A review by bent
The Glorious Deception: The Double Life of William Robinson, Aka Chung Ling Soo, the Marvelous Chinese Conjurer by Jim Steinmeyer
3.0
This was a very well-written book. Steinmeyer makes the story of William Robinson come alive, and manages to capture perfectly the feel of the era. This book probably deserves a higher rating, but I have to rate it the way I feel about it, and although it was an excellent read, over 400 pages was taxed my patience with the subject matter.
That's my fault, not Steinmeyer's - he's created a very entertaining book, but around page 300 when Robinson had taken on the guise of Chung Ling Soo, I found myself wondering "what more is there to tell?" Steinmeyer does tell the story well, and the book doesn't feel padded - it's just a lot of information for a man that I'm probably only slightly interested in.
That's my fault, not Steinmeyer's - he's created a very entertaining book, but around page 300 when Robinson had taken on the guise of Chung Ling Soo, I found myself wondering "what more is there to tell?" Steinmeyer does tell the story well, and the book doesn't feel padded - it's just a lot of information for a man that I'm probably only slightly interested in.