Rating: 
Summary: Another great historical novel by Kevin Baker
Review: Paradise Alley is set during the New York draft riots of July 1863. Well...sort of. As he did in the brilliant "Dreamland" Baker follows a host of fascinating characters telling their stories in full in the bargain. That means tracing characters back to what brought them to this moment in history whether it was the Irish potato famine, escaping North from slavery or joining the Union army.
This is a long book because Baker is so careful about fully developing each character's story. Among those inhabiting "Paradise Alley" are a journalist, prostitute, free black, and Union solider.
This is an unfliching look at life in New York in 1863 and the ghastly mob action of the draft riots, picking up where the film "Gangs of New York" left off. It is not for the faint hearted but IS for the intellectually curious.
In addition to the care he takes with this characters, Baker is careful with history. "Paradise Alley" is well-researched and provides a great history lesson as well as a througoughly fascinating read. With engaging characters coming together for a stirring climactic scene.
"Paradise Alley" does a brilliant job at looking how people react to extreme circumstances, the good the bad and the ugly. This book and Baker's "Dreamland" (set in New York in 1912) are highly recommened.
Rating:
Summary: chastening, provocative, detailed
Review: Perhaps novelist Kevin Baker's greatest talent is his extraordinary ability to immerse readers not only in the narrative of his story but in the very lives of his characters. Following the deserved acclaim of "Dreamland," his "Paradise Alley" shepherds us into the vortex of the Civil War, dissecting a pivotal experience which serves as the litmus test not only of that war, but of the very nation split asunder. "Paradise Alley," through the variegated perspectives of Irish immigrants, an African-American former slave, a jaded newsman and a cynical Tammany Hall functionary, forces us to relive the infamous New York City draft riots of July, 1863. This paroxysm of racist violence, now known as the largest cataclysm of urban violence in our national past, alternately terrifies, revolts and sensitizes the reader to the realities of the social impact of the Civil War.The Irish-American rioters, fueled by class antagonisms ($300 could purchase an exemption from the draft for any northerner wealthy enough to buy a replacement), humiliated by their own maraginalized existence and energized by their own basest instincts, symbolize American life at its racist worst. Baker leves little and everything to the imagination in his agonizingly detailed depiction of African-Americans driven naked from their own homes, hung from lampposts, burned alive after vicious mobs cut and mutilated their defenseless bodies. This in New York, the epicenter of our national identity; this from the side of that war presumably fighting for the abolition of slavery and the restoration of a cohesive, perpetual union. The individual acts of heroism, resistance and compassion stand in stark relief to the sunami of human indifference, racial polarization and sadistic violence. Baker's skill as a novelist is on display as he deftly undertakes his explanation of how a degraded, despised and depressed population -- the Irish -- are able only to hate, rather than empathize with, another population group itself sipping from the chalice of hopelessness. One of my closest college friends, in analyzing urban ethnic backlash against African-Americans a century later, in the late 1960s, commented that the only people the ethnics hated more than Blacks were themselves. In "Paradise Alley," a relatively minor character, Finn McCool, a Democratic wardheeler, exploits this knowledge and orchestrates the orgy of violence, shamelessly baiting his own desperate countrymen to abysmal behaviors. Finn understands what drives men like Dangerous Johnny Dolan, whose survival of the decimation wrought by the Irish potato famine resulted in a man truly demonic, unhinged from the most basic moral conventions that permit us to call ourselves human. Dolan's insatiable need for violence, his unquenchable thirst to harm, his unthrottled hunger for dominance stand in sharp contrast to the stoic resignation and familial solidity of Tom O'Kane and the eerily distanced and detached H.R. Robinson, whose journalistic self-absorbtion gets him column inches but costs him his only chance for true human connection. As important as the male characters are to "Paradise Alley," the novel's women are reasons to celebrate. It is they, and the honorable African-American male protagonist, Billy Dove, who are the novel's moral anchors. The women give "Paradise Alley" resonance, emotional texture and empathy. The fiery prostitute Maddy Boyle enlarges her principles and outspoken integrity when others crawled on hands and knees in moral muck. Deidre Dolan O'Kane upbraids herself for tendencies of self-righteousness and lack of compassion when she literally stands erect above the howling masses. Shedding the restrictions and nostrums of traditional Catholic moral instruction, she invents, on the fly, a tough-minded compassion and unyielding commitment to honor, service and family when those qualities were virtually non-existent in her community. Ruth Dove, doubly brutalized by famine and Johnny Dolan, is Christ-like. The author leaves the interpretation of the significance of her suffering -- on behalf of her husband, Billy Dove, and her bi-racial children -- to the reader. Redemptive or not, Ruth's pain becomes the quintessential symbol of the nation, and how she lives becomes a matter of moral importance to the reader. Baker employs cross-cutting narratives and perspectives; each character perceives the present against a constantly evolving personal exposition. These flashbacks not only permit Baker to invest his characters with dimension and history, they permit the author to explore a stunning array of subjects: the potato famine, the development of New York City's physical development, volunteer fire companies, race relations, tenement life and evolving cultural standards. The research that preceded the writing of "Paradise Alley" must have been enormous, and the payoff is impressive. This believable, chastening and powerful novel demands attention and respect. "Paradise Alley" adds luster to Kevin Baker's reputation as a wise, prophetic interpreter of who and what we are as a people.
