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City of Light

3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 · rating details · 1,749 ratings · 294 reviews

City of Light

The year is 1901. Buffalo, New York, is poised for glory. With its booming industry and newly electrified streets, Buffalo is a model for the century just beginning.

Louisa Barrett has made this dazzling city her home. Headmistress of Buffalo’s most prestigious school, Louisa is at ease in a world of men, protected by the titans of her city. But nothing prepar...more

Paperback, 512 pages

Published August 26th 2003 by Dial Press Trade Paperback (first published 1999)

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Apr 12, 2011 Kirsten rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bookclub, historical-europe-us

Although this book is just shy of 500 pages, I read it in 3 days, and I also managed to grade stack of essays and read part of another book. I also made myself slow down to enjoy all the description and really try to soak in some of the history. I have always enjoyed historical fiction, but rarely do I pay much attention to the details of the place since I don't really KNOW the place personally. However, City of Light takes place at the turn of the last century when Buffalo hosted the Pan-Ameri...more Although this book is just shy of 500 pages, I read it in 3 days, and I also managed to grade stack of essays and read part of another book. I also made myself slow down to enjoy all the description and really try to soak in some of the history. I have always enjoyed historical fiction, but rarely do I pay much attention to the details of the place since I don't really KNOW the place personally. However, City of Light takes place at the turn of the last century when Buffalo hosted the Pan-American exhibition. The streets and places the characters go are places I know now, and many of them still bear the unmistakable brand of the era they were built in. This is historical fiction at its best when you realize truly the research that went into the book and the accuracy of many of the details and even some of the people. The behavior of many of the tycoons of that era seem in someway so believable to me. I can just imagine the behavior of Grover Cleveland just as described. I can imagine that Albright was as eccentric as depicted, and that Rumsey was the benevolent and arrogant father-figure. Now what I have figure out is if the Love estate is still there in part. I know the Albright mansion was torn down, but what of the Rumsey estate or the Love estate? Now I have a new "search" to add the next time I'm on Delaware Avenue.
The character of Louisa Barrett is one of the more three-dimensional characters in the book, and she is a very believable narrator. She tells the story about 10 years after the final events in the story take place, 10 years after the McKinley assassination. You never really know what is going to happen -- the suspense is kept, the surprises (with one exception) are not really foreshadowed, and even the more predictable surprise doesn't seem predictable until you look back a bit. Louisa seems sometimes wound a little too tight, but when I think about the times and the fact that she was in society without being married...well, then I think I understand the reason: survival.
One of the things that I think makes the book also a "pleasure" besides the story line and the narrator is the way I actually could get just as furious as she did at the arrogance of some of these tycoons. I could see the slums and the charity hospitals and compare them to the opulence of the rich, and I got angry. I understood why the unionists were striking for better wages and especially the better safety and working conditions. I am appalled at the expendability of working class men.
I got mad about the racism too! Mary Talbert was a real person, and having visited 1st Michigan Baptist Church just 6 months ago, I already know quite a bit about her -- a black woman fighting for justice in a very racist country. I loved the relationship that developed between Louisa and Mary, the true rockiness of it, and yet the gradual understanding the two had.
I could go on, but I want to save some for the book club discussion on this, and anything else would include spoilers. (less)

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Oct 06, 2008 Meghan rated it 3 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Some day I know Goodread will allow me to use a half-star but until then I will give City of Light a 3 rating.

I liked the book but I think what I liked about the book was the opportunity to read about Buffalo. Both of my parents are from Buffalo and we would spend every summer visiting my grandparents. I remember visiting one set of grandparents in Kaiser town where everyone spoke Polish. My maternal grandparents lived closer to the Elmwood Ave area. I can remember seeing all the grand houses, w...more

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Jul 19, 2007 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: adults

Really liked this book: a good story, compelling. Takes place in late 1890s to early 1900s, in Buffalo, NY. The backdrop is the Pan-American Exibition and city fathers/businessmen are readying the city, as this event will draw thousands, including politicians, and getting your city noticted never hurts. But that is just the backdrop (and, no it is not a murder story as in Devil in the White City, also featuring a world's fair, and the wonder of electricity). Louisa Barrett is the headmistress of...more

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Sep 16, 2007 Catherine rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Historical Fiction fans

