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Curious Toys
The year is 1915 and Pin, the fourteen-year-old daughter of an amusement park fortune teller, disguises herself as a boy to run with the teenage boys who thrive in the dregs of Chicago's street scene.
Unbeknownst to the well-heeled city-dwellers and visitors who come to enjoy its attractions, Riverview Park is also host to a brutal serial killer, a perfumed pedophile who uses the secrecy of a dark amusement park ride to conduct his crimes. When Pin sees a man enter the Hell Gate ride with a young girl, and leave without her, she knows that something deadly is afoot.
The crime will lead her to the iconic outsider artist Henry Darger, a brilliant but seemingly mad man obsessed with his illustrated novel about a group of young girls who triumph over adult oppressors. Together, the two navigate the seedy underbelly of a changing city to uncover a murderer few even know to look for.
Unbeknownst to the well-heeled city-dwellers and visitors who come to enjoy its attractions, Riverview Park is also host to a brutal serial killer, a perfumed pedophile who uses the secrecy of a dark amusement park ride to conduct his crimes. When Pin sees a man enter the Hell Gate ride with a young girl, and leave without her, she knows that something deadly is afoot.
The crime will lead her to the iconic outsider artist Henry Darger, a brilliant but seemingly mad man obsessed with his illustrated novel about a group of young girls who triumph over adult oppressors. Together, the two navigate the seedy underbelly of a changing city to uncover a murderer few even know to look for.
375 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2019
250 people are currently reading
8258 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Hand
186 books1,312 followersA New York Times notable and multiple award– winning author, Elizabeth Hand has written seven novels, including the cult classic Waking the Moon, and short-story collections. She is a longtime contributor to numerous publications, including the Washington Post Book World and the Village Voice Literary Supplement. She and her two children divide their time between the coast of Maine and North London.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 407 reviews
April 15, 2020
Really wanted to love this book. The writing craft is great. Loved-loved the details of the time period and could've read the book just for reliving that age. I am a proponent of the "Fictive Dream," and it's just not here. I enjoyed the main character Pin, a little girl masquerading as a boy, in a violent world; excellent premise. There were too many points of view that got in the way of the story telling. The conflict in the story wasn't set until page 80, a little to long especially with all the points of view. Jeopardy was attached until long after the conflict was set. I can easily see how other readers would enjoy this book, it just wasn't for me.
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March 30, 2020
Excellent! Super creepy with fantastic historical detail of 1915 Chicago and a wonderful protagonist, Pin, a girl masquerading as a boy. I liked how Elizabeth Hand brought real-life people (Charlie Chaplin, Henry Darger) into this terrific story of serial killings, police corruption, greed, movie-making, carnies and poverty.
November 10, 2019
Giveaway win!
An intrepid young woman who dresses like a boy, stalks a murderer through a turn of the century Chicago amusement park.
Curious Toys is my first Elizabeth Hand novel but it will not be my last. I would have finished this weeks ago had I not fallen into a deep reading slump. I didn't want to pick this book up until I was in the proper mood to enjoy it.
Curious Toys mixes fictional characters with real life people. One real "character's" reveal will make you want to read this book all over again.
Curious Toys is creepy and fun. Elizabeth Hand created a wonderfully imaginative world. It was atmospheric, unsettling and dark.
I recommend Curious Toys to lovers of Historical Fiction and readers who like books that are weird in the best possible way.
An intrepid young woman who dresses like a boy, stalks a murderer through a turn of the century Chicago amusement park.
Curious Toys is my first Elizabeth Hand novel but it will not be my last. I would have finished this weeks ago had I not fallen into a deep reading slump. I didn't want to pick this book up until I was in the proper mood to enjoy it.
Curious Toys mixes fictional characters with real life people. One real "character's" reveal will make you want to read this book all over again.
Curious Toys is creepy and fun. Elizabeth Hand created a wonderfully imaginative world. It was atmospheric, unsettling and dark.
I recommend Curious Toys to lovers of Historical Fiction and readers who like books that are weird in the best possible way.
November 6, 2021
4.5, rounded up.
How one feels about this story would depend a great deal, I would think, on how much one knows of, and appreciates, the life and work of real life outsider artist Henry Darger. I first became aware of, and admittedly obsessed with him, upon hearing Natalie Merchant's gorgeous 2001 song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zt2x.... I subsequently bought several volumes on his art (some of which are now OOP and selling for four figures!) Anyway, when I heard about this mystery/thriller which features Darger in a major role, I was in.
In one sense, this is really just a (really well done) genre thriller/mystery, but the care Hand exhibits in getting all the details just right elevates it in my estimation. And the fact that the real Darger was briefly considered to be a pedophiliac murderer of young girls, based upon the more disturbing elements of his art, just adds an extra fillip to the proceedings. Even if one isn't all that interested in Darger, there is enough here for fans of turn of the century historical fiction or the early days of cinema (other real life characters include Charlie Chaplin, Louella Parsons, Ben(nie) Hecht, 'Wally' Beery ... and another famous silent film star (who is only revealed in the final pages ... so I won't spoil it!) to warrant a gander.
However, to get the most out of this, it would be prudent to at least read through Darger's Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_D...), and also take a look at one or both of the documentaries about him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjCS_... and Jessica Yu's award-winning one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRlvD....
PS ... is it just me, or is this one of the ugliest cover designs imaginable?
How one feels about this story would depend a great deal, I would think, on how much one knows of, and appreciates, the life and work of real life outsider artist Henry Darger. I first became aware of, and admittedly obsessed with him, upon hearing Natalie Merchant's gorgeous 2001 song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zt2x.... I subsequently bought several volumes on his art (some of which are now OOP and selling for four figures!) Anyway, when I heard about this mystery/thriller which features Darger in a major role, I was in.
In one sense, this is really just a (really well done) genre thriller/mystery, but the care Hand exhibits in getting all the details just right elevates it in my estimation. And the fact that the real Darger was briefly considered to be a pedophiliac murderer of young girls, based upon the more disturbing elements of his art, just adds an extra fillip to the proceedings. Even if one isn't all that interested in Darger, there is enough here for fans of turn of the century historical fiction or the early days of cinema (other real life characters include Charlie Chaplin, Louella Parsons, Ben(nie) Hecht, 'Wally' Beery ... and another famous silent film star (who is only revealed in the final pages ... so I won't spoil it!) to warrant a gander.
However, to get the most out of this, it would be prudent to at least read through Darger's Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_D...), and also take a look at one or both of the documentaries about him: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjCS_... and Jessica Yu's award-winning one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRlvD....
PS ... is it just me, or is this one of the ugliest cover designs imaginable?
November 16, 2019
The premise was interesting, and thus, I had great hopes when I started reading.
Alas, about a third of the way in I thought I might not finish, but, since a friend whose opinion I respect and trust said some encouraging things, I did make my way through.
My issue was that I never felt any real connection with or concern about any of the characters. Pin, the young girl who pretends to be a boy to stay safe in a dangerous world, was clearly meant to spur the reader's empathy. For me, she seemed an idea rather than a flesh and blood character.
And, as I said, the idea was promising, but, its execution left me cold.
Alas, about a third of the way in I thought I might not finish, but, since a friend whose opinion I respect and trust said some encouraging things, I did make my way through.
My issue was that I never felt any real connection with or concern about any of the characters. Pin, the young girl who pretends to be a boy to stay safe in a dangerous world, was clearly meant to spur the reader's empathy. For me, she seemed an idea rather than a flesh and blood character.
And, as I said, the idea was promising, but, its execution left me cold.
December 27, 2019
I would be remiss in not beginning this review with a very, very emphatic trigger warning for child murder and pedophilia. If these are trigger issues for you, you’ll need to stay away from this one.
That said, I would also point out that if you’re on the fence about these things, this book is not nearly as dark or disturbing as such a trigger warning might imply. The attacks do take place on page and are in some cases described, though not graphically so. For what it’s worth, I’m definitely someone who is on the fence with this sort of trigger, and this book didn’t upset me at all.
The story features a delightful main character in Pin, a young woman who works odd jobs (some aboveboard, some not) at a carnival in Chicago while dressed as a boy, which both keeps her safe and makes her feel more personally comfortable than if she were presenting herself to the world as female.
Despite its dark themes, the book is sweeter than one would expect, largely because of the host of interesting friendships Pin strikes up as she navigates her own confusing and oft dangerous world and attempts to catch a murderer. And though the book is more character study and historical fiction than actual mystery, Hand acquits herself well as an author who can respectably handle the themes of all three.
I do have a slight gripe with the portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in this book. While history tells us he was far from a candidate for any sort of Good Citizen of the Year award, there is a HUGE difference between someone like Chaplin (who had icky though not necessarily criminal tastes in women) and an actual pedophile who would molest very young girls (which is what is implied about him in this book). Because we have no factual evidence to support this, it feels irresponsible to portray Chaplin in this way, even if he was a creep.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
That said, I would also point out that if you’re on the fence about these things, this book is not nearly as dark or disturbing as such a trigger warning might imply. The attacks do take place on page and are in some cases described, though not graphically so. For what it’s worth, I’m definitely someone who is on the fence with this sort of trigger, and this book didn’t upset me at all.
The story features a delightful main character in Pin, a young woman who works odd jobs (some aboveboard, some not) at a carnival in Chicago while dressed as a boy, which both keeps her safe and makes her feel more personally comfortable than if she were presenting herself to the world as female.
