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Carter Beats the Devil

By Glen David Gold, Glen Gold

(19)

| Hardcover | 9780786867349

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Book Description

An amazing, richly evocative novel of magic and history in the tradition of E. L. Doctorow and Caleb Carr.

America in the 1920s was a nation obsessed with magic. Not just the kind performed in theaters and on stages across the country, but the magic of technology, science, and prosperitContinue

An amazing, richly evocative novel of magic and history in the tradition of E. L. Doctorow and Caleb Carr.

America in the 1920s was a nation obsessed with magic. Not just the kind performed in theaters and on stages across the country, but the magic of technology, science, and prosperity. Enter Charles Carter -- a.k.a. Carter the Great -- a young master performer whose skill as an illusionist exceeds even that of the great Houdini. Fueled by a passion for magic that grew out of desperation and loneliness, Carter has become a legend in his own time. His thrilling act involves outrageous stunts carried out on elaborate sets before the most demanding audiences. But the most outrageous stunt of all stars none other than President Warren Harding and ends up nearly costing Carter the reputation he worked so hard to create. Filled with historical references that evoke the excesses and enthusiasm of postwar, pre-Depression America, Carter Beats the Devil is the complex and illuminating story of one man's journey through a magical -- and sometimes dangerous -- world, where illusion is everything, and everything is illusory.

2 Reviews

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  • What a charming historical fiction about a famous magician in the golden age of magicians and vaudeville. Even when Carter's not on stage, the story is full of misdirection and illusions. I thought I had the ending all figured out, but I was magically misdirected and was surprised at the actual endi ... (continue)

    What a charming historical fiction about a famous magician in the golden age of magicians and vaudeville. Even when Carter's not on stage, the story is full of misdirection and illusions. I thought I had the ending all figured out, but I was magically misdirected and was surprised at the actual ending. If you were a magic fan as a child, enjoyed that wonderment, this is a must read. Reading this ficitionalized story, got me interested in Carter the Great, Philo Farnsworth, and Borax Smith, and so led me to reading non-fictions about them. That's a great historical fiction, one that gets you so hooked you have to find out the truth of their lives and stories.

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    javajinny said on Nov 1, 2010 | Add your feedback

  • At times a fairly exciting story but not enough to make it a page turner for me. Everything was predictable starting from the first 200 pages continuing to the last 400 ones. Secret service conspiracies were dry and the writing not so captivating. Would recommend this as a summer read if it wasn't s ... (continue)

    At times a fairly exciting story but not enough to make it a page turner for me. Everything was predictable starting from the first 200 pages continuing to the last 400 ones. Secret service conspiracies were dry and the writing not so captivating. Would recommend this as a summer read if it wasn't so long.

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    s u v i said on Mar 25, 2008 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback

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9780786867349 Hardcover $24.95 -- The Book Depository
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