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Harvard Yard (Peter Fallon #2)
by
William Martin (Goodreads Author)
Picking up where his runaway bestseller "Back Bay" left off, William Martin returns to Boston, this time bringing the history of Harvard University vibrantly to life.
Hardcover, 592 pages
Published
October 29th 2003
by Grand Central Publishing
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This author just continues to amaze me! In HARVARD YARD he combines an interestingly rich history of Harvard from its inception in the 1600s to present day, entwined with another fantastic treasure hunt for a undiscovered Shakespearean play. The play was presented to Robert Harvard (father of John Harvard credited with being the founder of Harvard College) on the day of his son's christening by his good friend Will Shakespear. The play in latter years plays a key role in shaping the lives of the...more
I really wanted to like this book and so I was disapointed when I didn't. The book is dividded into two parts. the first is the history of the Harvard people and how they passed down a work of Shakespeare. This is the part of book I loved. I enoyed the characters and the turmoil they went through to presearve a work of art in Puritan times. The modern part of the book is about an antiquarian who is trying to find the lost play, and I felt this part stagnated. People were murdered or being chased...more
This is one of the first books I read after starting to work at Borders. I read it long before I ever read any if Dan Brown's novels, and really feel that overall, I prefer Martin's writing. However, I need to read the other novels written by Martin to see, having now read all of Dan Brown's books. Harvard Yard was enthralling on so many different levels. I particularly appreciated the historic information woven into the well-written story line! I constantly recommended this book to customers an...more
So much more than the old Pahk the cah in Havad Yahd....Great characters, great plot, and really interesting to read about Harvards History....and find out who half the streets are named after in a Square where I worked for years!
I've finished this now, and was sad when it was over. I really liked that there were a few crossover Pratt characters, from the back generations of Martin's book BACK BAY, as well as The main character Peter Fallon and Evangeline Carrington. Harvard, it's an institution...more
I've finished this now, and was sad when it was over. I really liked that there were a few crossover Pratt characters, from the back generations of Martin's book BACK BAY, as well as The main character Peter Fallon and Evangeline Carrington. Harvard, it's an institution...more
Jun 27, 2010
George
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
nook-ereads,
william-martin
SUCH A GOOD READ.
“A man will be known by his books.” –page 41
I like William Martin's storytelling. He writes soap-opera; but he writes it so engagingly, so compellingly and so addictively well—in such epic and fascinating contexts—that you’re eager and able to indulge for hours-on-end, almost guilt-free.
‘Harvard Yard,’ like his ‘Back Bay’ and ‘Cape Cod’ before it, is set in and around Boston and Southeastern Massachusetts—an area of comfortable familiarity and much interest for me. The story spa...more
“A man will be known by his books.” –page 41
I like William Martin's storytelling. He writes soap-opera; but he writes it so engagingly, so compellingly and so addictively well—in such epic and fascinating contexts—that you’re eager and able to indulge for hours-on-end, almost guilt-free.
‘Harvard Yard,’ like his ‘Back Bay’ and ‘Cape Cod’ before it, is set in and around Boston and Southeastern Massachusetts—an area of comfortable familiarity and much interest for me. The story spa...more
Harvard Yard brings Harvard College's history (albeit fictionalized) to life in such a way that I now seek to explore a history I may have otherwise continued to ignore. To me, a book that can inspire deeper exploration of any given subject makes for a very good if not great read. That said, however there were a number of aspects of the book that at best, did not sit well with me, and at worst, depressed me to the point where I didn't want to read any further.
I found Martin's handling of the mo...more
I found Martin's handling of the mo...more
The premise of this story was clever: a modern dealer of antique books hunts for a lost, original Shakespeare manuscript, supposedly hidden by John Harvard from theatre-hating Puritans when he came to America and bequeathed his books to the school named for him. The early historical portions of the story are pretty good, and we learn how the school evolved from a tiny, struggling, colonial religious seminary to the pre-eminent educational institution and "old boy network" it is today. It was als...more
Have read all this author's other books, and don't know how I missed this one. Very interesting book about Harvard University along with a mystery in present day to find a missing book from the original foundaers' Harvard library - supposedly a play written by Shakespear (Love's Labors Found - instead of "Lost"). So this was a multli-generational book with lots of history and mystery included. Main character is a rare book collector and shows up in future books.
As a mystery it's a little muddled. An antique book/documents dealer pursues a treasure/is pursued by bad guys...it just lacks some oomph. That said, the other half of the book flashes back to a history of a certain book, which gets tied into the history of a family and into the history of Boston and Cambridge Massachusetts. And that part is fascinating!