Despite its dark themes, the book is sweeter than one would expect, largely because of the host of interesting friendships Pin strikes up as she navigates her own confusing and oft dangerous world and attempts to catch a murderer. And though the book is more character study and historical fiction than actual mystery, Hand acquits herself well as an author who can respectably handle the themes of all three.
I do have a slight gripe with the portrayal of Charlie Chaplin in this book. While history tells us he was far from a candidate for any sort of Good Citizen of the Year award, there is a HUGE difference between someone like Chaplin (who had icky though not necessarily criminal tastes in women) and an actual pedophile who would molest very young girls (which is what is implied about him in this book). Because we have no factual evidence to support this, it feels irresponsible to portray Chaplin in this way, even if he was a creep.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
July 26, 2023
When I picked up this book at a cute bookstore in Burlington, I did not realize that it was written by the same author who wrote “Waking the Moon”, a book that was much better in theory than in practice. I think I would have been more hesitant to pick it up had my brain made than connection, but I decided to carry on reading it anyway. Turn of the century Chicago, circuses, cross-dressers, mysteries: those are all things I love reading about, so maybe this time, Elizabeth Hand would work out for me.
Well, as you might infer from the rating, I was not as impressed as I had hoped. While the story was intriguing, the writing felt a bit flat and the red herrings felt silly. I was discussing this with my husband, who has pointed out that I’ve made similar comments about a few recently published novels that I came across: the themes and core elements reel me in, but the lack of atmosphere leaves me disappointed.
Set in Chicago in 1915, “Curious Toys” is about Pin, a 14 years old girl who has never felt comfortable in her skin. She wears a binding across her chest and boys’ clothes because that’s simply what feels right for her. Her mother is a fortune teller at Riverview Park, a popular carnival, and most of the employees, security guards and patrons fully believe her to be a boy. She makes a little cash delivering drugs on behalf of one of the entertainers to the nearby movie studios. One day, between deliveries, she notices a young girl and a man boarding one of the little boats of the Hellgate ride, and then notices the man leaving the attraction alone. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she soon finds the girl’s dead body. That young girl’s death reminds Pin of the disappearance of her younger sister a couple of years before, and she begins to suspect that they were both killed by the same person.
In fairness, this book is not all bad. I enjoyed the short chapters, that trick the reader into reading “just one more” until you have gobbled up a hundred pages, and I found the character of Pin refreshing and written with great sensitivity. But I never got a feeling for the setting, I wanted more character development for all of them, and I felt like Elizabeth Hand scattered herself into too many directions with the wide cast she created for this story.
I think it is safe to say that Ms. Hand and I are just not meant to be. I need to feel more than she gives me when I read.
Well, as you might infer from the rating, I was not as impressed as I had hoped. While the story was intriguing, the writing felt a bit flat and the red herrings felt silly. I was discussing this with my husband, who has pointed out that I’ve made similar comments about a few recently published novels that I came across: the themes and core elements reel me in, but the lack of atmosphere leaves me disappointed.
Set in Chicago in 1915, “Curious Toys” is about Pin, a 14 years old girl who has never felt comfortable in her skin. She wears a binding across her chest and boys’ clothes because that’s simply what feels right for her. Her mother is a fortune teller at Riverview Park, a popular carnival, and most of the employees, security guards and patrons fully believe her to be a boy. She makes a little cash delivering drugs on behalf of one of the entertainers to the nearby movie studios. One day, between deliveries, she notices a young girl and a man boarding one of the little boats of the Hellgate ride, and then notices the man leaving the attraction alone. Her curiosity gets the best of her and she soon finds the girl’s dead body. That young girl’s death reminds Pin of the disappearance of her younger sister a couple of years before, and she begins to suspect that they were both killed by the same person.
In fairness, this book is not all bad. I enjoyed the short chapters, that trick the reader into reading “just one more” until you have gobbled up a hundred pages, and I found the character of Pin refreshing and written with great sensitivity. But I never got a feeling for the setting, I wanted more character development for all of them, and I felt like Elizabeth Hand scattered herself into too many directions with the wide cast she created for this story.
I think it is safe to say that Ms. Hand and I are just not meant to be. I need to feel more than she gives me when I read.
May 19, 2022
Questo libro aveva tutti gli elementi per potermi piacere molto: ambientato nella Chicago di inizi novecento (e con alle spalle una discreta mole di lavoro di ricerca), focalizzato sul grande parco divertimenti e sugli emarginati (gli zingari, gli italiani, i polacchi, i vagabondi che lavorano nei parchi, le persone di colore).
C'è un serial killer che caccia ragazzine (e chiaramente all'epoca non era neanche facile che si scoprisse l'esistenza di un serial killer...), c'è una protagonista che vive nel circo travestita da ragazzo, visto che è più sicuro così.
C'è una discreta attenzione per il mondo del cinema.
Però quel qualcosa che deve scattare, non è scattato.
Sarà che non conoscevo i riferimenti reali inseriti nel libro (la mafia della Mano Nera, la figura di Henry Darger... alla fine pure Chaplin lo conosco giusto di fama, non mi ha mai interessato particolarmente la sua vita).
Sarà che l'alternanza saltuaria dei punti di vista, senza indicazioni riguardo all'identità del pov in questione, per quanto sicuramente funzionale alla storia e al mantenere l'alone di mistero sull'identità dell'assassino, ha però generato un'enorme confusione, quando comparivano determinati capitoli, che trasudavano malattia e pazzia. Ripeto, capisco che fosse necessario per tenere tutto in bilico e non far capire subito chi fosse il colpevole e chi invece non lo fosse, ma il risultato è stato troppo confusionario per essere apprezzato.
E poi, insomma, sempre il solito clichè, la solita storia trita e ritrita: se sei un ragazzino o una ragazzina, e incappi in qualche prova di un reato, chiaramente non andrai mai e poi mai dalla polizia o da adulti di riferimento: farai tutto da solo, anche se appartieni letteralmente al gruppo di prede dell'assassino.
Perché mai andare a parlare con la polizia (per la quale anzi nutre un viscerale odio, senza motivazione alcuna che sia indicata) quando vede sparire una bambina? Molto meglio aspettare a lungo, provare a sentire chi lavorava lì (e che fra migliaia di persone ovviamente non avrà visto nulla) e perdere così tempo.
Perché parlare con la polizia del sedicente investigatore che ti avvicina in modo sospetto per indagare insieme a te su questi casi? Del resto è una persona chiaramente affidabile, no?
Perché parlare con la polizia, portargli le prove trovate o portarli dal colpevole direttamente, quando puoi usare te stesso come esca sperando che un pazzo piccolino e magrolino si ricordi di aiutarti e riesca a sopraffare lo scafato e pericoloso omicida?
Insomma, il vecchio difetto del genere, a metà tra sfiducia generazionale, testardaggine e idiozia.
Che poi, Pin e la madre sono andati al parco divertimenti per scappare dopo dei casini successi nel quartiere siciliano, con la madre che ha reso la figlia un figlio per evitare di essere riconosciuti, per sicurezza. Quindi qualcuno li doveva star cercando, magari c'entrava la mafia (il quartiere era preda loro, il marito che forse è morto e forse se ne è andato ma che di sicuro era cattivo magari era nella mafia...). Ma non viene mai spiegato il perché fossero in incognito con nuovi nomi e cognomi, e alla fine ok, Pin torna una ragazza (ma tiene il cognome finto? Capisco fosse il 1915, ma per andare a scuola non servivano comunque dei documenti?) Tutto sparito, bah.
Un libro carino, anche se molto, troppo caotico.
Belle e disturbanti l'ambientazione e l'atmosfera, ma c'è anche qualche buco di trama che infastidisce non poco.
C'è un serial killer che caccia ragazzine (e chiaramente all'epoca non era neanche facile che si scoprisse l'esistenza di un serial killer...), c'è una protagonista che vive nel circo travestita da ragazzo, visto che è più sicuro così.
C'è una discreta attenzione per il mondo del cinema.
Però quel qualcosa che deve scattare, non è scattato.
Sarà che non conoscevo i riferimenti reali inseriti nel libro (la mafia della Mano Nera, la figura di Henry Darger... alla fine pure Chaplin lo conosco giusto di fama, non mi ha mai interessato particolarmente la sua vita).
Sarà che l'alternanza saltuaria dei punti di vista, senza indicazioni riguardo all'identità del pov in questione, per quanto sicuramente funzionale alla storia e al mantenere l'alone di mistero sull'identità dell'assassino, ha però generato un'enorme confusione, quando comparivano determinati capitoli, che trasudavano malattia e pazzia. Ripeto, capisco che fosse necessario per tenere tutto in bilico e non far capire subito chi fosse il colpevole e chi invece non lo fosse, ma il risultato è stato troppo confusionario per essere apprezzato.
E poi, insomma, sempre il solito clichè, la solita storia trita e ritrita: se sei un ragazzino o una ragazzina, e incappi in qualche prova di un reato, chiaramente non andrai mai e poi mai dalla polizia o da adulti di riferimento: farai tutto da solo, anche se appartieni letteralmente al gruppo di prede dell'assassino.
Perché mai andare a parlare con la polizia (per la quale anzi nutre un viscerale odio, senza motivazione alcuna che sia indicata) quando vede sparire una bambina? Molto meglio aspettare a lungo, provare a sentire chi lavorava lì (e che fra migliaia di persone ovviamente non avrà visto nulla) e perdere così tempo.
Perché parlare con la polizia del sedicente investigatore che ti avvicina in modo sospetto per indagare insieme a te su questi casi? Del resto è una persona chiaramente affidabile, no?
