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4.19 AVERAGE
4.19 AVERAGE
This book, this year's Sydney Taylor Award winner in the YA category, is a murder mystery/ghost story/gay romance set in the Eastern European Jewish community in Chicago in the late 19th century, when Eastern European Jews were immigrating in large numbers to escape pogroms. The 1893 World;s Fair is a setting as well as a theme of the book as teenagers scrabble for a toehold in their new country. The gripping plot and dense historical detail make this a joy to read and un-put-downable.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
So much to appreciate, enlightening and entertaining, heavy and intentional in its representation of Jewish immigrants and the cesspool that is 1890's Chicago. Having read and enjoyed Devil in the White City I might know more than the average person about the Chicago World's Fair and it was the perfect backdrop for this murder mystery focused on class and specifically the plight of Jews.
Everything I could possibly want in a Jewish fantasy book!
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
This book is so out of my comfort zone, so I was nervous to pick it up, but I am very glad I did.
"The City Beautiful" is a queer Jewish historical fantasy that actually felt more murder mystery to me than fantasy, but most definitely has a fantasy aspect as well. It's set in Chicago in 1893. The fantasy aspect is centered around the Jewish mythology of dybbuk, which is something I never really knew much about, so I was fascinated to read it.
I was absolutely blown away by this book. I don't even know if I have the proper words to explain how powerful and well-done it was. It addresses Jewish trauma and antisemitism head on but also makes room for lighter moments, some romance and character development. It was just so brilliant. It's a heavy and dense book that I flew through and couldn't put down.
Please also read the author's note if you pick up this book. It's so important and authentic.
CW: antisemitism, homophobia, sexual assault, death, murder, some gore
"The City Beautiful" is a queer Jewish historical fantasy that actually felt more murder mystery to me than fantasy, but most definitely has a fantasy aspect as well. It's set in Chicago in 1893. The fantasy aspect is centered around the Jewish mythology of dybbuk, which is something I never really knew much about, so I was fascinated to read it.
I was absolutely blown away by this book. I don't even know if I have the proper words to explain how powerful and well-done it was. It addresses Jewish trauma and antisemitism head on but also makes room for lighter moments, some romance and character development. It was just so brilliant. It's a heavy and dense book that I flew through and couldn't put down.
Please also read the author's note if you pick up this book. It's so important and authentic.
CW: antisemitism, homophobia, sexual assault, death, murder, some gore
this book is probably really really great, I don’t know but for me I just completely could not connect with the characters or the plot. Which I’m really sad about since the synopsis caught my attention greatly. I was planning to DNF but decided to push through, unfortunately my opinion stayed the same throughout.
When Alter Rosen arrived in Chicago at the turn of the 19th century, it didn't take long for America to NOT be the land of milk and honey his father had imagined. While it is better than his native Romania, to be a Jew in Chicago is still to be a second class citizen, a fact that hits close to home when Alter's roommate and friend Yacov dies in a mysterious way, another boy in an upsetting list of Jewish boys to have recently disappeared. It's soon clear to Alter that Yacov has something to tell him about his death - and thus Alter begins on a quest to understand not just what's happening to him and the spirit of Yacov, but to figure out who is murdering Jewish teenage boys and make it stop.
It took quite a while for me to figure out why this book was a nominee for the "speculative fiction" category for the Cybil awards, since it is solid historical fiction with a powerful Jewish setting. Jewish folklore, traditions, culture and foodways make us drenched in Alter's life as an immigrant Jew in a big city. However, when it took a speculative turn, I was all in - I am choosing not to spoil it - but it intrigued me and gave the book a forward push that made me even more eager to keep reading. It's a murder mystery, yes. There is gore and death and a couple deliciously scary bits. It's also about finding your place, about the strength of religion to give comfort while also really impacting the way you see the world - and yourself - especially if you are a Jewish boy that knows he's not attracted to girls. Alter's path to accepting that he is gay in an unforgiving world, his cognitive dissonance, his very real desire to love and be loved, all of this is so tenderly portrayed.
For me, the mix of gothic horror/mystery, the historical Chicago setting amidst the World's fair, having a actively religious and empathetic gay teen as a protagonist, the light touch of paranormal mixed with folklore tradition - it just made for a really unique read. It did get a little repetitive, sometimes, there was one plothole that made me do a little rereading and maybe it went on a little bit too long for me, but overall, this is a strong four star read for me.
It took quite a while for me to figure out why this book was a nominee for the "speculative fiction" category for the Cybil awards, since it is solid historical fiction with a powerful Jewish setting. Jewish folklore, traditions, culture and foodways make us drenched in Alter's life as an immigrant Jew in a big city. However, when it took a speculative turn, I was all in - I am choosing not to spoil it - but it intrigued me and gave the book a forward push that made me even more eager to keep reading. It's a murder mystery, yes. There is gore and death and a couple deliciously scary bits. It's also about finding your place, about the strength of religion to give comfort while also really impacting the way you see the world - and yourself - especially if you are a Jewish boy that knows he's not attracted to girls. Alter's path to accepting that he is gay in an unforgiving world, his cognitive dissonance, his very real desire to love and be loved, all of this is so tenderly portrayed.
For me, the mix of gothic horror/mystery, the historical Chicago setting amidst the World's fair, having a actively religious and empathetic gay teen as a protagonist, the light touch of paranormal mixed with folklore tradition - it just made for a really unique read. It did get a little repetitive, sometimes, there was one plothole that made me do a little rereading and maybe it went on a little bit too long for me, but overall, this is a strong four star read for me.
2.5 stars rounded up. TBH if I wasn't reading this for a book club, I likely would've dnf'd. The pacing is off for me, and the elements the summary focuses on aren't as present in the novel as I would expect. I just didn't connect with how slowly everything started coming together.
Rougher read than I expected. And slower. I was so excited to see, well, any book that's got Jewish characters and not the Holocaust or looking back to it, and with a fantastical element.
The summaries I'd read led me to expect more of the fantastical elements and queer romance. I expected the corruption and antisemitism, but perhaps not to the degree, or else to not be balanced by a sense of community or character development as I'd hoped. (And my mom's grandparents fled Kiev a couple decades after this book's setting because of the pogroms, so it's not like I was unaware of the details.)
The summaries I'd read led me to expect more of the fantastical elements and queer romance. I expected the corruption and antisemitism, but perhaps not to the degree, or else to not be balanced by a sense of community or character development as I'd hoped. (And my mom's grandparents fled Kiev a couple decades after this book's setting because of the pogroms, so it's not like I was unaware of the details.)