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a_nice_cuppa's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
mayeeta's review
2.0
just found out this is one of leigh bardugo's favorite books and since she is my goddess this must be amazing
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2.5⭐️——————————————————————
DNF @ 51% or page 252
....
i genuinely think that if i had been reading this at any other time it could have become a favorite book of all time. The anxiety i am feeling for school finals and just my overall depression is not helping me read dense adult fiction novels. I should have been smarter.
depression is the bane of my existence.
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2.5⭐️——————————————————————
DNF @ 51% or page 252
....
i genuinely think that if i had been reading this at any other time it could have become a favorite book of all time. The anxiety i am feeling for school finals and just my overall depression is not helping me read dense adult fiction novels. I should have been smarter.
depression is the bane of my existence.
beesleybob's review against another edition
4.0
Great book just took me ages to read for some reason, once I got back into it though the last 200 pages flew past. ♥️
sarahpottenger's review
4.0
I got so frantic toward the end, wanting to know what happened, that I started skimming. Naughty!
Really, though. This was a great book, and the only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 is that it doesn't quite measure up to the other books I've read that got 5 stars.
It's the story of Charles Carter, a banker's son turned magician, who is suspected of killing President Warren G. Harding. Normally, I really dislike historical fiction, but there are a few rare occasions where the story is good enough, and the plot doesn't get bogged down in historical details. This was one of them.
It's a love story, a memoir of sorts, a whodunit...and I love stories with magicians in them. Even Houdini makes a couple of dramatic appearances in this one. Great book. Thanks, Meredith!
Really, though. This was a great book, and the only reason it got 4 stars instead of 5 is that it doesn't quite measure up to the other books I've read that got 5 stars.
It's the story of Charles Carter, a banker's son turned magician, who is suspected of killing President Warren G. Harding. Normally, I really dislike historical fiction, but there are a few rare occasions where the story is good enough, and the plot doesn't get bogged down in historical details. This was one of them.
It's a love story, a memoir of sorts, a whodunit...and I love stories with magicians in them. Even Houdini makes a couple of dramatic appearances in this one. Great book. Thanks, Meredith!
louisabooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
melkelsey's review
4.0
An excellent book! Well-written. Great story. An exciting read. I highly recommend this book! Thanks for the recommendation, Benj!
dbynum1's review
5.0
Only 480 pages? I could have sworn it was a least 700 pages. So many characters and subplots! When I was about half way through Carter Beats The Devil by Glen David Gold, I remember scanning through to the end to see if I could make It. I wasn’t bored as much as overwhelmed. I felt like this book would have made a wonderful series of books. There are so many good stories revolving around Carter the Great. Charles Carter was a real magician in the early 1900’s but this story has little to do with the real man. President Harding is an important character in the book as well as the creator of the first BMW and the creator of the first electronic television. All of the characters are extraordinary. You won’t find any “everyday people” in this book. This book had a larger than life feel to it, it’s almost like the author was winking at us saying, “I know these characters are over the top, but isn’t it fun?” - there’s a damsel in distress that doesn’t need our help, a villain with a black cloak and a blood thirsty dog and our magician that truly can get out of any scrape with the tools up his sleeves. It’s fun but very involved. I’ll remember the characters long after I remember what they did.
jmeston's review
4.0
Still reverberating from the smash ending. I kept laughing aloud as another callback was invoked and another expectation exploded. I was quite surprised to read in the afterward that (the Great) Charles Carter was a real person. The character was handled with so much knowing that I assumed he was a vivid fiction placed carefully in the historic setting. I enjoyed it as a visit to teens/twenties SF and Oakland. And the author's messages gave me pleasure: Recurrence is inevitable. Wonder is the purpose of life and it is the Devil who diverts us toward acceptance and fatigue. The only quibbles I'll mention are 1) that Charles' and James' father's outre interests are very important and then never mentioned again; 2) James and Tom's partnership is perhaps too modern. Really fun -- what great prose in the service of a truly creative and entertaining ride.