Customer Reviews

City of Glory: A Novel of War and Desire in Old Manhattan

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoyed City of Dreams, but this book, City of Glory, is simply amazing; the writing is as smooth as silk. The opening sections are brief and do make rapid jumps but I was never lost. All the threads kept moving forward and weaving into one single story, one vivid picture of the time.
I liked very much that Ms. Swerling tries to touch on many of the major currents of the time and place - many writers of fiction, historical and otherwise, make their lives easier by limiting the scope of their books to only those elements that work towards the point they're trying to make - and I liked that she shows us all kinds and classes of people. It's a wonderfully honest perspective. I found myself sympathizing with people very different than myself - I've never run a whorehouse or had to be afraid of slavers, I certainly can't imagine wanting to make money out of pushing other people into slavery, like another of the characters (no name mentioned here, to not give away the story) but the pride and desperation that pushed the person into making this choice is shown as clearly as the ugliness of the slave trade. It's a brave thing for a writer to do.
All the people in this book are vividly human. The lesser characters engage as immediately as the major. Reverend Fish's congregation faces black-birders (people who capture and sell blacks, free or otherwise, into slavery) as well as violence and poverty, but there are ministers and leaders of small, threatened communities today, of all colors, who would empathize with his spirit. And though not a lot of time is spent on the Chinese characters, I laughed out loud when I hit the place where the rice cookers the first Chinese brought to New York are mentioned - I grew up in a country with a large Chinese population, and I remember that my Chinese girlfriend's mother sent her off to University with a rice-cooker. I would have enjoyed seeing more of the Chinese (maybe the next book?) but with this many characters I can see why the author couldn't give equal time to all. And I loved that even the characters who spend the least time onscreen are fully understandable - Dolly Madison insisting on being a competent housewife and packing the plate and drawing room curtains before evacuating the White House is endearing or irritating, depending on one's own point of view, but certainly believable, as is the goldsmith who bumbles into plots he doesn't understand in a way that is perfectly on par with his inability to cope with a daughter much brighter than he is. I also love the detail note that Jacob Astor, a man of national and international importance, certainly great business savvy, is blind to a simple, homely fact that his much less successful brother immediately notices. A book, for me, doesn't work unless the little things are done as well as the big, and City of Glory is full of tiny, wonderful details.
City of Dreams ended with a foretaste of the conflicts that haunt America today that was so strong it was almost eerie. City of Glory similarly shows the tension between North and South, coastal city and rural hinterland - some of the seeds that produce those frighteningly divided red and blue electoral maps. It would take a magician, not a novelist, to have an answer to this problem, but if the novelist's job is to hold up a mirror to society and help us understand ourselves a little better, Ms. Swerling has certainly done it - and of course, most importantly, done it in a very entertaining way. This is a grand yarn.

Beverly Swerling's third novel continues the story of the DeVrey and Turner family feud into the early 19th Century against the backdrop of the British Blockade of American ports and the attack on Washington DC toward the end of the War of 1812. This book is chock full of action - it is a wonder that Joyful Patrick Turner, the hero of her latest installment, was able to accomplish so much in these ten days during which he seemingly had so little sleep!

The pluses: this book has all of the ingredients for the making of a wonderful historical novel - pirates, political schemes, war, treason, brothels, slave trading, the largest diamond ever, true love, Irish gangs, the wealthiest man in America, and plenty of characters with missing limbs & digits...

Despite these perks, the sub-stories in this novel are a bit blurry, rushed and littered with extra characters who play insignificant roles. (For instance, why the Chinese Opium side line? It adds little other than to provide opportunities for Joyful to keep his Cantonese in use!) Politics, business, love, intrigue, war and lust are just thrown into the pot and brought to an immediate boil rather than being added one at a time and simmering until the perfect flavor is attained. This seems such a shame as Ms. Swerling's other two books are magnificently written historical epics - perhaps their brilliance casts a bit of a shadow on this one.

However, please do not let these flaws dissuade you from reading City of Glory! It is a fun, fast-paced book full of well researched (and little known) history told through archetypal characters, and quite enjoyable!

This is a riveting story wonderfully told with all kinds of interesting stuff I'd never have guessed...like slavery in New York? Along with pirates and Chinese and too much to attempt saying here. All superbly researched and relayed with such a masterful touch it's a huge pleasure to read. This is my idea of historical fiction at its very best. Perfect for a snowy afternoon before a fireplace!

Having loved Swerling's City of Dreams, I was looking forward to reading its sequel, City of Glory. However, the old adage -- be careful what you wish for -- once again proved its veracity to me, as I was mostly disappointed in this book. It's not that City of Glory is a bad book; it's just that its plot provides little excitement, its characters are at best moderately interesting, and it pales in comparison to its predecessor in terms of providing historical insights. If you feel you must read this so-so book, my advice is to borrow it from the library and to save your money.

I am a great fan of Swerling's work. She writes historical fiction as no one else does. When have you been able to learn so much about history without stifling a yawn? Whatever slice of history Swerling chooses to portray reflects tremendous historical research and characters who grab you and won't let you go. You better brew up a pot of coffee before you sit down to read this one - you'll be turning pages until far into the night!

City of Glory, like Swerling's previous work, is a sumptuous mix of the good, the bad and the ugly, with the enigmatic characters and riveting story of a Dicken's novel.
From the very first scene, where Dr. Joyful Turner (by the way, City of Glory contains the best names I've ever come across in a single novel,) loses his hand, and is sewing on other peoples' limbs in a ferocious sea battle, we are on the edge of our seats, sweating, laughing, crying, and biting our nails to the bitter end. Read this now before HBO turns it into epic TV special!
Don't let the historical context deceive you. City of Glory is packed with suspense, intrigue, conflict and love, which makes it a fantasic read, even for those who like to read present-day stories. Don't waste a moment! Buy now!

I'll start out by saying I'm a fan of Beverly Swerling's work, and I think this one achieves a tension that will have movie producers knocking down her door. It takes place in 10 days, the backdrop is the War of 1812 (the one the British schools don't admit happened, I believe, and our public schools don't bother to mention). I love the setting because it was such a turning point for the way we conduct capitalism. The story lets you see, in such an artful way, how we came to be the business people we are in our American essence. I don't say this in a derogatory way, either. What I like most about Swerling is her insight into what the human condition was, and how we shouldn't be too quick to judge the ethics behind someone's pursuits.

And that's just on the macro level. On the personal level, this story, which is a sequel, allows the reader to come on board even if he hasn't read the previous novel. The characters aren't overwritten, so the reader has room to feel -- It's precisely this quality that will make it a good movie. I think it was a clever narrative choice for a story that takes place in just 10 days, with the plot taking you on a mobile focus tour of each character's arc, interwoven with each other and the events. If the characters were too dense, it would be overload.

A joy to read, and you won't put it down.
Rivka Tadjer
Woodstock, New York

"Fans of historical fiction will delight in this rich tale of imagery and characters fighting the British blockade and searching for love."

If you love history, the history of the beginnings of this country, of the people who had the guts to "go forth and conquer" and the history of New York in particular then you MUST buy ALL Ms. Swerlings books. They are so well written that you will smell the city and the people, feel the heat and cold, suffer the wounds, bear the indignities of the women. It is the family history of "us" and can't be missed. Her research is impeccable and interesting and you won't want to leave the characters. Buy them all and put them on the shelf for others. Great books!

Loved this book for 85% of it. As it drew to an end the story line became implausible with characters doing the seemingly impossible in an incredibly short period of time. I can't understand why the author messed with a great story line to add "drama" or "tension" to a perfectly good novel. Not sure if I'll read any more of her books.