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Summary: Fascinating perspective on Buffalo's prominence
Review: Lauren Belfer is a Buffalo native who has done a service to my fellow native Buffalonians who suffer from the recent decline in prominence for this once-great city. In 1900, Buffalo was the gem of the Great Lakes, a booming industrial power, the home of recent president Grover Cleveland, and host to the great Pan American exposition. Niagara Falls electricity created a new future for industry and home life, but not without its conflicts and environmental concerns.Belfer creates Louisa, a fictional schoolmistress at a pretigious private girls' academy (based loosely on Buffalo Seminary), whose life becomes wrapped up in the electrical revolution. And Louisa has a secret, in fact several secrets. And along with the tragedy of the failed exposition and the assassination of President McKinley, suffers personal tragedies of her own. This is a "woman's" book, written by a woman, with a woman as the central character abnd voice of the novel. Yet even hardended readers of "male" novels will generally enjoy the history and intrigue.
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Summary: Fascinating recreation of turn of the century politics
Review: In this novel, set in Buffalo as Niagra's power plant is going online and the Pan American Exposition commences, themes that plague us even today are played out against the backdrop of Louisa Barrett's personal crises. We have tainted politicians, environmentalists, bribes and the entire gamut that dominates headlines still today. Louisa Barrett is the headmistress of MacAuley Girl's School, the school for the children of the rich and powerful. Her position in the city allows her to be privy to many of the secrets and machinations of the power brokers of 1900 Buffalo. She gets drawn into these plots in a many-layered storyline, having to confront her past and make peace with it. What I found so interesting was the blending of historical fact with fiction. The book is rich with real characters and events, and they come to life in the context of the tale. I found the ending to be unsatisfactory, wanting less drama and more tying up of loose ends. Perhaps that is what makes the book somewhat more true-to-life; the endings aren't always clean and tidy. Nonetheless, I did little else until I had reached that ending.
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Summary: intertwined Fiction -logic, Non-Fiction -historical reality
Review: The setting for CITY OF LIGHT is the early 1900's, burgeoning Buffalo, New York, the hometown of the author Lauren Belfer. Infused with the excitement of the development of Niagara Falls, one of the greatest hydropower projects in the USA, there are factions that desire to control the distribution of electrical power.... i.e. industrial vs. public usage. Rights activists attempt to protect the amount of water that the upper echelon may use for power purposes vs. for the natural beauty of the area and the public good. The elite use money, power and position to control the cast of characters represented in this historical novel. The activists use public rallies as well as secretive physicallly destructive means to gain attention to their cause.
The Pan-Am Exposition is a primary historical event revolving around glory, greed, recognition, partnerships, and the future of Buffalo NY, Niagara Falls, and surrounding locations. Narrating character, Ms. Louisa Barrett is elected to the position of headmistress to the prestigious Macauley School for Girls, reporting to a powerful board of elite men, who back Louisa in her goals for the School, however control with money & societal position, assumed,assigned & unassigned. Proud of her proteges, Louisa represents a forward-looking woman, who is highly supportive of education for women, instilling high values in Macauley students and its graduates and the paths they choose for their future in the world. Amid suspicious 'accidental deaths' of a mysterious nature, abduction of a McCauley school girl,leaden hands of control over Thomas Sinclair, head of the hydropower project, secrets of Ms. Louisa Barrett and her connections with Gloria Sinclair and Gloria's deceased mother Margaret Sinclair, racial prejudices combined with political plays and maneuvers for power are inherent and rampant. CITY OF LIGHTS contains moments of joy & triumph with much despair, sadness and tragedy. The author's talent of elegance in writing with finesse touches the emotions, with eloquence and historical knowledge, and is the prime positive factor of this novel. Author Belfer's ability to vividly describe the locations, scenes, scenery and resolve of the cast of characters persuades the reader to complete this tome to its ending, discovering justice unabated throughout the story. The author provides intelligent, informative facts of research representing events & the non-fictional personages who played a part in the role of rights, politics, progress, and power. Among the historical cast, the least of which are... journalist Nellie Bly; President (Stephen) Grover Cleveland; Thomas Edison; President William McKinley; Vice President then President Theodore Roosevelt; the famous Frederick Law Olmstead (landscaper-designer of Buffalo NY Parks; the well-known Manhattan NYC Central Park, plus other sites); rich & powerful magnates such as J.P. Morgan; and Mary Talbert (Afro-American rights activist). The Macauley School for Girls is a fictional name for the still existent Buffalo Seminary, Buffalo, NY. The attempted assassination of President McKinley and his subsequent death is dutifully recorded. This reader is proud to have absorbed this novel, only regretting that it took so long to pull the 1999 publication off the shelf from within a plethora of tomes beckoning to be read. It is truly a writing that embraces the senses, and emotions of the cast members finding their demeanor truly human.
