City of Light
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Narrated by:
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Jan Maxwell
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By:
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Lauren Belfer
About this listen
The year is 1901. Buffalo, New York, is poised for glory. With its booming industry and newly electrified streets, Buffalo is a model for the century just beginning.
Louisa Barrett has made this dazzling city her home. Headmistress of Buffalo’s most prestigious school, Louisa is at ease in a world of men, protected by the titans of her city. But nothing prepares her for a startling discovery: evidence of a murder tied to the city’s cathedral-like power plant at nearby Niagara Falls. This shocking crime—followed by another mysterious death—will ignite an explosive chain of events. For in this city of seething intrigue and dazzling progress, a battle rages among politicians, power brokers, and industrialists for control of Niagara. And one extraordinary woman in their midst must protect a dark secret that implicates them all. . . .
©1999 Lauren Belfer (P)1999 Random House, Inc., Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
“Suspenseful…A historical novel of high intrigue.” (People)
“Get your hands on City of Light, a full-to-the-brim first novel…a straight-through, sleepless read.” (Time)
"...an ingenious first novel." (The New York Times Book Review)
“Breathtaking . . . a remarkable blend of murder mystery, love story, political intrigue, and tragedy of manners.” (USA Today)
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Performance
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Accepting employment as a governess after hard times hit her family, medieval scholar Rosalind Hawkins is surprised when she learns that her mysterious employer has no children and only wants her to read to him through a speaking tube.
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Great story, poorly presented
- By Che on 02-26-10
By: Mercedes Lackey
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The Bastard
- The Kent Family Chronicles, Book 1
- By: John Jakes
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 19 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the colorful tumult of events that gave rise to our fledgling nation, this novel of romance and adventure introduces Phillipe Charboneau. The illegitimate son of an English nobleman, Phillipe flees Europe and, as Philip Kent, joins the men who set our course for freedom. The Bastard is the first volume in the Kent Family Chronicles, a series of novels that details one family's journey in the early years of the American nation.
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An Amazing Tale
- By will on 11-06-13
By: John Jakes
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Florence Grace
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 15 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Florrie Buckley is an orphan living on the wind-blasted moors of Cornwall. It's a hard existence, but Florrie is content; she runs wild in the mysterious landscape. She thinks her destiny is set in stone. But when Florrie is 14, she inherits a never-imagined secret. She is related to a wealthy and notorious London family: the Graces.
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Utterly brilliant!!!
- By Maria on 07-04-16
By: Tracy Rees
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The Last Summer
- By: Judith Kinghorn
- Narrated by: Jane Wymark
- Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
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Clarissa is almost 17 when the spell of her childhood is broken. It is 1914, the beginning of a blissful, golden summer - and the end of an era. Deyning Park is in its heyday, the large country house filled with the laughter and excitement of privileged youth preparing for a weekend party. When Clarissa meets Tom Cuthbert, home from university and staying with his mother, the housekeeper, she is dazzled.
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The Last Summer Delivers
- By Carmen dela Cruz on 05-22-16
By: Judith Kinghorn
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The Scottish Duke
- By: Karen Ranney
- Narrated by: Tim Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Though raised as a gentleman's daughter, Lorna Gordon is obliged to take a position as an upstairs maid at Blackhall Castle when her father dies. Alex Russell, the Duke of Kinross, is the most tempting man she's ever seen - and completely unattainable until, at a fancy dress ball, Lorna disguises herself as Marie Antoinette and pursues an illicit tryst, with scandalous consequences.
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Excellent!
- By Lady M on 12-16-16
By: Karen Ranney
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The Rules of Seduction
- Rothwell Brothers Series, Book 1
- By: Madeline Hunter
- Narrated by: Susan Duerden
- Length: 10 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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He enters her home without warning or invitation - a stranger of shadowy motives and commanding sensuality. Within hours, Alexia Welbourne is penniless, without any hope of marriage. Until Hayden Rothwell takes her to bed. When one impulsive act of passion forces Alexia to marry the very man who has ruined her, Hayden's seduction of Alexia is nearly complete. What Alexia doesn't know is that her irresistible new husband is driven by a secret purpose - and a debt of honor he will risk everything to repay.
