New York: The Novel

I can't honestly say if I would have loved New York: The Novel as much as I did if I wasn't born and raised in New York City. But I couldn't help thinking that I was reading about my history and not just the history of a city. I loved it. When I got to the end, I wished the book went on to cover the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. (Which takes me back to my big question - how does this crisis end?)

Edward Rutherfurd's massive tome takes us from the Dutch New Amsterdam of the 1600s to New York City after the fall of the World Trade Center. This was truly accessible history. Rutherfurd tells the story of the history of New York by following the stories of just a few families through the centuries. There's a Dutch family, a Native American family, an English family, an African slave family, an Irish family, an Italian family and a Jewish family. The histories of the families, in many cases, intersect on more than one occasion, making for an interesting saga. There's old money, new money, no money. There's business history and art history. The characters live through the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the building of the railroad, Tammany Hall, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and, of course, the terror attack of 9/11/2001.

As much as the exact details of the history over the ages is different, so many things remain the same. I highlighted many passages from the book that ring so true to today. Haven't we learned anything from the mistakes and misuses of power that have gone on in the past?

The characters are authentic, the dialogue is authentic, the history matches what I've learned before. I'd highly recommend this novel.