Rating: 
Summary: Bogged down in its own weight
Review: Sadly, this book did not live up to its hype for me. The author has crafted a truly fabulous, riveting story and created interesting characters, but the book suffers from his writing style and the chronological construction. Because the main plot action, the riot, is interrupted by the characters' various backstories, it feels like it takes forever to reach a climax and the book drags to its conclusion. I would also echo one reviewer's complaint about the author's excessive use of italics. I know it sounds nitpicky, but each page has several lines of italics, some of which appear without apparent reason. Are they meant to be the private musings of the character? Well, sometimes. At other times, they refer to lines already written; still other times, they appear to be simply regular sentences meant to move along the narrative. I can't emphasize enough how IRRITATING it is to be constantly "interrupted" by italics whose purpose is unclear! I think the author is a good storyteller and, for that reason, I will pick up "Dreamland," hoping it is as good as its reviews. But if I see that it has excessive italics, I will not read it!
Rating:
Summary: Bogged down in its own weight
Review: Sadly, this book did not live up to its hype for me. The author has crafted a truly fabulous, riveting story and created interesting characters, but the book suffers from his writing style and the chronological construction. Because the main plot action, the riot, is interrupted by the characters' various backstories, it feels like it takes forever to reach a climax and the book drags to its conclusion. I would also echo one reviewer's complaint about the author's excessive use of italics. I know it sounds nitpicky, but each page has several lines of italics, some of which appear without apparent reason. Are they meant to be the private musings of the character? Well, sometimes. At other times, they refer to lines already written; still other times, they appear to be simply regular sentences meant to move along the narrative. I can't emphasize enough how IRRITATING it is to be constantly "interrupted" by italics whose purpose is unclear! I think the author is a good storyteller and, for that reason, I will pick up "Dreamland," hoping it is as good as its reviews. But if I see that it has excessive italics, I will not read it!
Rating:
Summary: brilliant and vivid tale....................
Review: The 1863 draft riots in New York have been the subject of the recent movie Gangs of New York which prompted me to read this novel. Kevin Baker has created an amazing look at this historical time frame through the eyes of those at the center of the events. The story of the Irish immigrants, the situation that led them to leave for the promised land of America is heart wrenching and chilling. The story of the hopes and dreams of freedmen and escaped slaves is also detailed. The realities that assaulted them upon arriving in New York is intensely sobering. The emotions of the people are vivid, the fear so real you can smell it, the hate so strong you taste it and the love so strong you feel it. The times are so tumultuous that you are pulled along the streets of New York into the heart of the rioting. This novel deals with the prejudice and intolerance that existed and how it led to the oppressive atmosphere that perpetuated the hate and the discontent. The results are heartbreaking and unforgettable.
Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction at its best
Review: The details of life in NYC during this time are amazing - one can almost smell the air (thankfully, we can't). After seeing "Gangs of New York" I was impressed with how the details from the book and the details in movie held true. Baker has done a marvelous job of creating characters who are from different backgrounds and putting them into circumstances beyond their control. The short chapters told from the different view points is particularly effective. Anyone who loves NYC should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: better than Gangs of New York
Review: this book is gritty and really sinks you into the era. It has history, most of which you probably had no idea about. Definitely not in most history books. What an insight into the time and facts. Way better than a movie that could have been based on this book!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best works of historical fiction!
Review: This book is just breathtaking and kept me up until the wee hours as I couldn't put it down.
In one novel, you will gain insight into three of the major events of the late 1800's- the Draft Riots, the Civil War and the Potato Famine. While the latter two are more broadly sketched, this work will definitely encourage you to read more on the subjects.
I read alot of history and alot of historical fiction-this is in my top three.
Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful, enjoyable and pretty grim too
Review: This is a great story and is very well writtten. The gist of all the action is New York city during the days of the Civil War draft riots. However at the beginning of the book, the author frequently flashes back in time, and across the Atlantic to Ireland during the darkest days of the potato famine. It is in these chapters we learn about the early years of some of the characters who later found themselves together in New York City. At first, I thought this style to be annoying. But as the book unfolds, and the tension builds, the time, place, and characters become more and more focused on Paradise Alley, in the midst of the violence.