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Susan Duerden
- By Kelly Ann Foster on 08-10-21
By: Madeline Hunter
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The Girl in the Castle
- A Novel
- By: Santa Montefiore
- Narrated by: Genevieve Swallow
- Length: 17 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Born on the ninth day of the ninth month in the year 1900, Kitty Deverill grows up in Castle Deverill, on the sunning green hills of West Cork, Ireland - the same place her ancestors have always dwelt. She isn't fully Irish, as the son of the local veterinarian likes to tease her; but this doesn't stop Kitty and Jack O'Leary from falling in love....
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Explicitness
- By Billie on 04-28-17
By: Santa Montefiore
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Dreamers of the Day
- A Novel
- By: Mary Doria Russell
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Lee
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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A 40-year-old schoolteacher from Ohio still reeling from the tragedies of the Great War and the influenza epidemic, Agnes has come into a modest inheritance that allows her to take the trip of a lifetime to Egypt and the Holy Land. Arriving at the Semiramis Hotel just as an historic Peace Conference convenes, Agnes, with her plainspoken American opinions - and a small, noisy dachshund named Rosie - enters into the company of the historic luminaries.
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Little Big Woman
- By W.Denis on 10-02-08
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The Luxe
- By: Anna Godbersen
- Narrated by: Nina Siemaszko
- Length: 9 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Beautiful sisters Elizabeth and Diana Holland rule Manhattan's social scene. Or so it appears. When the girls discover their status among New York City's elite is far from secure, suddenly everyone from the backstabbing socialite Penelope Hayes, to the debonair bachelor Henry Schoonmaker, to the spiteful maid Lina Broud threatens Elizabeth's and Diana's golden future. With the fate of the Hollands resting on her shoulders, Elizabeth must choose between family duty and true love.
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Good story, but. . .
- By Shellra on 05-17-09
By: Anna Godbersen
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The Shifting Fog [also published under the alternate title The House at Riverton]
- By: Kate Morton
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 18 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Summer 1924: On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again. Winter 1999: Grace Bradley, 98, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and memories, long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind, begin to sneak back through the cracks.
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Alternate title for "The House at Riverton"
- By Karen on 12-22-13
By: Kate Morton
What listeners say about City of Light
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Paul MacPherson
- 10-12-24
ABRIDGED, Please record the FULL book!
PLEASE RECORD THE FULL BOOK! The City of Light is one of my FAVORITE books-in the full-length version. I have read & re-read the FULL printed version over & over, yet I was still happy to pay my precious monthly credit for the Audio version, assuming it was the full-length book.
Unfortunately, this abridged version is terrible, and the story is ruined. This is a real shame, because the full book is a completely engaging, can’t-put-it-down story, with fascinating, realistic, historic detail that is the result of painstaking research. PLEASE re-record, and give us the FULL book!
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- sci-fi nerd
- 02-26-23
Listen to the sample before you slap down a credit
I read City of Light for a book club. While historical fiction isn't really my thing, I did find the locale especially interesting, as I currently live in the neighborhood where this novel takes place. I drive on Forest Avenue, passing the Asylum and Forest Lawn Cemetery, as well as Delaware Park and Hoyt Lake every single day. I didn't have to imagine much to see where Louisa is walking, sledding or riding, as all the same homes and estates are right here, updated slightly but mostly unchanged. Unfortunately, this is where my enjoyment of the novel ends.
I now understand better how difficult was the effort to use Niagara Falls to introduce electricity to Western NY, and how fearful people were of this "new" technology. My 123 year old house still uses gas for practically everything, and we are constantly having to remove old gas pipes in order to put in electric ceiling fans, electric appliances and such. Buffalo ran on gas, and in lots of ways, still does, which is kind of funny since the source of vast amounts of electricity is right here at the Falls.
