57460

4.5 stars. ( )

Easy read, good story ( )

This novel includes fascinating facts and photographs from the Chicago World's Fair. The romance was chaste, but steamy, as seems to be Gist's trademark. The secondary characters, save one or two, came across as one-dimensional. The setting wasn't one of my favorites, so I skimmed many of the descriptions (there were quite a few). This novel wasn't my favorite of Gist's, mostly because I'm not a big fan of the era. But she did bring a vividness and a charm to the World's Fair that I'm sure many would enjoy.

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This was a delightful story set against the history rich background of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. Cullen's plight held my interest from cover to cover and I adored the way he treated Della. While he had so much to lose, she struggled with trust issues drilled into her by her overprotective father. Watching this couple overcome their obstacles turned out to be a trip back in time.

There is so much to like in this story that I could fill pages and pages with this review! Cullen's father and his unshakeable confidence in his son, the relationship between Cullen and the firefighters, Della's relationship with her students, seeing the park through Della and Cullen's eyes as the toured the various exhibits during his lessons. I could go on and on! It was also very poignant to see how different society was in 1897...especially for women. Some of the exhibits in the Children's Building were a bit mind blowing. Women didn't have many options back then, but I enjoyed looking back to see how far we have come.

Don't ask me if I enjoyed the story or the history more...I couldn't tell you. One wouldn't be the same without the other. While the couple is fictional and the author does admit to taking some creative license and tweaking the time line a bit, she did her research and kept things as close to reality as possible. The result is a unique and very, very memorable experience. Bravo, Ms. Gist! I'm definitely looking into more of your books!

I initially borrowed the audiobook from the library, but after the first chapter, I bought the e-book, too. I just knew this would be top-notch. I was pleasantly surprised to find black and white photos and penciled artist's drawings of the fair and it's various exhibits. It was a wonder that would've been missed had I not purchased the book! Just FYI to all my co-audiobook lovers out there.

I highly recommend this book!





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