City of Light Paperback – August 26, 2003

Many historic buildings , still standing and beautiful, streets, architecture and Olmstead Parks all still relevant today. Enjoyed famous names and schools in storyline. Great book. I found myself seeking out the homes on specific streets. Enjoyed so much bought hardcover to save and her next book Ashton Hall which im reading now

I picked up City of Light because it's the chosen novel for a book club held at the Arts & Crafts conference I've attended, the past few years, in Asheville NC. I read a previous selection ( Clara and Mr. Tiffany ) but never did attend the book club session. I'm not sure if I'll make it this time, either, so I'll share with you my own impressions; if I DO go to the book club it'll be interesting to compare-and-contrast my views with others.Nominally, this is a historical mystery: There is a dead body, after all, and our protagonist -- Miss Louisa Barrett, headmistress of Buffalo's prestigious school for girls -- is not quite sure whether it was accidental. But the story is less about sleuthing than it is about the life-and-times of 1901 Buffalo, which I had not realized was quite as much a crux of history.But I should have. The power plant at Niagara Falls was changing everything; in the words of one character, it was transforming water into light. "Outside the river was fierce and turbulent; but here, amid the generators, the power of nature had been subdued by the power of man." This had broad implications: political, economic (investors included the Astors and J.P. Morgan), environmental (for the first time, people had to consider the effects of technology on the landscape), social (not the least of which was a dreadful death rate from tech-induced deaths, since there were no safety standards and little data from which to develop them).In City of Light, we see all these elements interacting in the tale of Miss Barrett, a spinster whose education and background permits her to be both a observant outsider and an exceptional woman who interacts with the powerful people behind the Pan-American Exposition and even U.S. presidents (two of whom came from Buffalo, didja know?), as well as Roycroft founder Elbert Hubbard, and the NAACP's Mary Talbert.The history is great. I learned a lot, enough to justify a 5-star rating. The storytelling... is okay, "eh" enough to pull that rating down to 4 stars. It's not that the plot is poor or that the writing is yucky (in some places it's wonderful: "Power surrounds you like an aura, and you take pleasure in treating the aura lightly"). It's that it moves too slowly; I kept feeling, "C'mon, step it up a bit!" In fact, I got so impatient that for the last 75 pages I skimmed rather than read with dedicated attention.Still, I'm very glad I read the book. It was a great way to get a cross-section of history and all the issues that people needed to deal with. If you like a bit of storytelling with your history, this might suit you quite well.

These are the best flags. This is my 3rd one. Heavy fabric , bright colors, cute designs

If you are reading reviews here to decide whether or not you want to read this book, note that many people who rated it 4 or 5 stars started their review with... "I live(d) in Buffalo...." Everyone always loves books about their hometowns.The historical background material on harnessing electrical power from Niagara (and its controversies), the Pan American Expo (and its financial problems), the efforts of African American women to influence the Expo's exhibits, and the labor and political issues of the time were very well researched and increased my education on the subjects. This is the reason for 3 stars. But the information was often too verbose and needed a good editor to cut it back significantly.The conceit that the heroine was the only one in the city who was enlightened quickly became a cliché. Everyone else (except her two love interests of course) were bigots, misogynists, insipid housewives, pompous industrialists or sanctimonious philanthropists. Or poor, overworked laborers toiling in dangerous conditions and hooting catcalls at the rich girls.I read this for my book club or I wouldn't have finished it. There were too many minor subplots and too many elements that defied logic, causing me to start skimming in the second half. Although our heroine is supposed to be stoic and strong (and self-righteous), she constantly worries about her position in society due to her scandalous secret - but it's a secret that almost everyone knows anyway. When she finds out she was manipulated in almost every facet of her life by the city's financial leaders, she just keeps on coddling them and pressing her hands together in her lap. After the (unnecessarily) tragic ending, she should have shot them all the finger and been on the next train to anywhere.When famous historic figures are brought into a story as major players, with invented actions and words, it tends to blur history. That is why I prefer historical fiction where all of the characters involved are fictional.

Having visited Buffalo and Niagara Falls several times, I was naturally attracted to this book. The descriptions of the Falls are beautiful, the descriptions of the electrification of the area interesting, and the descriptions of the leading citizens of Buffalo were something I did not know. Had this been a 500+ page history of Buffalo and Niagara Falls almost no one (myself included) would have wanted to read it. Interspersing that history with social history, some fictional, made it a good read.I did not rate this 5* because there were sections that were a bit tedious (the elaborate descriptions of the equipment used in the electrification), and others, while interesting (the development of the NAACP, the unplanned pregnancies, and the orphanages) were not important to the flow of the book. That said, Ms. Belfer is to be congratulated on yet another excellent book of historical fiction.

Those interested in climate changes will enjoy this historical novel.

This book is an intriguing look into the past. Set in the town of Buffalo in fin de siecle America, it tells a thought-provoking story of a young woman teacher unwittingly caught up in the politics and machinations surrounding a new hydro-powered electricity plant on the American Niagara Falls and the American Exposition that took place in the early years of the 20th century. Our heroine is both wise and naive and one understands fairly early on that there is a great secret in her life, a secret that keeps her tied to Buffalo. The characters are very well drawn and I sensed that a great deal of research had gone into ensuring that the book reflected the manners, mores and political ideas and characters of the time. It's hard to say too much about this story without giving away the development and denouement of the plot, so I'll just say that it is a gripping and intelligent read with fascinating characters and a well-written glimpse into the social structures of the early 20th century north-eastern States.

Enjoyed the historical background, but find it hard to believe this woman's life was so pat and orchestrated.

This is an interesting and intriguing well written novel particularly bearing in mind that this is the author's first novel.

Very interesting especially if you are from the city which the book talks about. You can relate to the history of the towns and architecture.