I know this is a work of fiction, but it still felt so very contrived to me. Did you see the movie Midnight in Paris? Where the guy keeps running into all les années folles movers and shakers, like EVERY SINGLE ONE of them? This book is kind of like that, but most of the politicians and prominent Buffalo investors she encounters are rapey, misogynistic and condescending to our almost childlike heroine, Louisa. It was a different era, but I still got annoyed by almost every single male character.
As for the narration, if they were going for an old-timey, echoey, bland production, then they by George, they nailed it! Was it an effort to sound more authentic for the era in which the book was placed, or was the production just really awful? Either way, I did not enjoy it.
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- M. Layton
- 10-31-14
Protagonist Is Not Really a Modern Woman
I bought this book because the blurb sounded great, and it started out very well. The details about the beginnings of the electricity business and all the blurred notions of right and wrong that are part of any big money-making enterprise were very interesting. The protagonist is the victim of a crime--which goes unpunished by her or by others who know about it. The other crime that she uncovers in the true mystery of the story she decides to do nothing about. She really disappointed me as a woman; her choices were not those that a modern woman would make, and it ended up helping her not at all. The mystery is great, the history is interesting and chilling, but the protagonist was a disappointment to me.
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1 person found this helpful
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- S. Sarabasha
- 07-14-10
good historical detail
I enjoyed the reader and the story. Tells a tale of gender differences and budding feminism effectively. Also recounts the beginning of electricity for the masses and how that occured.
The more we hear of how men made fortunes on the backs of the poor yet telling the world what they were doing was for our own good, the more it is the same. Very apt with the BP disaster in the Gulf.
Wish the sequel - Radiance of Light was being put into audio.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 10-03-19
Problem with Narration
It sounded to me like the speaker was talking from a distance which made the audiobook hard to enjoy.
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- Dr. T
- 07-25-20
Unsatisfying ending
The bad guys succeed. The good guys lose but think they are okay with it and their lackluster continued existence. Basically, it's realistic.
What appealed to me was the early descriptions of an intellectually engaged woman and the salon she hosted. But that made it no further than a few lines about her intellectual gatherings (salons) in the first chapter. Eventually, we learn the protagonist was victimized and never recovered emotionally and so that is the reason for her life choices.
But it was well-written and one did get unique mental insight into what it was like for an intelligent, but not rebellious, woman to navigate the man's world of her time outside the traditional female role and psychology.
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- Amazon Customer
- 06-02-23
Great historical story about Buffalo and the Great Pan American Exposition Loved it.
I loved everything about this novel. The characters,Suspense and the strong feelings of heartbreak and life of a woman at that time.
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- JA-Columbia
- 09-07-16
Good story questionable audio
This is a good story blending history and drama. The narrator is fine. The audio quality is the shortfall. The sound is quite tinny and required equalization to keep from being unpleasant.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kristina A.
- 07-22-19
Great Turn of the Century Story
I moved to Buffalo last year and saw this book. I love mysteries, so gave it a try. I read the first half, and really enjoyed the story & vibrant turn of the Century descriptions of the city of Buffalo & Niagara Falls. I decided to listen to the 2nd half as I wanted to continue the story while working/walking. I believe a lot of the book is left out of the audible version, which is too bad, and the reason I gave it only 3 stars. I would recommend the Book rather than the audio version, but if you're familiar with, from, or living in Buffalo this is a great read and a great listen if you're too busy to sit down with a book. Best recommendation if you're actually IN Buffalo: Save it for Winter and read the entire book!
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3 people found this helpful
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- Nancy
- 04-09-23
Meh…
Audio quality was horrid, sounded as though recorded over an analog phone line. Narrator range of emotion was quite narrow, no variation in speaking fro one character to the next other than the Irish brogue. Would’ve preferred more history and less melodramatic fiction. Go Buffalo!
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