Carter Beats the Devil - Glen David Gold

68%
11.10.10

A thriller, yes, but oddly the plot got in the way of the exuberant re-creation of stage magic in the days before television robbed us of our wonder. A compelling hero, unusually feisty heroines, vivid historical detail and, on another level, an encyclopedic portrayal of the life of early-twentieth century showmen. You can sit and think about the complexities (life versus art; show versus reality; what magic really means) or you can sit and gasp in the audience and just go with the flow.

3 comments:

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  2. I may have to read this, had heard of this book but not picked one up. In fact I'm off to Kindle store now.

    Have you read any Mark Gatiss?

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  3. Hi there! Yes, I read "The Vesuvius Club" a couple of years ago, which was, as you'd expect from him, slightly eccentric, slightly disturbing fun. "Carter Beats the Devil" is less of a parody than that and dark comedy of a meatier kind.

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