Customer Reviews

The Burnt District

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A pleasant reading experience for those in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania metropolitan area. The ethnic and industrial 'Smokey City' is the setting and the earliest police force are the characters. These men are the night watchmen and the constables that give the city a small portion of protection. The story is peopled by local inventors, politicans, merchants, doctors and industrial craft workers along with women, who own boarding houses and work in the craft trade. In both 'The Burnt District' and 'The Spectrum' immigration issues are at the fore. The Irish and the Nativists are in contention. The author uses the streets, bridges and canal, along with the neighborhoods, churchs, factories accurately in their pre-Civil War, 1840s, historical settings.

Of course I love this book. My great-great-great-great grandfather is one of the featured characters. It has been a wonderful addition to my ancestry search as well as providing an insight into this period of history in Pittsburgh.

For those who believe that one of the best ways to teach history is through historical fiction, the Burnt District helps fill a post-Louisiana Purchase, pre-Civil War gap: yes, life continued east of the Mississipi as well as west (with all due respect to Sacajawea), and north of the Mason-Dixon. Particularly evocative of the period is the description of a canal trip between Pittsburgh and Freeport (Who knew there were canal toughs? Sit on your wallets, gentlemen . . .) and a street party held by Irish immigrants. Of the many characters we encounter in the novel, Jacob Shoop is portrayed especially well, perhaps because Mr. Link has researched his life so thoroughly.

Okay -- just a couple of quibbles: I could have used a map to trace Parker's routes, or if that weren't possible, maybe a web address to check it out for myself -- I'm a Pennsylvanian by birth, but not familiar enough with the Pittsburgh area to make intelligent guesses about location. Story-wise, I wish we could have met Pittsburgh the day before the fire. The destruction of Parker's city is an apt metaphor for the desolation of his life, but I could have appreciated Pittsburgh more as a character in the story if I had known her as a vibrant city before I met her as victim and invalid en route to recovery.

All in all, a worthwhile read I would recommend. The affection Mr. Link holds for his subject shines through in his work.