Perché parlare con la polizia, portargli le prove trovate o portarli dal colpevole direttamente, quando puoi usare te stesso come esca sperando che un pazzo piccolino e magrolino si ricordi di aiutarti e riesca a sopraffare lo scafato e pericoloso omicida?
Insomma, il vecchio difetto del genere, a metà tra sfiducia generazionale, testardaggine e idiozia.
Che poi, Pin e la madre sono andati al parco divertimenti per scappare dopo dei casini successi nel quartiere siciliano, con la madre che ha reso la figlia un figlio per evitare di essere riconosciuti, per sicurezza. Quindi qualcuno li doveva star cercando, magari c'entrava la mafia (il quartiere era preda loro, il marito che forse è morto e forse se ne è andato ma che di sicuro era cattivo magari era nella mafia...). Ma non viene mai spiegato il perché fossero in incognito con nuovi nomi e cognomi, e alla fine ok, Pin torna una ragazza (ma tiene il cognome finto? Capisco fosse il 1915, ma per andare a scuola non servivano comunque dei documenti?) Tutto sparito, bah.
Un libro carino, anche se molto, troppo caotico.
Belle e disturbanti l'ambientazione e l'atmosfera, ma c'è anche qualche buco di trama che infastidisce non poco.
July 11, 2019
5 Stars. 5 BIG Stars!
Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand. Release day: October 15th, 2019
With this atmospheric historical thriller, Elizabeth Hand conquers another genre and makes it her own.
Science fiction, fantasy, horror, modern mystery… and now she proves to be a master at the historical.
The story is set in 1915 Chicago, taking place mostly at an amusement park (Riverview) and the Essanay movie studio and centers around Pin Maffuci (formerly Vivian Onofrio) a 14 year old girl disguised as a boy because of the safety concerns of her mother after her sister disappeared earlier,
Henry Darger a (real life) artist/writer of questionable mental stability, and a pedophile serial killer who is killing young girls and stealing their clothes (for a purpose I won't divulge here). Along with Darger, Hand also incorporates other real life characters throughout the novel like, Charlie Chaplin, Wallace Berry, Gloria Swanson, etc.
A lot of writers of historical mysteries don't quite get the feel of the time period they're writing, but here Hand knocks it out of the park. Every time I read a blurb that compares a book to The Alienist, I think – yeah OK – but Curious Toys more than deserves that comparison. The period detail is masterfully rendered.
With beautiful linear prose, a great plot meted out with perfect pacing racing to an exciting climax, and a one chapter wrap up that takes place 62 years later, Elizabeth Hand has produced another winner.
This could be Elizabeth Hand's breakout book. For years she's received accolades and awards and she really deserves a wider readership. If you haven't, do yourself a favor and get to know this brilliant writer, you won't be sorry.
The only drawback of this novel is that it looks to be a stand alone and I would love more Pin.
Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand. Release day: October 15th, 2019
With this atmospheric historical thriller, Elizabeth Hand conquers another genre and makes it her own.
Science fiction, fantasy, horror, modern mystery… and now she proves to be a master at the historical.
The story is set in 1915 Chicago, taking place mostly at an amusement park (Riverview) and the Essanay movie studio and centers around Pin Maffuci (formerly Vivian Onofrio) a 14 year old girl disguised as a boy because of the safety concerns of her mother after her sister disappeared earlier,
Henry Darger a (real life) artist/writer of questionable mental stability, and a pedophile serial killer who is killing young girls and stealing their clothes (for a purpose I won't divulge here). Along with Darger, Hand also incorporates other real life characters throughout the novel like, Charlie Chaplin, Wallace Berry, Gloria Swanson, etc.
A lot of writers of historical mysteries don't quite get the feel of the time period they're writing, but here Hand knocks it out of the park. Every time I read a blurb that compares a book to The Alienist, I think – yeah OK – but Curious Toys more than deserves that comparison. The period detail is masterfully rendered.
With beautiful linear prose, a great plot meted out with perfect pacing racing to an exciting climax, and a one chapter wrap up that takes place 62 years later, Elizabeth Hand has produced another winner.
This could be Elizabeth Hand's breakout book. For years she's received accolades and awards and she really deserves a wider readership. If you haven't, do yourself a favor and get to know this brilliant writer, you won't be sorry.
The only drawback of this novel is that it looks to be a stand alone and I would love more Pin.
November 16, 2019
⭐️⭐️⭐️ / 5
Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand was a very peculiar book, both in content and writing style. I've never read anything like it and I'm not sure if that helped or hindered me liking it in this case.
Curious Toys is full of short, punchy chapters which I really liked. There were quite a few different viewpoints which I didn't quite understand the point of, and I think there could have been fewer to build more suspicion and mystery. However, I definitely didn't see the end coming and it completely surprised me! This is a great whodunnit with a fun historical aspect that made things interesting. I spent much of this book Googling different things to learn more about them (and to see if certain things were actually real!).
I loved Pin, she was headstrong, smart and spunky which was pretty impressive for her age. Plus being able to pull off dressing like a boy and having people believe her! But due to the writing style I don't think I was really able to connect to any of the characters all that much including her. Lots of dark themes in Curious Toys, and some of it was quite disturbing. This book is definitely dark!
Final Thought: This was my first time reading a book by this author and I can't honestly say if I want to read another. I think I would give it a chance though to see if I could hopefully connect to her next book better. The synopsis sounded awesome, but Curious Toys didn't hold my attention very well until I was over halfway done. It's not going to be for everyone, but I definitely recommend checking it out for yourself!
Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand was a very peculiar book, both in content and writing style. I've never read anything like it and I'm not sure if that helped or hindered me liking it in this case.
Curious Toys is full of short, punchy chapters which I really liked. There were quite a few different viewpoints which I didn't quite understand the point of, and I think there could have been fewer to build more suspicion and mystery. However, I definitely didn't see the end coming and it completely surprised me! This is a great whodunnit with a fun historical aspect that made things interesting. I spent much of this book Googling different things to learn more about them (and to see if certain things were actually real!).
I loved Pin, she was headstrong, smart and spunky which was pretty impressive for her age. Plus being able to pull off dressing like a boy and having people believe her! But due to the writing style I don't think I was really able to connect to any of the characters all that much including her. Lots of dark themes in Curious Toys, and some of it was quite disturbing. This book is definitely dark!
Final Thought: This was my first time reading a book by this author and I can't honestly say if I want to read another. I think I would give it a chance though to see if I could hopefully connect to her next book better. The synopsis sounded awesome, but Curious Toys didn't hold my attention very well until I was over halfway done. It's not going to be for everyone, but I definitely recommend checking it out for yourself!
December 6, 2019
Elizabeth Hand describes herself and her writing as "punk" and I must confess I don't have a handle on the concept of punk fiction or punk literature. What, after having read five of her books in a row, I am beginning to get a handle on is what Elizabeth Hand does. When I read the Cass Neary books, which are absolutely fantastic, I thought of Hand as someone who takes her writing to the very limits of the socially acceptable in terms of, to use a really broad word, desire, or maybe goes a bit beyond, and tells us what she sees. In the Cass Neary series Hand portrays with sympathy and empathy people who would typically belong on the evil side of horror literature. It's not that she finds them good; she is just not repelled by them and, therefore, gives the reader a sense of what I can only call relief. What I am saying is that what her fiction does -- and if this is punk so be it -- is tell all of us who don't feel normal that we have good company. I think maybe this is the primary function of horror fiction, to yank the abnormal from the domain of the unthinkable, and of course the Cass Neary novels are horror, too. But in these books the horrific is not just not-unthinkable, it is to some extend forgiven, and this is, well, relieving.
Curious Toys is a thriller that dips into horror, but only slightly. You can still see however, Hand's magic in it. It is set in an amusement park in 1915, so you already know that there aren't a lot of straight and narrow types. The characters that populate this book are making a living in spite of poverty, disappointment, bad luck, and a bit of lunacy. The protagonist is a fourteen year old girl who passes as a boy and this of course brings in a whole lot of queerness -- another Hand mainstay. It's all a bit dodgy and maybe a little sordid, but like in her other novels Hand has the dexterity of making it all fun and somehow luminous.
I honestly do not know how she does it. After finishing this book in the wee hours I started another mystery that I had slated as "next" and even though this mystery has received wide acclaim I immediately felt the lack of Hand's taut writing, but most of all of the way she brings what is strange to a place in which we all recognize ourselves as kin, also a bit strange, and really OK.
Curious Toys is a thriller that dips into horror, but only slightly. You can still see however, Hand's magic in it. It is set in an amusement park in 1915, so you already know that there aren't a lot of straight and narrow types. The characters that populate this book are making a living in spite of poverty, disappointment, bad luck, and a bit of lunacy. The protagonist is a fourteen year old girl who passes as a boy and this of course brings in a whole lot of queerness -- another Hand mainstay. It's all a bit dodgy and maybe a little sordid, but like in her other novels Hand has the dexterity of making it all fun and somehow luminous.
I honestly do not know how she does it. After finishing this book in the wee hours I started another mystery that I had slated as "next" and even though this mystery has received wide acclaim I immediately felt the lack of Hand's taut writing, but most of all of the way she brings what is strange to a place in which we all recognize ourselves as kin, also a bit strange, and really OK.
January 23, 2021
"Este hombre cuando subió al bote, tenía una niña con él. Cuando salió del túnel, ya no la tenía. Estaba solo".
