Downtown

My Manhattan

By: Pete Hamill

Narrated by: Pete Hamill

In Downtown, Pete Hamill leads us on an unforgettable journey through the city he loves, from the island's southern tip to Times Square, combining a moving memoir of his days and nights in New York with a passionate history of its most enduring places and people.©2004 Deidre Enterprises, Inc.; (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks

Reconnect with NYC

This book makes you fall in love with your city again. Hamill reminds you of why it's so amazing.

Great stories, easy style, & enduring quality

Loved this book. He did midtown justice and at the same time gave me the sort of look at the heart of NYC I have long desired. Thanks, jerry mcginn

An absolute treasure.

Pete Hamill's Downton is part memoir, part history of New York, and all love letter to the city inwhich he was born and lived and worked. I'm so glad he chose to read this book because his rich, gravely voice is perfect. This book is a treasure, as surely as Pete Hamill himself.

Loved it. Wish it were longer

Enjoyed and will look at his other books now! Hoping covid can get tamed so I can again visit “oz”

One of the best books of our time

Incredible, one of the best perspectives on NYC by one of the best authors of our time.

Absolutely superb.

Would you listen to Downtown again? Why?

I am on my second listening of the book, it is so rich in history.

Any additional comments?

Superb writing. Poignant in parts, enlightening in many other ways. Stories of his family, and so many other key characters. Buildings and newspapers are also "characters" in Pete Hamill's book, and perhaps that's also part of why I love this book.

Required for all those that love NY

Hamill reads his book and you are suddenly sent to that century and that part of town. You get to meet the individuals that made NY.

There’s Nobody like Pete Hamill

His gravel voice and warmth towards his native city shine through in a quiet and meditative book about the evolution of the greatest city in the world. It’s a comfort and a gift to hear his memories, observations and insights. As ever, the soul of a street poet who is sorely missed. Bravo.

A frustrating read

The book was frustrating to me due to the author's disjointed style and lack of specifics. The fact that Mr. Hamill loves Manhattan is clear, but so is his past history as a writer for a newspaper tabloid. This feels like a quick newspaper article, extended ad-nauseum. There seems to be no clear structure to the book, be it by location, theme, time or date. Thoughts seem to have appeared on paper through stream of conciousness. I was further frustrated in my desire to learn about the history of Manhattan by the dearth of specific anectodes or data to support generalities in the book. The non-New Yorker can learn a little bit about the Island of Manhattan, but it takes a lot of patience.

Jumps all over the place

This is a boring review of a fantastic city. The author manages to take an interesting topic like Downtown Manhattan and make it uninteresting. The author jumps all over the place from history, architecture, geography, etc.. without bringing the whole story together. This book was a waste of time listening to basic facts about NYC most people already know!