Paradise on the Pike

I received this from Netgalley.com.

A well told story with interesting characters and a fictional murder mystery woven into the actual history.

Good read
4.25☆

I really enjoyed reading this and it had the mystery element that I was hoping for and enjoyed in the historical setting. The characters were what I wanted and enjoyed the overall concept with them. I enjoyed getting to read this and thought the overall feel worked. I could see the researched element and thought everything worked well together.

Paradise on the Pike takes place in the early 1900s, and follows 20 year old Max and his mother’s move from Germany, to St. Louis, MO. Max is approached by a stranger (Carl Hagenbeck) at his home in Germany, who offers to buy the family’s farm with the intention of constructing an animal exhibition. Since the recent death of Max’s alcoholic, abusive father, his mother sees this offer as the perfect opportunity for her and Max to immigrate to America and make a fresh start with her brother’s family. Upon arrival Max struggles in his new life, but eventually comes full circle with Carl Hagenbeck’s Animal Paradise by working with the animals during the 1904 World’s Fair.

I loved the historical aspect of Paradise. Period settings are some of my favorite types of books. Angleton does a great job of setting the stage for the work that went into the site of the 1904 World’s Fair. And I loved reading the extra information in the Author’s Note, giving more background on Hagenbeck and how he was a pioneer of open enclosures for animals that are still used in zoos today, but how he also conducted strange experiments and exploited indigenous people in his exhibits.

Max is a troubled character and as you get to know him more throughout the book, you see how living with an abusive parent has affected him. He also has trouble adjusting to his new life in America, after coming from a more isolated life on his family farm in Hamburg. I felt Max had an unhealthy grasp of relationships because of the abuse he and his mother suffered at the hands of his father. For me, Max definitely gave me an uneasy feeling and I thought Angleton handled the writing of his character really well.

Aside from the historical aspect and a look at life for immigrants in the early 1900s, the book also takes on a murder mystery story line. I thought Angleton wrote this really well, and I loved how she tied all of the elements of the story together in the reveal at the end of the book. It’s an interesting take on how individuals can be affected by the traumas in their life.

If you are a fan of books like Water for Elephants and books by written by Kristin Hannah, who writes characters that deal with trauma, then I would highly recommend Paradise on the Pike. It deals with the darker side of humanity and relationships, during a time when the world was on the verge of welcoming new ideas and innovations, and Angleton masterfully combined the feelings of despair and loneliness with the hope of all that the World’s Fair had to offer.

Sarah Angleton's novel is a classic "coming to America" tale, along with an eye-opening insight into the development of 20th-century zoos and a murder mystery on top. Fascinating. well written and a great twist at the end. I was given access to this book by NetGalley.