Elizabeth Hand es una autora que nunca me defrauda, una escritora ecléctica en lo referente a los géneros que toca, desde la fantasia pasando por thrillers nada convencionales porque su manera de abordar estos géneros siempre lo son desde una perspectiva mucho más profunda de lo que parece a simple vista, casi se podría decir que usa estos géneros “comerciales” para tratar temas que quizás de otra forma no llegarían a los lectores. Su serie sobre la fotógrafa reconvertida en “investigadora”, Cass Neary, es una clara muestra a lo que me estoy refiriendo: adereza unas tramas en las que Cass Neary se ve obligada a investigar algunos misterios, para reflexionar sobre otros aspectos con muchas referencias a la cultura punk, al cine y sobre todo a la fotografía. Por cierto, que no entiendo todavía como la serie de Cass Neary no se ha publicado en España, misterios que realmente no consigo entender cuando otros escritores de novela negra y literatura “escapista”, muy mediocres, se traducen y publican continuamente en nuestro país. Estoy convencida de que esta serie funcionaría muy bien. Si no me equivoco de ella sólo se ha publicado Wylding Hall en España.
Curious Toys es una novela histórica que transcurre en el verano de 1915 en Chicago y es una extraña mezcla entre novela de iniación, novela negra e histórica. La protagonista es Pin una chica de 14 años, a la que todos toman por chico ya que su madre a raíz de la desaparición de su hermana pequeña, la disfraza de niño para que se mantenga apartada de los peligros que acechaban a las niñas en el mundo en que se movían. Su madre se gana la vida como adivina echando las cartas en el parque de atracciones donde transcurre la mayor parte de la trama, y Pin se las pasa deambulando y haciendo trabajos de recadero entre el parque de atracciones y los estudios de cine Essanay. Es una novela muy atmosférica porque Elizabeth Hand describe con mucha exactitud esos ambientes de primero del siglo pasado donde la vida transcurría en la calle, con esos personajes que no encajaban en otros sitios y que sin embargo encontraban su lugar ganándose la vida en las ferias de este parque de atracciones. El argumento se centra en la extraña desaparición de una niña en una de las atracciones del parque y Pin es testigo de ello: ve que se adentra en el túnel con un desconocido y que al cabo de un rato, éste sale solo. La niña aparece asesinada poco después, y a partir de aquí Pin decide averiguar quién es el asesino.
Creo que sinceramente que la trama del asesino en serie, es toda una excusa para hacernos un retrato de una época en un lugar concreto, bizarro y diferente. El personaje de Pin, disfrazada de chico, se mueve con una libertad que de haber sido una niña, no la hubiera tenido, y en este aspecto la autora muestra una enorme agudeza presentándonos por ejemplo, uno de los lugares que Pin visita haciendo recados, los estudios Essanay, que eran unos estudios cinematográficos donde comenzaron a trabajar Charles Chaplin, y Wallace Berry, personajes que incluso tienen su lugar en la novela. Los personajes de estos estudios de cine con los que se relaciona Pin, enriquecen su vida y su formación y quizás por eso, llegado un punto, Pin influida por todas estas experiencias, tiene muy clara su vocación desde pequeña:
"Pin había visto pegadoras de planos en el estudio: una sala llena de mujeres jóvenes sosteniendo cintas de película, tratando de determinar dónde hacer coincidir un fotograma con otro sin una interrupción de la acción. Cada fotograma tenía que ser revisado, marcado con un lápiz de cera y luego cuidadosamente pegado con cinta adhesiva. Se suponía que las costureras eran buenas en eso, muchas pegadoras de planos provenían de las fábricas de confección”.
Curious Toys es todo un festival sobre los inicios del cine y sobre la industria del entretenimiento, donde los datos históricos con los que Elizabeth Hand va sembrando la trama son una delicia. El hecho de que actrices de la época como Mary Pickford hicieran eternamente papeles de niña es otra de las reflexiones en torno a la industria en las que se centra Elizabeth Hand: una metáfora sobre la eterna visión de la mujer como un juguete sin voz ni voto. En el mismo final de esta novela, se vuelve a hacer la misma reflexión, con lo cual, la transgresión de esta novela está precisamente en eso, dar voz a estas mujeres. Ben Hecht, Louella Parsons, Charlie Chaplin y toda una larga riada de personajes, aparecen en la trama y se mezclan con los personajes de ficción creados por la autora. Por otra parte, el universo del parque de atracciones visto a través de los ojos de Pin, es una mezcla de fantasia y realismo, ya que Pin al revés del resto de los niños que visitan el parque de atracciones, conoce los entresijos, la recámara, los lugares escondidos y los personajes que trabajan en él una vez que se quitan el disfraz, con lo cual, Elizabeth Hand imbuye esta novela de una atmósfera única y en momentos casi fantasmal.
Quizás uno de los puntos fuertes de esta novela sea el diseño de sus personajes, porque cada uno de ellos tiene una historia de fondo que en pocos trazos, la autora ha sido capaz de construir con una gran carga psicológica: Desde por ejemplo, el personaje de Pin, siempre disfrazado de chico y llegado un punto se produce en ella un conflicto de género, una reflexión la mar de interesante por parte de la autora; pasando por la madre de Pin, que tiene que huir de un marido abusivo y esconderse en este parque de atracciones, y finalmente hay que detenerse en el personaje de Henry Darger, quizás la auténtica joya de la corona, un personaje real, controvertido y reclusivo, que a raíz de su muerte despertó un enorme interés por la obra que se descubrió en la habitación en la que vivía. Elizabeth Hand está perfectamente documentada en torno a la vida y obra de Henry Darger, y utiliza sus conocimientos para darle vida en una mezcla de ficción y realidad.
En definitiva, una vez más, Elizabeth Hand ha creado una novela llena de referentes culturales y reflexiones sobre temas controvertidos como es el racismo, la pedofilia y la identidad de género, todo esto aderezado por una trama donde una niña de catorce años, un personaje luminoso, se forma a través de las relaciones humanas. Quizás lo que Elizabeth Hand pretendía era narrarnos los acontecimientos que inspirarían más tarde la controvertida obra de Henry Darger, ya que va sembrando la novela de datos históricos, reales y verídicos, que una vez terminada la novela, incluso pueden ser investigados por el lector. Una novela estupenda que me gustaría mucho ver publicada en castellano.
Elizabeth Hand es una autora que nunca me defrauda, una escritora ecléctica en lo referente a los géneros que toca, desde la fantasia pasando por thrillers nada convencionales porque su manera de abordar estos géneros siempre lo son desde una perspectiva mucho más profunda de lo que parece a simple vista, casi se podría decir que usa estos géneros “comerciales” para tratar temas que quizás de otra forma no llegarían a los lectores. Su serie sobre la fotógrafa reconvertida en “investigadora”, Cass Neary, es una clara muestra a lo que me estoy refiriendo: adereza unas tramas en las que Cass Neary se ve obligada a investigar algunos misterios, para reflexionar sobre otros aspectos con muchas referencias a la cultura punk, al cine y sobre todo a la fotografía. Por cierto, que no entiendo todavía como la serie de Cass Neary no se ha publicado en España, misterios que realmente no consigo entender cuando otros escritores de novela negra y literatura “escapista”, muy mediocres, se traducen y publican continuamente en nuestro país. Estoy convencida de que esta serie funcionaría muy bien. Si no me equivoco de ella sólo se ha publicado Wylding Hall en España.
Curious Toys es una novela histórica que transcurre en el verano de 1915 en Chicago y es una extraña mezcla entre novela de iniación, novela negra e histórica. La protagonista es Pin una chica de 14 años, a la que todos toman por chico ya que su madre a raíz de la desaparición de su hermana pequeña, la disfraza de niño para que se mantenga apartada de los peligros que acechaban a las niñas en el mundo en que se movían. Su madre se gana la vida como adivina echando las cartas en el parque de atracciones donde transcurre la mayor parte de la trama, y Pin se las pasa deambulando y haciendo trabajos de recadero entre el parque de atracciones y los estudios de cine Essanay. Es una novela muy atmosférica porque Elizabeth Hand describe con mucha exactitud esos ambientes de primero del siglo pasado donde la vida transcurría en la calle, con esos personajes que no encajaban en otros sitios y que sin embargo encontraban su lugar ganándose la vida en las ferias de este parque de atracciones. El argumento se centra en la extraña desaparición de una niña en una de las atracciones del parque y Pin es testigo de ello: ve que se adentra en el túnel con un desconocido y que al cabo de un rato, éste sale solo. La niña aparece asesinada poco después, y a partir de aquí Pin decide averiguar quién es el asesino.
Creo que sinceramente que la trama del asesino en serie, es toda una excusa para hacernos un retrato de una época en un lugar concreto, bizarro y diferente. El personaje de Pin, disfrazada de chico, se mueve con una libertad que de haber sido una niña, no la hubiera tenido, y en este aspecto la autora muestra una enorme agudeza presentándonos por ejemplo, uno de los lugares que Pin visita haciendo recados, los estudios Essanay, que eran unos estudios cinematográficos donde comenzaron a trabajar Charles Chaplin, y Wallace Berry, personajes que incluso tienen su lugar en la novela. Los personajes de estos estudios de cine con los que se relaciona Pin, enriquecen su vida y su formación y quizás por eso, llegado un punto, Pin influida por todas estas experiencias, tiene muy clara su vocación desde pequeña:
"Pin había visto pegadoras de planos en el estudio: una sala llena de mujeres jóvenes sosteniendo cintas de película, tratando de determinar dónde hacer coincidir un fotograma con otro sin una interrupción de la acción. Cada fotograma tenía que ser revisado, marcado con un lápiz de cera y luego cuidadosamente pegado con cinta adhesiva. Se suponía que las costureras eran buenas en eso, muchas pegadoras de planos provenían de las fábricas de confección”.
