City of Dreams: A Novel of Nieuw Amsterdam and Early Manhattan

I must say that this is the best book I've read for a long time. When I ordered off of this site, based on glowing reviews and the fact that I could get a brand new copy for only 39 cents, I had no idea it would be so good. I mean, good books don't generally become remainder items for the publishers to offload as cheaply as they can because the book didn't sell in stores.Actually the above statement is false. Plenty of wonderful novels get shelved as books that just didn't sell well. Sometimes this works out great for the fans, because the book becomes cheaper, but for the author it is not so good. So, Beverly Swerling, I am very sorry that your book did not become an overnight sensation a la "the Da Vinci code" because it very much deserves it.This is a pretty straightforward book. A couple of 20 something siblings named Lucas and Sally land in New York (Then New Amsterdam) and eventually their descendents engage in fierce war fought against the backdrop of the city. The book spans over a hundred and fifty years and I would complain that Ms. Swerling was pulling something like Edward Rutherford or James Michener would in their books, where there is very little connection between the generations of people, but in this book there is a common thread: medicine.The family all become doctors, surgeons or physicians, with varying techniques and medical skills and viewpoints. I learned a great deal reading it. You will be appalled by a great deal of the graphic surgery and treatments in this book. You will be alternately amused and frightened by the so called "modern" treatments and viewpoints on patient care and you will be horrified by the attitudes of the medical care givers towards women, the poor, and slaves.You will also be shocked and appalled to know the very graphic and often overlooked history of New York's slave trade. I would put this book up with "Gone with the wind" for a novel on the "master" (and sometimes slave) viewpoint on slavery. It's revolting, but unfortunately true.The characters and actions in this book are a little soap opera over dramatic, but not so much that it's very annoying or significant. Maybe once or twice it seems like there are too many happy endings, or tragic events or virgins falling in love with the first man they slept with... But mostly you'll be enthralled by the lives of these very well painted (so well that to understand their mindset is difficult, as it should be in good historical fiction) characters. I recommend this book very highly for the historical and medical history it portrays so well and for the massive entertainment value of the characters.Five stars. I have already purchased this authors other published novel, "Shadowbrook" and will be reading it any day now.If you like this book, you'll love "The Tea Rose" by Jennifer Donnelly, which also takes place in New York (more around the 1880's) for part of the time.

There is a wealth of historical information in this book, and the author is quite skilled at moving the story along, enormous though the book may be. I read this rather ferociously over a few days, and was pretty thoroughly engrossed in it. Speaking of gross, (see what I did there?) other reviewers have mentioned the quite disturbing scenes of early medical treatment, and there are many. They are hard to experience, but they only added to the verisimilitude of the scenes for me.My quibble is the character flaws in all of the main characters. Would it have been so bad to make a least a couple of them out-and-out heroic? I mean, come on! Each one of them seemed so great until he or she experienced a dramatic life-altering event, and then they would sink into self-serving, revenge-seeking, and downright fatally flawed ways of life.And that just didn't ring true for me.

While shopping at Barnes & Noble in 2009, my eye caught the title of Beverly Swerling's, CITY OF GLORY. It was on sale for a remarkably low price. And, because I am a huge fan of historical fiction, I knew this book would be enjoyable to read. It was not until I returned home when I learned that CITY OF GLORY was the second of the four New York sagas by Beverly Swerling. I rushed and purchased the other books so that I could read them in chronological order.CITY OF DREAMS, the first novel, was by far the best of this great series; a page turner that kept me enthralled. It begins with the story of a sister and brother, Lucas and Sally Turner who settle in the Dutch settlement of Nieuw Amsterdam in 1661. They immediately set up business as a barber/doctor and an apothecary specialist in a small shop not too far from the docks where they landed. The Turners were able to bargain for their small homestead after tending to the medical needs of the settlement's governor. And, thus began their lives in Nieuw Amsterdam, and Sally meeting Jacob Van der Vries. Thereafter, the long and combative relationship between the Turners and the Devereys would unfold over several centuries.Beverly Swerling's research was impeccable, and she covered all the critical historical events that occurred in New York during its early history, intertwined with colorful and unforgettable characters and plots that keeps the reader on a roller coaster of adventure. When I finished the first novel, CITY OF DREAMS [591 pages], I was excited that the saga continued in, CITY OF GLORY [465 pages].My only criticism was that the sexual dialogue was a bit too explicit in CITY OF DREAMS, yet this was corrected in the subsequent novels. Despite this one flaw, I cannot overstate the magnificent writing by Ms Swerling.If you enjoy historical fiction novels that includes detailed accounts of actual events and famous characters, such as books by James Michener, James Clavell, and Edward Rutherfurd, you will not be disappointed. Although Swerling is a newcomer to this genre, her writing style has her on blend of 'spice' and flavor which makes reading all the more enjoyable.I am confident that you will enjoy all four books in Swerling's New York sagas. With the exception of SHAWDOWBROOK, all deserve the FIVE star ratings.I highly recommend that you purchase and read CITY OF DREAMS!!! You will enjoy a thrilling adventure of spectacular events as the glorious city of New York emerges from the muddy small Dutch settlement to become the world's capitol city. Then come along for a continuous ride as this story unfolds in the remaining three novels: CITY OF GLORY, SHADOWBROOK, and CITY OF GOD.Maizie Lucille JameMay 24, 2010

薬剤師・内科医・外科医の家系の絡んだ植民地時代のニューヨークのれきし小説。人種問題・恋愛・復讐・・・いろいろ盛り込まれていますが。女性の強さ・したたかさに感動できました。

Good bok, but took a long time to arrive