Louisa Barrett, headmistress of a prestigious girls' school in Buffalo in 1901, is a forward-looking, independent young woman. But the secret of her past - which connects her to the highest echelons of US government - continually underlines the fragility of her position in the city's society.
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Louisa Barrett is the headmistress of Macaulay School for Girls in Buffalo, New York, at the turn of the century. A passionate, highly intelligent woman, she remains unmarried but welcomes the general misconception that she is in a relationship with the radical, outspoken Francesca Coatsworthy. The husband of Louisa's late best friend is the head of the hydroelectric power project at Niagra Falls. He is turning water into light and trying to persuade the conservationists that diverting water from the Falls will not ruin its beauty. When one of the chief engineers disappears through a hole in the ice and racist graffiti appears on the town walls, Louisa is unwillingly drawn into the drama around the Falls. But Louisa has a secret and one she must protect at all costs. The layers of intrigue build to a revelatory climax. This is a compelling tale brilliantly told. Louisa Barrett is a heroine in the style of Elizabeth Bennett, headstrong, loveable and convincing as an amateur sleuth. A gripping, literary thriller. --Hannah Griffiths
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'Rich in historical detail, this is a sparkling and intelligent debut novel' -- Good Book Guide
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
A great book for anyone who is interested in the social history of the USA at the turn of the century and enjoys a "mystery". There are two maps which help the story to come alive and make you wish that Conan Doyle had used them so that we could follow Holmes around London. It is a well-crafted book with the kind of satisfactory ending that is often lacking in modern novels. Best of all you come away from it feeling that you have learnt something: about hydro electricity and the politics surrounding it, the Pan American Exposition, the social etiquette of a rich American city and much more beside.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
The peaceful blue cover doesn't give any clues to the content of this book, which is a thriller and a romantic novel as well as a historical book all at the same time. I congratulate Ms. Belfer on her research and her ability to make a gently paced novel still move with an urgency which is necessary for a thriller. I hadn't read any reviews and picked it up by chance, along with others, for a plane journey. No bad language, no horrific descriptions, but somehow more chilling than many. I highly recommend this.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a beautifully written work of historical fiction, lush in its telling. Rife with historical and period detail, it is a fully absorbing story. Written as a first person narrative with well developed characters, and a fairly good storyline, those readers who enjoy this genre of book will be delighted with it.
With the events taking pace at the turn of the twentieth century, the story is told by Louise Barrett, the attractive and intelligent, thirty something headmistress of an elite all girls school in Buffalo, New York. In her unique position, Louise hobnobs with a rich and powerful, cabal of men who treat her almost as an equal, though she is a woman.
Independent of spirit, Louise goes through life doing, in small ways, all she can do to encourage her charges to seek a higher education and to look past those roles expected of their sex by society at large. Her life has settled into a comfortable and reassuring routine, until a strange death propels her into confronting persons and events that have impacted on her life in ways that she did not even know at the time. The book is really about a woman's dawning realization about her life, set against the background of a city caught in the cross-hairs of political and economic strife, and the fact that one may not be the master of one's fate, as one might presume.
The narrative is filled with secrets that come billowing out slowly. While some of the secrets are really not all that surprising, the details in spelling out the events are a little cumbersome, at times, serving almost to stall the narrative somewhat. Still, there is much to love about this densely plotted book, as the author's writing style is positively luminous. All in all, this is a praiseworthy debut novel.
With the events taking pace at the turn of the twentieth century, the story is told by Louise Barrett, the attractive and intelligent, thirty something headmistress of an elite all girls school in Buffalo, New York. In her unique position, Louise hobnobs with a rich and powerful, cabal of men who treat her almost as an equal, though she is a woman.
Independent of spirit, Louise goes through life doing, in small ways, all she can do to encourage her charges to seek a higher education and to look past those roles expected of their sex by society at large. Her life has settled into a comfortable and reassuring routine, until a strange death propels her into confronting persons and events that have impacted on her life in ways that she did not even know at the time. The book is really about a woman's dawning realization about her life, set against the background of a city caught in the cross-hairs of political and economic strife, and the fact that one may not be the master of one's fate, as one might presume.
The narrative is filled with secrets that come billowing out slowly. While some of the secrets are really not all that surprising, the details in spelling out the events are a little cumbersome, at times, serving almost to stall the narrative somewhat. Still, there is much to love about this densely plotted book, as the author's writing style is positively luminous. All in all, this is a praiseworthy debut novel.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
I would really recommend this book
This is an interesting and intriguing well written novel particularly bearing in mind that this is the author's first novel.
Published 18 days ago by Ruth Bernstein
5.0 out of 5 stars
City of Lights
I read this book several years ago and loved it from beginning to end with its rich mix of characters,intrigue, passion and history. Read more
Published 15 months ago by Cloggy64
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic read
I really enjoyed this book. Great plot, characters and imagery. Really felt I was "in" the book. A great historical fiction.
Published on 4 July 2010 by Jessica Green
5.0 out of 5 stars
beautifull evocative writing
Well I just loved it. Its got suspense and drama and living characters and above all it does that special magic of creating a complete world that you feel part of. Read more
Published on 22 May 2005 by R. W. M. Lally
2.0 out of 5 stars
well crafted, well researched but all in all very cold
I was attracted to this book as being "different" and it was. It was obviously a labour of love by the author with incredible historical detail. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2000
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