nonfiction
The Ghosts of Eden Park:The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America tells of the larger-than-life George Remus who was a bootlegger (among other things) in Cincinnati during
Prohibition.
Hyped as nonfiction that reads like a novel, it missed the
mark. A lot. This book was largely a dump of facts and names. So many people
were mentioned without sufficient backup information to index them in my mind.
It was difficult to remember who people were in the scheme of things at times
and it also did not allow me to care much about anyone. The nerve of George Remus seemed unbelievable—he
was quite a character. However, despite his outrageous behavior, his incredible story
never grabbed my attention due to the way Karen Abbott wrote his tale. Admittedly,
I’m not a nonfiction lover. So, if it truly doesn’t read like a novel, chances
are it’s not going to bring me much enjoyment. If this hadn’t been a book club
book, I’d have abandoned it. Remus' tale was definitely worth being told. I just didn't appreciate this format.
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