Curious Toys es todo un festival sobre los inicios del cine y sobre la industria del entretenimiento, donde los datos históricos con los que Elizabeth Hand va sembrando la trama son una delicia. El hecho de que actrices de la época como Mary Pickford hicieran eternamente papeles de niña es otra de las reflexiones en torno a la industria en las que se centra Elizabeth Hand: una metáfora sobre la eterna visión de la mujer como un juguete sin voz ni voto. En el mismo final de esta novela, se vuelve a hacer la misma reflexión, con lo cual, la transgresión de esta novela está precisamente en eso, dar voz a estas mujeres. Ben Hecht, Louella Parsons, Charlie Chaplin y toda una larga riada de personajes, aparecen en la trama y se mezclan con los personajes de ficción creados por la autora. Por otra parte, el universo del parque de atracciones visto a través de los ojos de Pin, es una mezcla de fantasia y realismo, ya que Pin al revés del resto de los niños que visitan el parque de atracciones, conoce los entresijos, la recámara, los lugares escondidos y los personajes que trabajan en él una vez que se quitan el disfraz, con lo cual, Elizabeth Hand imbuye esta novela de una atmósfera única y en momentos casi fantasmal.
Quizás uno de los puntos fuertes de esta novela sea el diseño de sus personajes, porque cada uno de ellos tiene una historia de fondo que en pocos trazos, la autora ha sido capaz de construir con una gran carga psicológica: Desde por ejemplo, el personaje de Pin, siempre disfrazado de chico y llegado un punto se produce en ella un conflicto de género, una reflexión la mar de interesante por parte de la autora; pasando por la madre de Pin, que tiene que huir de un marido abusivo y esconderse en este parque de atracciones, y finalmente hay que detenerse en el personaje de Henry Darger, quizás la auténtica joya de la corona, un personaje real, controvertido y reclusivo, que a raíz de su muerte despertó un enorme interés por la obra que se descubrió en la habitación en la que vivía. Elizabeth Hand está perfectamente documentada en torno a la vida y obra de Henry Darger, y utiliza sus conocimientos para darle vida en una mezcla de ficción y realidad.
En definitiva, una vez más, Elizabeth Hand ha creado una novela llena de referentes culturales y reflexiones sobre temas controvertidos como es el racismo, la pedofilia y la identidad de género, todo esto aderezado por una trama donde una niña de catorce años, un personaje luminoso, se forma a través de las relaciones humanas. Quizás lo que Elizabeth Hand pretendía era narrarnos los acontecimientos que inspirarían más tarde la controvertida obra de Henry Darger, ya que va sembrando la novela de datos históricos, reales y verídicos, que una vez terminada la novela, incluso pueden ser investigados por el lector. Una novela estupenda que me gustaría mucho ver publicada en castellano.
May 22, 2020
3.75 stars
All the elements that I like - some characters based on real live people, takes place in the early 1900's, a little bit of a mystery, and set in an amusement park.
The protagonist is Pin, a young girl, who dresses as a boy (not a spoiler) and roams the midway while her mother tells fortunes. After a crime is committed in one of the attractions, it becomes known that there is a killer on the loose. Pin gets fully entangled in the investigation trying to track down the infamous child killer.
This book had a lot of early 1900 inventions. Lots to do with the cinema and carnival life. It mentions a number of then current movie actors, such as Charlie Chaplin. It highlights the slums of an early Chicago, along with the bias of class distinctions and how the police department discriminated, but all told within the story format.
One character was based on a true to life person and he became a central character in the story. There was a two page follow up on the real life of this person and also a number of books referring to him in the Bibliography.
I did enjoy this book, however I also felt that the mystery portion of this book could have been a bit stronger, given that the author is a well established writer.
All the elements that I like - some characters based on real live people, takes place in the early 1900's, a little bit of a mystery, and set in an amusement park.
The protagonist is Pin, a young girl, who dresses as a boy (not a spoiler) and roams the midway while her mother tells fortunes. After a crime is committed in one of the attractions, it becomes known that there is a killer on the loose. Pin gets fully entangled in the investigation trying to track down the infamous child killer.
This book had a lot of early 1900 inventions. Lots to do with the cinema and carnival life. It mentions a number of then current movie actors, such as Charlie Chaplin. It highlights the slums of an early Chicago, along with the bias of class distinctions and how the police department discriminated, but all told within the story format.
One character was based on a true to life person and he became a central character in the story. There was a two page follow up on the real life of this person and also a number of books referring to him in the Bibliography.
I did enjoy this book, however I also felt that the mystery portion of this book could have been a bit stronger, given that the author is a well established writer.
May 15, 2020
I really enjoyed this book, particularly the setting: 1915 Chicago Amusement park. I thought Elizabeth Hand captured the time-era beautifully. You could almost hear the carnival music and smell the popcorn. It had an eerie and creepy feeling about it, yet also possessed that sense of wonder and amusement. The characters were all well developed, quirks and all. The combination of "Real" characters (such as Charlie Chaplin) added to the validity of the story and the Boardwalk/Amusement setting was well researched and true to the time era.
I don't like "summarizing" the story in my reviews because I believe you can get a good sense of the story from the book jacket or the summary here on Goodreads, but the tale follows the protagonist Pin, a young girl growing up around a Coney Island-style amusement park in Chicago. Her mother dresses Pin as a boy to protect her from the "predators" that wander the park. Pin discovers the body of a young girl killed by a serial killer and sets out to find the culprit. With a GREAT cast of colorful characters in and around the park, the suspect list kept me guessing until the end.
The only thing keeping me from giving this book 5 stars is that I felt some of the ending (and the murderer reveal) seemed a bit "muddy" and awkward. The mystery aspect of the story was well developed and I really enjoyed how the author would have scene inserts of the killer that gave incite into the killer's life and mind-set, yet kept the anonymity of the villain until the reveal. Curious Toys was fun and a thrilling ride and I think the author "nailed it". Highly recommended.
I don't like "summarizing" the story in my reviews because I believe you can get a good sense of the story from the book jacket or the summary here on Goodreads, but the tale follows the protagonist Pin, a young girl growing up around a Coney Island-style amusement park in Chicago. Her mother dresses Pin as a boy to protect her from the "predators" that wander the park. Pin discovers the body of a young girl killed by a serial killer and sets out to find the culprit. With a GREAT cast of colorful characters in and around the park, the suspect list kept me guessing until the end.
The only thing keeping me from giving this book 5 stars is that I felt some of the ending (and the murderer reveal) seemed a bit "muddy" and awkward. The mystery aspect of the story was well developed and I really enjoyed how the author would have scene inserts of the killer that gave incite into the killer's life and mind-set, yet kept the anonymity of the villain until the reveal. Curious Toys was fun and a thrilling ride and I think the author "nailed it". Highly recommended.
Read
April 25, 2020Premisa ove knjige je: devojčica koja zbog raznih razloga - što ličnih što porodičnih - živi kao dečak, bavi se kurirskim isporukama hašiša i lunja po vašarištu i filmskim studijima u Čikagu 1915, upoznaje Henrija Dargera i zajedno s njim otkriva ko ubija devojčice po vašaru.
E sad. Ja sam roman počela da čitam s mnogo entuzijazma pre svega zbog Henrija Dargera čiji su život i delo retko fascinantni i tužni (tihi i ekscentrični čistač po bolnicama, skupljač đubreta i autor suludog romana od nekih petnaest hiljada strana, bogato ilustrovanog i posvećenog fantastičnim avanturama sedam sestara Vivijan, koji do pred kraj života izgleda nikome nije pokazivao). I to je bila inicijalna greška zbog koje nisam baš uživala u romanu, jer je Darger ovde gotovo sasvim periferna ličnost i od onoga što sam želela dobila sam dve strane negde u poslednjoj petini knjige.
Ako se to izuzme, Neobične igračke su jedan vrlo pristojan psihološki triler, možda i više nego pristojan ako pogledamo koliko je pažnje i brižljivosti utrošeno na prikazivanje Čikaga iz 1915. Saznajemo svašta i o tome kako su funkcionisale kamere i kakva je bila ženska odeća i kako je bio ustrojen luna-park i ko se sve u njemu mogao naći. Ipak, nema nekih romanesknih uzleta van tog poštenog zanatskog nivoa. Lik devojčice/dečaka Pin je zanimljiv i lepo je izveden lajtmotiv dvojnosti muškog i ženskog u različitim trenucima u romanu, ali i to je moglo bolje, čini mi se.
(Jedan dodatni minus s moje strane bilo je to što se Čarli Čaplin ovde pojavljuje sveden na zamalo-pa-pedofilnu karikaturu samog sebe, kombinaciju svih najgorih osobina istorijskog Čaplina a bez ijedne odlike koja ga je činila tako fascinantnim i toliko uspešnim a bogami i takvim prekretničkim umetnikom. Ali to je takođe lična preferenca pa da ne gunđam više.)
