Currently reading
Roman Blood
Progress:
171/401 pages
Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child
Progress:
208/557 pages
Avant-gardes du XXe siècle: arts & littérature, 1905-1930
Caesar's Commentaries: On the Gallic War and On the Civil War
Les bûchers de Bocanegra
The Songs of the Kings
Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories: Volumes I and II
The Hobbit
The Invention of Everything Else
Playing with historical characters can be tricky. Even more when the character you've chosen is a Nikola Tesla, inventor extraordinaire, man of mystery, walking enigma. Samantha Hunt succeeds in creating a Telsa that's more a vision of the mind than a flesh and blood man. The parts of the novel where the reader walks along Telsa are engaging and have a dreamy quality to them that either appeal or irritate but it's written with style, with a passion for the character. The side story of the maid, Louisa, her grief stricken father, Walter, his bizarro inventor best-friend Azor and her would be boyfriend Arthur is a mismatched of unfulfilled yet interesting ideas but that fall flat in the execution. There is more substance and passion in Telsa's conversations with himself than with the time travelling plot that takes a good half of the book. The other character that is worth reading this novel is New York. New York City at the turn of the 19th century and New York after the great depression. Following Telsa, Louisa and Walter in New York is fun and interesting. Bryant Park, the New Yorker, the sounds of the streets, the smells make for a compelling portrait. Overall the novel is unbalanced and disappointing. It doesn't deliver on all its promises.