I was loving this historical fiction novel at first - I felt it made Buffalo NY at the turn of the century - when it was known as "The City of Light" come alive and the author was sensitive to roles of race and gender at the timeframe (instead of glossing over that). The main character is independent and likable and I was learning history at the same time. Unfortunately, and maybe this was her trying to be true to the realities of an independent woman during that time frame, the story takes an i...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

The city is Buffalo, New York, and the light refers to the hydraulic elcrtric plants being installed at the first of the century near Niagra falls to create electricity.
The main character is the mistress of a girl's school. she doesn;t know until late in the book that she was offered up as a sacrifice to President Grover Cleveland when he visited her city when she was college age. She bor his child and offered her annonymously to her good friend and jusband as a private adoption, and she was nam...more

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Nov 12, 2012 Tim rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Meh. I really wanted to like this, but it was a struggle. First, history isn't so much inter-weaved as it is patched on. It's jarring to just have historical anecdotes thrown in like footnotes that don't know their place. Things like (not an actual example): We went to X park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1897. Ok, interesting, but not exactly a seamless addition to the narrative.
My second problem is that the whole thing was way too blunt and transparent. The narrator explains everything...more

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Sep 02, 2012 Booknblues rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lauren Belfer immerses the reader in the turn of the century city of Buffalo. It is an exciting time where change and industrialization is worshiped. It is a time for women as well as men. Their position in society is changing. they are becoming increasingly educated and able to impact through social change. It is a time to come to America and walk the streets of gold. Immigrants from eastern Europe flock to this country and cause upheavals of their own. It is the time for the worker. Industries...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Lisa (Harmonybites) rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No One

Recommended to Lisa (Harmonybites) by: The Complete Idiot's Guide to the Ultimate Reading List

Shelves: crime, fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, novels, romance, suspense, ultimate-reading-list

I love novels that are a mix of genres, and the back of this book billed it as a mix of murder mystery, romance and historical fiction--set in the Buffalo, New York of 1901. The story is told by Louisa Barrett, a progressive thirty-something headmistress of an elite girls school for the daughters of the wealthy and powerful. She's close to the wealthy Thomas Sinclair, the adoptive father of nine-year-old Grace. (I guessed the so-called secret of her birth and parentage as soon as she was mention...more I love novels that are a mix of genres, and the back of this book billed it as a mix of murder mystery, romance and historical fiction--set in the Buffalo, New York of 1901. The story is told by Louisa Barrett, a progressive thirty-something headmistress of an elite girls school for the daughters of the wealthy and powerful. She's close to the wealthy Thomas Sinclair, the adoptive father of nine-year-old Grace. (I guessed the so-called secret of her birth and parentage as soon as she was mentioned. I think Belfer would have done better to hang a lantern on it from the beginning rather than endlessly, heavily hint. Well, half-guessed, and the other half is just too ridiculous.) Louisa is quick to suspect Sinclair when a man he argued with is killed. Far too quick--even though she claims to be close to the Sinclairs and there's no good reason to believe the death isn't an accident. Soon her help is recruited by reporter Franklin Fiske.

The narrative flowed well, and Belfer was good at conjuring up both the opulent wealth and squalid poverty of the Gilded Age. However, I soon found myself irritated by the heavy handed left-wing pieties and platitudes about this period and her too modern sensibilities and the outright headshaking nonsensical. We're supposed to believe that to be respectable yet mix among men, her cover is to let people think she's a lesbian. A charity and the woman who works hard for it is supposed to be evil because she cares about efficiency, efficacy and dependency--that is she makes this evil distinction between "deserving" and "undeserving" poor and wants to make sure help goes to those who need it and won't use it to buy gin rather than feed their children. I rolled my eyes when I hit the passage from Fiske about electricity belonging "to the people" and after that was sure where the so-called mystery was headed. Before many more pages after that I just headed to the back and checked, and I wasn't wrong. Too annoyingly predictable with clanging anvils streaming behind.(less)

