What do you think?
The New Colossus
Greed. Corruption. Murder. New York in 1880 is a hell of a place to make your living.
Nellie Bly arrives at age 24 in Manhattan, lacking connections and money, but blessed with an abundance of courage and a skill for reportage. Within ten months she lands two front-page stories on the country's most widely-read newspaper, Joseph Pulitzer's NEW YORK WORLD.
The pugnacious and voluble Pulitzer is so impressed that he assigns her to get to the bottom of a murder that has confounded the police―the untimely death of his friend Emma Lazarus, the controversial poet and activist. Her investigation leads to tense encounters with some of the most powerful and ruthless men of the time, in an era where elected officials are bought and sold, and where greed runs rampant on an unregulated Wall Street. Outgunned and ignoring her contemptuous all-male colleagues, Bly has only two real a doctor who uses scientific techniques to establish criminal behavior, and a theater critic with unlimited access to underground New York. As the pieces fall into place, Bly uncovers layer after layer of corruption, getting closer to a dangerous core―and to the truth.
Nellie Bly arrives at age 24 in Manhattan, lacking connections and money, but blessed with an abundance of courage and a skill for reportage. Within ten months she lands two front-page stories on the country's most widely-read newspaper, Joseph Pulitzer's NEW YORK WORLD.
The pugnacious and voluble Pulitzer is so impressed that he assigns her to get to the bottom of a murder that has confounded the police―the untimely death of his friend Emma Lazarus, the controversial poet and activist. Her investigation leads to tense encounters with some of the most powerful and ruthless men of the time, in an era where elected officials are bought and sold, and where greed runs rampant on an unregulated Wall Street. Outgunned and ignoring her contemptuous all-male colleagues, Bly has only two real a doctor who uses scientific techniques to establish criminal behavior, and a theater critic with unlimited access to underground New York. As the pieces fall into place, Bly uncovers layer after layer of corruption, getting closer to a dangerous core―and to the truth.
300 pages, Paperback
First published March 23, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
October 9, 2014
Smart. Blended enough history with believable dialogue for the time period to pull off an interesting and fun historical mystery. Goldberg provides historical notes at the end broken down by chapter that separates some fact from fiction. There are some big names here and some significant historical events and scandals. Now I want to read more about Nellie Bly. And Emma Lazarus. Is America's welcoming lady, the Statue of Liberty, opening our country's arms with words written by a lesbian immigrant? Sounds like a Nellie Bly investigation to me.
Provided by publisher
Provided by publisher
May 7, 2020
Enlightening
I stumbled upon this book and I'm glad I did. I found it so informative about New York City in the late 1800's. Plus the bonus of a mystery. Very well written. I recommend it for anyone wanting to know about life during that time period. The way the immigrants were treated then is hard to grasp. The power of the rich back then was unbelievable, yet it still goes on, doesn't it? Give it a read. It's worth your time.
I stumbled upon this book and I'm glad I did. I found it so informative about New York City in the late 1800's. Plus the bonus of a mystery. Very well written. I recommend it for anyone wanting to know about life during that time period. The way the immigrants were treated then is hard to grasp. The power of the rich back then was unbelievable, yet it still goes on, doesn't it? Give it a read. It's worth your time.
August 17, 2014
Started this on Friday 8/15 and am really enjoying is so far. Marshall G. is a Kiski alum Class of 1961. Amazing story about a local journalist. I am really liking this book. A great story and educational as well. Finished this today 8/25 and really enjoyed this book. Amazing research by MG. A good read. Our 2016 all school book !
October 9, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. I first read about Nellie Bly as a little girl, so I was excited to hear about this new novel. The historical details were fascinating to me and I find myself wanting to read more and learn which elements of this novel were fictionalized. At times I thought the writing was a little bit weak, but for the most part, the plot and characters carry things along nicely.
June 18, 2015
Very interesting historical fiction. Quick read. Interesting characters. Kept you guessing. Highly recommend
February 13, 2020
I had read another book about Nellie Bly but forgot about it and when I started this book I thought no way I'm going to read her story again. But I was into the first chapter and that's all "she wrote".
I love books that move along, a page turner and one that's hard to put down. The New Colossus is just that book.
Right now I'm only on chapter 13 and with each chapter it get's better and better. You can almost smell the city of NY it's described so well and the characters that make up the era (1880's). The part of the book that describes Bellevue and how the patients were "treated" is so realistic that at times you can't believe it's true. But you know it is.
