Overview
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A mystery that reverberates through families, friendships, and the corridors of power in New York and "captures the city's dangerous, magnetic allure" (The New York Times). - Streaming now on Apple TV+"As close to a great American novel as this century has produced." --Stephen King New York City, 1976. Meet Regan and William Hamilton-Sweeney, estranged heirs to one of the city's great fortunes; Keith and Mercer, the men who, for better or worse, love them; Charlie and Samantha, two suburban teenagers seduced by downtown's punk scene; an obsessive magazine reporter and his idealistic neighbor--and the detective trying to figure out what any of them have to do with a shooting in Central Park on New Year's Eve. When the blackout of July 13, 1977, plunges this world into darkness, each of these lives will be changed forever. City on Fire is an unforgettable novel about love and betrayal and forgiveness, about art and truth and rock 'n' roll: about what people need from each other in order to live--and about what makes the living worth doing in the first place.
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Details
- ISBN-13: 9780804172950
- ISBN-10: 0804172951
- Publisher: Vintage
- Publish Date: July 2016
- Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.1 x 1.8 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.45 pounds
- Page Count: 944
Related Categories
Book Clubs: Hot times in the city
Garth Risk Hallberg’s bestselling debut novel, City on Fire, is a mesmerizing portrait of New York City in the 1970s. The narrative follows a variety of characters, including wealthy siblings William and Regan Hamilton-Sweeney; a young punk, Charlie Weisbarger, whose heart belongs to cooler-than-thou Samantha Cicciaro; a neurotic journalist named Richard Kosgroth, and a cop who’s attempting to untangle the mystery behind the book’s central event: a shooting in Central Park on New Year’s Eve. The crime connects these disparate characters in ways that will surprise the reader, and Hallberg’s exploration of the ties that bind them illuminate an era. He nimbly weaves in trends particular to the times—disco, drugs, graffiti—and his use of detail and dialogue, along with unexpected elements such as handwritten letters and cartoons, bring wonderful authenticity to what’s sure to become a classic New York City novel. Earning the author comparisons to Tom Wolfe and Donna Tartt, this is a remarkably assured, richly rewarding debut.
MOVING ON
Jojo Moyes follows up the bestselling Me Before You with an irresistible sequel that chronicles the next chapter in the life of Louisa Clark. After You finds Lou adapting to life after losing Will Traynor, the man she loved. She leads a lonely existence in London until a bad fall sends her back home to her family. Lou recuperates slowly in both mind and body, but recuperate she does, thanks in part to the connections she makes through a support group called Moving On. She even embarks on a new relationship with paramedic Sam Fielding—a tough, competent figure who deals with grief and loss on a daily basis. But there are more twists and turns in store for her, as she considers a new job and tries to put the past behind her. Moyes’ many followers will welcome the return of Lou and root for her as she moves forward with her life. This is another poignant, deeply satisfying love story from an author who has perfected the form.
TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS
With Purity, Jonathan Franzen(The Corrections) delivers another timely, provocative work of literary fiction. College grad Pip Tyler lives in Oakland, California. Intelligent but somewhat adrift, she is drawn to the Sunlight Project, a collective that exposes concealed information via the internet. The project’s magnetic leader, Andreas Wolf, hails from East Germany, and his work opens up new worlds for Pip, who embarks on an internship to South America through the organization. Pip never knew her father, and she has hopes of untangling the mysteries of her past via her work with the group. But her relationship with Andreas intensifies, and she soon finds herself entangled in a complicated web involving politics and murder. With a varied cast that includes Pip’s domineering yet elusive mother, Franzen’s fifth novel unfolds on a grand scale but feels intimate thanks to the author’s nuanced character portrayals. Franzen fans will not be disappointed.
This article was originally published in the August 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Book Clubs: Hot times in the city
Garth Risk Hallberg’s bestselling debut novel, City on Fire, is a mesmerizing portrait of New York City in the 1970s. The narrative follows a variety of characters, including wealthy siblings William and Regan Hamilton-Sweeney; a young punk, Charlie Weisbarger, whose heart belongs to cooler-than-thou Samantha Cicciaro; a neurotic journalist named Richard Kosgroth, and a cop who’s attempting to untangle the mystery behind the book’s central event: a shooting in Central Park on New Year’s Eve. The crime connects these disparate characters in ways that will surprise the reader, and Hallberg’s exploration of the ties that bind them illuminate an era. He nimbly weaves in trends particular to the times—disco, drugs, graffiti—and his use of detail and dialogue, along with unexpected elements such as handwritten letters and cartoons, bring wonderful authenticity to what’s sure to become a classic New York City novel. Earning the author comparisons to Tom Wolfe and Donna Tartt, this is a remarkably assured, richly rewarding debut.
MOVING ON
Jojo Moyes follows up the bestselling Me Before You with an irresistible sequel that chronicles the next chapter in the life of Louisa Clark. After You finds Lou adapting to life after losing Will Traynor, the man she loved. She leads a lonely existence in London until a bad fall sends her back home to her family. Lou recuperates slowly in both mind and body, but recuperate she does, thanks in part to the connections she makes through a support group called Moving On. She even embarks on a new relationship with paramedic Sam Fielding—a tough, competent figure who deals with grief and loss on a daily basis. But there are more twists and turns in store for her, as she considers a new job and tries to put the past behind her. Moyes’ many followers will welcome the return of Lou and root for her as she moves forward with her life. This is another poignant, deeply satisfying love story from an author who has perfected the form.
TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS
With Purity, Jonathan Franzen(The Corrections) delivers another timely, provocative work of literary fiction. College grad Pip Tyler lives in Oakland, California. Intelligent but somewhat adrift, she is drawn to the Sunlight Project, a collective that exposes concealed information via the internet. The project’s magnetic leader, Andreas Wolf, hails from East Germany, and his work opens up new worlds for Pip, who embarks on an internship to South America through the organization. Pip never knew her father, and she has hopes of untangling the mysteries of her past via her work with the group. But her relationship with Andreas intensifies, and she soon finds herself entangled in a complicated web involving politics and murder. With a varied cast that includes Pip’s domineering yet elusive mother, Franzen’s fifth novel unfolds on a grand scale but feels intimate thanks to the author’s nuanced character portrayals. Franzen fans will not be disappointed.
This article was originally published in the August 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.