Full Disclosure: I'm a proud Bostonian and fan of history, so I'm bound to be a little prejudiced in favor of something like this. But the histo...more
Full Disclosure: I'm a proud Bostonian and fan of history, so I'm bound to be a little prejudiced in favor of something like this. But the histo...more
Very enjoyable read right up to the final few pages. Very abrupt ending (much like "Back Bay" by the same author) and very weak as well. The problem is that the author paints himself into a historical corner by having the fictional searched-for object set in real-time, real history -- this creates difficulty for the author when it comes time to end the book and resolve the hunt. Tepid recommendation at best.
This was my second William Martin book and I truly enjoyed it. The premise of the book in the present is the search for a lost Shakespeare play "Love's Labours Found". In every other chapter we are introduced to the history of Harvard University from its inception with 10 students and the journey of the "lost play" as it traveled through Harvard's history. It was historically very interesting.
This was a good mystery story and good historical fiction. The book is well-researched. From the Puritans to the Vietnam War and a modern take on it as the second story. It was a slow start, but I eventually succumbed to the who-done-it and where-is-it. I may read another of Martin's books, but later....
Peter Fallon, book collector and historical sleuth, searches for a hand-written copy of an undiscovered Shakespeare play, Love's Labors Won given by the Bard to his friends and neighbors the Harvards. At the same time the stories of John Harvard, for whom the world renowned Cambridge university is named, and the Wedge family, who played a pivotal role in the evolution of the school, unfold in a parallel storyline. Suspenseful and interesting historical mystery.
This novel begins in 1605 as it tells of John Harvard and his family in England, his coming to America, and his founding of Harvard College. He brings with him a manuscript of a Shakespeare play, “Love’s Labours Won” which Shakespeare himself presented to John Harvard as a parting gift. In the 1600’s, American Puritans frowned on plays, so the manuscript was hidden to prevent its destruction. A student named Wedge discovers the manuscript and the location of the hiding place is passed down throu...more
I love the writing style of Mr Martin. I have never been much of a history buff. Actually history puts me to sleep. This book kept me interested all the way to the end. The way he brings history and modern day to life and how they intertwine is so exciting.
I really enjoyed this historical novel. Makes me want to take a trip to Cambridge and Walk through Harvard Square. Really a good discription of the Puritans and what they were all about, and also a good portrayal of what might have been.
I love William Martin books. They always teach me some history while giving me a good mystery on top of it. Only thing I didn't like was that in the middle it was a little slow. I enjoyed how he followed one family through the history of Harvard. Yes, it was a mystery about a Shakepeare play but really this is the history of Harvard. I loved how he showed how Harvard changed with the times. Sometimes slower than the times and sometimes before the times. I loved how the characters brought the sto...more
Diverting, informative historical mystery. It sort of falls apart in the last quarter or so, but is a good history of Harvard, a decent mystery, and was also a good exercise for me in remembering my Shakespeare!
William Martin is a great historical fiction writer. All of his books bring a perfect blend of suspense, history and character development. I highly recommend all of his books.
I enjoyed the story and the underlying American history lesson through the spectacle of Harvard. Two quotes are recurring within the storyline: "A man will be known by his books." and "Two things are always new: Youth and the quest for knowledge." Good ideas.
Jul 29, 2011
Rick Ludwig
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-since-retirement
The interspersion of present and past is excellent in this second book in the Fallon series. Fallon is much older here and more interesting. Evangeline returns from Back Bay after each has been married to others and divorced. Excellent historical characters. Harvard has a long and interesting history and Martin managed to incorporate all of the highlights and a few of the lowlights. A great historical fiction. Improves upon Back Bay and sets the stage for the Lost Constitution. I continue to enj...more
Way too long and slow moving. A good editing would have been beneficial for the reader. Wedge storyline reminded me of Forrest Gump.
Skillfully brings past and present story lines together into a fascinating history of Harvard. Historical thread was so vivid that I had dreams about Cotton Mather.
I loved knowing all the nooks and crannies that were in this book. A great story with meaning as it is close to home.
If you like historical novels, Martin provides an intriguing read. I will look for more of his books.
a work of fiction that gives readers a look into Harvard and Cambridge with the setting and the characters
What a fun read! I loved the flashbacks and the plot of the modern story was interesting.
Interesting glimpse into Harvard history, in an easy-to-read mystery format.
A major disappointment after being wowed! by his earlier novel, "Back Bay"
fun to learn about the history of Harvard while reading a good novel
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William Martin is a New York Times bestselling author of nine novels. He is best known for his historical fiction, which has chronicled the lives of the great and the anonymous in American history while bringing to life legendary American locations, from Cape Cod to Annapolis. He has also written an award-winning PBS documentary, one of the cheesiest horror movies ever made, magazine articles, and...more
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“A man will be known by his books.”
—
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Oct 09, 2010 10:06am