enjoy history and stories with the setting overshadowing the plot (in a good way!), then this is a must try for you! A fascinating time in history combined with a delightful romance makes for an absorbing story. One that will happily find a place on my bookshelf soon and there it will stay. :D
farmfreshlisa's review against another edition
5.0
Another hit from Deeanne Gist! She is such an excellent writer! This one is very fun to read. It takes place during the big World's Fair in Chicago. I love that it not only focuses on new inventors during that time period and what they went through to get their inventions noticed, but also about the importance of the fair. I also liked the way she incorporated the deaf society and some of the challenges they went through.
jenniferreads2's review against another edition
1.0
If I could give this book 0 stars I would. So disappointed considering Gist is one of my favorite authors
daisey4's review against another edition
3.0
There was a lot of research that went into this book. I enjoyed a view of the exhibits through the author. The book did lag sometimes but I enjoyed it as a light read.
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
5.0
What an delightful read, romantic but clean from smut which was nice thing for a change. But the story wasn't lacking in anyway, in it's heart it's a romance but it's also about being hard of hearing and learning to read lips but also about the worlds fair, which the story is sett. It was very vividly described and I almost felt like I've been there. A wonderful read!
caitlin_89's review against another edition
3.0
Cute and entertaining. I've never read anything about the World's Fair, so that was cool.
jeaninetaniece's review against another edition
5.0
This book was so stinking adorable, if it was a person I would be pinching its cheeks off! So good, so much fun! But not only cute and sweet, it was so interesting and informative. I loved learning about the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the people and the inventions. This story also detail greatly the difficulties people with deafness faced in society, there was immense prejudice against persons with that disability. It was sad to see just how poorly they were treated. There are several somber and more serious moments also that balance this book out nicely.
Cullen loves to tinker, he has a knack for mechanical workings. When he invents an automatic sprinkler, his father sends him to the fair in hopes of making a new life away from farming. Problem is Cullen has been losing his hearing and has difficulty communicating with potential investors/customers among the din of Machinery Hall. He decides he needs to learn to lip read and enlists Della, a teacher at the school for deaf children, to tutor him.
There were so many fantastic interactions between these two. At one point she doubts that he is truly a farmer and he takes drastic measures to prove it. Let me tell ya I felt very patriotic when this happened, all I could think was “Oh say can you see…”. Thank goodness for farmer’s tans and long days behind a plow. And if you think romantic tension is high in regency romance with stolen glances and use of Christian names, Cullen trying to keep his mind on reading lips and not kissing them is off the scales! I loved when they used sign language, so intimate and special.
Terrific story and characters! Loved everything about it!
Cullen loves to tinker, he has a knack for mechanical workings. When he invents an automatic sprinkler, his father sends him to the fair in hopes of making a new life away from farming. Problem is Cullen has been losing his hearing and has difficulty communicating with potential investors/customers among the din of Machinery Hall. He decides he needs to learn to lip read and enlists Della, a teacher at the school for deaf children, to tutor him.
There were so many fantastic interactions between these two. At one point she doubts that he is truly a farmer and he takes drastic measures to prove it. Let me tell ya I felt very patriotic when this happened, all I could think was “Oh say can you see…”. Thank goodness for farmer’s tans and long days behind a plow. And if you think romantic tension is high in regency romance with stolen glances and use of Christian names, Cullen trying to keep his mind on reading lips and not kissing them is off the scales! I loved when they used sign language, so intimate and special.
Terrific story and characters! Loved everything about it!