So if your looking a better than average read pick up this book!
I love books that move along, a page turner and one that's hard to put down. The New Colossus is just that book.
Right now I'm only on chapter 13 and with each chapter it get's better and better. You can almost smell the city of NY it's described so well and the characters that make up the era (1880's). The part of the book that describes Bellevue and how the patients were "treated" is so realistic that at times you can't believe it's true. But you know it is.
So if your looking a better than average read pick up this book!
November 20, 2020
The plot is fine, but the writing is terrible, dragging along with unimaginative prose and too many reminders of how "attractive" Nellie is. It reads like a cheap romance novel and the characters are caricatures. I found myself snorting at some of the passages and description of characters. A middle-school child could have written this.
March 20, 2021
This book was chock full of real people who lived during a time I love reading about, the 1880s. The problem for me was the main plot never happened. I guess it was interesting but I would have enjoyed it more if it was straight nonfiction.
April 22, 2023
I really enjoyed this book and learned a lot of history from it, which is one of the reasons I like reading historical fiction. One of the observations I made: nothing has really changed when it comes to human corruption.
July 13, 2023
excellent
I know this is historical fiction, but I learned a great deal about this time in history and came appreciate the extreme risk, courage and strength that Nelly Bly showed in shattering some of the biases of her day regarding women in the press.
I know this is historical fiction, but I learned a great deal about this time in history and came appreciate the extreme risk, courage and strength that Nelly Bly showed in shattering some of the biases of her day regarding women in the press.
July 13, 2023
Workmanlike prose, and the author couldn’t decide if he was writing a novel or a history. Still, it was worthwhile for the obscure story of 19th century NYC and made me marginally more interested in the life of Emma Lazarus
January 29, 2018
This is a fantastic book!
June 8, 2018
The Perfect Historical Novel
Informative, entertaining & a gripping mystery story.
Who could ask for more.
Informative, entertaining & a gripping mystery story.
Who could ask for more.
July 2, 2018
This is an awesome piece of historical fiction, the characters are very vivid, you will find yourself cheering on the hero, and booing the villians.
August 29, 2020
Loved it!!!
April 7, 2014
Nelly Bly was a remarkable woman for her time. I mean, at 23 she had herself committed to the infamous Bellevue Hospital insane asylum where she endured the horrific treatment of its inmates for ten days. (When Charles Dickens visited the asylum some 40 years earlier, he commented that it aroused his "deep disgust and measureless contempt.")
When the story was published, the psychiatrists who pronounced her insane (her symptoms were of amnesia, not insanity) were humiliated, the public outraged, and an investigation was prompted into the treatment of patients at the asylum.
And then there was the trip around the world in 72 days, a la Jules Verne in 1889. She circumnavigated the world (and even met up with Jules Verne in Amiens, France) by steamship and train sending dispatches when she could to Joseph's Pulitzer's The New York World --24, 899 miles in 72 days.
But the book is not about these assignments, although the Bellevue Insane Asylum story gets a bit of coverage. No, the assignment (for the novel) is one that Joseph Pulitzer gives Bly personally: look into Emma Lazarus' death and discover who killed her. Pulizer is convinced that Emma was murdered, and she was a friend that he treasured and respected.
Learning more about Emma Lazarus, the respected poet and protege of Ralph Waldo Emerson, was fascinating. Her main claim to fame is the poem The New Colossus that graces the foot of the Statue of Liberty, but she was so much more than that.
Lazarus became interested in her Jewish heritage and began advocated for the rights of immigrants, especially those Jewish immigrants escaping the pogroms in Russia, meeting them at the docks and helping them avoid the pitfalls of a new world.
Like Nelly Bly, Emma Lazarus was a remarkable woman in many ways, and I'd love to read biographies about these two women.
Other historical tidbits that kept me returning to Google:
Alfred J. Cohen - psuedonym Alan Dale; author of A Marriage Below Zero, and the most feared drama critic of his time.
Mention of The Comstock Act - which made pornography a crime, but included in its definition of pornography was any discussion of contraception.
