Rating: 
Summary: a good read!
Review: this is a very well-written, very well-researched book on a period of American history that should be rediscovered. I am awaiting eagerly the next work by this author.
Rating: 
Summary: Good but not great
Review: This is a well-researched book that is filled with excellent historical value and factual information. Swerling recreates the time periods with fluid blends, giving our imaginations a peek at what life was like during the generations that span the novel.From the beginning, one is amazed at the details that embrace the story, families trying to gain control, however they can, no detail is spared in conveying the situations. From brother and sister, who have close familial ties, to separations within families, each side feeling they are correct in their anger and beliefs, each side coming out somewhat the loser for their hatred...Swerling leads us through the bitter streets of Amsterdam. The novel swells with culture, both religious and lifestyle...we are shown the various dwellers that inhabit the Island, and how each one must try to come to terms with the ethnic environments that surround them. I give Swerling and her endeavor five stars!
Rating:
Summary: Ex cellent Historical Value
Review: This is a well-researched book that is filled with excellent historical value and factual information. Swerling recreates the time periods with fluid blends, giving our imaginations a peek at what life was like during the generations that span the novel. From the beginning, one is amazed at the details that embrace the story, families trying to gain control, however they can, no detail is spared in conveying the situations. From brother and sister, who have close familial ties, to separations within families, each side feeling they are correct in their anger and beliefs, each side coming out somewhat the loser for their hatred...Swerling leads us through the bitter streets of Amsterdam. The novel swells with culture, both religious and lifestyle...we are shown the various dwellers that inhabit the Island, and how each one must try to come to terms with the ethnic environments that surround them. I give Swerling and her endeavor five stars!
Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Read & Important History of Downtown New York
Review: This lush, intricately woven novel is truly arresting on several levels, the first being perhaps the most important: it's a darn great read, and a page turner to boot. I loved it. Given the fast pace and many exciting events, you'll find it hard to put down. However, as you won't be able to digest it in one sitting, you'll have time to absorb and appreciate the fascinating cast of characters the author assembles. You can reflect on their motivations, desires and next moves in a way that's truly rewarding. The scenes in the book (particularly the medical scenes) are blunt and, at times, shocking in their depictions of early American life. (You won't easily forget the kidney stone scene at the beginning! Gory!) Don't be put off, though. There's a real thread of humanity and compassion at work here; the themes of healing and medicine that frame the book reinforce this impression and ground the author's project in the context of the larger struggle that each of us faces: our own fragility as human beings. This essential humanity defines nearly all of the characters in some way and thus provides the true basis of a well-told tale; we can connect with these people. They live and breathe for us. Unlike most fiction of this genre, the characters here are not drawn into simple absolutes of good and evil; each character's thoughts, feelings and actions reflect real human complexity. Nevertheless they are all (thankfully) people of action, and it is this action that makes the unfolding drama so appealing. There are sexy bits, there are touching bits, there are exciting bits, and intellectual food for thought as well. These colonial types obviously didn't have time to sit around hemming and hawing -- like all New Yorkers, they were busy! The amount of well-researched history, both medical and colonial, that anchors this story is also phenomenally impressive. The author provides an essential history "primer" of lower Manhattan, as well as interesting but more trivial tidbits about daily life and common mores of the time. The background is varied, expansive, and vibrant; complex historical information is presented in a clear and easily understandable way without being watered down. The clash of cultures (Dutch, Slave, English, American Indian, Jewish, etc) is very compelling, and the focus on NYC as a cradle of the American Dream seems right on target. By turning this history into a tangible, fictional narrative, Swerling makes it jump alive for the reader. We relate. Finally, it's worth noting that given the recent tragic events in New York, the timing of this book is an eerie coincidence: the epic is really all about lower Manhattan and the people who lived there, worked there, died there and ultimately helped to shape the city we know today. Although completely fictional, the book therefore provides an unfortunately relevant look at the history of the small geographical area that the world's attention has been focused on since the attacks. Perhaps in some way, then, by giving life and context to the rich and dramatic saga of lower Manhattan, this exceptional book can somehow serve as an unintended tribute to lost souls. Perhaps we can take its core as a reminder of the freedoms America's forefathers fought for in the first place, and a view of New York as the rightful and unassailable bastion of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. At the very least, it's nice to think so.
Rating:
Summary: Just the Book to Read Now
Review: What an irony that this book arrives in bookstores just days after the terrorist attack on Manhattan. To use the author's title, what began as a City of Dreams in the 1600's must continue in that same vein over 350 years later. This is very good historical fiction focusing on two families of physicians, apothecaries and surgeons who first land in Nieuw Amsterdam in 1661. The characters are compelling (and the women are every bit as strong and striking as the men), the history is fascinating, the plot fast-paced and the insight into medicine of the day frightening. Early looks at breast cancer surgery, bleeding, blood transfusions, amputations, all with no anesthesia other than a whole lot of rum, are sobering and make me wonder how our current "modern" techniques will look to our distant offspring 300+ years from now. But in the final analyis this book is about courage, foresight, hard work and love. Traits that will serve our current New Yorkers, and all the rest of us, very well. Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: second rate
Review: While I enjoyed the descriptions of medicine and the way of life I was disappointed by the stereotypical characters and the made-for-miniseries plotting.Too many coincidental meetings. Having the characters meet George Washington or witness Nathan Hale's hanging just didn't ring true.Yes, I admit that I was sucked into following the story and admire the research that went into it, but it simply is not that well written.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: While the research about early Manhattan is well done and the medical scenes interesting, I found the constant racism terribly disturbing. If this racism had been confined to the characters, it would be understandable and historically accurate. Instead, we have the most disgusting use of racial stereotypes embedded in the omniscient narrative. The most insidious was the use of Indian and Jewish ethnicity to "normalize" violent sexual acts. Native Americans are used to provide some sort of Ur-American viewpoint but at no point is their culture seriously engaged. This book was nothing but a bodice-ripper disguised as historical fact. Not worth the effort of reading
Rating:
Summary: Fabulous saga about dear, dear New York!
Review: WOW! I couldn't put the book down .. and it's a LONG book! The story is a real pot-boiler .... Placed in the historical setting of Dutch Nieuw Amstersdam, it traces the history of a family of doctors and healers and surgeons all the way down to the Revolutionary War. Poignantly, in view of the recent tragic terrorist events, it is actually set on Wall Street and the Broad Way, as it was originally called; it's a spell-binding piece of historical research. Juicy, juicy stuff. A magnificent blend of Peyton Place meets ER meets Gone With The WInd. Anyway, it's a thrilling read, a bit graphic on the medical side, but full of sweeping romance and sex and love and a masterpiece of historical research! BRAVA! A great, great read.
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