Rating: 
Summary: A great historical mystery
Review: My wife introduced me to this work, a first novel, by Ms. Belfer. It is simply one of the best books I have read in a number of years. Belfer weaves a great mystery amidst the historical setting of turn of the century Buffalo, NY. The historical setting and information Belfer imparts is rich, but doesn't take away from the story. I would liken this work to Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, but this work is better. Eco beat his reader over the head with his examination of the church in his historical mystery. Belfer does a much better job of imparting the historical data without losing her reader. A great first novel, highly reccomended!
Rating: 
Summary: I said Bud Light
Review: Don't judge this book by its cover. Like the confused bartender of the above-mentioned commercials, you may misunderstand what City of Light appears to be. But don't let that scare you. It's worth reading. This is a novel about Buffalo, 100 years ago. It isn't a romance, and it isn't a mystery, which apparently some of the other Amazon reviewers mistook it to be. It really defies easy classification. Never mind that, it is a richly atmospheric, compelling story that will be of special interest to people from Buffalo and people interested in the turn of the last century. The main character, Louisa Barrett, is a metaphor for her city. At the moment, she is grand. She finds herself in the company of greatness. She is naive, however and has little control over her own life. Her seeming independence is an illusion, which is only fully revealed for what it is near the end of the book. She seems to fleetingly grasp the implications of this condition, but she submits to this and goes with the flow of her life, even as her environment slowly disintegrates around her. In a way, the most important part of the book is the very end, which relays the fates of the various characters and the city itself. The somewhat anti-climactic solution to the murder mystery, which lurks throughout the book as its major sub-plot, does not tie everything together. This deceptively quick afterward does. Barrett is Buffalo, that's the real story. In the meantime, Belfer's dedication to historical accuracy and attention to detail make the book enjoyable to read. I tend to prefer non-fiction to fiction, so I especially enjoyed this novel for its historical reflections. Belfer manages to work "real" historical characters into the story, but she doesn't make the mistake that Caleb Carr does by overemphasizing their roles or ascribing unrealistic actions to them. Moreover, Belfer resurrects more lesser-known "real" historical figures from Buffalo's past than famous ones. Perhaps this is less interesting to readers with non-connection to Buffalo, but it delighted me.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent and thoughtful
Review: I read this book in two days and wasn't disappointed with a single word. Louisa Barrett is the headmistress of a private school for girls in 1901 Buffalo, NY. She runs with an elite crowd of millionaires who have socially accepted her despite her rather humble origins. Louisa becomes involved in intrigue surrounding the death of a man involved in the construction of a controversial electrical power plant which would be powered by the waters of the beautiful Niagra Falls. Her involvement endangers everything she has worked carefully to achieve in both social and professional realms. Another thread in the plot is Louisa's concern for Grace, the daughter of Louisa's deceased best friend -- concern for Grace's safety and concern that Grace's true identity will be exposed. The early push for Civil Rights, labor unions and social reform is addressed, as is political corruption on the federal level. Many suspense novels today are mind candy. City of Light offers much more. Belfer provides detailed historical information regarding the early development and practicality of electricity and the environmental issues surrounding use of natural resources -- an issue of tremendous relevance still today. Louisa is an intelligent woman in a time when women were more valued for their weaknesses than their strengths. Belfer's prose is very comfortable and readable. This book will keep you guessing and thinking.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: You never quite know what you are getting in a paperback these days. The cover comments suck you right in. USA Today, New York Times Book Review, and Time all loved it. It was a Book of the Month main selection. But the story of Louisa Barrett fell flat and did not match the rave reviews that were quoted on the cover. This 1900 drama love story takes place in Buffalo NY. The central character Miss Barrett is headmistress of the local McCauly School for girls. She knows everyone and is an accepted socialite. But the story goes nowhere. It is slow moving with few unique sections to keep the reader interested. What is interesting is the historical description of one of the first water turbines to produce mass market electricity. The hydro electric plant on the Niagra River and the use of the Falls is accurate and fascinating. The wheeling and dealing of business people is also interesting. Not much has changed in 100 years when it comes to sleazy business, labor strikes and behind the back deals. They are depicted well here. But the story lacks substance. I had to struggle to get to the end. There are so many great books out right now that I am really sorry that I spent the time to read almost 650 pages of this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Romance Novel diguised as Literature
Review: This was probably one of the most disappointing books I have ever read all the way through to the end. It was my book group's selection, so I was determined to finish it, no matter how awful it continued to be. And that it did. The entire novel strained credulity - how is it Louisa got to be 30+ years old, and never had so much as a kiss exchanged with a man? Then suddenly, two marriage proposals in the course of a summer! And the references to a "Boston marriage" - is the reader to believe that Victorians were so open about homosexuality? And that a woman like Louisa, so intent on propriety, would encourage such an assumption? We are hardly that tolerant now. All in all, a waste of time and money. Get it at the library, if you have a few days to squander.
