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City of Ash
by
Megan Chance (Goodreads Author)
Chicago socialite Geneva Langley is a woman used to pushing boundaries. When she inadvertently pushes too far, she finds herself banished, along with her husband, to Seattle, Washington Territory. In 1888, Seattle is a city on the cusp of greatness, but there Ginny feels stifled and alone, suffocated by her husband’s forgiveness, always cognizant of her need to atone.
Beatr...more
Beatr...more
Paperback, 432 pages
Published
June 7th 2011
by Broadway
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The heroine, 29, is in a dysfunctional marriage. She comes from wealth and her husband, Nathan, married her for it. He comes up with a plan to get his hands on even more of it. I think her father, not knowing of Nathan’s plan, helps him.
Geneva learns of the plan and devises a plan of her own. She asks Nathan’s mistress, Beatrice, to help her and help her she does. Plans change when she can’t get access to money. The new plan is silly and really farfetched, totally unbelievable and I was real dis...more
What a stunning, beautiful story whose characters came ALIVE like no other author's. The plot was heartbreaking, clever, intricate and almost flawless. The characters were so modern and contrasted sharply with the old-fashioned setting of 1889 Seattle, WA. Their dialogue was pithy and carefully crafted; every single word had a meaning and provided context to their actions. Reading City of Ash was like watching a film in my mind. Very quickly the core plot unfolded and all I could do was read/wat...more
Outgoing society girl and art patroness Geneva Langley and her husband Nathan are forced to move from Chicago to Seattle because of her scandalous reputation. In Seattle, their lives became entangled with an actress, Beatrice Wilkes, itching to take the leading role at her theatre. Geneva struggles for acceptance in Seattle society, while Beatrice is forced to take on a patron (and basically become a prostitute) to out another backstabbing actress from the lead. And with the Great Seattle Fire o...more
Megan Chance is quickly becoming my favorite author. Partially because my other favorite author contenders are writing too slowly or not at all, but mostly because she's so damn good. Her books have it all: beautiful prose, vivid and interesting characters, and gripping, often on-the-edge-of-your-seat plots. She's an excellent writer *and* storyteller. Anyone who's read a lot of books in their life should know how rare that is. This book is no exception. I absolutely loved it. I had some minor q...more
City of Ash tells the story of two women in 1880s Seattle, alternating between the viewpoint of Geneva Langley and Bea Wilkes. Geneva, or Ginny, is a wealthy socialite who flaunts convention by associating with artists, actors and writers. She has a talent for discovering and popularizing artists, launching many careers until she unwisely decides to pose for a nude sculpture in an attempt to force her gold digging husband to leave her. Her plan backfires when her husband, Nathan, offers her the...more
I'm a longtime fan of Megan Chance, and her switch to straight historicals was a bit welcome, since she pushed a lot of envelopes in her historical romances. However, none of her historicals have lived up to the awesomeness and meatiness of An Inconvenient Wife, but I continue to read her novels because she writes strong heroines in Gilded Age settings.
City of Ash is a bit mystifying: we have two heroines, Geneva Langley and Beatrice Wilkes, and neither are easily likable heroines (in fact, I ne...more
City of Ash is a bit mystifying: we have two heroines, Geneva Langley and Beatrice Wilkes, and neither are easily likable heroines (in fact, I ne...more
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My Kirkus Review:
The fates of an ambitious young actress and an exiled society lady intertwine in 1889 Seattle when the Great Fire nearly burns the fledgling city to the ground.
Geneva Langley, daughter of a wealthy railroad tycoon, has it all, inviting the greatest artists of the day to her Chicago salons. All, that is, but a happy marriage. She poses nude for a sculptor, calculating that the ensuing scandal will force her husband Nathan to divorce her. Instead, she’s sent to Seattle, where her...more
The fates of an ambitious young actress and an exiled society lady intertwine in 1889 Seattle when the Great Fire nearly burns the fledgling city to the ground.
Geneva Langley, daughter of a wealthy railroad tycoon, has it all, inviting the greatest artists of the day to her Chicago salons. All, that is, but a happy marriage. She poses nude for a sculptor, calculating that the ensuing scandal will force her husband Nathan to divorce her. Instead, she’s sent to Seattle, where her...more
A tale of scandal, betrayal, and vengeance set against the backdrop of 1889 Seattle.
Geneva and her husband are sent to Seattle after rumors of an extra marital affair on her part makes the couple pariahs among high society. Beatrice is an actress who has more than paid her dues on the stage. When the two meet, they are instant enemies, but soon find they have more than a few things in common.
