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bird_babe's review against another edition
5.0
Throughly enjoyed this story. I love living in the City of Roses and totally relate to the obsession with Pasadena and its history described in the book. A fun read!!
salimah's review against another edition
4.0
I received a copy of this book from the author after being connected by Booktasters.net in exchange for an honest review.
The history of Pasadena and the Colorado Street Bridge is carefully, lovingly rendered with precise, captivating language that conveys the sense of place, the feeling and weight of its significance, and the often outlandish-seeming events with understated prose. The emotion of the events and scenes captured benefit from apt similies, deft metaphors, and sometimes elegant sentences.
The characters are allowed ample room to breathe on the page and in the story. Every choice the author made, it seems, is in service to the story. Nothing is done merely for the sake of being clever, though it's a very smart narrative. The story is never choked by cleverness.
The meeting of history, magical realism, reincarnation/alternative reality, and the special, transcendent bond of a man and his dog make for a winsome combination in this special story.
As someone who was born on the East Coast and has always lived here, my near romantic fascination with California (southern California specifically) is something of a mystery to me in itself, but reading Arroyo felt simultaneously familiar and brand new. Chip Jacobs has convincingly portrayed a part of a place he obviously loves and that made me as a reader curious and delighted.
The history of Pasadena and the Colorado Street Bridge is carefully, lovingly rendered with precise, captivating language that conveys the sense of place, the feeling and weight of its significance, and the often outlandish-seeming events with understated prose. The emotion of the events and scenes captured benefit from apt similies, deft metaphors, and sometimes elegant sentences.
The characters are allowed ample room to breathe on the page and in the story. Every choice the author made, it seems, is in service to the story. Nothing is done merely for the sake of being clever, though it's a very smart narrative. The story is never choked by cleverness.
The meeting of history, magical realism, reincarnation/alternative reality, and the special, transcendent bond of a man and his dog make for a winsome combination in this special story.
As someone who was born on the East Coast and has always lived here, my near romantic fascination with California (southern California specifically) is something of a mystery to me in itself, but reading Arroyo felt simultaneously familiar and brand new. Chip Jacobs has convincingly portrayed a part of a place he obviously loves and that made me as a reader curious and delighted.
readsalattethrillers73's review against another edition
3.0
As a Northern California native, I’m always attracted to books about the Golden State and this book is no exception. Chip Jacobs mixes beautiful prose, with an original story to provide a unique look at the city of Pasadena. I hope readers find this book as both an enjoyable fiction story and a tribute to Pasadena.
Synopsis:
Set against two distinct epochs in the history of Pasadena, California, Arroyo tells the parallel stories of a young inventor and his clairvoyant dog in 1913 and 1993. In both lives, they are drawn to the landmark Colorado Street Bridge, or "Suicide Bridge," as the locals call it, which suffered a lethal collapse during construction but still opened to fanfare in the early twentieth century automobile age. When the refurbished structure commemorates its 80th birthday, one of the planet's best known small towns is virtually unrecognizable from its romanticized, and somewhat invented, past.
Wrought with warmth and wit, Jacobs' debut novel digs into Pasadena's most mysterious structure and the city itself. In their exploits around what was then America's highest, longest roadway, Nick Chance and his impish mutt interact with some of the big personalities from the Progressive Age, including Teddy Roosevelt, Upton Sinclair, Charles Fletcher Lummis, and Lilly and Adolphus Busch, whose gardens were once tabbed the "eighth wonder of the world." They cavort and often sow chaos at Cawston Ostrich Farm, the Mount Lowe Railway, the Hotel Green and even the Doo Dah Parade. But it's the secrets and turmoil around the concrete arches over the Arroyo Seco, and what it means for Nick's destiny, that propels this story of fable versus fact.
While unearthing the truth about the Colorado Street Bridge, in all its eye-catching grandeur and unavoidable darkness, the characters of Arroyo paint a vivid picture of how the home of the Rose Bowl got its dramatic start.
Synopsis:
Set against two distinct epochs in the history of Pasadena, California, Arroyo tells the parallel stories of a young inventor and his clairvoyant dog in 1913 and 1993. In both lives, they are drawn to the landmark Colorado Street Bridge, or "Suicide Bridge," as the locals call it, which suffered a lethal collapse during construction but still opened to fanfare in the early twentieth century automobile age. When the refurbished structure commemorates its 80th birthday, one of the planet's best known small towns is virtually unrecognizable from its romanticized, and somewhat invented, past.
Wrought with warmth and wit, Jacobs' debut novel digs into Pasadena's most mysterious structure and the city itself. In their exploits around what was then America's highest, longest roadway, Nick Chance and his impish mutt interact with some of the big personalities from the Progressive Age, including Teddy Roosevelt, Upton Sinclair, Charles Fletcher Lummis, and Lilly and Adolphus Busch, whose gardens were once tabbed the "eighth wonder of the world." They cavort and often sow chaos at Cawston Ostrich Farm, the Mount Lowe Railway, the Hotel Green and even the Doo Dah Parade. But it's the secrets and turmoil around the concrete arches over the Arroyo Seco, and what it means for Nick's destiny, that propels this story of fable versus fact.
