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Carter Beats the Devil Paperback – September 18, 2002

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 756 ratings

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A hypnotizing work of historical fiction that stars 1920s magician Charles the Great, a young master performer whose skill as an illusionist exceeds even that of the great Houdini.

Nothing in his career has prepared Charles Carter for the greatest stunt of all, which stars none other than President Warren G. Harding and which could end up costing Carter the reputation he has worked so hard to create. Filled with historical references that evoke the excesses and exuberance of Roaring Twenties, pre-Depression America,
Carter Beats the Devil is a complex and illuminating story of one man's journey through a magical and sometimes dangerous world, where illusion is everything.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A whopper of a story . . . Amazing." -- Entertainment Weekly

"Glen David Gold is one of the most entertaining appearing acts of recent years." --
New Yorker

"Gold creates an exuberant feeling of expectation and mystery." --
Los Angeles Times

"Mesmerizing." --
People

"Riveting . . . tender . . . fabulous." --
Boston Globe

"Simply magic . . . Glows with harmonious elegance." --
New York Times Book Review

"Tantalizing." --
Washington Post Book World

About the Author

Glen David Gold received his MFA for creative writing at the University of California at Irvine and has written for newspapers, film, and television. He currently lives in Southern California.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette Books; Reprint edition (September 18, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 496 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0786886323
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0786886326
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 13 years and up
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 8 and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.25 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 1.69 x 8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 756 ratings

About the author

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Glen David Gold
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Glen David Gold is the author of the best-selling novels SUNNYSIDE and CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL, which has been translated into 14 languages. His short fiction, essays and journalism have appeared in Playboy, McSweeney's, Tin House, Wired, the New York Times Sunday Magazine and Zyzzyva. He has written comic books for DC and Dark Horse, and his essays about creator Jack Kirby accompanied the landmark MASTERS OF AMERICAN COMICS and COMIC BOOK APOCALYPSE museum shows.

With Ben Acker and Ben Blacker (no, really), he wrote several episodes of THE THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR, a fake radio show available on iTunes and wherever else fine fake radio shows are hosted, and with Jeffrey Cranor and Joseph Fink, he wrote four episodes of WELCOME TO NIGHT VALE, also available where podcasts are...podcast.

Burying the lede somewhat, his memoir I WILL BE COMPLETE, a three-volume examination of his simultaneous attempts to find connection and autonomy, is now available from Knopf on this platform and cough cough others. The Washington Post calls it "a banquet of vivacity, shrewdness and wit, a soiree of heart-wreck wised up by humor" and the Los Angeles Times calls it "an audacious, boundary-shattering work that will be talked about for a very long time."

He lives in Southern California and if you happen to be a showrunner on an hour-long, he's really good at structure, world-building and layering in character flaws, and his personal hygiene is excellent. He hits his head on something roughly once a week, and is fairly sure that's how he's going to make his exit.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
756 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the storyline riveting, imaginative, and well researched. They also find the book entertaining and engaging, with exquisite descriptive writing. Readers also appreciate the author's work and praise the riveting storytelling.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

55 customers mention "Storyline"47 positive8 negative

Customers find the storyline riveting, engrossing, and exquisite. They also appreciate the historical details and twists and turns. Readers describe the book as intellectually stimulating, plausible, and engaging. They mention that the main character is good-hearted and talented.

"Combining riveting storytelling, engrossing characterization and exquisite descriptive writing, "Carter Beats the Devil" is an extraordinary novel...." Read more

"...Having said all that, I still felt that the novel was imaginative, well researched, and, for the most part, quite entertaining. I would recommend it." Read more

"...Oddly in the end I found it very plausible. I thought I would think it just another illusion of a good premise, but proved me wrong...." Read more

"...Every paragraph has a historical detail that required tons of research...." Read more

47 customers mention "Entertainment value"47 positive0 negative

Customers find the book amazing, enjoyable, and beautiful. They also say the novel is thrilling, exciting, and has a whiz-bang conclusion.