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Apr 22, 2011 Jean rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had read this author's other book ( A Fierce Radiance) and really liked it so I was motivated to read this one. She does a good job of presenting factual issues in a fictional setting. This book takes place in Buffalo, NY and is about the mass production of electricity at the turn of the century. Since I spend time near there every summer at Chautauqua, NY, I was most interested in reading it. Surprisingly, I almost gave up. It took a while for the story to capture my interest. Once it did how...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Swanbender2001 rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a well written historical fiction set in the late 1800's, early 1900s. The power station at Niagara Falls is being constructed and at the same time the Pan-American Exposition is occuring. President McKinley is assassinated towards the end of the book. The 'City of Light' is Buffalo where electricity is being brought into the buildings and homes to replace gas lamps and release the city of the pall of darkness the gas clouds leave hanging over it. Automobiles are a rare occurence but wil...more This is a well written historical fiction set in the late 1800's, early 1900s. The power station at Niagara Falls is being constructed and at the same time the Pan-American Exposition is occuring. President McKinley is assassinated towards the end of the book. The 'City of Light' is Buffalo where electricity is being brought into the buildings and homes to replace gas lamps and release the city of the pall of darkness the gas clouds leave hanging over it. Automobiles are a rare occurence but will be replacing the horse drawn carriage soon.
Loiusa Barrett is headmistress of Buffalo's most prestigious school, the Macaulay School for girls. She grew up with a father who was a geologist and took his daughter on his field trips, so she was accustomed to communicating as an equal with all sorts of individuals, of every class and rank and gender. She brought an attitude and foresight of women's ability to do anything and accomplish more than parlor games with her to the position she held. Her goal for her girls was to teach them to advance beyond the strictures of the time and not allow those strictures to hold their dreams in check. She expanded the curriculum to include the necessary courses to give them a well-rounded view of the world from the confines of a safe girls' school and was successful as the graduates went on to become doctors and involved in other helping professions.
Her life revolved around a secret she had no idea was so well known. She had met President Cleveland in total innocence, bore a child as a result of his lecherous assignation. She was unaware that the men in power of Buffalo had earmarked her as the girl they wanted the President to dally with and when she was in need of a secret confinement, helped 'look the other way' for her so she could secretly orchestrate it. For ten years she played the role of godmother to the child she bore, both adoptive parents unaware of her true involvement in the life of the child she brought to them. The father was the developer and builder of the Niagara Falls power station and as his dreams grew to encompass the idea of creating electricity for the people, his investors who were the men in power of Buffalo, started plotting against him and using Louisa and her secret. The events that unfold are heartbreaking, yet satisfying. (less)

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Jun 14, 2010 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: didn-t-finish, historical-fiction, read-in-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Oct 06, 2007 Bonnie Findlay rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was one of the best books I read all year! I am so glad I decided on it for one of my Sept. reads! I am orginally from near the Buffalo area so enjoyed learning some interesting history of the Buffalo/Niagara Falls area, plus at the same time, enjoying a great story! This book has it all-murder, intrigue, racial issues, women's rights issues, a little romance...don't let the length of the book scare you off. You won't want it to end.

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Sep 12, 2012 Daniel Cox added it

Daniel Cox Prompt A
Mr. Schutte
Honors 12
25 August, 2012
Lauren Belfer’s City of Light accurately depicts what life in Buffalo was like during the nineteenth century. At the time, Buffalo was an industrial powerhouse and was a highly regarded for its advancements in industry and manufacturing, but was most widely known for the work and studies being made at Niagara Falls. The phenomenon of electricity during this time period was believed to enhance the general standards of living and even promote...more Daniel Cox Prompt A
Mr. Schutte
Honors 12
25 August, 2012
Lauren Belfer’s City of Light accurately depicts what life in Buffalo was like during the nineteenth century. At the time, Buffalo was an industrial powerhouse and was a highly regarded for its advancements in industry and manufacturing, but was most widely known for the work and studies being made at Niagara Falls. The phenomenon of electricity during this time period was believed to enhance the general standards of living and even promote technological advancements in a wide array of fields. On the contrary to this this belief, people against this idea believed that the use of electrical currents would become a potential hazard. As brought up various times in this book, many individuals also thought that using the Niagara Falls to make hydroelectric energy would gradually deplete the amount of water in the Niagara River water source. For many years, both sides failed to come to a consensus which resulted in conflict and hard fought debate. On top of this, City of Light shows us through the perspective of Louisa Barrett that such a technologically advanced and innovative, city such as Buffalo, still lacks the necessary perks to truly become a cosmopolitan society. City of lights illustrates that there was still conflicts on labor regulations, and misogynistic or racist feelings towards women and other minorities. The underlying ideas exposed in this book deals with human behavior and the perception of an individual in society which we see this to be true through Louisa Barrett, the protagonist in this story.
Amongst her accomplishments and authority as being the headmistress of Macaulay School for Girls in Buffalo, she is overlooked by some of the more dominate male figures in society. As headmistress of Macaulay School for Girls, Barrett promotes the greater social admiration and respect for women in society amongst her own social oppression. Lauren Belfer is discretely alluding to the patriarchal social structure that dominated our earlier centuries. For example, you can see this to be true when you look at the behavior of former President Grover Cleveland as it was said that sexually abused Ms. Barrett at the Iroquois Hotel. President Cleveland, like most men, believed that it was acceptable to exploit and take advantage of Ms. Barrett because women were thought of as socially inferior. Even as Louisa Barrett was a very successful and prominent female figure, she was seen as a secondary to the authoritative male figures in society. These social status structures are even visible in our modern world.

