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ravenbait's review
5.0
Gold's eponymous hero is a master illusionist -- so good, in fact, that some credit him with more than dextrous hands. "Carter Beats the Devil" is his star piece, his signature trick, and using this trick he assists the President of the United States in a way most would consider unthinkable, enver mind do-able. The consequences of this are played out against a backdrop of lavish lifestyles, escape artistry, philosophical musings on the important things in life, conundrums, puzzles and some very believalbe portrayals of magicians. Forgest "The Illusionist" or "The Presitge" -- if you want entertaining plot, plausible details and believable characters, Gold's book is for you.
lsantoski's review
4.0
I loved the first 2/3 of this book but was disappointed by the end. The whole book was over-the-top (in a kind of larger-than-life way), but the end was just so ridiculous that it lost me. Disappointing, since I really loved the book otherwise -- it was the first book in a while that I couldn't wait to get back to reading.
bucket's review
3.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the earliest third of this book, which features Charles Carter's early life. This was the least action-packed part of the book, and I definitely preferred this more literary part that shows how and why Charles Carter becomes Carter the Great.
My favorite moment is when a young Charles is lying in bed awake at night: "In the middle of the night, with his father and brother asleep, and his mother having an adventure, he felt fits of longing for places he'd never been, places he couldn't describe, and he wondered if there were anyone else like him in the world, awake and catching glimpses of the unknown."
The rest of the book was really not my thing (it's part mystery, part crime, and all thriller) but by then I was invested in the characters. It also really helped that all the magic and illusions in the book are historically accurate - it was a fascinating part of history to learn about that I doubt I would have come across any other way. Gold's research was exceptional, and even though I'm not much interested in thrillers, I can respect what he did.
Gold also has a literary-style, even in the midst of murder and mayhem, and I did find a few nuggets for a reader like me in the last two-thirds of the book.
About how Charles handles his grief: "Meanwhile, his astral body floated in the clouds overhead, sending back occasional faint whispers of pain along the silver cord connected to his earthly body, which moved, and smiled, and conjured."
About why people love magic: "What the public wanted was to marvel twice, once at what they'd seen, and then again at how progress, in which they had faith, could still be trumped by the hand of God."
Themes: magic, vaudeville, 1920s, mystery, crime, thriller
My favorite moment is when a young Charles is lying in bed awake at night: "In the middle of the night, with his father and brother asleep, and his mother having an adventure, he felt fits of longing for places he'd never been, places he couldn't describe, and he wondered if there were anyone else like him in the world, awake and catching glimpses of the unknown."
The rest of the book was really not my thing (it's part mystery, part crime, and all thriller) but by then I was invested in the characters. It also really helped that all the magic and illusions in the book are historically accurate - it was a fascinating part of history to learn about that I doubt I would have come across any other way. Gold's research was exceptional, and even though I'm not much interested in thrillers, I can respect what he did.
Gold also has a literary-style, even in the midst of murder and mayhem, and I did find a few nuggets for a reader like me in the last two-thirds of the book.
About how Charles handles his grief: "Meanwhile, his astral body floated in the clouds overhead, sending back occasional faint whispers of pain along the silver cord connected to his earthly body, which moved, and smiled, and conjured."
About why people love magic: "What the public wanted was to marvel twice, once at what they'd seen, and then again at how progress, in which they had faith, could still be trumped by the hand of God."
Themes: magic, vaudeville, 1920s, mystery, crime, thriller
gandalfdg's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bookllyfr's review
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
samber's review
4.0
Finished this just as our plane landed - marking the end of our vacation. Perfect timing. Really enjoyed the story, all the characters, the historical context and the peak behind the scenes of the magic performances.
robram's review
5.0
Magic, thriller, period - three specific strands and together they make for a great book.
Set in the fictional world of 1920s magic, this references real people, such as Houdini, but the set-up is pure imagination.
Funny, entertaining, nail-biting and genuinely heart-warming, this is one of those books that not that many people have read, but should be recommended to everyone! I love it!
As a footnote, the author is Alice "Lovely Bones" Sebold's husband
Set in the fictional world of 1920s magic, this references real people, such as Houdini, but the set-up is pure imagination.
Funny, entertaining, nail-biting and genuinely heart-warming, this is one of those books that not that many people have read, but should be recommended to everyone! I love it!
As a footnote, the author is Alice "Lovely Bones" Sebold's husband