E sad. Ja sam roman počela da čitam s mnogo entuzijazma pre svega zbog Henrija Dargera čiji su život i delo retko fascinantni i tužni (tihi i ekscentrični čistač po bolnicama, skupljač đubreta i autor suludog romana od nekih petnaest hiljada strana, bogato ilustrovanog i posvećenog fantastičnim avanturama sedam sestara Vivijan, koji do pred kraj života izgleda nikome nije pokazivao). I to je bila inicijalna greška zbog koje nisam baš uživala u romanu, jer je Darger ovde gotovo sasvim periferna ličnost i od onoga što sam želela dobila sam dve strane negde u poslednjoj petini knjige.
Ako se to izuzme, Neobične igračke su jedan vrlo pristojan psihološki triler, možda i više nego pristojan ako pogledamo koliko je pažnje i brižljivosti utrošeno na prikazivanje Čikaga iz 1915. Saznajemo svašta i o tome kako su funkcionisale kamere i kakva je bila ženska odeća i kako je bio ustrojen luna-park i ko se sve u njemu mogao naći. Ipak, nema nekih romanesknih uzleta van tog poštenog zanatskog nivoa. Lik devojčice/dečaka Pin je zanimljiv i lepo je izveden lajtmotiv dvojnosti muškog i ženskog u različitim trenucima u romanu, ali i to je moglo bolje, čini mi se.
(Jedan dodatni minus s moje strane bilo je to što se Čarli Čaplin ovde pojavljuje sveden na zamalo-pa-pedofilnu karikaturu samog sebe, kombinaciju svih najgorih osobina istorijskog Čaplina a bez ijedne odlike koja ga je činila tako fascinantnim i toliko uspešnim a bogami i takvim prekretničkim umetnikom. Ali to je takođe lična preferenca pa da ne gunđam više.)
June 25, 2019
From the decadent, dystopian science fiction of her debut novel, Winterlong; to the immersive magic of her art world fantasies like Mortal Love; to the harsh, earthy, crystalline landscapes of her Cass Neary suspense novels; Elizabeth Hand’s ouevre is as dark, sensuous and edgy as anything out there.
I keep a copy of Hand’s short story collection, Errantry, beside my desk to give me something to aim for with my own fiction. It’s a bar so high that not many writers reach it more than a few times in their lifetimes, but Elizabeth Hand has pretty much resided there throughout her 20+ book career-to-date.
So when I received an advance reading copy of her upcoming book, Curious Toys through a Goodreads draw, I was over the moon. After reading it obsessively over the next few days, and raving about it to friends, family and co-workers, I have finished it, thought about it, and am ready to declare it one of her best.
In this convincing evocation of early 20th century Chicago, 14 year old Pin, a girl who lives her life as a boy, resides in a shack with her mother, who works as an amusement park fortune teller. A peripheral member of a gang of boys that works out of the amusement park, Pin delivers dope for Max, the carnival’s half-man, half-woman, on a route that includes Essanay Movie Studio, where Charlie Chaplin and Wallace Beery are among the stars. When Pin uncovers a murder of a young girl on one of the attractions, the wrong person gets charged, and there is only one other witness to help Pin set things right – an exceeding strange, child obsessed young man named Henry Darger (yes, the outsider artist, not all that long after his release from the notorious Illinois Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children) who is eager to become Pin’s partner in solving the crime. But Darger’s behaviour has Pin wondering whether he is really a witness – or is actually implicated in the crimes.
As more murders follow, the tension grows – and Pin is in the centre of everything – not just the child murders themselves, but the mutual attraction between her and a young actress named Glory; the strained relationship with her mother, complicated by her budding relationship with ex-cop/amusement park guard Francis “Fatty” Bacon; and the erratic, pedophilia tinged behaviour of Darger.
Although set in 1914, Curious Toys is very much a novel of our time. Sexual ambiguity is an important and effective motif that runs from beginning to end of the book, heightening the resonance and poignancy of everything that occurs.
Evocative, multilayered, exciting, and accessible to fans of mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction and anyone looking for a great read, Curious Toys could be a break-out 30 years in the making. At the very least, Liz Hand should win another bucketful of awards – maybe even a Lambda this time.
I keep a copy of Hand’s short story collection, Errantry, beside my desk to give me something to aim for with my own fiction. It’s a bar so high that not many writers reach it more than a few times in their lifetimes, but Elizabeth Hand has pretty much resided there throughout her 20+ book career-to-date.
So when I received an advance reading copy of her upcoming book, Curious Toys through a Goodreads draw, I was over the moon. After reading it obsessively over the next few days, and raving about it to friends, family and co-workers, I have finished it, thought about it, and am ready to declare it one of her best.
In this convincing evocation of early 20th century Chicago, 14 year old Pin, a girl who lives her life as a boy, resides in a shack with her mother, who works as an amusement park fortune teller. A peripheral member of a gang of boys that works out of the amusement park, Pin delivers dope for Max, the carnival’s half-man, half-woman, on a route that includes Essanay Movie Studio, where Charlie Chaplin and Wallace Beery are among the stars. When Pin uncovers a murder of a young girl on one of the attractions, the wrong person gets charged, and there is only one other witness to help Pin set things right – an exceeding strange, child obsessed young man named Henry Darger (yes, the outsider artist, not all that long after his release from the notorious Illinois Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children) who is eager to become Pin’s partner in solving the crime. But Darger’s behaviour has Pin wondering whether he is really a witness – or is actually implicated in the crimes.
As more murders follow, the tension grows – and Pin is in the centre of everything – not just the child murders themselves, but the mutual attraction between her and a young actress named Glory; the strained relationship with her mother, complicated by her budding relationship with ex-cop/amusement park guard Francis “Fatty” Bacon; and the erratic, pedophilia tinged behaviour of Darger.
Although set in 1914, Curious Toys is very much a novel of our time. Sexual ambiguity is an important and effective motif that runs from beginning to end of the book, heightening the resonance and poignancy of everything that occurs.
Evocative, multilayered, exciting, and accessible to fans of mysteries, thrillers, historical fiction and anyone looking for a great read, Curious Toys could be a break-out 30 years in the making. At the very least, Liz Hand should win another bucketful of awards – maybe even a Lambda this time.
Want to read
October 13, 2019I REALLY want to read this Bc what will I do without historical fiction murder investigations when i am finished with capturing the devil (stalking Jack the Ripper #4)?! Only issue is... it quite literally gave away the killer in said book in this blurb... I think. Unless... well why would they do THAT ?! Defeats the purpose. So confused. Slightly annoyed. Lol
September 4, 2022
(2.5) Curious Toys is a well-crafted historical novel with rich potential. An early-20th-century amusement park, missing children, silent film stars, a girl who disguises herself as a boy, an outsider artist... At first it is fascinating – sinister and atmospheric. (It’s a bit like
The Shining Girls
without the fantasy element.) But my god, it drags. This story could have been a novella. Even a novelette! While I appreciated the historical detail, the plot is stuffed to the gills with scenes and characters that aren’t needed to make it all work.
Also, there are many chapters where the character we follow is described only as ‘he’, and it’s never clear whether it’s always the same ‘he’. This, as it turns out, serves a purpose, but it’s confusing and frustrating for much of the book.
TinyLetter | Linktree
Also, there are many chapters where the character we follow is described only as ‘he’, and it’s never clear whether it’s always the same ‘he’. This, as it turns out, serves a purpose, but it’s confusing and frustrating for much of the book.
TinyLetter | Linktree
June 22, 2020
2.5 stars
Too long, too diffuse, and lacking drive. The historical elements of this (the amusement park, the hospital, the streets of Chicago) are pretty interesting and well-drawn (Hand has clearly done her research) but the biographical portraits are cringeworthy and the dialogue was some of the worst I've read in a while. No character feels fleshed out and most seem more like caricatures than the "gaffed" fun-house freaks that people the Riverview amusement park where much of the story takes place. The less said about the Henry Darger bit, the better. A distinct disappointment.
Too long, too diffuse, and lacking drive. The historical elements of this (the amusement park, the hospital, the streets of Chicago) are pretty interesting and well-drawn (Hand has clearly done her research) but the biographical portraits are cringeworthy and the dialogue was some of the worst I've read in a while. No character feels fleshed out and most seem more like caricatures than the "gaffed" fun-house freaks that people the Riverview amusement park where much of the story takes place. The less said about the Henry Darger bit, the better. A distinct disappointment.
February 20, 2020
This book had a really good description of the setting, which is an amusement park in 1915 Chicago. I actually learned about quite a few things from that era while reading this book, which is a bonus for me. Otherwise, this is a typical murder mystery novel, but it features a lot of characters from that era - Charlie Chaplin, Gloria Swanson, and Henry Darger figure prominently throughout.
January 22, 2020
Okay I bought this book based on title and the fact I'd read, and liked one of Ms. Hands' previous books. But the title caught me and I said HAVE TO HAVE IT.
So glad I did! A mystery, a murder, a time I'm familiar with, but have seldom read about in a fiction book. The early 20th century, circa 1914, and the locale, also unique, Riverside Amusement Park, Chicago. And what a world it is. Ms. Hand knows it all, has researched the era, the place, the news events, the customs and slang, all of it, with meticulous detail. I loved reading the descriptions! And to be serious, I sometimes slide through words with 'grass or house or street or tree' in it. I usually want the dialogue; the give and take between characters. I want the suspense and the odd and delightful - or venal character to enthrall me.
This book has it all. The story of a fourteen-year old girl who disguises herself as a boy to survive in this world. Dresses like one. Cuts her hair like one. Saunters and spits and talks like one. Her mother's in the picture, too, so forget the trope of another young orphan having 'adventures' and saving the world. This ain't that.
