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Niagara
William Morrison III, a reporter for his uncle's New York City paper, goes to the newly built resort town of Niagara Falls in the early nineteenth century, comes to love the town and its people, and falls under the spell cast by the Falls.
500 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1980
9 people want to read
About the author
Robert Lewis Taylor
26Ìýbooks19ÌýfollowersPulitzer Prize for Fiction (1959) for The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 15, 2021
I struggled through this book. I loved all the information and historical events throughout. That kept me going. What was it like to be there when Blondin crossed Niagara on a tight rope? This book made you feel like you were there. Centered in the late 1800's the draw of Niagara Falls as a hot bed of tourism has a newspaper reporter staying in the Cataract House gathering news for readers back in New York City. His adventures and antics are many. He wants to see everything, try everything and know everyone. Historical events are portrayed in a very tight chronological order but so much is covered while this young man is in Niagara Falls, NY. It brings a ton of local information together in a story form.
The part that bothered me....a lot....were the conversations. I didn't understand what they were talking about half the time. I don't know if that was just the way people spoke in the 1800's or if that was a product of the writer. But I struggled every time a conversation took place. Which made the book hard to get through. Also part way through the book the main character changes. He was kind of brutal, arrogant and unlikable already....but then he got worse. He treated people badly for no reason and had me stumped. I don't understand how that was necessary to the story. It certainly didn't make it easier for me to read it.
But all in all it was worth reading. It was a good idea putting all the local stories and historical events together this way.
The part that bothered me....a lot....were the conversations. I didn't understand what they were talking about half the time. I don't know if that was just the way people spoke in the 1800's or if that was a product of the writer. But I struggled every time a conversation took place. Which made the book hard to get through. Also part way through the book the main character changes. He was kind of brutal, arrogant and unlikable already....but then he got worse. He treated people badly for no reason and had me stumped. I don't understand how that was necessary to the story. It certainly didn't make it easier for me to read it.
But all in all it was worth reading. It was a good idea putting all the local stories and historical events together this way.
August 6, 2010
Wow. This was may be the oddest book I've ever read. I read it because I'm interested in the era he writes about at American Niagara, but sheesh...I can't tell if I'm more offended by Taylor's treatment of female characters (which begin as well-drawn, he is obviously smart), his combining a history of stunters into one summer, his total lack of resolution (or even clarity) at book's end, or the very healthy ego that comes through each and every word, sexual conquest, and (yep) even sword fight. Perhaps I should admire his ability to do whatever the hell he likes with his words and feel pretty darn good about it. Yes, I think I'll go with the admiration angle. And there is a rainbow on the book cover. And aren't rainbows a good thing?
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
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