Carter Beats the Devil

My favorite novels, particularly historical novels, perfectly capture the era in which they are set not just in the character and setting but also in the style they are written. I like my Victorian novels epic and sooty, for example. "Carter Beats the Devil", based (VERY loosely) on the actual life and career of Charles Carter (NOT Houdini, as implied by some other reviewers), a turn-of-the century magician, perfectly brings to life the 1920s era. The elaborate, tricky, and slightly melodramatic plot leaves me wondering 'what next' like an old "Perils of Pauline" silent film (the ones with the dame tied to the railroad tracks). It has the slightly slapstick quality of those movies, too. Even the modest romantic interludes have a 20s sincerity to them. It's as thrilling as a summer blockbuster movie, circa 1927. Since the book had a reputation as a 'literary' novel, I was surprised how well it worked as sheer entertainment. This doesn't mean it lacks depth, though. Carter (the magician character) is not what you think he is, a mystery to be worked out. The same is true of many of the characters. The author gets you to think about the meaning of deception and honesty, escape and confinement, even the price and value of freedom. It's even more interesting to read because Gold borrows techniques from magic itself to accomplish this; the author is quite adept at slight-of-hand and misdirection. You will not soon guess how it ends!

It's hard to imagine how difficult it must be to write a historical-based novel, especially one based on something so esoteric as magic, but Glen David Gold has made it look easy. He blends an acute sense of time and place with a character that simply holds the reader's attention the entire length of the book. How else can the Marx Brothers, Harry Houdini, Warren G. Harding, and Philo Farnsworth be peripheral characters unless the protagonist is just that much more fascinating? I don't know if the real Carter the Great could have lived up to his portrayal in this novel, but it's immensely pleasurable to try and figure that out.I can't remember the last time I read a novel with so many plot twists that come out of nowhere and yet make perfect sense. Obviously in his magic research Gold learned a thing or two about misdirection. His only missteps are on two occasions where he foreshadows a bit too obviously, but that's nitpicking. Like John Irving, Gold will refer back to passages that came up several chapters ago and tie everything up in a neat package before the reader realizes it.Great book, plowed through it in less than a week, recommending it to everyone.

When a news reporter asks Carter the Great why he does magic, his final, somehat evasive, reply is "What I mean is, the world is an awful place, isn't it? Magic makes it less awful for a moment or two...If I can shake the world world off a man's shoulders, I feel better."Glen David Gold's debut novel does exactly that, and more, for several of the best reading hours I've spent in years. The five hundred pages fly by like doves out of a hat in a novel worthy of the best of American fiction. If you like John Irving, Doctorow, or Mark Helprin at their best, Gold is their equal first time out.A wonderful, wonderful, captivating read!

I'll admit it... I rarely have the patience for a long novel. This book, however, is very, very different.It's funny. It's clever. It's filled with joy and wonder and emotion and I cried twice.I can't remember the last time I read a novel that I enjoyed so much. How much? At one point, I sat on an airplane (After a four hour flight) for ten minutes after we landed, trying to finish a chapter. They finally had to ask me to leave the plane so they could finish cleaning it.Don't let the magic connection fool you. It has more to do with Ragtime than it does with a kid's birthday party. As a fan of magic, though, I can tell you that the references to big-time, old-fashioned vaudeville magic were terrific.Sorry for the long review but I wanted you to realize that this is a must read. I wish I could read it again for the first time. Buy a few copies, and give them to friends.