Pin is her - his - name and she has friends in the young movie industry also found in Chicago, as well as among the various entertainers and vendors on the boardwalk. She knows them all, and has learned to survive by doing odd errands - like running drugs for one character, and working on an amusement ride for another. Each character is lifelike, alive, and brilliantly described. I could hear their voices as I read!
No, really, I could as I often read sections aloud, not something I do much of anymore. I wanted to hear them, and so...
Back to the story. Someone's stalking young girls at the park, killing them, stealing their clothes, doing other weird things involving a porcelain doll, but the story itself is not overly graphic. Basically, Pin sees a girl go on a ride with a man in a seersucker suit - she gets into a boat with him, disappears in a long tunnel with him, but she doesn't come out with him. Curious, Pin investigates, finds a murder victim in the tunnel and then...
There are several 'real life' characters in this book too. A reporter, a little-known writer of a long adventure tale, and a few actors, incl. Charlie Chaplin. Also a nice surprise at the very end.
Loved everything about this darn book. Just loved it.
Five stars.
So glad I did! A mystery, a murder, a time I'm familiar with, but have seldom read about in a fiction book. The early 20th century, circa 1914, and the locale, also unique, Riverside Amusement Park, Chicago. And what a world it is. Ms. Hand knows it all, has researched the era, the place, the news events, the customs and slang, all of it, with meticulous detail. I loved reading the descriptions! And to be serious, I sometimes slide through words with 'grass or house or street or tree' in it. I usually want the dialogue; the give and take between characters. I want the suspense and the odd and delightful - or venal character to enthrall me.
This book has it all. The story of a fourteen-year old girl who disguises herself as a boy to survive in this world. Dresses like one. Cuts her hair like one. Saunters and spits and talks like one. Her mother's in the picture, too, so forget the trope of another young orphan having 'adventures' and saving the world. This ain't that.
Pin is her - his - name and she has friends in the young movie industry also found in Chicago, as well as among the various entertainers and vendors on the boardwalk. She knows them all, and has learned to survive by doing odd errands - like running drugs for one character, and working on an amusement ride for another. Each character is lifelike, alive, and brilliantly described. I could hear their voices as I read!
No, really, I could as I often read sections aloud, not something I do much of anymore. I wanted to hear them, and so...
Back to the story. Someone's stalking young girls at the park, killing them, stealing their clothes, doing other weird things involving a porcelain doll, but the story itself is not overly graphic. Basically, Pin sees a girl go on a ride with a man in a seersucker suit - she gets into a boat with him, disappears in a long tunnel with him, but she doesn't come out with him. Curious, Pin investigates, finds a murder victim in the tunnel and then...
There are several 'real life' characters in this book too. A reporter, a little-known writer of a long adventure tale, and a few actors, incl. Charlie Chaplin. Also a nice surprise at the very end.
Loved everything about this darn book. Just loved it.
Five stars.
June 22, 2021
Really good historical fiction, so evocative of Chicago in 1915+ at the Riverview fun fair. This is a tale with a creepy series of murders, the crime solved by a teenager. Recommended.
Read
December 24, 2019Meh. I've been fascinated with the story of Henry Darger for a long time, so I was curious how this story would incorporate his history. The answer is "not well." It was gimmicky bordering on exploitative. Henry Darger as a character could have been removed from this book without causing any problems to the plot.
Additionally, the character Pin, who was the most interesting, was underdeveloped. Francis Bacon was also seriously underdeveloped. The mystery was rushed and uninteresting.
All in all, this book felt disjointed, and I struggled to finish it. I also had problems with the way gender was addressed. I understand the author was working from a historical perspective, but it still wasn't great.
Additionally, the character Pin, who was the most interesting, was underdeveloped. Francis Bacon was also seriously underdeveloped. The mystery was rushed and uninteresting.
All in all, this book felt disjointed, and I struggled to finish it. I also had problems with the way gender was addressed. I understand the author was working from a historical perspective, but it still wasn't great.
March 21, 2021
This isn't only a book. This is a captivating time capsule that will carry you away to the early 20th century and that definitely lives up to its title!
It's August 1915 and the Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago features many curiosities; baby incubators as boardwalk sideshows (and it is true, look it up!), peculiar She-Man Max and Maxene, the fortune-teller Madame Zanto and dark rides like Hell Gate or Old Mill...
It's on one of these dark rides that Pin, Madame Zanto's daughter who for her own good is dressed as a boy while hanging out around the park, witnesses something very disconcerting: an adult man and a young girl entering together and the man coming out alone. She isn't the only one to see it, real-life character and outsider artist Henry Darger (aka. Detective Enrico Dargero) saw it too and so this odd couple begins investigating to find out what exactly happened.
"Curious Toys" really works on many levels and first and foremost it is an intriguing mystery. But it is so much more too. There are, for instance, Pin's insights she can gain as a girl dressed as a boy and her being in the position of making comparisons between the liberties given to each, and that must be very accurate for that time. I should add that Hand knows better than to limit her representation of gender to constructed binarisms and questions them dauntlessly. The way in which women and girls were expected to behave and to be represented in show business, namely as toys, as puppets with ringlets, lace handkerchiefs, babydoll dresses are an essential part of this world made by men for men and is at the heart of the mystery Hand confronts us with.
Another level of this book, and for me personally it was the main factor that made it tremendously enjoyable, is the mentioned real-life character Henry Darger, who, during his own lifetime, had a mental illness which limited his social skills enormously but was a brilliant artist whose artwork was only discovered after his death, in his room. This work comprises ten thousands of pages of ingenious collages, drawings and writings about a children's uprising. The connection "Curious Toys" establishes to his work, although imaginary, is very touching and gives a whole different meaning to the story.
I would definitely recommend it to everyone I know; Hand is a hell of a writer and the story offers way more than a simple mystery.
It's August 1915 and the Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago features many curiosities; baby incubators as boardwalk sideshows (and it is true, look it up!), peculiar She-Man Max and Maxene, the fortune-teller Madame Zanto and dark rides like Hell Gate or Old Mill...
It's on one of these dark rides that Pin, Madame Zanto's daughter who for her own good is dressed as a boy while hanging out around the park, witnesses something very disconcerting: an adult man and a young girl entering together and the man coming out alone. She isn't the only one to see it, real-life character and outsider artist Henry Darger (aka. Detective Enrico Dargero) saw it too and so this odd couple begins investigating to find out what exactly happened.
"Curious Toys" really works on many levels and first and foremost it is an intriguing mystery. But it is so much more too. There are, for instance, Pin's insights she can gain as a girl dressed as a boy and her being in the position of making comparisons between the liberties given to each, and that must be very accurate for that time. I should add that Hand knows better than to limit her representation of gender to constructed binarisms and questions them dauntlessly. The way in which women and girls were expected to behave and to be represented in show business, namely as toys, as puppets with ringlets, lace handkerchiefs, babydoll dresses are an essential part of this world made by men for men and is at the heart of the mystery Hand confronts us with.
Another level of this book, and for me personally it was the main factor that made it tremendously enjoyable, is the mentioned real-life character Henry Darger, who, during his own lifetime, had a mental illness which limited his social skills enormously but was a brilliant artist whose artwork was only discovered after his death, in his room. This work comprises ten thousands of pages of ingenious collages, drawings and writings about a children's uprising. The connection "Curious Toys" establishes to his work, although imaginary, is very touching and gives a whole different meaning to the story.
I would definitely recommend it to everyone I know; Hand is a hell of a writer and the story offers way more than a simple mystery.
November 8, 2023
Curious Toys by Elizabeth Hand is an interesting Historical Fiction mixed with a mystery. The story takes place in 1915 Fairgrounds in Chicago about twenty years after the World's Fire fire and the serial killer H.H. Holmes, with its serial killer to deal with. The history is a big part I was constantly reminded of the nonfiction work The Devil in the White City which covered the 1893 Chicago's World's Fair. The history and the rides at the time were really neat, The book only covers one in-detail Hellsgate ride I could almost imagine it. The book is LGTBG friendly with its lead character Pin who is a girl who lives as a boy and struggles with her feelings about girls and one girl in particular Glory. I have not read a great amount of LGTBQ books but I found this one nailed the questioning of one's self. A special thanks to Netgalley and Mulholland Books for giving me a copy, Curious Toys was published on October 15, 2019.
The Plot: Pin is a 14-year-old girl who lives as a boy, it started for safety but she likes it and prefers it, her mother is a fortune teller at the fair. They both live in a shack on the fairgrounds. Two years ago Pin's sister was lost, she had a form of down syndrome and has never been found. Pin runs drugs for Max, a he/she act where one side is a man and the other a woman. Pin is always curious and noticing things adults don't she is sensitive to young girls and strangers. She watches a young girl in a yellow dress get on a ride with a man and never get out, the man she doesn't get a good look at but is sure of what she's seen. She sneaks into the ride and discovers a body. Pin is the only one who cares as the body brings even more people to check out the ride and the fair, Pin is willing to risk her life but she might have to risk something more important to her identity.
What I Liked: Pin as a character was fascinating, wish we spent more time with her, and her crisis. I liked the little twist with Glory and who she turned out to be. I liked the Charlie Chaplin bit especially the bit about the cops questioning him being ashamed at the way they are portrayed in his movies. I liked the climax it was pretty exciting. The killer was good the reader was left to fill in a lot of their reasons for the crimes. I did like the flashback of the killer, even at the time reading it you didn't know whose flashback it was. I did like the Fatty Bacon cop character and the dating scene he had. I love, loved, the part about Pin wanting to expose the killer to do it in a way she could keep her identity as being a boy, I found that powerful. I liked the language and found it fitting for the period. This was one of the coolest covers with all the images about the book it has, it was one of the reasons I selected to request this novel form Netgalley.
