City in Amber

by Jay Atkinson

Fiction. Once known as the textile manufacturing center on the world, the "Immigrant City" literally went up in flames. Based on real events, City in Amber is a novel in the epic tradition, with a central theme of appearance vs. reality, and subsidiary themes of family and romantic love, loyalty, revenge, strength of place, and the corporeal nature of bodies and cities--all explored through the lives of its characters.

448 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

Reviews

[S.G. Collins]

I read this historical novel twice. It is engrossing, the only downside for me was that I wished for a little more cohesion in the totality of the story – which spans several generations.

[Michael Malone]

Atkinson goes through painstaking research to bring alive the story of Lawrence, Massachusetts--its creation as a planned city and woolen mill epicenter. At the start, great men with ambitious plans are building up the city with lofty expectations, while a century and a half later, gangster creeps are burning down the once proud place. Through it all, a grand clock tower looms over the city, seeing everything. A few of the subplots don't quite pay off, but it's a very compelling historical novel, and I can't recall seeing this amount of research in a novel in some time.

[Cynthia Saba]

As a native Lawrencian, I was eager to read this book. The familiarity of the setting added a bit of extra enjoyment, but the real pleasure was in the interesting and vivid characters. The novel alternates between current and historical time periods in the city of Lawrence, MA. The movement between the time periods is flawless. Nothing is lost in the transition and the reader looks forward to seeing what will happen next. A unique and enjoyable read!