If you have ever wanted to know more about the history of tattos OR about the history of Coney Island, this is your book. A tattoo artist on Coney Island at the beginning of the 20th century. I liked this book but my book group hated it. Frankly, I think that most of them didn't make it past the first chapter and it would have grown on them if they had.

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this was a great story of a tattoo artist who grows up in northern england and comes to coney island it the midst of its greatness and encounters many unique people. this was a beautifully written story!

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Now that I've finished this novel, I keep thinking back on it as I try to work out my feelings on it. I had read Daughters Of The North and found it a decent read so I decided to check out this one due to the subject. The descriptive prose is so thick that at times you feel like you're swimming through it, but for some reason I can't articulate I actually really enjoyed it. I wouldn't blame anyone put off by the heaviness of the writing style but it actually appealed to me (maybe because I was interested in the plot?). The main character Cy is extremely fleshed-out while the supporting characters all get a decent amount of page-time as well. All in all, I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. If you can struggle through adjusting to the thickness of the writing style, I would definitely recommend this novel.

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