What I Disliked: The character of Henry Darger I didn't care for a hospital janitor who isn't all there, slightly crazy, who looks out for young girls and has a club protecting them. His character was not needed and it kept the reader away from Pin. I would have liked his character a little more if his slight bio was at the beginning instead of at the end. I didn't like that the story jumped around having 7 different character's narratives. Pin, the killer, and maybe one more character was all you needed, though I did like being in Charlie Chaplin's head briefly it didn't serve a narrative purpose and could been in the newspaper. I figured out who the killer was early, I saw where the novel was pulling me and saw through the misdirection. There were not that many possible suspects, so I found it easy to leap. I wanted better descriptions of all the people and things it keeps talking about boater hats, which I had to look up to know what they looked like and then see in the words on the page.
Recommendation: I would mildly recommend this to a reader searching for an LGTBQ character in the early 1900s and the questioning of one's self and identity was good. If you like historical fiction of the early 1900s, I love Charlie Chaplin and found that part fascinating, as the description of the Hellsgate amusement park ride. I rated this novel 3 out of 5 stars. I found there were some great moments and some not-so-great moments that balanced out.
The Plot: Pin is a 14-year-old girl who lives as a boy, it started for safety but she likes it and prefers it, her mother is a fortune teller at the fair. They both live in a shack on the fairgrounds. Two years ago Pin's sister was lost, she had a form of down syndrome and has never been found. Pin runs drugs for Max, a he/she act where one side is a man and the other a woman. Pin is always curious and noticing things adults don't she is sensitive to young girls and strangers. She watches a young girl in a yellow dress get on a ride with a man and never get out, the man she doesn't get a good look at but is sure of what she's seen. She sneaks into the ride and discovers a body. Pin is the only one who cares as the body brings even more people to check out the ride and the fair, Pin is willing to risk her life but she might have to risk something more important to her identity.
What I Liked: Pin as a character was fascinating, wish we spent more time with her, and her crisis. I liked the little twist with Glory and who she turned out to be. I liked the Charlie Chaplin bit especially the bit about the cops questioning him being ashamed at the way they are portrayed in his movies. I liked the climax it was pretty exciting. The killer was good the reader was left to fill in a lot of their reasons for the crimes. I did like the flashback of the killer, even at the time reading it you didn't know whose flashback it was. I did like the Fatty Bacon cop character and the dating scene he had. I love, loved, the part about Pin wanting to expose the killer to do it in a way she could keep her identity as being a boy, I found that powerful. I liked the language and found it fitting for the period. This was one of the coolest covers with all the images about the book it has, it was one of the reasons I selected to request this novel form Netgalley.
What I Disliked: The character of Henry Darger I didn't care for a hospital janitor who isn't all there, slightly crazy, who looks out for young girls and has a club protecting them. His character was not needed and it kept the reader away from Pin. I would have liked his character a little more if his slight bio was at the beginning instead of at the end. I didn't like that the story jumped around having 7 different character's narratives. Pin, the killer, and maybe one more character was all you needed, though I did like being in Charlie Chaplin's head briefly it didn't serve a narrative purpose and could been in the newspaper. I figured out who the killer was early, I saw where the novel was pulling me and saw through the misdirection. There were not that many possible suspects, so I found it easy to leap. I wanted better descriptions of all the people and things it keeps talking about boater hats, which I had to look up to know what they looked like and then see in the words on the page.
Recommendation: I would mildly recommend this to a reader searching for an LGTBQ character in the early 1900s and the questioning of one's self and identity was good. If you like historical fiction of the early 1900s, I love Charlie Chaplin and found that part fascinating, as the description of the Hellsgate amusement park ride. I rated this novel 3 out of 5 stars. I found there were some great moments and some not-so-great moments that balanced out.
August 17, 2019
Curious Toys brings you back into the progressive era of 1900s with a great atmosphere of carnivals, serial killer and a heart-skipping adventure of a kid.
✔️The book was fun to read, the author gives the readers a fantastic and crafted narration. She instilled an almost real feeling that I’m taking part of the adventure with the characters and visualizing the setting of Chicago in the 1900s with elements of the past which is an edge from other historical mystery writers.
✔️The mystery in the book had caught me dumb-founded. [ My term for someone who didn’t find out who the serial killer is in the end ] The book will help you with given clues, old police procedurals and serial killer backgrounds but I bet you won’t be able to stop turning the pages until you make sure of your guess and finding that it is twisted all along.
✔️A quick mystery & adventure novel which will satisfy your fascination with serial killers and crime fiction. All five stars for this.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 stars
Big thanks to @mulhollandbooks for giving this to me in exchange for an honest review. ❤️🙌🏻
June 28, 2020
3.0 STARS
My feelings about this book are full of ambivalence and contradiction. Set in 1915 during the heady heydays of the great American amusement parks, I liked the plot, the pace and the many threads of historical references woven into the story but I could never quite bring myself to love it. I wanted to love it but I just couldn’t! Something inexplicable and intangible about the delivery of the tale created an insurmountable chasm between like and love.
The summer of 1915 is hot and steamy and the Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago is very busy, full of families and lots of children. Children. Fourteen year old Pin Maffucci noticed the girl in the yellow dress went into Hell Gate with the man but she never came out! The girl disappeared, just like Pin’s sister. When Arianna disappeared she wore a yellow dress too. For safety and access to places and rights never afforded to girls, Pin’s mother insists Pin dress as a boy everyday while in public and under this cover, she is able run with the pack of boys at the park and insert herself into the investigation of the missing girl.
Curious Toys is a historically fictional exploration of an investigation into a serial killer leveraging the organized chaos of the early days of American amusement parks, veritable hunting grounds for young children, and Pin’s role in initiating and solving the case. The great amusement parks of the time like Riverview in Chicago, Luna Park at Coney Island and Dreamland near Boston are all included in the story although Riverview is the main setting. Civil rights, discrimination and ethnic hatred, police corruption and sexual orientation are all part of the story as is Henry Darger, the American writer and artist who was a hospital custodian in Chicago at the time. Charlie Chaplin and Chicago-based Essanay Studios are part of the story too!
So much history that motivated me to Google the names and places mentioned in the book. I had never heard of Henry Joseph Darger, Jr. until now! Even as I share my thoughts on the book I so badly want to love it but, I just can’t. Something about the chemistry only adds up to like, not love for me.
I suggest you give it a try though. The chemistry worked for so many other readers. It might work for you.
My feelings about this book are full of ambivalence and contradiction. Set in 1915 during the heady heydays of the great American amusement parks, I liked the plot, the pace and the many threads of historical references woven into the story but I could never quite bring myself to love it. I wanted to love it but I just couldn’t! Something inexplicable and intangible about the delivery of the tale created an insurmountable chasm between like and love.
The summer of 1915 is hot and steamy and the Riverview Amusement Park in Chicago is very busy, full of families and lots of children. Children. Fourteen year old Pin Maffucci noticed the girl in the yellow dress went into Hell Gate with the man but she never came out! The girl disappeared, just like Pin’s sister. When Arianna disappeared she wore a yellow dress too. For safety and access to places and rights never afforded to girls, Pin’s mother insists Pin dress as a boy everyday while in public and under this cover, she is able run with the pack of boys at the park and insert herself into the investigation of the missing girl.
Curious Toys is a historically fictional exploration of an investigation into a serial killer leveraging the organized chaos of the early days of American amusement parks, veritable hunting grounds for young children, and Pin’s role in initiating and solving the case. The great amusement parks of the time like Riverview in Chicago, Luna Park at Coney Island and Dreamland near Boston are all included in the story although Riverview is the main setting. Civil rights, discrimination and ethnic hatred, police corruption and sexual orientation are all part of the story as is Henry Darger, the American writer and artist who was a hospital custodian in Chicago at the time. Charlie Chaplin and Chicago-based Essanay Studios are part of the story too!
So much history that motivated me to Google the names and places mentioned in the book. I had never heard of Henry Joseph Darger, Jr. until now! Even as I share my thoughts on the book I so badly want to love it but, I just can’t. Something about the chemistry only adds up to like, not love for me.
I suggest you give it a try though. The chemistry worked for so many other readers. It might work for you.
January 21, 2020
Truthfully, I wanted to love this atmospheric novel more than I did. It was filled with promise - set at Riverview Park in my hometown Chicago, 1920's carnival atmosphere, incredibly strong young female heroine, a criminal mystery - all components that should have made it un-put-down-able for me. But it never clicked. I admire the attention to detail Hand shows in recreating the historic period accurately but it lacks immediacy. I never felt my heart in my throat despite the gruesome crimes and "manhunt" storyline. Even the revelation of the murdered felt a bit anticlimactic.
Still, for ideas and atmosphere alone, this gets 3 stars.
Still, for ideas and atmosphere alone, this gets 3 stars.
May 9, 2021
What a dark ride it was!
May 10, 2020
What a fun, creepy story! Curious Toys is one part mystery, one part history lesson. As a native Chicagoan, I found this fascinating portrait of early 1900s Chicago to be insanely informative, while simultaneously creepy and enthralling. There were 3 separate times where I’d thought I’d guessed the ending and I was wrong all 3 times. You win, Elizabeth Hand. I’m a big fan now.
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