City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan [Paperback]

Beverly Swerling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 2002

In 1661, Lucas Turner, a barber surgeon, and his sister, Sally, an apothecary, stagger off a small wooden ship after eleven weeks at sea. Bound to each other by blood and necessity, they aim to make a fresh start in the rough and rowdy Dutch settlement of Nieuw Amsterdam; soon lust, betrayal, and murder will make them mortal enemies. In their struggle to survive in the New World, Lucas and Sally make choices that will burden their descendants with a legacy of secrets and retribution, and create a heritage that sets cousin against cousin, physician against surgeon, and, ultimately, patriot against Tory.

In what will be the greatest city in the New World, the fortunes of these two families are inextricably entwined by blood and fire in an unforgettable American saga of pride and ambition, love and hate, and the becoming of the dream that is New York City.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The tapestry of early American society is hung out for a fresh viewing in this ambitious historical novel of 1660s New Amsterdam. The English Turners are brother and sister, surgeon/barber and apothecary. Devoted to one another, Sally and Lucas quickly learn to make their way in the harsh, prosperous new world, aiding the Dutch governor Stuyvesant's family and making their reputation in the bargain. Then Lucas sells Sally in marriage to Jacob Van der Vries, a cruel, foolish physician, in order to save her life, Lucas says, but she believes it is to buy his lover's freedom to marry, and she never forgives him. This rift begins a feud between the Van der Vries (later Devreys) and Turners that lasts through the American Revolution. Colorful characters vie with historical figures for attention on this broad stage: there's Jennet, Sally's great-granddaughter, who marries a wealthy Jew; Caleb Devrey, Jennet's first cousin, who loved her as a boy, but becomes her bitterest enemy; Morgan, Jennet's son, a privateer and patriot; and Morgan's best friend and former slave, Cuffy, whose fate is bound to Morgan's by love, hate and the same woman the gorgeous Roisin Campbell aka Mistress Healsall. The healing profession is carried down through each generation of Turners and Devreys, and Swerling's descriptions of early operations with crude instruments are detailed and riveting. The city of New York is a character in its own right, but even it cannot compete with the richly drawn, well-rounded people Swerling creates. This engrossing, generously imagined tale deserves the large audience it should find at a time when the founding fathers reign triumphant in biography. (Oct.) Forecast: The size of this hefty debut may actually be a selling point, since it promises an epic tale. The colorful period jacket art should appeal to browsers, too.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The early history of Manhattan is chronicled through six generations of a remarkable clan of surgeons, physicians, and apothecaries. Hounded out of England for illegally practicing surgery, gifted Lucas Turner and his sister, Sally, immigrate to the New World. Landing in New Amsterdam in 1661, Lucas employs a combination of daring and skill to establish his reputation as a surgeon, and Sally begins planting and gathering the herbs, plants, and flowers she needs to concoct the medicinal potions and drugs necessary for his practice. Though their future seems bright, the arrival of an unscrupulous and inept Dutch physician threatens both their security and their relationship. When Jacob Van der Vies succeeds in his vile blackmail effort, he causes an irreparable rift between the two siblings. For more than 100 years, the Turner and the Van der Vies branches of the family participate in both the evolution of the art and science of medicine and the transition of Manhattan from a fledgling colonial outpost to a bustling, thriving metropolis on the brink of revolution. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (June 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684871734
• ISBN-13: 978-0684871738
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (82 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #149,667 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in a Boston suburb, went to school there and in Kansas City (don't ask),and have lived all over the world, including England's Isle of Wight, and a Spanish Island just off the coast of Africa.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Riveting Epic Novel Of Historical Manhattan. Superb!!, February 14, 2004

By 

Jana L. Perskie "ceruleana" (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: City of Dreams: A Novel of Early Manhattan (Hardcover)

"City Of Dreams" provides an extremely rich slice of Manhattan history along with an intricately plotted novel filled with unforgettable characters. I couldn't put this book down!

English barber surgeon Lucas Turner and his apothecary sister, Sally, land in mid-17th century Nieuw Amsterdam after a grueling sea voyage from the Netherlands. The two are devoted to each other, having escaped from a life of squalor and poverty to make their way in the New World. They are aided by Governor Peter Stuyvesant after Lucas performs a successful surgery on him to remove a kidney stone. The future seems filled with promise until a terrible betrayal causes a rift between the siblings that will impact generations to come.