Castle Garden - On August 1, 1855, Castle Clinton became the Emigrant Landing Depot, functioning as the New York State immigrant processing facility (the nation's first such entity). It was operated by the state until April 18, 1890,[2] when the Federal Government took over control of immigration processing, which subsequently opened the larger and more isolated Ellis Island facility for that purpose on January 2, 1892.
Joseph Seligman - During the American Civil War, Seligman was responsible for aiding the Union by disposing of $200,000,000 in bonds "a feat which W. E. Dodd said was 'scarcely less important than the Battle of Gettysburg'".[2]
In 1877, Judge Henry Hilton, the owner of the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga, New York, denied entry to Seligman and his family because they were Jews, creating nationwide controversy. It was the first antisemitic incident of its kind in the United States to achieve widespread publicity.
----
OK--enough. There are other names and incidents that were interesting (Pulitzer, Jay Gould, Helena deKay Gilder, the financing of the Statue of Liberty through public donations mostly of one dollar or less, Henry Hilton and A.J. Steward and the Missing Corpse, etc.), but I'm tired of going through my bookmark-riddled ebook.
I thought a novel about Nellie Bly would be fascinating. And in a way, it was, but the novel portion wasn't very good; the fictional parts of the story, the dialogue, the characters were stiff and unwieldy, and actually, pretty dull despite the murder mystery aspect.
It would have been nice if Goldberg was better at writing fiction, but he is damn good at writing history. If he didn't make the fiction live, he made the historical characters live.
I spent a great deal of time looking things up to see if events happened, and if they did, did the novel deal with them accurately. And it did! In fact, I could have saved myself some time, because the author had his own historical notes at the end.
Although the novel part didn't work for me, I'm so glad I read it!
(links and photos don't show up here, but will be on my book blog when the review is published on April 10)
NetGalley/Diversion Books
Historical Fiction. 2014. Print version: 303 pages.
When the story was published, the psychiatrists who pronounced her insane (her symptoms were of amnesia, not insanity) were humiliated, the public outraged, and an investigation was prompted into the treatment of patients at the asylum.
And then there was the trip around the world in 72 days, a la Jules Verne in 1889. She circumnavigated the world (and even met up with Jules Verne in Amiens, France) by steamship and train sending dispatches when she could to Joseph's Pulitzer's The New York World --24, 899 miles in 72 days.
But the book is not about these assignments, although the Bellevue Insane Asylum story gets a bit of coverage. No, the assignment (for the novel) is one that Joseph Pulitzer gives Bly personally: look into Emma Lazarus' death and discover who killed her. Pulizer is convinced that Emma was murdered, and she was a friend that he treasured and respected.
Learning more about Emma Lazarus, the respected poet and protege of Ralph Waldo Emerson, was fascinating. Her main claim to fame is the poem The New Colossus that graces the foot of the Statue of Liberty, but she was so much more than that.
Lazarus became interested in her Jewish heritage and began advocated for the rights of immigrants, especially those Jewish immigrants escaping the pogroms in Russia, meeting them at the docks and helping them avoid the pitfalls of a new world.
Like Nelly Bly, Emma Lazarus was a remarkable woman in many ways, and I'd love to read biographies about these two women.
Other historical tidbits that kept me returning to Google:
Alfred J. Cohen - psuedonym Alan Dale; author of A Marriage Below Zero, and the most feared drama critic of his time.
Mention of The Comstock Act - which made pornography a crime, but included in its definition of pornography was any discussion of contraception.
Castle Garden - On August 1, 1855, Castle Clinton became the Emigrant Landing Depot, functioning as the New York State immigrant processing facility (the nation's first such entity). It was operated by the state until April 18, 1890,[2] when the Federal Government took over control of immigration processing, which subsequently opened the larger and more isolated Ellis Island facility for that purpose on January 2, 1892.
Joseph Seligman - During the American Civil War, Seligman was responsible for aiding the Union by disposing of $200,000,000 in bonds "a feat which W. E. Dodd said was 'scarcely less important than the Battle of Gettysburg'".[2]
In 1877, Judge Henry Hilton, the owner of the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga, New York, denied entry to Seligman and his family because they were Jews, creating nationwide controversy. It was the first antisemitic incident of its kind in the United States to achieve widespread publicity.
----
OK--enough. There are other names and incidents that were interesting (Pulitzer, Jay Gould, Helena deKay Gilder, the financing of the Statue of Liberty through public donations mostly of one dollar or less, Henry Hilton and A.J. Steward and the Missing Corpse, etc.), but I'm tired of going through my bookmark-riddled ebook.
