Monday, January 26, 2009

City of God by Beverly Swerling (Fiction)

I stumbled across the first book in this series while spending time in an airport several years ago. The series revolves around the conflict between the Turner and Devrey families, both involved in the history of New York City.

This latest offering takes place during the middle of the 1800s. Nicholas Turner continues the family tradition of being a doctor but is more interested in research than in actual practice. His main focus is the affect of germs on patient health - a new concept in the 1840s. His distant cousin, Samuel Devrey, continues to try to reclaim the family shipping line from the control of the Astor family. While married to the supremely respectable Carolina (whom Nicholas secretly loves), he is also juggling a secret life with his Chinese wife who lives in what will become Chinatown.

The characters' lives intertwine with those of real New Yorkers and the author makes life during that time period come alive. I enjoyed the pacing of the book as well as trying to figure out who was real and who wasn't!

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