It Happened At The Fair By Deeanne Gist

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of It Happened At The Fair as a member of Litfuse. All opinions are my own.
About The Book:

A transporting historical novel about a promising young inventor, his struggle with loss, and the attractive teacher who changes his life, all set against the razzle-dazzle of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

Gambling everything, including the family farm, Cullen McNamara travels to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair with his most recent invention. But the noise in the Fair’s Machinery Palace makes it impossible to communicate with potential buyers. In an act of desperation, he hires Della Wentworth, a teacher of the deaf, to tutor him in the art of lip-reading.

The young teacher is reluctant to participate, and Cullen has trouble keeping his mind on his lessons while intently watching her lips. Like the newly invented Ferris Wheel, he is caught in a whirl between his girl back home, his dreams as an inventor, and his unexpected attraction to his new tutor. Can he keep his feet on the ground, or will he be carried away?

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My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed It Happened At The Fair but I did have a hard time getting into it in the beginning. The story starts our with Cullen at his family’s farm and moves right into going to the Chicago World’s Fair. So that moves along nicely. But it sort of slows down from there. You will learn a lot about inventions that were seen in 1893. There is a lot of describing foliage and plants and machines. I think that is what started to slow me down a little. But I kept reading and I’m glad I did because the history is fantastic.

I found that the more I read, the more interested I became in the inventions! The story of Cullen and Della was great and all, but being taken back in time to the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair was fantastic! My husband is a Fire Sprinkler Pipefitter so I had a REAL connection with Cullen and his invention. Installing those is what my own husband does! It was so cool to read how and why Cullen invented his sprinkler system in this story and imagine my own husband working alongside him.

Friendships sometimes blossom into something more profound and I loved seeing Della teach Cullen how to read lips and to sign. Deanne Gist did a great job building their friendship.

About Deeanne Gist:

Deeanne Gist—known to her family, friends, and fans as Dee—has rocketed up bestseller lists and captured readers everywhere with her very fun, very original historicals. She has received numerous RITA nominations, two consecutive Christy Awards, and rave reviews. Deeanne has a background in education and journalism and a degree from Texas A&M. She has written for “People,” “Parents,” and “Parenting.” She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and has four grown children. She has a very active online community on her website at  I Want Her Book.com.

 

Check out our other reviews of novels by Deanne Gist.