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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
This book is slow to get going, but its worth the read, so stick around for it! Its spooky, explores pertinent and hard issues like anti-semitism and more, and while it is certainly a read for those who are okay not going the light-hearted route, its worth it. Stick with this one because its truly a gem of a book and so packed with nuances and important topics.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was such a great read! The MC Alter was so dynamic, because as well as having to deal with possession and finding a serial killer, he has a rich inner world as the narrator. He’s trying to earn the money to bring his family over to the US from Romania, he is haunted by internalised homophobia and he is living in poverty in an antisemitic world and responding to that situation in his own way. His perspective really exposed the facade of the American Dream.
Alter’s romance with Frankie was great. I love when an author writes an romance where the MC is oblivious to how much the LI is into them but the reader can clearly see it, and the romantic subplot here is exactly that. Because Alter and Frankie had already been through so much together before the events of this book, their connection was believable and their chemistry was good. I like how balanced their relationship was, with Frankie helping Alter with his mission, and Alter helping Frankie through his grief and trauma.
It’s hard to comment on the predictability of the mystery as I am older than the target audience, but I found it to be engaging. I also don’t believe that the point of the mystery here was to be elusive and hard to solve, but to compound the social themes Polydoros was exploring. And boy did he EXPLORE. The narrative looks at the intersection of classism and antisemitism in the experiences of Alter, showing how doubly vulnerable it makes poor Jewish people to exploitation and violence. It displays the dissonance between having a grand international exhibition while people are living in poverty; the ludicrousness of the existence of the mega-wealthy when there are those with nothing. What is truly sickening is that these same issues and oppressions characterise today’s society too, like Polydoros was holding up a mirror to the present. I appreciated him foregrounding these issues for that reason, and also because it gives a more realistic depiction of Chicago and the US in general in 1893.
Another fantastic element in this book was the atmosphere the author created. He conveyed the darkness and grit of Victorian Chicago effortlessly: the senseless violence and exploitation and the constant presence of danger. It was completely immersive and, like the mystery, engaging, so that even in slower-paced moments the book didn’t feel like it dragged at all, despite its 450+ pages.
Rep: gay Jewish MC, gay Jewish LI, Jewish SCs
Rep: gay Jewish MC, gay Jewish LI, Jewish SCs
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Antisemitism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Genocide, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Violence, Excrement, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Classism
Minor: Ableism, Bullying, Drug use, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, Police brutality, Medical content, Abandonment, Alcohol
Major: five uses of the antisemitic k-slur
Moderate: missing loved one, separation from family, illness, theft, internalised homophobia
Minor: drowning, fainting, gambling, blackmail, divorce, police corruption, imprisonment, capital punishment, gentrification
adventurous
emotional
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
For fans of Devil in the White City YALL need to check this one out! The City Beautiful is a breath of fresh air with wonderful queer Jewish representation, Jewish mythology, a gripping murder mystery during the Chicago world fair and fantastic commentary on Jewish immigration in the late 1800s.
Cw
Anti-semitism
Classism
Religious bigotry
Hate crime
Death
Murder
Mild sexual content
Fire
Blood
Cw
Anti-semitism
Classism
Religious bigotry
Hate crime
Death
Murder
Mild sexual content
Fire
Blood
Brain too full, heart too overwhelmed for a review. Just keep your eyes peeled for the October podcast episode because I have SO MANY THOUGHTS. Go read this book so I can talk about it with someone!
adventurous
challenging
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
so much potential and great ideas....wasted.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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:
Yes