Question #1: Time to Fess Up ...
Most book club votes are not unanimous. Some people want to read the book. Others only read the book because they have to ... the majority voted for it, but they weren't part of the majority. Okay, so, tell the truth—did you actually want to read this book? If so, what was the appeal? If not, please let us know why.
posted by Twanna A. Hines | FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com at
5:31 AM
9 Comments:
I wasn't overjoyed about the idea of this book, but it had already been decided by the time I stumbled upon the blog and I certainly wasn't going to rock the boat. I was worried it would be creepy- more true crime than it really was. Much of the time I read escapist fiction instead of real stuff I have to sink my teeth into.
However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned, and really enjoyed this book. In fact, I liked it much better than the Jane Austen book we read last time. :)
By
mamashine, at 6:23 AM
I really wanted to read another book I already had on my bookshelf, but I wasn't upset to read this book. Like Kelli, I tend to choose escapist fiction for myself, but I have found that I frequently enjoy books read for a book club that I would not have picked on my own. In fact, I have read some of my favorite books this way.
Larson expertly wound the stories of the fair, it's creation and execution and the atrocities of Holmes together so that it didn't feel like a historical work, but more of a novel. It was interesting and exciting without being too creepy or bogged down in the minutia of fair preparation details.
By
MamaChristy, at 10:53 AM
I wanted to read the book for two reasons - it came highly recommended from a very trusted source and because I had read Isaac's Storm (also written by this author based on actual events in Galveston Texas)
By
E, at 5:46 PM
I wanted to read this summer. After it came out, I would commute to work in the mornings and it seemed that EVERYONE on Chicago's public transit system was reading it!!
I bought a copy of it, but I never read it. So, when I had the opportunity to place a vote for this book club, I voted for this book, too. :)
By
Twanna A. Hines | FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com, at 5:04 AM
I was excited to read this for two reasons : 1) I've been on kind of a historical fiction kick lately just because it's like the spoonful of sugar on the medicine. I, like Kelli and Christy, enjoy escapist fiction, but I also find stories about real people fascinating. I find historical fiction offers me insights into our current world in a fascinating way, but it's fun to read. 2) A good friend of mine lives in Chicago, and when i went to visit her this January, she was talking about it. (Stolie, she said exactly what you did -- that *everybody* there was reading it.)
My only reservation (and isn't this horrible and shallow of me) is that it was written by a guy. And, forgive me, but I was thinking: serial killer, historical, male writer ... this is going to be dry, creepy and lacking emotional heft. (I read very few male writers, which is a very misanthropic attitude and a poor stereotype, so I thank the Ravenous Readers for helping me break out of the box.)
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JenniNapa, at 11:37 AM
JenniNappa - did you end up being ok with his writing style?
pinkLady - I figured you'd get into it once it got to the people part!
As I mentioned I read his other book Isaac's Storm and really enjoyed it. It was an "easier" beginning read - more of the details made sence to me because of being so familiar with the location, the history of that story and hurricanes in general.
Stollie,
Do you think you had an easier time reading because it was set in a familiar location?
By
E, at 4:22 PM
E ... Yes, his writing grew on me. But, just like Kim, it left me cold right at the beginning. If I hadn't been on a plane and with the sense of "I need to be able to discuss this," I don't know that I would have pushed myself through the beginning. To me, things didn't really get interesting until the idea for the Ferris Wheel came about, and I didn't find it just fascinating until the fair part. I would have liked a little more drama in his writing, but I appreciate that he was honest and presented only things he could reasonably prove and/or assume. To me it was more history than historical fiction. What did you think?
By
JenniNapa, at 10:03 PM
E,
Oh, definitely!
A good friend lives in the neighborhood where the World's Fair took place; it's near the University of Chicago.
And, a lot of landmarks, street names, etc. are named after characters mentioned in the book.
Yeah, that summer after the book came out, it seemd that EVERYONE in Chicago was reading it ...
By
Twanna A. Hines | FUNKYBROWNCHICK.com, at 8:14 AM
on the inside page where it lists all the disclaimers, technical references... libaray of congress etc...(What is this page called? -- I've gone blank LOL)
There is no reference to fiction at all... so long story short - yes this is a historical story not fiction at all;Larson mentions how he wrote the story in the acknowledgement at the end of the book.
By
E, at 9:37 AM
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