(less)

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Dec 27, 2012 Adrienne Boudreau rated it 2 of 5 stars

Recommended to Adrienne by: Andrea

If I had to chose one word to describe "City of Light" I would use "dissapointing." As someone who lives in Buffalo, NY I've heard quite a bit of fuss amde about this book over the years. Despite my intrests in Buffalo, history and period stories this book and I just did not mesh properly.

For a mystery novel the mystery was very drawn out and dull, also a little too easy to predict. The big reveal didn't come soon enough towards the end and then the actual ending of the novel seemed awkward, fo...more

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Dec 06, 2012 Justine Janora rated it 5 of 5 stars

As a Buffalonian born in the late 1960's I loved this book. It made me feel like I was part of a thriving city on the verge of something greater. Unfortunately as most current Buffalonians know, the city hasn't yet hit those days of grandour again. But the book was very well written and the research took me on a quest. I found myself in the Ellicott Sqaure building, in front of the elevators looking at the swastikas embedded in the tiled floor. I had walked those floors many times but never noti...more

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Feb 09, 2013 Dana rated it 4 of 5 stars

City of Light is set in 1901 in Buffalo. The advent of electricity and the Pan World Exposition are setting the city ablaze in glory. There is much excitement and Buffalo is a happening place.

Spinster headmistress (Louisa Barrett) of an upper crust girls' school is godmother to industrialist Tom Sinclair's daughter. She does not know what to do when an important man is found dead in Delaware Park. Is Sinclair involved? Was it suicide, accident or murder?

Tom Sinclair is in charge of the bringing...more

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Oct 22, 2012 Gloria rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book very much. The city is Buffalo and the history is not that we'll known to thos of us not from around Buffalo. I knew a president was assisted here and where, but I did not know about the history of electricity at Niagara Falls. It was a good story and gave good background in the history of the early 1900's in that place. Just the picture of traveling in winter on a sleigh with sleigh bells amidst the snow made me think about how much nicer some things were in the past than th...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 3 of 5 stars

What I liked best about this book was getting to learn about turn-of-the-century Buffalo history in an interesting format. It kept me in enough suspense to want to keep reading, which was nice, but I didn't find the resolution to the mystery very satisfying--on the plus side, I wasn't able to guess the ending before it was revealed, but I don't think she gave a plausible explanation for why the false leads had been there in the first place. I also somehow doubt that the general social acceptance...more

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Apr 25, 2011 Pam rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone

It was a little longer than I think it needed to be and that is because there was a lot of information about the Falls, all of which I had to assume was correct. That is always a problem, trying to determine what is fact and what fiction in these books that use real names. The author does give historical information at the back of the book and of course, the Presidents mentioned were real people but their interactions with her characters was not.
I always wonder why, in these many novels that bl...more

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Nov 26, 2008 Nell rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nell by: Elizabeth

Shelves: literary-and-popular-fiction

Women have made much progress toward becoming equal members of society, and we seldom, if ever, think about civil rights that were once denied to us. Around the turn of the 20th century, Louisa Barrett enjoys a certain freedom of movement and professional success as headmistress of the Macaulay School for girls, but she has achieved it at the cost of remaining unmarried, and events remind her that she is still vulnerable. Civil rights for African Americans, the rights of workers, and a nascent e...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Laurie rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: history fans of Niagara Falls/Buffalo region

Recommended to Laurie by: Bonnie O of BT

3* somewhat historical fiction, strayed too far from true facts, too much technical terminology about the hydroelectro power of Niagara Falls which I lost interest in. The true history of Presidents Cleveland and McKinley, the rise and fall of Buffalo were more to my liking and the "romance" of Falls itself.