I thought a novel about Nellie Bly would be fascinating. And in a way, it was, but the novel portion wasn't very good; the fictional parts of the story, the dialogue, the characters were stiff and unwieldy, and actually, pretty dull despite the murder mystery aspect.
It would have been nice if Goldberg was better at writing fiction, but he is damn good at writing history. If he didn't make the fiction live, he made the historical characters live.
I spent a great deal of time looking things up to see if events happened, and if they did, did the novel deal with them accurately. And it did! In fact, I could have saved myself some time, because the author had his own historical notes at the end.
Although the novel part didn't work for me, I'm so glad I read it!
(links and photos don't show up here, but will be on my book blog when the review is published on April 10)
NetGalley/Diversion Books
Historical Fiction. 2014. Print version: 303 pages.
March 18, 2014
In this historical novel we meet the legendary Nellie Bly, lady reporter/investigator who infiltrated the Bellevue mental hospital by actually entering as a patient herself. Only the first part of the story touches on this, briefly, however, showing us how it was the start of her investigative journalism career. She'd been mostly confined to the gardening section until then, women having a hard time getting into journalism back then.
We watch her earn the grudging respect of many male coworkers as she tries to solve a case: who killed Emma Lazarus and why.
This ended up being a mystery with Nellie Bly as the sleuth. Emma Lazarus was a real woman. She was a Jewish poet who wrote The New Colossus, the poem on the Statue of Liberty. This was interesting to me. Upon further online research, I discover there were indeed some rumors she was a lesbian and she was very outspoken about the hatred and discrimination toward Jews. I think some license was taken with this story as none of the biographies I read mentioned any hint of foul play regarding her death, but in this novel, obviously, she's murdered.
As Nellie investigates, she discovers lesbian love affairs, railroad tycoons with greedy intentions and murder on "their" hands, the wrongful deaths of an Indian tribe, and a family who would rather let a murderer run loose than having more "scandal" on their hands.
They mystery is interesting and keeps one guessing. The author managed to reveal all kinds of historical things I never heard of before--both people and events.
The ending is really far fetched though, IMO. How Nellie came to her conclusion and the the proof she had was really thin. I didn't really buy it all, her suddenly figuring out whodunnit in the manner she did. It was too much of a stretch. To be Frank, the ending stank. I almost brought this down to a two. I don't need a cheesy HEA, but this was an awful ending. The narrative is omnipresent, God-like, and makes the book more telling than showing at times and reads like a biography in bits. The story also strays a lot and divulges all kinds of details and history about the characters that becomes overwhelming after a while. I already cannot remember half of it. It's distracting.
Full review: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2015/...
We watch her earn the grudging respect of many male coworkers as she tries to solve a case: who killed Emma Lazarus and why.
This ended up being a mystery with Nellie Bly as the sleuth. Emma Lazarus was a real woman. She was a Jewish poet who wrote The New Colossus, the poem on the Statue of Liberty. This was interesting to me. Upon further online research, I discover there were indeed some rumors she was a lesbian and she was very outspoken about the hatred and discrimination toward Jews. I think some license was taken with this story as none of the biographies I read mentioned any hint of foul play regarding her death, but in this novel, obviously, she's murdered.
As Nellie investigates, she discovers lesbian love affairs, railroad tycoons with greedy intentions and murder on "their" hands, the wrongful deaths of an Indian tribe, and a family who would rather let a murderer run loose than having more "scandal" on their hands.
They mystery is interesting and keeps one guessing. The author managed to reveal all kinds of historical things I never heard of before--both people and events.
The ending is really far fetched though, IMO. How Nellie came to her conclusion and the the proof she had was really thin. I didn't really buy it all, her suddenly figuring out whodunnit in the manner she did. It was too much of a stretch. To be Frank, the ending stank. I almost brought this down to a two. I don't need a cheesy HEA, but this was an awful ending. The narrative is omnipresent, God-like, and makes the book more telling than showing at times and reads like a biography in bits. The story also strays a lot and divulges all kinds of details and history about the characters that becomes overwhelming after a while. I already cannot remember half of it. It's distracting.
Full review: http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2015/...
