Nightmare Alley by William Lindsay Gresham

Nightmare Alley

William Lindsay Gresham

275 pages • first pub 1946 (editions)

fiction crime mystery dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Description

One of the twentieth century's most darkly beautiful works of crime fiction--a story of carny life, spiritualism, and a con man of merciless resolve.Nightmare Alley begins with an extraordinary description of a freak-show geek--alcoholic and abjec...

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Community Reviews Summary of 430 reviews

Moods

dark 100%
mysterious 57%
tense 45%
sad 36%
challenging 28%
reflective 23%
emotional 16%
adventurous 13%
funny 3%
informative 3%
inspiring 1%

Pace

medium 55%
slow 39%
fast 4%

Plot- or character-driven?

Character: 57% | A mix: 38% | N/A: 2% | Plot: 2%

Strong character development?

Yes: 56% | It's complicated: 28% | No: 14%

Loveable characters?

No: 76% | It's complicated: 20% | Yes: 3%

Diverse cast of characters?

Yes: 44% | No: 40% | It's complicated: 13% | N/A: 2%

Flaws of characters a main focus?

Yes: 98% | It's complicated: 1%

Average rating

3.66

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Content Warnings

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