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jaclyncrupi's review against another edition
4.0
I love to see a British writer attempting to write the great American novel! And almost doing it! Lee is a master at taking historical events and figures and spinning a web of fiction around them. His previous book High Dive did exactly that with the attempted assassination of Margaret Thatcher at Brighton. Here, Lee brings Andrew Haswell Green, the man who built Central Park and much of modern Manhattan, to life. And it’s wonderful (with just a couple of minor issues namely the caricature of a prostitute and the section in Trinidad). Lee beautifully and with great subtly writes of the love between Andrew and Samuel and of their mutual love for New York. Structured as a murder procedural the narrative moves backwards and forwards through time like a knife through hot butter. There is so much to admire about Lee’s writing and ambition. I’m definitely craving more ambitious fiction
lauragessert's review against another edition
2.0
Not sure why the slant on this book was so incredibly depressing. Sadly could not finish it .Seemed like the author was influenced by the film “ Citizen Cane” mixed with a modern take on Charles Dickens . It felt as if it had production value but not much soul.
mm22's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
librarydancer's review against another edition
DNF.
Ugh! I *love* historical fiction, and this sounded great. However, there was too much speculation on thoughts/feelings/emotions in just the first two chapters for me to feel confident about the history and the author.
Ugh! I *love* historical fiction, and this sounded great. However, there was too much speculation on thoughts/feelings/emotions in just the first two chapters for me to feel confident about the history and the author.
nightlightstories's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
rsinclair6536's review against another edition
4.0
Historical fiction about Andrew Haskell Green, a lawyer who figures prominently in the evolution of early twentieth century New York City. Throughout, Jonathan Lee’s terrific language brings the reader insights to the human condition; to love, to loneliness, to finding a role to fill out your days.
And yet it occurred to him here, briefly pointlessly, belatedly, with the airy abstraction of a weather forecast, that all this public work might not mean as much as having a friend holding your hand as you die.
Love. This was the way not to fall into forgetting. Love, and a good publicist.
That love, sadly for Green, was gay and repressed by the times and the men he encountered throughout his life. His frustrated wants hover over the narrative like an insubstantial but noxious cloud.
A further treat is Lee’s description of Green’s relationship to the city, early in life finding not much to recommend it:
There was so little that was delicious in New York. Andrew had by now learned to ignore . . . a thousand bodies brushing past you every minute, cursing at you, asking if you would like to become the Son of God, or perhaps meet a lovely Daughter of Eve. City Hall’s elegant white marble façade was constructed to face south. Every day here life seemed to insist on surging north.
Later Green makes substantial contributions to its infrastructure (Central Park) and cultural organizations, and, unfortunately not until near the end, we feel the lure and complex rewards of civic life.
But the narrative left me feeling that there were opportunities lost. Colorful characters politician Boss Tweed and Brooklyn Bridge designer John Roebling get mere cameo appearances near the end. Surely they played big roles in the same civic affairs that Green was working. Even more frustrating was how little space New York governor Samuel Tilden, portrayed here as Green’s romantic interest, gets beyond as a mostly out of reach longing. They were law partners. How did their barely acknowledged affection for each other affect what they accomplished in their pubic and private lives?
One might point out that a second narrative thread, the investigation of Green’s death, which happens on the opening page, makes the narrative pretty busy. But the same problem seems at work there too. Police inspector McCluskey is wonderfully detailed, but oddly, we learn little about Cornelius Williams, the heterosexual love-frustrated man who murders Green, incorrectly blaming him for his own rejection by a prominent prostitute.
Lee gets it right that gay men in the early twentieth century were bottled up by an unaccepting society. We feel Green’s pain. But that seems to also beg a broader focus than we get here.
And yet it occurred to him here, briefly pointlessly, belatedly, with the airy abstraction of a weather forecast, that all this public work might not mean as much as having a friend holding your hand as you die.
Love. This was the way not to fall into forgetting. Love, and a good publicist.
That love, sadly for Green, was gay and repressed by the times and the men he encountered throughout his life. His frustrated wants hover over the narrative like an insubstantial but noxious cloud.
