Carter Beats the Devil - *book group discussion thread*

7 watchers
Oct 2015
7:52pm, 7 Oct 2015
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Bintmcskint
I chose this because I felt it would be good to pick a book that I had read and loved and that I was ready to re-read.

My Dad and I shared the books we read. All sorts of stuff from literary fiction to James Patterson. We didn't always like the same things but that meant we read things that challenged us (like Fetch book group :-))
After he died, this was the first book I read and thought "I wish he was here. He'd love this"
EdJ
Oct 2015
8:39pm, 7 Oct 2015
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EdJ
I re-read this recently, having first read it a few years ago. Really enjoyed it both times.

My late father was not a great reader, but my mother and sister both are - and I rely on them to feed me with new and interesting stuff. I think Carter was a Christmas present from one of them.
Nov 2015
3:00pm, 23 Nov 2015
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LindsD
Just posted a big review and lost it when I clicked 'watch thread'. Ugh!!!

I'll try to remember.

I started off by saying that your story was sad and lovely at the same time, Bint.

Thanks for suggesting this as I really enjoyed it. I looked forward to my next opportunity to read and find out what was going to happen, even though I was a little put off at first as I have no affinity with magic or that era.

I thought the characters were very well-drawn, for the most part and I particularly liked the relationship between Carter and his brother, and Carter and Ledocq.

I was a bit confused about one thing, though. Were Borax's 'girls' unmarried mothers? If so, where were the children? Or were they just women who had had sex out of marriage? How did people even know, in that case?
Nov 2015
3:07pm, 23 Nov 2015
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Sharkie
It's such an unusual book, a real 'story' but life affirming, charming and surprising too. I came across it totally by chance as my third 3 for 2 book.
Nov 2015
3:26pm, 23 Nov 2015
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DazTheSlug
ah Linds, if I'm ever going to write a longish post I always do it in Notepad first then copy&paste to the thread *smarm_smarm*
which reminds me I never registered my thoughts on this book... so:
I found it VERY LONG without any good reason
It was well written, evocative of the time and had good characters/dialogue
but there didn't seem to be enough drama for the length
the short chapters and the easy-reading style meant that it was easy to pick up and read a small amount - towards the end I would even read bits while listening to music or in the adverts of something I was watching on TV - normally I like to give a book my full attention - but the lack of a gripping storyline meant that it was also easy to put down
a lot of the chapters were nicely written vignettes which I could imagine as scenes in a film - in fact I eventually decided that the best way to describe the style was as if the author were trying to describe a film he had seen... in *great detail* (far greater than necessary in a screenplay for instance)
I gave it 7/10 and would recommend it to someone going on holiday for 2 weeks who only wanted to take one book with them
Nov 2015
4:08pm, 23 Nov 2015
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LindsD
I also thought it was quite filmic, especially the end.
Nov 2015
4:09pm, 23 Nov 2015
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Sharkie
But then so is Bleak House....
Nov 2015
4:14pm, 23 Nov 2015
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LindsD
Oh, it wasn't a criticism. At least not from me :)
Nov 2015
4:27pm, 23 Nov 2015
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DazTheSlug
I was actually going to mention Dickens with reference to the vignette-chapters, although obviously Dickens didn't have movies in mind!
Nov 2015
4:51pm, 23 Nov 2015
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Sharkie
Oh and Daz I agree Carter is a great holiday book - which also isn't a critcism. I don't like to 'spoil' a hol with something too gloomy or gory - but neither do I want a load of froth.

I read Carter in a sleepy little Italian seaside town south of Naples.... *sigh*

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I chose this because I felt it would be good to pick a book that I had read and loved and that I was...

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