Reviews for The Poison Place

The average rating for The Poison Place based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-09-26 00:00:00 Timothy Ceska This is one of those books that completely has a hold on you while you read it. The best thing about it? You're excitedly reading historical fiction and gleaning many facts about the artist Charles Peale, the Civil War, slave life, etc. The story is being told right to you, as recalled by the main character, Moses Williams. The chapters are set up in a tour-like layout of Peale's Museum. Moses leads you from one room to the next, continuing to tell you about his life as you step in and look at your new surroundings. He verbally guides you personally, making this a very imaginative book. For example: "These stairs are tricky, like everything else round this place. The wood's been scalloped by thousands of boots and slippers." Permeating every part of the story, there is the foreboding Poison (arsenic), and the creeping presence of Charles Peale---a great artist and taxidermist in his day, although out of his mind, as the story progresses. I rather enjoyed learning about arsenic, about preserving dead animals, about life as an artist, about using a physiognotrace, and so much more. The author has done a wonderful job of piecing everything together into a riveting novel. There is an eerie and mysterious appeal to the book, which keeps you wondering what will take place next. Notes: I do not remember any profanities used whatsoever---but every once in a while, just for a brief moment, a certain word or phrase seemed to be insinuating something offensive. Because of this, I felt it right to take my rating down to 4 stars.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-11-09 00:00:00 Peter Jones A dark night in 1827 and Moses Williams, Charles Wilson Peale´s former slave, reveals to his daughter this startling account of jealousy, betrayal, and suspicion to be found with the walls of the famous Peale Museum. In a fascinating physiological profile and study of urban slave life in post revolutionary Philadelphia. Charles Wilson Peale was one of Americas first scientist and portrait painters. This book is a good book if you are interested in action with suspense. Reading this book you get lost in the details and the hooks. Normally don´t like reading but this book hooked me from the start.