The Gods of Gotham

By: Lyndsay Faye

Narrated by: Steven Boyer

Length: 12 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

It is 1845. New York City forms its first police force. The great potato famine hits Ireland. These two seemingly disparate events will change New York City. Forever.

Timothy Wilde tends bar near the Exchange, fantasizing about the day he has enough money to win the girl of his dreams. But when his dreams literally incinerate in a fire devastating downtown Manhattan, he finds himself disfigured, unemployed, and homeless. His older brother obtains Timothy a job in the newly minted NYPD, but he is highly skeptical of this new "police force". And he is less than thrilled that his new beat is the notoriously down-and-out Sixth Ward - at the border of Five Points, the world's most notorious slum.

One night, while making his rounds, Wilde literally runs into a little slip of a girl - a girl not more than 10 years old - dashing through the dark in her nightshift... covered head to toe in blood.

Timothy knows he should take the girl to the House of Refuge, yet he can't bring himself to abandon her. Instead, he takes her home, where she spins wild stories, claiming that dozens of bodies are buried in the forest north of 23rd Street. Timothy isn't sure whether to believe her or not, but, as the truth unfolds, the reluctant copper star finds himself engaged in a battle for justice that nearly costs him his brother, his romantic obsession, and his own life.

©2012 Lyndsay Faye (P)2012 Penguin Audio

Well written historical fiction.

The words by the author bring NYC in the 1840’s to life. Very enjoyable.

Warning: extreme vernacular

Be prepared to learn a whole vernacular called "Flash." Listening to this story, while engaging, will be slower than usual. Faye could have helped the reader considerably by indicating scene changes with text rather than relying on page formatting. Boyar does a wonderful job of characterization but the editor leaves too little silence between scenes to announce a change in setting. With 22 dead bodies to investigate, you can be sure that you will not guess the ending nor the motivations behind the grisly murders. Good luck!

If Jack Kerouac and Joseph Campbell had a daughter

Would you listen to The Gods of Gotham again? Why?

Yes. Which is quite rare for me. The characters and language are nuanced enough that I may get new insights from a second reading, and the turns of phrase are so good that I hope to be influenced by them.

What other book might you compare The Gods of Gotham to and why?

As the review title suggests, strong flavors of Jack Kerouac and of Joseph Campbell.
Timothy Wilde is not the sort of self-conscious intellectual Sherlock Holmes is, but his deductions are as subtle while often being more realistic.

Which character – as performed by Steven Boyer – was your favorite?

Timothy Wilde's voice feels to me exactly consistent with the writing.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

"Birds chattering nonsense to each other" (setting up a deceptively cheerful sunrise).

There is a bit where a pastor, a wise and kindly man, not a bigot, describe Irish Catholics as a devout New York Protestant of that generation would have seen them. The author seems neither to endorse or condemn this perspective, but allows that character to be naturally himself. Characters are presented from their own perspectives, which has always been my favorite aspect of Quentin Tarantino and Shakespeare. We are not told what to think of them, even when the point-of-view character has strong opinions.

I have enjoyed Ms. Faye's excellent Sherlock Holmes pastiches, but she has made a qualitative leap with this book, and I am sure I will read everything she writes.

Any additional comments?

People who prefer the terse, journalistic style of Hemingway or Cormac Mccarthy may find Fay's style a bit rich. Her prose is as smooth and sweet as cherry cordials, with a thoughtful aftertaste which is for savoring, rather than meat and potatoes to be devoured in a businesslike way before returning to one's daily tasks.

Captivating performance and twisting story

If you could sum up The Gods of Gotham in three words, what would they be?

Empathetic
Suspenseful
Historical

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Gods of Gotham?

When "good" triumphs and Bird Daily is given the chance to start a new life.

Which character – as performed by Steven Boyer – was your favorite?

Obviously, it is the main character, Timothy Wilde.

Who was the most memorable character of The Gods of Gotham and why?

Tim really grows up during the story. His true character develops and matures. He figures out things about his family and himself that shapes the present and his future.

Any additional comments?

The story includes racism and prejudice from the era that seems very foreign in our time, and yet with many similarities. I enjoyed the presentation by Boyer and Faye's story line both very much. It's a great "who dunnit" with some history thrown in to enrich the story and enlighten the reader.

Great yarn about another ugly period of racism

While I had been aware of the unfair treatment of Irish immigrants in the 19th century, I really didn't know the extremes to which the racially motivated hatred went. And the degree to which religious misunderstanding was all tied up with ethnic mistrust. In addition to illuminating all this, I was surprised by the degree of character complexity, really engaged by the difficult relationships between the major characters. Very much looking forward to the sequel. Only difficulty was the narrator, who was mostly pretty good, but too frequently seemed unfamiliar with certain phrases and expressions, which led to odd emphases and the occasional mispronounced word - I think you can't be an effective narrator without understanding what you're reading, and that sometimes seemed to be his problem. All in all a good listen.

Love the Lead Character

I thoroughly enjoyed this listen and sincerely hope that further books are planned to continue the story. It's perfect for sequels.

more drama than history

What did you like best about The Gods of Gotham? What did you like least?

Probably best at dramatizing the very rough nature of life in big cities then, focusing on the extra strains in NYC caused by the immigration of so many poor Irish and the anti-Catholic zealots who opposed them. The drama and crime around which the setting is described is itself not so compelling, though refreshingly open minded and liberal (in the old sense). Narrator is superb.

Would you recommend The Gods of Gotham to your friends? Why or why not?

This provides good historical atmosphere for fans of NYC (I am one).

Which scene was your favorite?

The widow baker is a minor character but provides a nice touchstone for the society.

Any additional comments?

The author makes a few of the characters a little too heroic (or deeply villainous)... the striving social worker/writer, the priest, the doctor, the new "cops" on the nascent police force. The strength of the story is the atmosphere, the setting of a burgeoning new city filled with people striving, with success and failure.

Fine listen

HIstorical novel set in 1844 when the New York police department is just being set up and the bad side of New York, Five Points, is worse than the worst parts of London. Faye has the history right, the characters nicely developed and a fast-paced yarn to tell.

Loved the History and the Story Kept My Attention

What did you love best about The Gods of Gotham?

The book deals with a time in our history that most of us are unaware of and yet that history really shaped our world as we know it today. The story was well done and kept me guessing to the very end.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Gods of Gotham?

When you realize just how disposable children were back then and how they had no one to speak for them.

What does Steven Boyer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narriation was well done. I liked his voice and the pace at which he read was very good. There was also feeling in his voice.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No, the whole book was moving to me.

Any additional comments?

I think this is a very well written book, full of history with a great story line.

Loved the first two installments in this series.

I love when place functions as a character. NYC is as much of a character as the humans in this novel. Don’t miss this one. However, skip the third one because the narration is horrible,