New York City, Holidays 2019 ~ Read
There are thousands of worthy books about New York City, I am sure. I have been lucky to read some of the best ones, I think. The three books below truly incorporate NYC’s architecture within their storylines, and with all of them set in the first half of the 20th century, they give the reader an indelible flavor of the city’s unmistakable skyline’s emergent years.
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is set in the early 20th century and tells a story of a young architect ready to revolutionize New York with an unapologetically radical take on shape, form and purpose. Visiting the Rockefeller Center had particularly made me think of this book, though I am not sure if Rand took the complex as her inspiration for her central character. This book also incorporates an intriguing and layered romantic relationship, paints a telling picture of New York’s business circles of the times, and skillfully weaves in some of Rand’s views on society, economics and civics.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon would be a delight for anyone in love with the world of comic books, characters and their universe. Two young men are brought together by fate, and against all odds begin their rise in the world of New York’s comic book publishing. WW II, love, magicians, and a chess-like move towards the end of the novel make it a fascinating read that will keep you turning pages. Oh, and the story does actually begin in Prague, so in a sense I could cross link this with my Prague ~ Read page…
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles is another great book about about the art of American self-invention. I couldn’t provide a better snapshot then what was written in O, the Oprah Magazine, “An irresistible and astonishingly assured debut about working class-women and world-weary WASPs in 1930s New York…in the crisp, noirish prose of the era, Towles portrays complex relationships in a city that is at once melting pot and elitist enclave ― and a thoroughly modern heroine who fearlessly claims her place in it.”
Don’t rush to Amazon.com, all of these books can be just as easily found at your local library or many independent bookstores, such as Browsers Books in Olympia, or the Pacific Northwest’s most famous independent book shop, Powell’s Books in Portland, OR.