Geneva and her husband are sent to Seattle after rumors of an extra marital affair on her part makes the couple pariahs among high society. Beatrice is an actress who has more than paid her dues on the stage. When the two meet, they are instant enemies, but soon find they have more than a few things in common.
This would be a really great book except for language. The author did her research on the time period and locale but the language is bad. I emailed and asked her why she used that in her book. She said the characters in that time period would have talked that way. I think she could have written it without the crappy language and it would have been a great book. Avoid it if you hate F bombs.
I ran across this book while browsing our Library's downloadable historical fictions. Seeing that the setting was Seattle during the late 1800's great fire, I thought "Ah ha, this is a book for me!" Sadly, it didn't meet my expectations. I found it to be more of a melodramatic romance. I will have to say, it held my interest and I did stay with it just to discover the ending, however, I would have preferred if the author had spent more time with the historical facts of that period. Was an "OK" r...more
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This was a staff recommend at a local bookstore, and I chose it because it was set during the late 1800s when a massive fire burned much of the Seattle waterfront. Expecting to learn more about the fire and how it impacted the city, I instead was immersed in a Victorian melodrama. Mildly entertaining, but not great.
A work of historical fiction set in 1880s Seattle that follows two women: an actress and an art patron/wannabe actress. It's a bit of a gothic novel as well, as the two former enemies plot theatrical revenge on a villainous husband and lover. A bit predictable, but fun nonetheless!
Engrossing read - the author immerses you in the world of late 19th century Seattle. Somewhat predictable at times but still a bit sad & shocking plot twist at the end. Great characters. I hope someone optioned this because it would make a fun mini series or cable network movie.
One of the most well done books I've recently read! Outstanding story, wonderful characters, and excellent recreation of the late 1800's in Seattle. I couldn't put this book down, and I was sorry for the story to end! I will now need to read this author's other books. Highly recommend!
Though a bit slow at times, and a bit much gratuitous sex, I thought the characters were pretty realistic and the story interesting. There were more twists and turns than I expected. What I liked best was that the characters, and the storyline, actually garnered an emotional response on my part and in my estimation that's what makes a well written book -- if they seem real enough that you can feel involved enough to care, and get emotional one way or another about them and their fictional lives....more
This book is on the "skipped to the end" bookshelf, but that's because I was too impatient to find out what was going to happen, not because the book was awful. Enjoyed it a lot, particularly the Beatrice parts.
I finished this book because of the plot, so the three stars are really for the book holding my interest that long. But there are large believability gaps and flat characters, encouraging lots of skimming on the reader's part.
Wonderfully detailed read for histfic
buffs, not too ludicrously romantic... and a terrific premise. By throwing in a real historical disaster (great Seattle Fire), the ante is entertainingly upped. Bravo.
buffs, not too ludicrously romantic... and a terrific premise. By throwing in a real historical disaster (great Seattle Fire), the ante is entertainingly upped. Bravo.
I picked this up at the library, on a whim, it looked interesting. It didn't grab me at first, but then it got going and started to hold my interest more. I'm curious about her other books now.
This book is very long, but I read it in a couple of days. Shortly in the beginning of the book I got hooked and couldn't set it down. Lots of twists that kept it interesting.
I picked this book up on a whim from the library and I'm so glad! LOVED it! Great characters and writing! The end was particularly good. A GREAT book club pick!
Love this intimate look at the lives of two completely different women. The book takes place in the late 1800's but with a few small changes could be a modern novel as well. The ingenuity of Bea and Ginny is creative and refreshing for female characters.
Her best book so far. I loved he setting in early Seattle, and the two women in the book and their unusual relationship are fascinating.
Aug 16, 2011
Madeleine
added it
Last minute pick you and enjoyed it. Little too graphic but thought provoking on the life of women before equal rights.
I really loved this book and couldn't wait to sneak moments in-between my busy day to read it.
Feb 20, 2012
Nancy
added it
Really good read about the 1880s women who survived being manipulated by the men of that time.
Great historical read set in Seattle. Really enjoyed it. Set around the theater.
If you like Seattle, historical fiction and theater you may like this book.
Good story line and the characters grew on me about halfway through the book.
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Megan Chance is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of several novels. Her first book won Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award for excellence in Romantic Fiction, and since then, her novels have received several awards and award nominations. The Be...more
More about Megan Chance...
Megan Chance is the critically acclaimed, award-winning author of several novels. Her first book won Romance Writers of America’s prestigious RITA award for excellence in Romantic Fiction, and since then, her novels have received several awards and award nominations. The Be...more
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