February 19, 2017
Loved this story and its history. Just taught a bit about Nellie Bly to my 8th graders and happened to follow shortly after with Emma's "The New Colossus". A great read!
March 13, 2015
I've seen that other reviewers had good things to say about this book, which is part of the reason I was incredibly disappointed in it. I enjoy a good historical novel occasionally. One reviewer compared the book to Caleb Carr's historical mysteries which I adored, and then to Eric Larson's histories which are not fiction...This author does not compare well to either of them. The language and the writing of this book did not compare well. He isn't of a sufficient literary bent or has the background needed for the excellent writing in the previous two authors. But I could have swallowed writing that was not the best, if the story and the characters were decent. I actually had to make myself finish the book, which for me is rare. I've read some on Nellie Bly and Emma Lazarus and I went to refresh some of my historical knowledge of these two. I'm sure the author did his research for this story. But it felt contrived, which historical fiction can do if not done right. But the biggest problem I had with the entire book was giving our current morals in 2015 to something that occurred in 1880s-1890s. I am not naïve enough to believe that lesbians did not exist then, nor that there were not loose morals in the Victorian era. But, to have all the characters act the way we do currently is not in keeping with that strait-laced society. They were private back then, much more than we are now. And women did not flaunt differences as much as they do now.
This is not a 'bad' book, and I'm sure some readers will enjoy it. But it played fast and loose with the time period and the mores of that time period, and for that reason I did not enjoy it.
This is not a 'bad' book, and I'm sure some readers will enjoy it. But it played fast and loose with the time period and the mores of that time period, and for that reason I did not enjoy it.
May 26, 2014
What a pleasant surprise! Not only was this a fascinating book on a remarkable woman whose exploits in the 1880's changed the world of women and journalism but it was a good mystery as well.
Nelly Bly was a woman whom life had shown not to trust anything or anyone. Her family was sent into poverty after the death of her beloved father and the machinations of her father's first family and the banker who was entrusted to take care of the estate. Full of courage and determination, she first took the world of newspapers, robber barons and men of power with little or no regard for those whom they hurt.
The title comes from the poem that would encapsulate what The Statue of Liberty came to mean to the many immigrants who came to the United States. Was the author murdered and if so, by whom and for what reason?
It is a corking good tale that had me up to the wee hours of the morning, wanting to keep reading. Not only is Nelly a compelling and admirable heroine, the other characters in the book are also well drawn. Her ultimate lesson in grey rather than blacks and whites changes her forever. She changes the world.
While I enjoyed the book, I also appreciated the epilogue that helped flesh out what happened after the story ends to the characters. It is the sign of a good book that I wanted to learn more. I still do,
Nelly Bly was a woman whom life had shown not to trust anything or anyone. Her family was sent into poverty after the death of her beloved father and the machinations of her father's first family and the banker who was entrusted to take care of the estate. Full of courage and determination, she first took the world of newspapers, robber barons and men of power with little or no regard for those whom they hurt.
The title comes from the poem that would encapsulate what The Statue of Liberty came to mean to the many immigrants who came to the United States. Was the author murdered and if so, by whom and for what reason?
It is a corking good tale that had me up to the wee hours of the morning, wanting to keep reading. Not only is Nelly a compelling and admirable heroine, the other characters in the book are also well drawn. Her ultimate lesson in grey rather than blacks and whites changes her forever. She changes the world.
While I enjoyed the book, I also appreciated the epilogue that helped flesh out what happened after the story ends to the characters. It is the sign of a good book that I wanted to learn more. I still do,
September 19, 2014
Goldberg does a fantastic job at painting life in the North post Civil War. For me at least this was a new focus; most of what I have been required to read or stumbled across was the Southern take on life after the Civil War. He takes us on a voyage bit by bit of the lives of two amazing and passionate women (the kinds of people that make you wanna find some cause and fight for it): Nellie Bly and Emma Lazarus. My problem with this book is it is a contradiction for me. It's me really, not Goldberg. I love historical fiction: books based on a time/period in life and the author uses his/her imagination to create the stories that could have been possible in this world. Then there are autobiographical works: the author tells the history about a key person or persons using previous books, person journals, etc. This book is both. So I was constantly distracted while reading it. I kept asking myself did that really happen or was that made up, throughout the book. The author has a couple of pages at the end explaining some things, but overall I was left feeling a little cheated. In full disclosure, he says to contact him on Facebook to find out what is real or not. But the book was great, it's over, I've got other things to read, write, and dishes to clean.