Rating:
Summary: City of light- a bright star in the firmament
Review: This book was well written, easy to read, with a delightful twist at the end of the tale. Not a happy ever after, but definitely a keeper.
Rating:
Summary: technology and cultural change
Review: Ms. Belfer does an outstanding job in her first novel, drawing upon the Buffalo of her own experience(she is a graduate of the school described in the novel) and creating an imagined historical city and people of one hundred years ago. Her sense of the politics of a growing city, the interaction between old and new money, old and new social groups and personalities, and the impact of a technological revolution upon the way people deal with each other is dead on. Her research of the times is through and careful; her sense of the leading characters rings true. If I were to organize a literature course about the interaction of cultural and technological change in fiction, this novel would be right there with Dickens. In this novel, the electricity of Niagara, and its potential for changing the world, is almost its own character-and she deals sympathetically with each of the character's reactions to this new world. The implicit comparison of Grover Cleveland and the current White House resident is probably fair, and certainly interesting. I was not happy with the ending of the novel,but perhaps that is a function of my interest in the characters she created. One warning: this novel starts slowly in developing its characters, and requires perseverance for the first 75 pages--but the perseverance is rewarded.
Rating:
Summary: Oh what a tangled web small towns weave...
Review: In Lauren Belfer's stunning first novel, powerful local families are used to dictating Buffalo's social and economic future, but by 1901 the city is spinning out of their control, thanks to the advent of the nation's first electric generating plant at Niagara Falls. An ambitious chief engineer wants the plant to produce free electricity for the masses rather than just make a profit selling electricity to factories -- and the city fathers (and investors) turn on him, as do anti-electricity preservationists fighting to protect the raging the beauty of the Falls. All is observed through the keen eyes of Louisa Barrett, headmistress of the local girl's school charged with educating the city's elite. "Miss Barrett" ends up in the middle of this power struggle, a keen observer as well as an increasingly skillful player in her own right. Small-town secrets and intrigue test her mettle, and she proves equal to every challenge. This densely plotted novel captures the waning days of the Victorian era and the birth pangs of modern industrial America. The deft combination of personal stories, physical description, and details of industrial development, with real historical figures and events woven in, provides a satisfying picture of the brief time in which Buffalo was the most celebrated city in America. Belfer captures the essence of this city flush with wealth and a seemingly boundless future, and shows us how that future could not have possibly been sustained, how it contained the seeds of its own tragic ending. The book has a particularly "Buffalo" resonance to me. Ghosts of the city's wealthy past are everywhere, from mansion-lined streets that now house nonprofits to shuttered factories that have sat vacant for 30 or more years. The political small-townishness and self-dealing so vividly portrayed in this novel continues to plague Buffalo. Elitism and factionalism among ethnic groups blocks the more far-sighted coalition-building that turned around other rust-belt cities such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland. The book is a cautionary tale about rapid economic growth: not all bright promise can be sustained. That the personal tragedies of Ms. Barrett and those close to her manage to quietly echo this larger truth is a tribute to Belfer's clearsighted grasp of her hometown's history and legacy. A great read!
Rating:
Summary: "City of Light" Shines Brightly!
Review: I picked this book off the shelf in the cottage we were renting in Maine. I had no idea what it was about and it was our 6th of 7 nights in the cottage and I was not leaving this book unfinished. I COULD NOT put this book down. The story is really interesting and the pace is great. I had gone to school at SUNY Buffalo in the 80's so it was a trip down memory lane for me, from the historical perspecitve of the book. The story is about the turn of the century when Buffalo was a social and intellectual focal point of the country and Niagra Falls was the most popular vacation destination...especially for honeymooners. I look forward to Lauren's next book!!
Rating:
Summary: An editor neglected to do his/her job!
Review: City of Light was very poorly written. Endless descriptions (throughout the entire novel) did nothing to add to the author's long drawn out plot. Although premise, characters and settings might have had potential, Lauren Belfer needs to learn to write from her heart. She also needs to learn what it takes to engross a reader. I reluctantly read every page...only because it was a book club assignment. I don't recommend you do the same!
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