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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
CW (taken from authors website):
Antisemitism (occurs on page and includes the use of antisemitic slurs and rhetoric)
• On page murder and violence
• Death of a parent
• Drowning
• References to sexual assault
• References to death by burning
• References to pogroms/massacres
Sometimes I read books that make me want to give up on YA and then I find something like this that reels you in right from the start but also has so much meaning and thought put into it.
Antisemitism (occurs on page and includes the use of antisemitic slurs and rhetoric)
• On page murder and violence
• Death of a parent
• Drowning
• References to sexual assault
• References to death by burning
• References to pogroms/massacres
Sometimes I read books that make me want to give up on YA and then I find something like this that reels you in right from the start but also has so much meaning and thought put into it.
Aden Polydoros’ The City Beautiful tells the story of Alter, a Jewish teenage boy from Romania who migrated to Chicago chasing the American dream in the late 1800s. When his best friend Yakov dies, Yakov’s spirit starts to possess him in order to avenge his death. Alter is forced to team up with a boy from his past who brings up feelings he is desperate to hide. This book tackles so many heavy topics including anti-semitism, homophobia, murder, rape, pedophelia, and a lot more. These weighed heavily on the book and may have been a bit too much for a YA novel of modest length.
The City Beautiful is a very atmospheric book. Aden Polydoros wrote a rich setting of late 20th century Chicago in the backdrop of the World Fair. The book provides a different look into Jewish culture and struggles as it does not involve the Holocaust or Nazism. Admittedly, I know very little about Jewish culture (as it is not something I encounter coming from where I am from) outside of pop culture. So this did give me more insight into I don’t know much about so everything felt new and fresh.
This YA historical fiction/fantasy also feels deeply personal and earnest as you can really feel how Alter struggles with his hidden feelings within himself and with the racism and the harsh reality he lives through daily. It’s genuinely uncomfortable to read at times because it feels too too real. The author injected what seem to be very real feelings into Alter and his story, lending authenticity to this piece of historical fiction that, although is not based on real life stories, felt all too possible.
Where the book didn’t work as well for me was in the murder-mystery aspect in which everything seemed to be just a tad too convenient and improbable. Otherwise, The City Beautiful is a moving and disturbing historical fantasy that just feels uncomfortably real.
The City Beautiful is a very atmospheric book. Aden Polydoros wrote a rich setting of late 20th century Chicago in the backdrop of the World Fair. The book provides a different look into Jewish culture and struggles as it does not involve the Holocaust or Nazism. Admittedly, I know very little about Jewish culture (as it is not something I encounter coming from where I am from) outside of pop culture. So this did give me more insight into I don’t know much about so everything felt new and fresh.
This YA historical fiction/fantasy also feels deeply personal and earnest as you can really feel how Alter struggles with his hidden feelings within himself and with the racism and the harsh reality he lives through daily. It’s genuinely uncomfortable to read at times because it feels too too real. The author injected what seem to be very real feelings into Alter and his story, lending authenticity to this piece of historical fiction that, although is not based on real life stories, felt all too possible.
Where the book didn’t work as well for me was in the murder-mystery aspect in which everything seemed to be just a tad too convenient and improbable. Otherwise, The City Beautiful is a moving and disturbing historical fantasy that just feels uncomfortably real.
I really really really loved this. I loved reading about Jews in America in 1893, chicago. I think the concept of the Dybuk is fascinating and terrifying at the same. I really liked this. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC, all opinions are my own.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Going into this book, I didn’t know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised. The story follows Alter, a Romanian, Jewish immigrant who was brought to America’s shores by his ailing father amidst the rise of anti-semantic and nativist sentiment in the late 19th century. Despite migrating in hopes of a better future and the allure of the “American Dream”, Alter is met with a hostile community and a cruel fate. What I appreciate in particular about this book is the rich history of new immigration in industrial America and the compelling love story between Alter and Frankie. Typically when a book is written from the perspective of a Jewish MC, the setting is, without fail, Nazi-occupied Germany during WW2. Although an incredibly important epoch in history, the history of Jewish people runs further which I commend Polydoros for emphasizing. The rich history depicted in The City Beautiful paired with Jewish Folklore made for a wonderfully crafted read.
CW: anti-semitism, slurs, police brutality, murder, hate crime, pedophilia, rape, sexual assault, stalking, grief, child death, parent death, suicide, mental health, self harm, kidnapping, violence, gore, homophobia, fire/fire injury, drug use, alcohol use, chronic illness, terminal illness, classism, and more please look up additional content warnings.
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Gay Jewish greatness
To see more reviews check out MI Book Reviews.
I got an ARC of this book.
I have been done with this book for about a week, but I am still not sure what to say.
The writing was gorgeous. The plot was fantastic. The characters were real. It was so Jewish. I have never read a book like this before.
The book is in your face and undeniably Jewish. It has a different feel than any other horror novel I have read. It doesn’t follow the typical formula. The closest books I can match this to are books like The Only Good Indians. Both are books steeped in lore that is older and less explored in the mainstream. Both are seemingly normal, but the more thought that goes into them the more horrific them become. There are just so many layers.
The queer content was eh. I didn’t need this to be a queer book to love it. The queer aspects didn’t really blend seamlessly to me. While I was glad there were queer characters, it only ever seemed to come up as the plot of “gay is a sin!” and then things moved on again. It just didn’t get explored as much as the other plots did so it felt like it was lacking compared to the rest of the book. That being said, it is so rare that I see Jewish queers that I ate up every second and wanted more. I needed more.
I am not normally someone who enjoys the mystery aspects of anything. I didn’t really care who was doing the killing. I was still invested in the characters and their feelings around the killings. The actual finding of the killer was irrelevant to me. I was a bit annoyed at just how perfectly things lined up with time and locations. That a teen was able to track down someone across multiple countries and everything. Felt like a bit much.
Overall, I loved this book. Every time I picked it up, I had to be forced to put it down. I didn’t want to stop. It was just a book I needed.
I got an ARC of this book.
I have been done with this book for about a week, but I am still not sure what to say.
The writing was gorgeous. The plot was fantastic. The characters were real. It was so Jewish. I have never read a book like this before.
The book is in your face and undeniably Jewish. It has a different feel than any other horror novel I have read. It doesn’t follow the typical formula. The closest books I can match this to are books like The Only Good Indians. Both are books steeped in lore that is older and less explored in the mainstream. Both are seemingly normal, but the more thought that goes into them the more horrific them become. There are just so many layers.
The queer content was eh. I didn’t need this to be a queer book to love it. The queer aspects didn’t really blend seamlessly to me. While I was glad there were queer characters, it only ever seemed to come up as the plot of “gay is a sin!” and then things moved on again. It just didn’t get explored as much as the other plots did so it felt like it was lacking compared to the rest of the book. That being said, it is so rare that I see Jewish queers that I ate up every second and wanted more. I needed more.
I am not normally someone who enjoys the mystery aspects of anything. I didn’t really care who was doing the killing. I was still invested in the characters and their feelings around the killings. The actual finding of the killer was irrelevant to me. I was a bit annoyed at just how perfectly things lined up with time and locations. That a teen was able to track down someone across multiple countries and everything. Felt like a bit much.
Overall, I loved this book. Every time I picked it up, I had to be forced to put it down. I didn’t want to stop. It was just a book I needed.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes