When I decided to read It Happened at the Fair as part of the Litfuse book tour, I knew it would be right up my alley.  I love historical fiction, especially when there’s an element of truth to the story.  I was whisked back to the Chicago World Fair of 1893 and all of the excitement that surrounded the fair.  In that era, there was also an expectation of how respectable young people should behave.  Someone from a modest background like Cullen MacNamara wasn’t supposed to put on airs and reach higher than his station in life.  That, for me, is where the thrill of the story lies.   I love that juxtaposition between characters when they know the “proper” thing to do and it conflicts with their dreams.   There’s an element of Downton Abbey.  Yes, I know I say that all the time.  I promise I don’t mean to!  The pictures in the book make it completely real to me.  I loved knowing that The World Fair really happened and could totally imagine the story being true.

It Happened At The Fair is one of those books that made me sigh at the end.  What good is a book if it doesn’t transport you to another time and place?   It’s a feel-good book that had enough twists and turns to keep me entertained.  I live near a World’s Fair location (Knoxville, TN 1982) and reading It Happened At The Fair made me want to go visit the site this summer.  When I read books like this, it takes me away from the doldrums of washing a never-ending pile of laundry or needing to buy summer shorts for my kids.  It’s a little bit of an escape that I so enjoy.

I received a copy of this book to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.