City of Light

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Summary: If you like historical novels, you'll love this book
Review: This book has it all...history, mystery, romance, and scandal. The story is set in Buffalo in 1901 where America's first power plants were built to generate electricity with the water from the Niagara river. Lauren Belfer's well-written first novel does for electricity what China Town did for water. Narrator Louisa Barrett, the head mistress of the local girl's school, reveals all of the town's dirty little secrets. I couldn't put it down.

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Summary: City of Light draws its strength from authentic detail
Review: City of Light is an ambitious rendering of fin-de-(the last) ciécle Buffalo from the viewpoint of the progressive headmistress of a society girl's school. The story revolves around the advent of electricity, and the interests, passions, and intrigues surrounding the birh of one of the most revolutionary innovations of the world. The story is fictional, but rich in period detail derived from comprehensive research covering everything from the actual historic figures, food and fashions of the times, to the engineering of the power plant itself.

Despite the claims of an earlier reviewer in this column, the plant in question, the Adams Power Station was, in fact, situated above the falls, on the site of the present Niagara Falls Waste Water Treatment Plant. It wasn't until the 1920's that power stations were built where they are now, below the falls. In addition, it was possible, at the turn of the century, to commute by train from Buffalo to Niagara Falls. The trip took only a half-an-hour, unfortunately for McKinley, who, after a tour of the power station at the falls, was back in the city in time to get assassinated a little after 4:00 PM.

The rich, authentic detail of this novel is both its chief delight, and greatest strength. Belfer's thorough and accurate research acts as a firm foundation upon which stands a solidly structured, multi-dimensional portrait of a once wealthy and influential city.

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Summary: I thought the idea was great but the execution was lousy.
Review: Her novel is an interesting concept but one which seems too challenging for someone researching from afar. Did the author ever consult with local Niagara County historians? if any of them had proofread her drafts, the possibility existed for a top-notch story. She also needed a good fiction editor to cut out much, or re-edit much, of the beginning. I grew up only a few blocks from the Niagara Falls itself. Her glaring ignorance of sites such as location of the power plant itself (I never could figure out from her description if she thought it was up-river from the brink, or down-river as it actually was). She also was confused about the plant in relation to the railroad station. And how could a man, in charge of the plant, readily commute, in that era, between Buffalo and Niagara Falls? There were no Grand Island bridges to use as shortcut, and before they were built, one had to drive through Kenmore and Tonawanda... even in the 1930's when cars went faster and roads were paved, it took at least two hours by car. And it he went by train, how convenient was the Buffalo railroad station to the protagonist's home? How long would it have taken him to get there by carriage or by auto? And what would one have done in the winter with all the snow covering the paths?? I thought the idea was great but the execution was lousy.

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Summary: A terrific tale of intrigue and murder!
Review: This fascinating novel provides a wonderful mix of period authenticity, richly limned characters, and an original story laced with intrigue, passion and murder. Belfer's novel brings to mind, by its various strengths, the work of Henry James, Jane Austen and E.L. Doctorow. Altogether, this is a terrific read!

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Summary: Great descriptions, poor plot
Review: The historical aspect of this book is marvelous. Turn-of the-century Buffalo springs to life, Lauren Belfer's descriptions of the changes wrought by the coming of electricity are interesting and insightful, but the characters . . . anachronistic, to say the least, with 1990s sentiments coming out of 1900s mouths. None of the characters nor much of the plot is convincing, but the sense of place is remarkable.

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Summary: Kept me reading steadily for two days .
Review: I found the characters interesting and the issues regarding the power development worth one's concern. To be sure, the mystery was not quite up to Agatha Christie but also not as dated as her books probably are to today's readers. In any case, I would encourage people to raad "City of Light."

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Summary: Graceful page turner that evokes a tumultous era. Lovely.
Review: I found this to be a well researched and highly readable historical novel that had me hooked right from start. The author clearly loves her subject and kept me interested throughout. The characters seemed real as did the locale itself. Lovingly descriptive and informative. A most impressive debut work.

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Summary: not at all what I thought it would be
Review: I thought this book would be a good read -- an interesting look at turn-of-the-century American politics -- some kind of insight into industry or the struggles of women/working class. Instead it's a cheesey romance, with a narrator who is melodramatic and silly.. The plot is romantic drivel -- men doing evil, women suffering, then dying. It may succeed as genre fiction, but the hpye and publicity lead you to believe it to be another kind of book.

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Summary: Wonderful, especially if you live in Western New York!
Review: I loved this book. As a Buffalonian and a fan of historical fiction, I thought it was great. I can't wait to go driving around the streets and landmarks she talks about in the book - I will have a whole new appreciation for them.

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Summary: As dry as sawdust is too kind
Review: I must confess that I lived in Buffalo for many years. But that has nothing to do with my view that this book is so pedantic and slow. Idid not live there at the turn of the century but I hoped she would bring it alive. As Stephen Crane once wrote, most people write about history as if they are coroners embalming a corpse. That's what we have here.