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Summary: City of Light, A Good Read
Review: The book, City of Light, by Lauren Belfer, begins in the spring of 1901 in Buffalo, New York, when the city is making preparations for the Pan-American Exposition. In this time, another major event is taking place: the introduction of the highly controversial hydroelectric power station that uses water from Niagara Falls to produce electricity. Living in Buffalo during this period is the main character, Miss Louisa Barrett. Headmistress of the most prestigious girls' school, she lives comfortably in a world of men, never have been married and holding a power of her own. Soon, she becomes involved with the mystery of a murder that is tied to the power plant. This involvement threatens her position in life and all she has worked for. Above all though, she fights to protect the life of Grace, the daughter of her deceased best friend and strives to keep her secret safe. Louisa Barrett has a very strong character. During the whole struggle for control of the power plant she keeps her focus and is aware of the impact she holds on the city. She is a very intelligent and independent woman in an age where few women had such independence and were still accepted by society. Her character develops throughout the book to become even stronger. In the end, she realizes earlier in her life she had been used as a pawn in the game of politics, but she can use the power she has made for herself to keep the ones she loves safe. From a naïve young girl she becomes a highly intelligent woman that is aware of her own power. Louisa Barrett was definitely a strong character, but she also had a weakness. That weakness was the child, Grace. Her whole life was dedicated to keep Grace safe from any harm. If Grace became threatened, Louisa must come to her aid and risk her own life. She would do anything to protect Grace. One could also argue that Grace made her strong. Grace provided Louisa something to keep her priorities straight and something to fight for. Louisa did not get sidetracked or swept up into the politics because of her. I think the main idea of this book was to display how politics and power corrupted the world back in 1901, and they continue to today, but people remain strong through it all. Lauren Belfer's title of this book, City of Light, was quite fitting. The idea of the hydroelectric power plant was to light up the country, making Buffalo, the 'city of light'. What makes this ironic is how corrupt the city had become during that time with politicians, laborers, industrialists, and power brokers all competing against each other for power. I thought the ending of the book was quite probable, although sad. All the important events were ended, and life moved on. This book has made me reflect back on how politics affect our lives today and back then. We may never know how much politics do affect us though. I really liked this book for several reasons. First, it was really captivating. I didn't want to put it down. Some new and exciting event seemed to happen on every page to make the plot thicken. Second, the historical content was very interesting. The fictional characters seemed just as realistic as the historical characters. Overall, it was a good book because of its blend of plot development and historical content.
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Summary: As a native of Buffalo area, I found it enlightening...
Review: I grew up in the Buffalo area and so I knew a bit about its history as a great city around the turn of the last century. I admit that was the initial attraction to the book. But the story should appeal to people who like historical fiction no matter where they grew up. Buffalo really was extremely important then. For people who find it difficult to imagine Buffalo as a great inner seaport and important place in the country, this book really illustrates its importance. It does this by getting the reader involved in the day-to-day lifestyle that certain (rich) people had at that time. The author does a great job pulling us into the local mores, stories, and events of the time and giving them a real personal touch. Although I found the main character to be somewhat naive, she probably is representative of the naivety of women in general, at that time. Weaving in the sometimes overlooked poor people into the story lent some credibility to it and she did it well - it pulled at my heart strings to read about the abandoned infants. In addition, the time period in which the story takes place is prior to the emergence of the union as a major force in American industry - the conditions described at the factories certainly help the reader understand why they became so important. Overall, very entertaining with a good plot. And how interesting to include President Cleveland and his extramarital affairs. I would love to see a sequel, or other books by the same author.
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Summary: Lousy Ending Ruins this Book
Review: I loved this book until the very end. Then, boom, the narrative unraveled completely. The revelations of the last few pages of this book are forced, do not flow from what went before and turn the heroine from a strong, intelligent woman into a self-deceiving victim. One wants to ask the author what happened? It's as if one person wrote 99 percent of the book and somebody else took over and finished it up (with no concern for continuity of character or events).
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Summary: So Glad I Finally Read It!
Review: I bought this book after I noticed it was a Costco Wholesale Book Club Selection. I ignored it for weeks and finally began reading and then couldn't put it down! Ms. Belfer has a seamless knack for blending fictional and real characters against actual happenings. Turn-of-the-century events of harnessing hydroelectric power at Niagara Falls may sound dull, but I found it fascinating. The story line is captivating and Ms. Belfer gives a wonderful picture of the social world of those times. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to her next.
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Summary: One of the best I've read
Review: What to say about the City of Light? Simply saying it was one of the best books I've read just doesn't seem emphatic enough! I had read favorable reviews of it, but it never sparked my interst. Turn of the century Buffalo, the PanAmerican Exposition, a headmistress and the Niagara Falls electric company just didn't sound like my kind of book. But then, a good friend recommended it--she has read it twice--and I thought I'd give it a try 'cause we have similar reading tastes. I read the first page, and my opinion began to change. I eagerly turned to the next page, and the next, and. . . I became obsessed with Lousia, and the world around her, with the events that began with her or ended with her or just involved her. All weekend I read until I couldn't focus, needing to read, to know, to be a part of her world. Toward the end of the book I was torn between hurrying through to see how it would end, and dallying, to make it last. I don't know how to describe this book, how to sort it neatly into a genre. There is mystery and history, inspiration and romance, fact and fiction--it's all there. But more importantly, there is life, in the plot, the characters, the conflicts and the conclusions.
Rating: 
Summary: Slow beginning, Great middle, Terrible ending
Review: Other readers here have gone into great detail, so I'll just summarize. It starts very slowly. The middle is very engaging. The ending is rushed and bears no resemblance to the rest of the book. Felt like the author was rushed by her editor and tacked on the ending. Overall it was an interesting read, but highly depressing.
Rating:
Summary: Takes You Back
Review: Wow! What a time-travel trip! Now I feel like I spent a few days in the early 20th Century. This is a well-written historical novel, with characters real and imagined. It's very thought-provolking when you really stop and think about the lives of women in this era....we have come a long way...and it has not been easy. The only disappointment was toward to end, but when it was over, I wanted more! Maybe this author is working on something similar. A fast read.
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