In a series of eight segments, author Beverly Swerling unfolds the lives of the original Turners and their descendants, as Nieuw Amsterdam becomes the city of New York and finally the first capital of the United States of America. This absorbing multi-generational saga continues through the Revolutionary War providing detailed and accurate historical background as well as an extraordinary storyline and subplots. Patriot Nathan Hale, British Generals Clinton and Howe, and colonial General George Washington are some of the characters who interact with Ms. Swerling's fictional cast.

The history of the beginnings of medical science are absolutely fascinating. A number of medical interventions, all performed without the use of anesthesia, are vividly described, including tracheotomies, amputations, a radical mastectomy, and the removal of kidney stones.

As an added attraction the dust jacket is illustrated with a wonderful view of early Manhattan taken from a copper engraving. The inside end papers show beautiful aerial illustrations of the city in its early days. There is also a family tree at the beginning of the book, although I was easily able to follow the plot without using it for reference. I highly recommend this absorbing and informative novel.
JANA

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Could not put it down!, January 1, 2004

By 

Susan L. (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan (Paperback)

I will truthfully say I bought this book at a dollar store. But I could not put it down. I would gladly pay full price to own this book. If a reader is even slightly interested in medicine or history this book will appeal to them. It tweeked at my patriotism also. You become enthralled by the characters in the story. I could not decide which side I was on so I decided to root for everyone. The goryness and truthfullness of the medical prcedures is not for the weak or immature reader. The sex scenes are also explicit but flow with the story. I felt the story would have held it's own without the detailed sex scenes but they were consistant with the story. I would definetly monitor younger readers with this book. I would not let my 12 year old read it. But I loved it!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soap opera-like plot. Authentic medical & historical detail, September 29, 2003

By 

Barbara "bnkf" (Union City, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan (Paperback)

Lucas Turner, a barber-surgeon and his sister Sally Turner, an apothecary, arrive in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam to start a new life in the year 1661. Lucas starts an affair with the butcher's wife. Sally is raped and impregnated by an American Indian. Lucas trades Sally as an unwilling bride to the Dutch physician Jacob Van der Vries for the money required to be with his lover...and so the soap opera and the family feud has started.

City of Dreams follows their lives and the lives of their descendents up to the American Revolution, jumping through time in each new section of the book and switching the focal characters tied together through family, medicine and geography. Jennet, a colorful descendant of Lucas Turner, links previous and future generations. She is a young woman interested in medicine but forbidden to practice because of her gender. She marries a wealthy Jew whose secret occupation is running whorehouses and dealing arms. This part of the story exposes us to the seedy underworld and politics of historic Manhattan leading up to the American Revolution.

The more serious and interesting topic of this fictional work is the evolution of the practice of medicine in NYC. The gains in medical science in the early days of modern medicine were won over public superstition with great sacrifice and suffering by the patients who were sometimes healed, sometimes guinea pigs and sometimes unfortunate victims. Operations appear in all there gruesomeness. This book is not for people who faint at the sight of blood. Descriptive passages walk you through amputations without anesthesia, the horrible conditions of the city's early hospitals, fatal abortion attempts, pox vaccinations and more. There is a keen edge to the surgeon characters, making them capable of inflicting unendurable pain in the name of healing. Contrasting the surgeons were the apothecary healers, administering medicine, or the physicians of the wealthy with their accepted practices like leeches.

There is so much historical detail and as a person that has spent many years living in and around Manhattan, it is horrifying to learn that slaves were burned alive on Wall Street. But I also had fun imagining the entire island covered in trees and woodland paths with boats in the harbor. Visit www.cityofdreamsthebook.com to see great illustrations like the one of a horse drawn carriage on Broadway and Canal street where the Collect Pond was, or read the time consuming recipe for making soap that Roisin learned from her mother.

As much as I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, I couldn't give it 5 stars because some of the plot seemed over the top, even for my entertainment tastes. But I totally enjoyed this book and wonder if the loose threads (treasure) will be covered in a sequel. I would be eager to read it.

Quick paced, entertaining read with great medical and historical detail. Recommended.