"...exquisite descriptive writing, "Carter Beats the Devil" is an extraordinary novel...." Read more

"...novel was imaginative, well researched, and, for the most part, quite entertaining. I would recommend it." Read more

"...However the book is creative and fun to read and I'm giving it five stars." Read more

"...deeper. Still it was a great entertainment andperfect for a long airplane ride...." Read more

19 customers mention "Characters"15 positive4 negative

Customers find the characters engaging and talented.

"...Charles Carter is such a fully-developed character that it becomes easy to see how he would not fit into today's glitzy, self-absorbed culture...." Read more

"...But apart from that, I fell in love with the characters, especially Carter and Phoebe...." Read more

"...his "Carter Beats the Devil." With vivid prose, larger than life characters, and a plot that is both complex and enticing, the story will..." Read more

"...: First, that the book was just too busy--too many subplots, too many characters, and in general too much of everything crammed into one novel...." Read more

16 customers mention "Writing style"16 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing style exquisite, descriptive, and fine. They also appreciate the author's turn of phrase and the amount of work put into the book.

"...riveting storytelling, engrossing characterization and exquisite descriptive writing, "Carter Beats the Devil" is an extraordinary novel...." Read more

"...The magic acts that punctuate the book are uniformly beautiful, richly described and thrilling...." Read more

"...turn of phrase. He knows how to build a plot andeven though this book wanders off from time to time,..." Read more

"...I'm impressed by the amount of work the author put into this book. Every paragraph has a historical detail that required tons of research...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2002
Combining riveting storytelling, engrossing characterization and exquisite descriptive writing, "Carter Beats the Devil" is an extraordinary novel. Glen David Gold has transformed the life of Charles Carter, stage magician, into a compulsively readable account of one man's search for artistic and personal integrity. On the surface, "Carter" reads as a melodramatic account of the struggles and successes of a dedicated, quiet magician; drawing on the magician's need for "misdirection," Gold subtlely converts Carter's life into a symbolic representation of the American success quest, of decency combatting evil and of the possibilities of love overcoming existential loneliness. It is a tale of reconciliation of the impossible with the possible and the growing awareness that life's paths often intertwine the two without our being aware of which steps lead us in which direction. There is magic on every page, the delightful demonstration of the performer's craft, to be sure, but also the stunning talent of a writer who assuredly holds his readers' attention in his hands.
"Carter" reminds one of "Ragtime" and "Dreamland;" historical figures have significant or cameo appearances. Such luminaries as President Harding, Philo Farnsworth and Harry Houdini involve themselves in the intricacies of the action. Gold also involves the Secret Service and introduces a particularly affecting agent, Jack Griffin, whose tortured conscience matches his selfless devotion to a public service whose highest-ranking officials reek with moral corruption. Even the craft of stage magic receives scrutiny. The villainous Mysterioso, whose tendency towards mendacity is matched only by his cynical vanity, also comes to represent any talented individual who has lost passion for the beauty of his/her abilities but manipulates those skills for personal gain. "Carter" is an intensely moral novel, and no character better represents the quest for moral certainty than its protagonist, Charles Carter.
