Name: The Illusionists
Rating: 2.166666666666667 (3 reviews)
ISBN: 9780007512034

Rosie Thomas

From the bestselling author of the phenomenally successful The Kashmir Shawl

The Illusionists

An enchanting, Dickensian tale of desire, magic and the Victorian theatre, perfect for fans of Sarah Waters, The Night Circus and Water for Elephants--from the beloved and bestselling author of The Kashmir Shawl London, 1885--a challenging place for a young, beautiful woman of limited means. But Eliza is modern before her time. She longs for more than the stifling, if respectable, conventionality of marriage, children, domestic drudgery. Through her work as an artist's model, she meets the magnetic and irascible Devil Wix--a born showman whose dream is to run his own theatre company. Devil's right-hand man is Carlo Bonomi, an ill-tempered dwarf who is a talented magician and illusionist. Carlo and Devil clash at every turn and it falls to Eliza to broker an uneasy peace between them. Jasper Button, a mild-mannered family man at heart, is a gifted artist and the unlikely final member of the motley crew. With self-styled impresario Devil at the helm of the Palmyra Theatre, acrobats and illusionists astonish audiences with their death-defying stunts and the magic of mysterious new inventions--like electricity. Backstage, secret romances, box-office dramas and power struggles inevitably simmer, and intermittently boil over. And as Eliza is drawn into their seductive, precarious and exciting bohemian world, she risks not only her heart, but also her life . . . Framed by Rosie Thomas's rich portrayal of the rapidly changing world of late-Victorian England, The Illusionists takes readers on an unforgettable journey with a cast of passionate, larger-than-life figures who are inextricably linked through their shared love of the stage and the theatre, and who will make you laugh and break your heart.

taryn a.

While I prefer books with a strong plot as opposed to character studies, I still find the latter (which this novel seems to fall under) enjoyable when done right -- the wild thing about The Illusionists is that aside from a distinct lack of narrative, the characters manage to be flat and bland too. 

The leading man is a certified vaudeville-edition Bad Boy with a tragic backstory, literally nicknamed Devil, that's so good looking a female coworker sleeps with him after exchanging a single look. He's a philanderer until he meets the object of his childhood best friend's affection, Eliza, with whom he shares an Instant Connection. Eliza is Not Like Other Girls because she's "modern," and for the first third of the book her whole personality seems to be boiled down to disagreeing with the status quo and the men around her to prove as much. She's also so Beautiful and Different that at any given time there are 3-4 characters in love with her. Their relationship is largely dry and predictable, but somehow also includes surprises like (view spoiler)[near-instantaneous forgiveness of Devil leaving his betrothed in a dangerous/traumatic situation in order to finish a show, or casually forgotten adultery. (hide spoiler)] 

The supporting cast is rarely better, with everybody an amalgamation of established, tired tropes and 1-2 character traits they're rarely allowed to deviate from or grow out of. The only side character I found both original & interesting (if not still a little one-note and exaggerated) is later shoehorned into the implication that he's (view spoiler)[Jack the Ripper (hide spoiler)]??

Part Two is measurably better than Parts One or Three, but still drags. The writing itself is mediocre, but regardless of the faults, the fullness of the theatre and the world depicted within it deserves its own star.

In late 19th century London, wealthy artist's model Eliza puts her heart, and her life, on the line when she falls into the company of an enigmatic showman called Devil; Carlo Bonomi, an ill-tempered dwarf with a penchant for magic and illusion; and the even more mysterious Jasper Button.

A Novel

Mary Cullen

i did not enjoy this book at all i found the plot boring and slow and it took me forever to read and put me into a reading slump to be completely honest

The Illusionists

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