by Edward Rutherfurd
Exactly! That was my problem too. ]]>
Tracy
read and liked
Michelle's
review of New York:
"I really enjoyed most of this book. It's for anyone who likes novels that provide great history along with fiction... this novel traces the history of New York... my problem is that he dropped the storyline for the African-American family story line...more "
"I really enjoyed most of this book. It's for anyone who likes novels that provide great history along with fiction... this novel traces the history of New York... my problem is that he dropped the storyline for the African-American family story line...more "
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bookshelves: wish-list
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New York the Novel is a fantastic piece of work that follows several families through the transformation of New Amsterdam to the New York City of the present-day. Each generation is relatable, developed, and interesting, a feat that few writers of multigenerational historical works have been able to do. Each character fits into his or her respected time period so neatly in place, it is like a piece of a puzzle taken out of the whole for a quick viewing. For example, take Dirk vanDyke, the Dutch trader who opens the story desperately trying to balance a family in New Amesterdam between his Indian daughter up river. Or Rose vanDyke Master, a gilded age lady tightly wound between society, wealth, and fashion. Each story, like New York’s hesitancy to stand behind Lincoln during the Civil War, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, Ellis Island, is told as only a New Yorker can.
He also managed to not only tell the historical story of the city but also conveys the changes in mood, attitude, and life for New Yorkers over the centuries. For example, the way the characters relate to each other during the Revolutionary War, such as the concern for the whole rather than the individual, is vastly different from how they interact at the close of the book during the Summer of 2009 and as it should be.
The only fault I have with the book is that the descendants of Quash the vanDyck's slave, Pale Feather, and Salvatore fell to the waste side in favor of the more traditional (and frankly easier to write) high society Master family. What became of Quash’s other descendants? Surely there could have been more to that side of the story than a tragic end during the NYC Draft Riots or Pale Feather’s family beyond the opening of the canal. Still, New York: a Novel is well worth the effort, brilliantly researched, read, and executed by a talented author.
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