April 8, 2014
Wow! Just wow!
Yes, we can all acknowledge that I am a huge fan of Marshall Goldberg. Marshall the friend, mentor, wedding officiant, and unwavering loyal supporter. He is an incredible human being. But reading The New Colossus was my first encounter with Marshall Goldberg the writer. And I am blown away!
The plot of his book had me hooked from page 1 - I found myself carrying the book with me throughout the day, trying to sneak in a few pages to figure out "whodunit?". Marshall's writing style flows flawlessly and yet is simple enough to engage any reader.
And the characters! All danced right off the page and came alive, evoking strong emotions and connections. Nellie Bly was quite the woman! Her pursuit of the truth, justice, loyalty to those she loves, and fearlessness actually remind me if a certain someone I know... The author of this wonderful historical fiction. Thank you, Marshall, for sharing your talent and this story with the world. I whole heatedly recommend this book.
Yes, we can all acknowledge that I am a huge fan of Marshall Goldberg. Marshall the friend, mentor, wedding officiant, and unwavering loyal supporter. He is an incredible human being. But reading The New Colossus was my first encounter with Marshall Goldberg the writer. And I am blown away!
The plot of his book had me hooked from page 1 - I found myself carrying the book with me throughout the day, trying to sneak in a few pages to figure out "whodunit?". Marshall's writing style flows flawlessly and yet is simple enough to engage any reader.
And the characters! All danced right off the page and came alive, evoking strong emotions and connections. Nellie Bly was quite the woman! Her pursuit of the truth, justice, loyalty to those she loves, and fearlessness actually remind me if a certain someone I know... The author of this wonderful historical fiction. Thank you, Marshall, for sharing your talent and this story with the world. I whole heatedly recommend this book.
March 26, 2014
Nellie Bly is a household name in the world of undercover journalism with her game-changing expose on the Bellevue Women’s Asylum. Then she undertook a flight around the world, in a hot air balloon, in an attempt to beat the record of Verne’s Phileas Fogg.
The author builds on this amazing true story of Bly to give her a fictional story to track down. The entire case is built upon true events and real people, and feels only a half step away from reality.
The poet Emma Lazarus, most famous for her poem “The New Colossus” inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty, has recently died. It was known that she was seriously ill and would not live for long. Friend Joseph Pulitzer, however, is convinced that she had been poisoned. Fresh from her story on the conditions in the asylum, Pulitzer (currently the editor of The New York World), asks her to investigate her death.
Please support independent reviewers and read my full post here: http://mwgerard.com/review-the-new-co...
The author builds on this amazing true story of Bly to give her a fictional story to track down. The entire case is built upon true events and real people, and feels only a half step away from reality.
The poet Emma Lazarus, most famous for her poem “The New Colossus” inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty, has recently died. It was known that she was seriously ill and would not live for long. Friend Joseph Pulitzer, however, is convinced that she had been poisoned. Fresh from her story on the conditions in the asylum, Pulitzer (currently the editor of The New York World), asks her to investigate her death.
Please support independent reviewers and read my full post here: http://mwgerard.com/review-the-new-co...
October 9, 2014
Longing.
Look westward o'er the steaming rain-washed slopes,
Now satisfied with sunshine, and behold
Those lustrous clouds, as glorious as our hopes,
Softened with feathery fleece of downy gold,
In all fantastic, huddled shapes uprolled,
Floating like dreams, and melting silently,
In the blue upper regions of pure sky.
The eye is filled with beauty, and the heart
Rejoiced with sense of life and peace renewed;
And yet at such an hour as this, upstart
Vague myriad longing, restless, unsubdued,
And causeless tears from melancholy mood,
Strange discontent with earth's and nature's best,
Desires and yearnings that may find no rest.
-Emma Lazarus
Look westward o'er the steaming rain-washed slopes,
Now satisfied with sunshine, and behold
Those lustrous clouds, as glorious as our hopes,
Softened with feathery fleece of downy gold,
In all fantastic, huddled shapes uprolled,
Floating like dreams, and melting silently,
In the blue upper regions of pure sky.