TPB possible Keeper due to the setting of Niagara Falls and Buffalo, NY.

pgs 408-409 During the summer of 1901, former president and Mrs. Grover Cleveland and their children vacationed at Tyri...more

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May 04, 2012 Mandy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: good-book-club-reads

I was disappointed with this book. Because of the excellent writing and intriguing setting, I was instantly hooked. However, as the book went on I felt as if the author had researched every bad thing that happened in Buffalo from 1900-1909 and decided to exploit them. I am all for enlightening readers to the downfalls of government, society, or business, but there should be more to the book than that. I kept waiting for something likable to happen and it never did. The lead character Louisa, was...more

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May 14, 2012 Melanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

The main character and her story line are fiction, but the places, events and people are actually based on historical occurances that happened in Buffalo, NY, which is my home town.

Set in the Pan-Am era (early 1900s), Buffalo was once one of the country's richest cities, due to the Erie Canal and Niagara Falls. It was interesting reading about familiar places, buildings and streets, which are all a part of the Queen City's fascinating history. I would love to have been able to see Buffalo in it'...more

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Mar 14, 2012 Debbie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mainstream

Louisa Barrett is headmistress of the Macauley School for girls in Buffalo, New York. The daughters of the best families in town are educated there, including Grace who is the daughter of Louisa's late best friend and Louisa's goddaughter.

It's 1901 and Buffalo is thriving. Power plants are harnessing Niagra Falls to provide electricity. In turn, manufacturing plants are springing up and using that electricity to manufacture many useful products. In addition,, the Pan American Exhibition is slat...more

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Oct 17, 2010 Sonja Livingston rated it 3 of 5 stars

I applaud anyone who wants to bring the rich history of western New York to the world through writing or art. The novel includes much information and research and provides a good "feel" for Buffalo at the turn of the century and what was at stake for the landscape and the people. That said, the main character was inconsistent and unbelievable, and the plot veered over the falls about a third of the way through. I enjoyed several of the strands of story, and was hooked enough to find out what hap...more

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Jun 05, 2013 Jae rated it 5 of 5 stars

A stunning novel, which I read in just two sittings despite its hearty length. The historical background and the location - Niagara Falls at the time of the rolling out of electricity from industry into private homes - fascinated me from the start and I was thoroughly convinced by the main protagonist, a young girl who carves a career in education. Add to that family secrets and lies and you have a suspenseful, enthralling and enlightening novel. Maybe I have made it sound too lightweight. That...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Pam rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

I'm not a big reader of historical fiction for adults, but this book piqued my interest in concept. In execution, however, I felt like this story was missing something. The characters were semi-compelling, the setting was vivid and there are secrets enough for everyone. But I wasn't surprised by anything that was happening as it was revealed. The main character spent so much time speculating over what might be behind whatever the latest events were that by the time the answer was revealed, it ju...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Tosha Sisler rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Tosha by: Trudy Parmarter

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction, mystery

This is a very good piece of historical fiction. It's part murder mystery, part intrigue, and a large helping of a tragedy of manners. Being from NY and having a family that loves the falls, I really enjoyed the facts that are incorporated into this novel.

SPOILER:The characters are very engrossing and the reader is taken on a trip of hope and disappointment with the many female characters. Although feeling anger for and being appalled by the injustice, and as much as I would have liked to see a...more

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Aug 04, 2010 Claire Sharifi rated it 2 of 5 stars

Some books effortlessly conjure up a time in history. If you could read these books in a vacuum, you wouldn't know if the author is contemporary or long dead. This is not one of those books. The author never manages to shed her modern sensibility- her protagonist might as well be a modern woman sent back in time to turn of the century Buffalo (of all places) trying to fit in as well as she can (and not acting particularly brave or heroic in the process).
I did stick with the book, and I learned...more

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Mar 14, 2008 CLM rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historicalfiction

I liked this book and admired the author's research but (and I never say this!) it was too long. The last third really dragged.

1 like · like · see review

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About Lauren Belfer

Lauren Belfer was born in Rochester, New York, and grew up in Buffalo, where she attended the Buffalo Seminary. At Swarthmore College, she majored in Medieval Studies. After graduating, she worked as a file clerk at an art gallery, a paralegal, an assistant photo editor at a newspaper, a fact checker at magazines, and as a researcher and associate producer on documentary films. She has an M.F.A. f...more

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