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A review by phoebejeziel
The City Beautiful by Aden Polydoros
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
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
5.0
Wow. What a tale!!! I absolutely loved this!! In the past I have not really been into historical fiction (or even historical fantasy) but lately I have truly been enjoying and loving some really fantastic tales.
The City Beautiful is a haunting, ghostly, gothic tale that truly explores so many themes in a multifaceted way. It explores queerness in the 1800s, the lives of those immigrating over to America during this time period, anti-semitism, politics, abuse, injustice, and ultimately: what it means to fight for your right to be human.
Our main character, Alter is a wonderful character who is truly just trying his best!!!! Haunted by his past and the murder of a dear friend, Alter is thrown into a situation and task of making things right. Alter is also drawn back so another person from his past. All while many jewish boys are being murdered left and right!
This story is tense, scary, and again- absolutely haunting. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I am not familiar with Jewish culture or customs, but I deeply appreciated the language, mythology, and overall rich storytelling and culture immersion that this book had. I found it incredibly fascinating and I learned so much!!
This for sure has become one of my top books of the year, it was absolutely fantastic. If you like ghostly gothic tales, murder mysteries and are looking to read something unique and also diverse- this is definitely the pick for you!!! For anyone really. You should ALL ready this book!!
The City Beautiful is a haunting, ghostly, gothic tale that truly explores so many themes in a multifaceted way. It explores queerness in the 1800s, the lives of those immigrating over to America during this time period, anti-semitism, politics, abuse, injustice, and ultimately: what it means to fight for your right to be human.
Our main character, Alter is a wonderful character who is truly just trying his best!!!! Haunted by his past and the murder of a dear friend, Alter is thrown into a situation and task of making things right. Alter is also drawn back so another person from his past. All while many jewish boys are being murdered left and right!
This story is tense, scary, and again- absolutely haunting. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I am not familiar with Jewish culture or customs, but I deeply appreciated the language, mythology, and overall rich storytelling and culture immersion that this book had. I found it incredibly fascinating and I learned so much!!
This for sure has become one of my top books of the year, it was absolutely fantastic. If you like ghostly gothic tales, murder mysteries and are looking to read something unique and also diverse- this is definitely the pick for you!!! For anyone really. You should ALL ready this book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism
Moderate: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, and Sexual assault