The eye is filled with beauty, and the heart
Rejoiced with sense of life and peace renewed;
And yet at such an hour as this, upstart
Vague myriad longing, restless, unsubdued,
And causeless tears from melancholy mood,
Strange discontent with earth's and nature's best,
Desires and yearnings that may find no rest.
-Emma Lazarus
January 15, 2017
When reading historical fiction, I constantly ask myself, "could this have really happened?" If in the end of the book I can answer, "yes," then I know the story has done its job. Emma Lazarus may not have been murdered in real life, but Goldberg's book, with its cast of 19th-century New York characters, now makes me think... hmm, maybe she was. Though the book is a little staid on one hand, it also tackles "hidden" subjects of the 19th century including women in the workplace and in the court system. Its subjects also include free love, reputation, and lesbianism, but with a 19th-century sensibility. Plus any story starring the wonderful and pugnacious Nellie Bly is good in my book. Kudos to Mr. Goldberg on writing an interesting "whodunit" novel.
June 13, 2020
This was historical fiction at its best.
I learned so much of New York City circa 1885 and the men who used their vast millions and created power. That combination even allowed them to get away with murder.
Nellie Bly was quite the woman in her day, and would be the same if she was alive today. You can't help but admire her. The horrors of the insane asylums were exposed by her.
Emma Lazarus the poet, author of the poem on the Statue of Liberty, was allegedly murdered, even though she was terminal with cancer but no one paid for the crime. Nellie Bly became her friend and the investigative reporter.
One thing rang true, the men with the millions and the power in government will always control those less fortunate.
I learned so much of New York City circa 1885 and the men who used their vast millions and created power. That combination even allowed them to get away with murder.
Nellie Bly was quite the woman in her day, and would be the same if she was alive today. You can't help but admire her. The horrors of the insane asylums were exposed by her.
Emma Lazarus the poet, author of the poem on the Statue of Liberty, was allegedly murdered, even though she was terminal with cancer but no one paid for the crime. Nellie Bly became her friend and the investigative reporter.
One thing rang true, the men with the millions and the power in government will always control those less fortunate.
March 21, 2014
Wonderful book about the amazing reporter Nellie Bly and her quest to find the truth behind the death of famous poet, Emma Lazarus. Nellie is confronted with greed, corruption, and violence and yet she still presses on determined to bring the truth about Emma's death to light. I have always been intrigued by stories of Nellie Bly that I had heard growing up but this book brought her to life. She was truly an amazing woman who would not let the oppressors of the time whether rich or poor beat her down or break her spirit. I truly enjoyed this book and will whole-heartedly recommend it to everyone!
July 25, 2014
I initially ordered this book when I stumbled across the title while googling Nellie Bly. I remembered learning about and being fascinated by Bly while I was in elementary school, but hadn't thought about her for many many years.
Because of my previous admiration for Nellie Bly, and because I have a fascination with the Gilded Age (particularly in NYC), I had high hopes for this book. It wasn't poorly written, quite the opposite. But I found many long stretches of narrative that felt more like a history text book rather than a novel. I still enjoyed the book, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.
Because of my previous admiration for Nellie Bly, and because I have a fascination with the Gilded Age (particularly in NYC), I had high hopes for this book. It wasn't poorly written, quite the opposite. But I found many long stretches of narrative that felt more like a history text book rather than a novel. I still enjoyed the book, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting.
August 24, 2015
This earned a well-deserved four stars. A fantastic blend of history, mystery, and beautiful writing. It was a book club pick, otherwise it would not have been on my radar. This is a gem not to be missed! The story is about the fascinating Nelly Bly, a REAL person, and her edgy journalism. Her tactics were unconventional for the times. She was given the task by Pulitzer, yes THE Pulitzer, to investigate the suspicious death of Emma Lazarus, a poet ahead of her time. She was also the writer of the famous poem on the Statue of Liberty. It reads like a beach book and is short, so request it at your library today!
August 25, 2016
I'm a fan of Historical 'tid-bits' and by extension I find historical fiction interesting - a good work of historical fiction can pique my interest and lead to several days of further research to root out the real stories behind the story. Such was the case with The New Colossus - I started this book not too long after a visit to Lyndhurst, the former mansion of Jay Gould in Westchester NY. and after finishing the book, I was engrossed in a few days of online reading about some of the characters. I won't leak any spoilers, but I would recommend this book to anyone interested in turn of the (20th) century New York City; although they are not the only ones who might enjoy.
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