A further treat is Lee’s description of Green’s relationship to the city, early in life finding not much to recommend it:
There was so little that was delicious in New York. Andrew had by now learned to ignore . . . a thousand bodies brushing past you every minute, cursing at you, asking if you would like to become the Son of God, or perhaps meet a lovely Daughter of Eve. City Hall’s elegant white marble façade was constructed to face south. Every day here life seemed to insist on surging north.
Later Green makes substantial contributions to its infrastructure (Central Park) and cultural organizations, and, unfortunately not until near the end, we feel the lure and complex rewards of civic life.
But the narrative left me feeling that there were opportunities lost. Colorful characters politician Boss Tweed and Brooklyn Bridge designer John Roebling get mere cameo appearances near the end. Surely they played big roles in the same civic affairs that Green was working. Even more frustrating was how little space New York governor Samuel Tilden, portrayed here as Green’s romantic interest, gets beyond as a mostly out of reach longing. They were law partners. How did their barely acknowledged affection for each other affect what they accomplished in their pubic and private lives?
One might point out that a second narrative thread, the investigation of Green’s death, which happens on the opening page, makes the narrative pretty busy. But the same problem seems at work there too. Police inspector McCluskey is wonderfully detailed, but oddly, we learn little about Cornelius Williams, the heterosexual love-frustrated man who murders Green, incorrectly blaming him for his own rejection by a prominent prostitute.
Lee gets it right that gay men in the early twentieth century were bottled up by an unaccepting society. We feel Green’s pain. But that seems to also beg a broader focus than we get here.
coco_lolo's review against another edition
This wasn't a bad book (it was quite funny at times, in fact, and the writing really shone in places), but I simply lost interest.
justinkhchen's review against another edition
4.0
4 stars
An artfully written historical fiction about the private life of Andrew Haswell Green, aka 'the Father of Greater New York', a real-life historical figure who was responsible for many of New York's iconic landmarks (Central Park, the New York Public Library, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to name a few).
Using his untimely demise as its point of entry (he was mistakenly targeted and killed at the age of 83), The Great Mistake presents a series of vignettes in two timelines, one following his upbringing and life experience, the other documenting the investigation to his murder. The novel is packed with thematic parallels and juxtapositions, painting Andrew as a man defined by series of life-changing 'mistakes', and a walking example of contradictions (extremely stolid and private, yet devoted to creating spaces to bring people together). The gentle prose has its moment of humor, which within the context of its melancholic content, becomes quite moving and poignant.
Readers looking for integration of history and fact will be slightly disappointed by The Great Mistake's narrative focus, which is very much exclusively a fantastical character study with loose ties to historical events, rather than an in-depth dramatization of Andrew Haswell Green's many accomplishments; if you're expecting a research-focused rundown on stories behind these famous structures, I can inform you they are basically nonexistent.
The Great Mistake is an immersive and tragically romantic interpretation of this rarely celebrated, yet important historical figure; even though it leans more fiction than fact, and is for sure a slow burn, it remains a journey worth experiencing — especially if you already have an affinity to New York and its various iconic sights.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
An artfully written historical fiction about the private life of Andrew Haswell Green, aka 'the Father of Greater New York', a real-life historical figure who was responsible for many of New York's iconic landmarks (Central Park, the New York Public Library, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, to name a few).
Using his untimely demise as its point of entry (he was mistakenly targeted and killed at the age of 83), The Great Mistake presents a series of vignettes in two timelines, one following his upbringing and life experience, the other documenting the investigation to his murder. The novel is packed with thematic parallels and juxtapositions, painting Andrew as a man defined by series of life-changing 'mistakes', and a walking example of contradictions (extremely stolid and private, yet devoted to creating spaces to bring people together). The gentle prose has its moment of humor, which within the context of its melancholic content, becomes quite moving and poignant.
Readers looking for integration of history and fact will be slightly disappointed by The Great Mistake's narrative focus, which is very much exclusively a fantastical character study with loose ties to historical events, rather than an in-depth dramatization of Andrew Haswell Green's many accomplishments; if you're expecting a research-focused rundown on stories behind these famous structures, I can inform you they are basically nonexistent.
The Great Mistake is an immersive and tragically romantic interpretation of this rarely celebrated, yet important historical figure; even though it leans more fiction than fact, and is for sure a slow burn, it remains a journey worth experiencing — especially if you already have an affinity to New York and its various iconic sights.
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
fruhjahr's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25