The description of the starvation and suffering during the famine is gruesome. And the account of the hatred, and violent atrocities during the riot is graphic and brutal.
A major source of suspense in the book is Dangerous Johnny Dolan, and his effort to get revenge on those he believes ruined his life. Johnny is as evil a villain as there could be! Hard to believe this was NYC (and America) only 140 years ago - pigs roaming the street freely, most people without any real employment or hope for the future, and a government that consisted mostly of corrupt, local thugs. The author seems to have done very thorough research and gives an excellent feel for what life was like at the time. You can even learn a little bit about how Central Park came to be, and the early days of the NYC water supply. There is even a glossary of terms at the end. The only criticism I can make is that there should have been a simple map of what NYC looked like at the time.
This is great historical fiction and I truly enjoyed it.
Rating:
Summary: Fails to Ignite
Review: This is a tale about a half-dozen or so mostly Irish characters before and then during the New York City draft riots of 1863. It is a bit too long and there is a fundamental flaw, but mostly it is still an okay read. The narrative is told in chapters alternating from one character to the next. Each chapter begins with them in the city on those hot July days, then quickly flashes back to the events which got them there to begin with. Their stories are adequately interesting but none are truly compelling and one finds oneself getting antsy for the riot to begin. There is starving, pathetic Ruth, who fled Ireland during the potato famine with Dangerous Johnny Dolan, who saved her from it. There is her black husband, ex-slave Billy Dove, trained as a shipbuilder and escaped from North Carolina. There is Dolan's sister, Deirdre, a prim-and proper type, and her husband Tom, a Union soldier. There is the young prostitute Maddy Boyle. Finally, there is the newspaper reporter, Herbert Robinson, Maddy's boyfriend, and the only one in the book whose story is told in the first person. For the most part, they are the usual bunch of pathetic down-and-outers contemporary American authors are so fond of. New York is a cesspool of dirt and vice. The streets are filthy with mud and dung and blood from the butcher shops. One can't walk into a tavern without being fleeced or mugged or shanghaied. The people are slovenly, vicious, racist, and uneducated. It doesn't sound like a very attractive place, and undoubtedly wasn't compared to contemporary New York, but was it really this awful? One wonders, especially when one considers some of the oddball incongruities the author dishes up. For example, the Catholic church was very much dominant in Irish society, but it is barely mentioned here, as if it had no influence at all. Tom the black must dodge slave-catchers on several occasions while returning from his job to the "colored" village in which he lives in Central Park. Slave-catchers? In New York? He meets and marries Ruth because she follows him around like a stray dog all the time and gladly enters his home when he finally invites her in. Now, I don't doubt that there were mixed-race marriages back then, but it seems to be a real stretch to believe that a white Irish woman would follow around a black man she didn't know no matter how many times the author cares to tell us how beautiful his skin was. The Robinson news reporter thread is odd because it seems so out of place. For one, he's not Irish, for two, he is comparatively wealthy, and for three, his story is told in the first person. Worst of all, he doesn't add anything, and his character is utterly drab. The one thing he does is to give us lists of the various newspapers, periodicals, books, personages and other historical desiderata he is aware of, but all this does is to give one the appearance that his creator is showing off. Okay, okay, he's done his homework, but this narrative is a drag on the already sputtering plot, and should have been excised entirely. Admittedly, the research pays off handsomely when the riot finally starts. The plot begins to move briskly and the historical aspect is carefully detailed and accurate. The author has a fine understanding of mob mentality and depicts the murders and lynchings of the innocent black men and women which occurred in gruesome fashion. The rioters burned and looted everything they could get their hands on; one can almost feel the heat, taste the soot in the air, and see the smashed furniture and clothing lying all over the street. One can also feel the terror felt by those who were the mob's victims. This aspect is done very well and is excellent fiction. But it's empty. And this is the fundamental problem: it is that the story of the riot and the stories of the characters don't mesh. The author carefully shows us that the precipitating cause of the riot was the institution of the draft, and that the Irish rage against blacks which followed was that black people were to them the symbolic cause of the war. This is correct as far as it goes, but the Irish were also enraged because they perceived they were losing their shipyard jobs to them. And of course they were also frustrated--as all immigrant groups are at some point--with their attempts to assimilate into American society. None of this is illustrated by any of the characters. Their past, their immigration, their struggles in America and their perception of the future have little to do with the cause of the riot either directly, indirectly, realistically or metaphorically. It was just something that happened to them. Something they had to live through. They may as well have been French and the riot may has well have been a hurricane, for all the relationship they had to one another. This is why their stories seem so long. They don't resonate; they have nothing to do with the grand historic sweep of things. Too bad. The author knows how to write and obviously spent a great deal of time on this. Too bad his employers were asleep at the wheel.
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