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Summary: save your money
Review: I'm reading it and I can't stand. save your money.
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Summary: The Best Novel I Have Read Ever! Seriously!
Review: So I usually read Alternate History, and sci fi, but ever since this book came out I've been curious about it. The premise seemed interesting, It's 1896 New York and theres a serial killer roaming the cobblestone streets of the industrial smoked city. So about... oh one month ago i purchased the novel. I was anxious to see how the book was and quickly put down the book I was reading and proceeded to read the immense novel. And I was ENGROSSED. For days straight I couldn't put it down. I forgot about TV, the Internet and everything else, sitting for hours reading about John Shuyler Moore, Dr. Kreilzer, Sara, Stevie, and the rest. How could could I help solve the mystery I though before I closed my eyes for sleep and once I woke up. In school i would find time to cacth up on the manhunt for the boy-whore killer, ignoring the wild antics of my friends and the common drudgery of school. It was humourous, shocking, suspensful, exciting! i rarely read books in less than month due mostly to a hectic schedule, but this I finish in less than two weeks. I suggest this book to ANYONE. No matter your taste you'll love this book. I'm currently making the rest of my family read it. I also bought the sequel ANGEL OF DARKNESS, which I have yet to read. i wont spoil the book for you since I urge you to buy this book and read it as soon as you can!
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Summary: Great Historical Mystery Without Cliches
Review: "The Alienist", by Caleb Carr, is one of the best mystery novels I have read. Granted, it's not for everyone: there's no quick fix, no romance, no completely happy ending. Starting in 1919 with the death of Theodore Roosevelt (a minor character in the novel), the journalist narrator, John Moore, takes us back to 1896, when a string of horrible child murders baffled New York City. However, there's a call not to investigate: the victims are primarily "boy whores" who dress as girls and sometimes cater to the rich and powerful, not to mention the seedy underbelly of NYC. The investigation becomes unofficial, and brings together a diverse and memorable cast of characters: Roosevelt, Moore, Laszlo Kreizler (an "Alienist" or psychologist), the Isaacson brothers (Jewish detectives not completely accepted by the police in this era), and Sara Howard, a woman who dares to dream of policework. In addition to Roosevelt, real-life notables who briefly appear include Jacob Riis ("How the Other Half Lives"), and J.P. Morgan. The search for this "alienated"/serial killer is engrossing, and Carr includes what for the time were controversial and groundbreaking investigative tools such as fingerprinting. With the present debates over DNA evidence, the reader can see a parallel from just over a hundred years ago, when crime and criminals were only prosecuted if middle/upper class whites were victims. Some readers may not like the last quarter of the book: there are no happy endings in the traditional sense. Good history and good mystery.
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Summary: Amazing
Review: Caleb Carr's blend of historical fact and incredible, fast-paced, rivetting fiction is amazing. I have read thousands of books and I have never found someone like Carr. This is a quick read but it is a piece that will thrust you into the wonderful, dark and dangerous world of controversial Alienist, Dr. Lazlo Kriezler and the wonderful world of 19th Century Manhattan. Buy this book, read it and share it with your firends. They will love you for it.
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Summary: Loved it!
Review: I bought this on my brother's recommendation, read two pages, and knew I was going to be up all night with it! Caleb Carr's period details are stunning, the characters well-rounded, and the storyline top-notch. Don't listen to the naysayers who say this novel is a Victorian "Silence of The Lambs"--it's not really all that bloody, and the juxtaposition of psychology and Victorian mores and ideas is fascinating. An absolute must for any historical fan--or mystery fan, for that matter. How good is this book? My husband, who normally doesn't read for pleasure, absolutely devoured this book and demanded I buy him his own copy--he's re-read it three times! That, my friends, should be proof enough for you.
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Summary: Don't Believe The Hype
Review: First of all, this book, at 600 pages, was about 200 pages longer than it really needed to be. The nail-biting suspense in 18th Century Manhattan was often interrupted by boring trips to South Dakota (or was it North Dakota, or Montana?), Washington D.C., and upstate New York ("downstate" for some). Carr tried to sink deeply into psychological and religious themes, but only succeeded in exploring these themes in an unconvincing and superficial manner. He did succeed in describing the bodies of mutilated boy prostitutes with excessive grotesqueness; however, this required little sophistication and is certainly not my idea of a literary accomplishment. With half-hearted romances that never blossom, and numerous shady characters lurking in the background for reasons left largely to the reader's speculation, "The Alienist" proved rather dissatisfying. Indeed, the "alienist" himself suddenly disappears for a lengthy period at a crucial moment in the book, but then reappears near the end to set things back in order (imagine that!). This is a nail-biter interspersed with sufficient dull moments to allow your nails to grow back.
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Summary: To Slow, To Mundane
Review: I tried reading this book, but didn't finish. It seemed as if it was taking forever, if at all, for the characters and plot to develop. Reading the reviews, and hype, I thought it would be great, but unfortunately it was not. It simply drug on, and on, with no point, plot, or excitement.
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Summary: Carr's Mysteries are Top Notch
Review: Caleb Carr is one of my new favorite authors. The Alienist as a mystery is thrilling. The techniques that his characters use are fasinating- especially the revolutionary methods. . . such as Fingerprinting! The way Carr describes the dark side of New York is absolutely bone chilling. The steam rising from the street and the terrible noises on the edge of perception. Kreizler is a dectective that captivates like none since Sherlock Holmes; his companions are equally fasinating. Lets hope that Carr keeps writting!This is a must read for any mystery fans, history buffs, or someone interested in an all around exciting book to read.
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Summary: Best book I've read.
Review: A great mystery novel. It was a joy to read this. Wile reading this book you get an old New york type of feeling. It seems to grap you so you want to read as much as you can. It leaves you guesing though out every chapter. Who is the killer? Where is he going to pop up next? Who is next on his list? and what are the good guys going to do to stop his insane killing spre? It's fun to read and I would recomend it anymore who likes this type of story.
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Summary: Dont waste your time
Review: I borrowed The alienist from a friend and I am glad I did. Not because the book was any good, but because I didnt have to pay for it. The cover photograph is beautiful, the font is nice to read and the hype was incredible. Great advertising campaign. And then you get to read the book... I know this is a first novel by Caleb Carr, but it would appear that this novel was written as if made to order. "Hey Caleb, please write 1,245 pages, exactly... I dont care if you can tell the story in less words. In page 48, please enter the worst murder you can imagine.. ah, and please, be nasty. That sells." See what I mean? The story doesnt come natural. It's like everyone is trying to convince you that you have a great book in your hands, especially the author, and you simply never understand why. Unless you dont want to appear dumb and prefer to go with the crowd, and read the whole book in a thousand painful nights and lie when they ask you for an oppinion. Actually, I couldnt finish the book. No, dont think I didnt read the final chapter. I cheated. I jumped to the next-to-the last chapter. And the end is sooooooo cliché. Dont waste your time.
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