Lovedgreat novel I read it about 10 12 years ago in nyrb Classics and it's about geek and of course what geek is really is somebody who bites the head off a chicken in a sidh show in a carnival
Review 1 of 3
Nightmare Alley (1946)
Creators: Liked Stanton Carlisle, employed as a carny at a travelling circus watches their freak-show geek - an abject alcoholic, the object of the voyeuristic crowd's gleeful disgust and derision - and wonders how a man could fall so low. There's no way in hell, he vows, that anything like that will ever happen to him. Unlike the tragic figure he sees before him, Stan is young, clever and ambitious and quick to learn from the other carnival acts. Initially teaming up with a beautiful but vulnerable woman as part of a double act in which he mesmerises her, Stan soon leaves his circus days behind him, becoming a successful spiritualist who exploits the weak and the wealthy. But even the very best con-men can meet their match...
Loved
Mixedas you can imagine the novel feels quite dated at this point particularly when it comes to how a lot of the characters are presented and it actually gets pretty melodramatic at times
Lovedhe wrote a forward or an introduction or something for a william lindsey gresham's nightmare alley which is a terrific book about a crooked kearney i have a review of that one great read
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What made the match, strongest first
- Liked by creators43 reviews
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