The author's characterization of Charles Carter is at once both sympathetic and critical. Gold's comprehensive research into Carter's life permits him to draw a character whose isolated childhood induced the study and practice of magic. A terrifying episode with the family's garderner provides the impetus for what becomes a life-long courtship with illusion, escape and misdirection. Detached from his family's wealth but unsure of his own direction, Carter works his way from the bottom up as he sharpens his craft. Assiduously respectful of the artistry of illusion, he develops a respect for the ethics of magic -- whose core tenets involve self-discipline, an honoring of the participants (including animals) in a show and a consuming desire to create original material. Charles Carter is such a fully-developed character that it becomes easy to see how he would not fit into today's glitzy, self-absorbed culture. Carter is simply too honorable, too self-deprecating to mesh with the "superstar" mentality of our current era.
In honoring the magician's admonishment that no details can be shared about the third act, this reviewer will abstain from details about Charles Carter's personal life, the inner and external conflicts he must wage in order to gain a sense of harmony on and off the state, and the implications that he may have been involved with the death of a President. The colorful cover of "Carter Beats the Devil" should lure passersby to purchase this marvelous novel and enter a world where the impossible becomes the expected and illusion supplants reality. Once you enter the domain of Charles Carter, you will surely be enthralled.
9 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2003
I agreed with portions of boh the reviews which praised this book to the high heavens and those who criticized it as well. My primary criticisms were twofold: First, that the book was just too busy--too many subplots, too many characters, and in general too much of everything crammed into one novel. In fact I have noticed that this is a frequently recurring flaw with first-time novelists: just too much going on; they can't reign themselves in. I also felt that "Act Two" of the novel--spanning some 200 pages--was far less interesting (albeit busy)than the first and third "Acts" and the novel suffered for that as well. I also agreed with one reviewer that the whole business about the Secret Service agents wanting to kill Carter was rather baffling. Was it standard operating procedure for these agents to want to kill Presidential assassinaton suspects on sight. Was I missing something? Having said all that, I still felt that the novel was imaginative, well researched, and, for the most part, quite entertaining. I would recommend it.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2024
If you like historical based novels, you'll enjoy this. Oddly in the end I found it very plausible. I thought I would think it just another illusion of a good premise, but proved me wrong. I did like it even though it jumps around a bit. Just have to keep that in mind.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 17, 2017
I enjoyed this book when it was first published, and recently (spurred I think by its superb cover art) decided to give it another go. It is primarily a book of events rather than ideas, but even remembering how it ended I enjoyed it. The character of Charles Carter, the somewhat fictionalized early 20th century magician, is fully developed, even if those around him are not. We feel pain at his loss, we root for him to succeed. The world in which he lives feels entirely real, though Glen David Gold is in fact serving us a pastiche of history and plausible fiction. The magic acts that punctuate the book are uniformly beautiful, richly described and thrilling.

