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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I did enjoy this book a lot and I never wanted to put it down. That is good and rare. This was a worthy companion to 419.
The book has about 70 chapters and each is basically another con from the 1930's. The author must have conducted exhaustive research, and it was fun to read about the different swindles of the time.
The one thing this book doesn't really have is character or plot. Which isn't great, and stops this from being a 5 star read. Maybe a couple less examples of the take, and a couple more on character.
Really enjoyed it though and stayed up late to finish.
The book has about 70 chapters and each is basically another con from the 1930's. The author must have conducted exhaustive research, and it was fun to read about the different swindles of the time.
The one thing this book doesn't really have is character or plot. Which isn't great, and stops this from being a 5 star read. Maybe a couple less examples of the take, and a couple more on character.
Really enjoyed it though and stayed up late to finish.
- a very believable storyline
- I really enjoyed the description of the various cons and scams
- from the Penguin website review: "Meet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swindlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or isMeet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swindlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or is Jack playing them? Jack playing them?"
- Winnipeg Free Press review: “A remarkable novel that is sure to become a modern-day classic…. Ferguson combines fact and fiction to produce a compelling and surprisingly humorous coming-of-age tale that will appeal to all readers…. Ferguson builds a tense climax by skilfully planting morsels of key information throughout the story. This leads to an exhilarating and unpredictable conclusion that will have readers guessing until the final page.”
- I really enjoyed the description of the various cons and scams
- from the Penguin website review: "Meet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swindlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or isMeet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swindlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or is Jack playing them? Jack playing them?"
- Winnipeg Free Press review: “A remarkable novel that is sure to become a modern-day classic…. Ferguson combines fact and fiction to produce a compelling and surprisingly humorous coming-of-age tale that will appeal to all readers…. Ferguson builds a tense climax by skilfully planting morsels of key information throughout the story. This leads to an exhilarating and unpredictable conclusion that will have readers guessing until the final page.”
Loved the ending though the author set it up well and I should have seen it coming.
- a very believable storyline
- I really enjoyed the description of the various cons and scams
- from the Penguin website review: "Meet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swindlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or isMeet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swindlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or is Jack playing them? Jack playing them?"
- Winnipeg Free Press review: “A remarkable novel that is sure to become a modern-day classic…. Ferguson combines fact and fiction to produce a compelling and surprisingly humorous coming-of-age tale that will appeal to all readers…. Ferguson builds a tense climax by skilfully planting morsels of key information throughout the story. This leads to an exhilarating and unpredictable conclusion that will have readers guessing until the final page.”
- I really enjoyed the description of the various cons and scams
- from the Penguin website review: "Meet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swindlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or isMeet Jack McGreary, a young man growing up in the faded boomtown of Paradise Flats amid the dust storms and broken dreams of the Great Depression. Raised by his eccentric and increasingly erratic father, Jack has learned to live by his wits. He outplays the local businessmen, out-argues the local priest, and even outsmarts a gang of hardened carnies at a seedy fairground. So when a pair of fast-talking swindlers blows through town, Jack joins them. Virgil Ray and Miss Rose are more than happy to lead a young boy astray, and together they go on a raucous crime spree across the American Southwest.
It’s a wild ride, one of jazz clubs and easy money. But when the three of them find themselves caught up in a murder ploy, Jack begins to suspect that he is being set up as a patsy. Are Virgil and Miss Rose playing Jack? Or is Jack playing them? Jack playing them?"
- Winnipeg Free Press review: “A remarkable novel that is sure to become a modern-day classic…. Ferguson combines fact and fiction to produce a compelling and surprisingly humorous coming-of-age tale that will appeal to all readers…. Ferguson builds a tense climax by skilfully planting morsels of key information throughout the story. This leads to an exhilarating and unpredictable conclusion that will have readers guessing until the final page.”
Deeper than a simple story about con men in the 1930's, this book made me laugh while it made me think and work. So well researched, so well written, so much fun.
Deeper than a simple story about con men in the 1930's, this book made me laugh while it made me think and work. So well researched, so well written, so much fun.