While unearthing the truth about the Colorado Street Bridge, in all its eye-catching grandeur and unavoidable darkness, the characters of Arroyo paint a vivid picture of how the home of the Rose Bowl got its dramatic start.
rogerjpatterson's review against another edition
3.0
Better for its illumination of Pasadena history than its illumination of the human character (or the character of the Colorado street bridge, for that matter), this was still a fun read, especially because of all the local references, many of which were strange but true.
cassies_books_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
This was such an interesting story! I love dual timeline books and this amazing story takes place in 1913 and 1993 and the center of the story is the Colorado Street Bridge or known as Suicide Bridge in Pasadena California.
Nick Chance is is an aspiring solar Lamp inventor and he has a clairvoyant dog Royo! We follow him as he works at Clawston Ostrich Farm, he rides Mrs Grover Cleveland whose an ostrich. Soon his showmanship creates a following and the sick children adore him. With his riding he meets Reginald Plant. When an incident has him leave the farm and he ends up working as a construction worker on the Colorado Street Bridge. With this job he feels with finally open up an opportunity for him for to use his true passion, which is Solar Powered Lamps and maybe they will use them on the bridge. The story focuses on the Bridge and we see twists and the challenges of the people who work on the bridge and the story focuses on the bridge all they way up to its 80th anniversary. I loved how the author added actual real people to the story as characters. There were a few times I had to look up certain words. I would describe this book a bit quirky and different!! Four stars
Nick Chance is is an aspiring solar Lamp inventor and he has a clairvoyant dog Royo! We follow him as he works at Clawston Ostrich Farm, he rides Mrs Grover Cleveland whose an ostrich. Soon his showmanship creates a following and the sick children adore him. With his riding he meets Reginald Plant. When an incident has him leave the farm and he ends up working as a construction worker on the Colorado Street Bridge. With this job he feels with finally open up an opportunity for him for to use his true passion, which is Solar Powered Lamps and maybe they will use them on the bridge. The story focuses on the Bridge and we see twists and the challenges of the people who work on the bridge and the story focuses on the bridge all they way up to its 80th anniversary. I loved how the author added actual real people to the story as characters. There were a few times I had to look up certain words. I would describe this book a bit quirky and different!! Four stars
crolovr's review against another edition
4.0
Arroyo is the second book I have read by Chip Jacobs. His books are well researched and entertaining with likeable characters. Told in parallel timelines, I liked the pace of this story.
How can you not like a story about a man and his clairvoyant dog! The facts surrounding the construction of "Suicide Bridge" and the people who died on it was interesting. I enjoyed the descriptions of Pasadena, as I have never visited that area of California. I highly recommend this book.
How can you not like a story about a man and his clairvoyant dog! The facts surrounding the construction of "Suicide Bridge" and the people who died on it was interesting. I enjoyed the descriptions of Pasadena, as I have never visited that area of California. I highly recommend this book.
geauxgetlit's review against another edition
3.0
I’ve never been to Pasadena, but in the early twentieth century a bridge was built and locals call it the suicide bridge. This was the story of Nick in his intuitive dog in parallel timelines. Nick was responsible for lighting the bridge however it crashed and killed many. This was very interesting and even though it was fiction, I felt like I received a bit of real history also.
gpg's review against another edition
4.0
There’s some magical realism, lots of fascinating historical detail about Pasadena and southern California, and lots of eating. I got to interview the author for the New Books Network: https://newbooksnetwork.com/chip-jacobs-arroyo-rare-birds-books-2019
lilfirefly's review against another edition
First, I would like thank author for sending me the digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
All along it felt like a beautiful tribute to the old Pasadena and the Colorado Street Bridge. Given the fact that I don't live in Pasadena or anywhere near it, I had to dig, get my head around the facts and incidents which helped me understand the framework and concept of the book.
Two parts of the book, focusing on the Colorado Street Bridge aka 'Suicide Bridge', so skillfully told that it felt like there were two books inside one. Though I had a hard time in connecting to the narration in the first few pages of the book, I must say that author's storytelling power is promising.
Apart from the dark humour this historical fiction had to offer, the heartwarming relationship between Nick and his dog and their adventures are something that is going to stay with me even when the storytelling is over.
All along it felt like a beautiful tribute to the old Pasadena and the Colorado Street Bridge. Given the fact that I don't live in Pasadena or anywhere near it, I had to dig, get my head around the facts and incidents which helped me understand the framework and concept of the book.
Two parts of the book, focusing on the Colorado Street Bridge aka 'Suicide Bridge', so skillfully told that it felt like there were two books inside one. Though I had a hard time in connecting to the narration in the first few pages of the book, I must say that author's storytelling power is promising.
Apart from the dark humour this historical fiction had to offer, the heartwarming relationship between Nick and his dog and their adventures are something that is going to stay with me even when the storytelling is over.