The book's one great weakness is the fourth-act showdown with a murderous rival (who is conveniently in the pay of other unrelated adversaries of Charles Carter). After all the careful planning and skill that has characterized our protagonist to this point, the sprawling battle plays out largely by chance. The entire battle feels misplaced, like it comes from a different book, and the denouement to the fight was wasted opportunity.

However the book is creative and fun to read and I'm giving it five stars.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2007
Glen Gold is a good writer who can show a clever

turn of phrase. He knows how to build a plot and

even though this book wanders off from time to time,

he knows how to charm an audience.

I was thoroughly entertained by Carter and I enjoyed

being the victim of his magic trick as the plot

comes together. What disappointed me was that

there was not much development of Carter as a

character. I didn't feel that I knew him any better

at the end of the book than I did when I followed

his childhood at the beginning.

A book that's about magic and illusion really invites

the reader to ask and answer questions about what's

real and what's smoke and mirrors. I finished this book

feeling sorry that this very good writer didn't go

deeper. Still it was a great entertainment and

perfect for a long airplane ride.

--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and

the forthcoming novel bang BANG from Kunati Books.ISBN

9781601640005
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Mayya Zakharia
5.0 out of 5 stars Impeccable
Reviewed in France on December 16, 2020
Livraison rapide. Livre en très bon état comme décrit.
Amadeus
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful read!
Reviewed in India on November 30, 2018
Wonderful book. Item as described by the seller. Highly recommend
One person found this helpful
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Dr. Kenneth W. Douglas
5.0 out of 5 stars Touching, tense, profound...and (oh, all right then) magical
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 8, 2004
Try as a reviewer might not to take the obvious angle, there's just no getting away from it: Glen David Gold's novel is just as remarkable a conjuring trick as Carter's extraordinary one-night-only show of November 4th 1923 which makes up the book's third act. Like Carter's show, it is a gloriously complex, deliberately over-the-top bit of theatre, time and again misdirecting the audience, with strong love interest but constant hidden menace, which ultimately leaves its readers with a very real sense of wonder. The only remotely comparable book I can think of is Robertson Davies' "World of Wonders" from his Deptford trilogy, which similarly features a central character who has turned to stage magic as an escape from childhood terrors. However, Gold's book is (for me, anyway) even better.
Charles Carter (who was a real historical figure) is already, as the book opens, well established as one of America's greatest magicians. At a show in San Francisco, he invites (fictitious) U.S. President Harding onstage to help him with his final act, in which he out-magics the Devil himself. Hours after the show, Harding dies under mysterious circumstances in his hotel room. Is Carter involved? The Secret Service certainly seem to think so...
With its multiple intricately intertwined subplots and deliciously melodramatic villain, the book could easily have come to seem too much of a good thing, particularly as it is really rather long. However, the audience are saved from being "delighted too much" by the very movingly handled love story between Carter and a truly remarkable woman, who rescues him from the despair and nihilism which have overtaken him after a tragic accident early in his career.
Although it is perhaps not strictly speaking relevant, Glen David Gold is married to Alice Sebold (of "The Lovely Bones" fame). Like Sebold's novel, Gold's is ultimately a tale of survival and redemption following utter emotional desolation. It is also a hugely entertaining read, with a lot of humour and suspense. I'm left bemused as to what the extraordinary Sebold & Gold double-act are going to do for their next trick; but I'd bet it's going to be good ...
8 people found this helpful
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M Arif
4.0 out of 5 stars Over 600 pages but most of them great fun...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 8, 2011
This is the tale of a magician as he tries to make a living from a dying art and repeatedly gets himself into (and out of) scrapes with frightening enemies like the FBI, pirates and even other magicians. An entertaining read which I would never have selected of my own accord (mainly because I find magicians terribly dull and historical fiction even more so) but when it got selected for book club, I thought I might as well give it a go and I'm glad I did. The author has taken real events and lavishly decorated them with fiction to the point where they are virtually unrecognisable. The result is amusing, touching and funny with meticulous attention to detail. Just when you think you know where the story is headed a new twist refreshes your interest. The writing is excellent and characters are cleverly sketched.

It's not the sort of book that will have you thinking well into the night, it's just good entertainment and my only issue with it was that it was a bit too long. Like a lot of us, it could do with losing a bit of excess fat from the middle but I wouldn't blame you if you said I was being picky.
4 people found this helpful
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R. McDermott
5.0 out of 5 stars Magical.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2001
I can't beleieve a reader only gave this 3 stars! This novel is absolutely fantastic - one of those books that you turn off the tv and stay up late to read. You allow yourself to read one more chapter but when you get to the end of it, you inevitably read the first sentence of the next one, and then you can't stop carrying on!
I think the fact that this is David Glen Gold's first novel has obscured the facts - this is a magical, compulsive novel. I hate the way people say 'well, it's his first...he'll get better with time..'. This is already brilliant, no matter how many novels he has or has not already written.
I was sucked in by the tale of Carter's childhood and the anachronistic method of describing events only increases the reader's intense excitement and involvement in the story. The death of the president is the hook, but the life and development of Carter himself is more than enough to keep you interested.
Contary to what one of the other reviews on this page has said, i think the characters do have depth, especially Carter. There are a couple of times in the book where he says he is drawn to people who understand him, and i believe that by the end of the novel the reader is one of those people.
The other characters too are rounded, such as Griffin, and i really enjoyed the method of using past events to help define why a person has become what they are.
This isn't a very erudite review of the book. This is because I find it hard to be objective and english-grad-like with such a great story. So don't believe three stars...it's a 5 star triumph!
12 people found this helpful
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