Customer Reviews

Inamorata

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Occasionally a book comes along that reinforces the reasons why, in an age of bad video games and worse reality TV, time spent reading fiction is still the most rewarding form of entertainment of all. The Inamorata is such a book.

Among the many positive aspects of the book are the incredible descriptive techniques that are as penetrating as I any I've read in a long time. Gangemi provides a perfectly seamless ride to his 1922 locales and once there, richly developed characters come alive. By the time this tight novel reaches its end you feel know each of them like an old friend. The subtle strengths of Mina Crawley echo throughout, as she confounds the men around her ( who are also each intriguing in their own right) in ways that will haunt you long after you put the book down.

There is not a wasted word in the novel. The clear, concise narrative moves the plot along at exactly the right pace while the reader subconsciously digests themes as diverse as a young man's coming of age, the complexities of familial relationships, and the ongoing battle between science and faith. Or it can just be thoroughly enjoyed as an old fashioned ghost story. Either way, this a terrific book, and one I recommend highly.

This is my first ever review of a book. I was moved to do it, as this is a special book. The dialog between the characters is clever and at times quite humorous. The author manages to keep you guessing throughout the book and leaves you wondering at the end if the psychic, Mina, is for real. I loved the characters and had a very difficult time putting the book down. I highly recommend the book for anyone who is looking for something out of the ordinary.

This book had such potential, but then fell flat. It was intriguing throughout, well written, wry, humorous, suspenseful. However, it failed to wrap up many of its details, and left you wondering why he had even introduced certain characters, themes, and details. I did learn a bit about the 20's in Philadelphia. With such good reads out there, this disappointed.

Our book club read this book and really enjoyed it. There is much to discuss about the plot and lots of fun period detail. I enjoyed the many clever descriptons and metaphors. Plus, the story was a real page turner - I hated to put the book down.

This isn't an easy book to categorize. Superficially its plot sounds like a supernatural thriller: in the 1920s a young man with a scientific bent is engaged by "Popular Science" Magazine to debunk spiritualists--only to happen upon one that may very well be genuine. But the book quickly veers off in unexpected directions--love story, murder myster, historical roman a clef--that keep a reader off balance and make the book a constant wonder. Sexy, strange, and with an ending that defies easy interpretation, this is simply a terrific read.

It is the 1920s and the Scientific American Magazine is offering a $5,000 reward for anyone who could prove themselves to be a real spiritualist. Many apply and only the most promising are investigated by the committee. One of the members of the committee is a promising graduate student, Martin Finch. His ingenuity has proved several of the most brilliant and famous spiritualists as frauds. He now is off to Philadelphia with the committee to evaluate the 'society psychic' Mina Crawley. Mina presents a unique problem to Martin. First, her seances appear authentic and quite difficult to prove as fake. The second and more important problem is that Martin is falling in love with her in spite of the fact that she is married.
INAMORATA is not a true mystery in the usual definition of the genre. No murders occur but the mystery lies in finding the proof that Mina is a fraud. The book is clever and quite a bit of fun. The historical era is very well depicted in this atmospheric novel filled with realistic characters. The length is perfect for the plot and the solution is both clever and satisfying. A recommended read.

I read this book on the recommedation of a friend, and it didn't leave my hands from the moment I picked it up until I finished it. As an aficionado of both the 1920s, the era in which the novel is set, and mystery novels/spooky settings, I was in heaven. Everything in the book is historically accurate, down to the most minute details. As an F. Scott Fitzgerald scholar, I also enjoyed Mr. Gangemi's occasional oblique references to Fitzgerald's work. Inamorata is a real page-turner, and all-in-all an excellent novel. I'm looking forward to reading more from the talented Mr. Gangemi.

"Never fall in love with the medium" is the anthem for this novel. Martin Finch, a Harvard graduate student, is called upon by his mentor to travel to Philadelphia to observe the seances performed by Mina Crawley. A $5,000 award is the prize for an actual spirit appearance. Martin provides all the gimmicks to prove Mina a fraud. However, he falls in love with her and now we are questioning each appearance by her dead brother. Her much older husband becomes suspect.
I loved the spiritualism, seances, and the young Martin, always at odds with his fellow compatriats who must come to a
decision as to whether Mina's visions are real or trumped up!

The book is about the seance scene in the 1920s when it was conducted by the most noble people to reconnect with those departed. Was there any truth to those seances? is what the Scientific American has established a committee to find out. The lead investigater finds nothing but fraud until he disovers Mina and her husband who he cant discount or can he. The book was good and intriguing. The premise was very interesting but I have to agree that I was a little confused by the ending. I couldnt give it 5 stars because it just didnt tie in all together and I got a little disenchanted.


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INAMORATA is everything I want in a novel! Brains, beauty, and bravura. The story is at once light and dense -- you?re plowing through the twists and turns and oddities, and then suddenly you stop in your tracks to admire the delicious writing, or to ponder a wonderful insight. It?s a head-spinning stew: supernatural romance, historical fiction, the loss of innocence. When we close the book, both the hero and the reader are forced to ponder the mysteries that lie beneath the surface of all things. This novel is fun. This novel moves. Buy it. Spread the news. Writer Joseph Gangemi has conjured up a winner.