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Metropolis
Elizabeth Gaffney’s magnificent, Dickensian Metropolis captures the splendor and violence of America’s greatest city in the years after the Civil War, as young immigrants climb out of urban chaos and into the American dream.
On a freezing night in the middle of winter, Gaffney’s nameless hero is suddenly awakened by a fire in P. T. Barnum’s stable, where he works and sleeps, and soon finds himself at the center of a citywide arson investigation.
Determined to clear his name and realize the dreams that inspired his hazardous voyage across the Atlantic, he will change his identity many times, find himself mixed up with one of the city’s toughest and most enterprising gangs, and fall in love with a smart, headstrong, and beautiful young woman. Buffeted by the forces of fate, hate, luck, and passion, our hero struggles to build a life–just to stay alive–in a country that at first held so much promise for him.
Epic in sweep, Metropolis follows our hero from his arrival in New York harbor through his experiences in Barnum’s circus, the criminal underground, and the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, and on to a life in Brooklyn that is at once unique and poignantly emblematic of the American experience. In a novel that is wonderfully written, rich in suspense, vivid historical detail, breathtakingly paced, Elizabeth Gaffney captures the wonder and magic of a rambunctious city in a time of change. Metropolis marks a superb fiction debut.
On a freezing night in the middle of winter, Gaffney’s nameless hero is suddenly awakened by a fire in P. T. Barnum’s stable, where he works and sleeps, and soon finds himself at the center of a citywide arson investigation.
Determined to clear his name and realize the dreams that inspired his hazardous voyage across the Atlantic, he will change his identity many times, find himself mixed up with one of the city’s toughest and most enterprising gangs, and fall in love with a smart, headstrong, and beautiful young woman. Buffeted by the forces of fate, hate, luck, and passion, our hero struggles to build a life–just to stay alive–in a country that at first held so much promise for him.
Epic in sweep, Metropolis follows our hero from his arrival in New York harbor through his experiences in Barnum’s circus, the criminal underground, and the building of the Brooklyn Bridge, and on to a life in Brooklyn that is at once unique and poignantly emblematic of the American experience. In a novel that is wonderfully written, rich in suspense, vivid historical detail, breathtakingly paced, Elizabeth Gaffney captures the wonder and magic of a rambunctious city in a time of change. Metropolis marks a superb fiction debut.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
July 28, 2010
I was SO disappointed in this book. I really liked the beginning, especially what seemed to be the premise of exploring a character whose fate rests upon inaction rather than action (and who seems to be like a blank slate -- upon whom others project their fears, anxieties, needs). I also initially liked what seemed to be suspenseful historical fiction, reminiscent of Fingersmith (Sarah Waters).
But as the book progressed, my criticisms were many. My biggest complaint is that the storytelling and narration were woefully inadequate and often boring, and the author seemed to make the mistake of "telling" rather than "showing" the events of the story. It also seemed the author had multiple agendas beyond telling a good story - all noble but detracting from the suspense - such as the depiction of women's lives during the time period, the inclusion of heroic women of the time, the depiction of conditions of working class and immigrant life, theories about collectives and racial and class equality, etc. This could have been a great, suspenseful story, but every time the author started to build suspense, she defused it and moved on to another subplot, so that the story lacked coherence and became dogmatic. Ultimately, it seemed the plot and character development were sacrificed for the messages she was trying to convey.
While I thought the characters of Beatrice, Fiona, Johnny Dolan, and Mother Dolan were relatively well-developed, complex, and interesting, I found Harris to be simply boring, and as a result somewhat unlikeable. The women doctors, Mr. Noe, and John-Henry all lacked character development and personality, and seemed to be plot devices to communicate the larger agenda. The amount of violence perpetrated by Undertoe was also disturbing and, I felt, unnecessary.
I really wanted to like this book, and am only writing so much criticism because I was so disappointed.
But as the book progressed, my criticisms were many. My biggest complaint is that the storytelling and narration were woefully inadequate and often boring, and the author seemed to make the mistake of "telling" rather than "showing" the events of the story. It also seemed the author had multiple agendas beyond telling a good story - all noble but detracting from the suspense - such as the depiction of women's lives during the time period, the inclusion of heroic women of the time, the depiction of conditions of working class and immigrant life, theories about collectives and racial and class equality, etc. This could have been a great, suspenseful story, but every time the author started to build suspense, she defused it and moved on to another subplot, so that the story lacked coherence and became dogmatic. Ultimately, it seemed the plot and character development were sacrificed for the messages she was trying to convey.
While I thought the characters of Beatrice, Fiona, Johnny Dolan, and Mother Dolan were relatively well-developed, complex, and interesting, I found Harris to be simply boring, and as a result somewhat unlikeable. The women doctors, Mr. Noe, and John-Henry all lacked character development and personality, and seemed to be plot devices to communicate the larger agenda. The amount of violence perpetrated by Undertoe was also disturbing and, I felt, unnecessary.
I really wanted to like this book, and am only writing so much criticism because I was so disappointed.
February 9, 2012
Metropolis was difficult to read. It lacked action and was filled with incredibly long descriptions. All in all, I would not recommend it.
February 10, 2012
Metropolis by Elizabeth Gaffney is a detailed epic of life in New York at the dawn of the modern age. Gaffney dutifully tends to the development of her characters and the city itself, with no stone left unturned. In addition, Gaffney crafts a compelling love story between the tough Beatrice O’Gamhna and the mysterious Frank Harris. Yet, the book often meanders along, seemingly without any guidance, in detailed descriptions and backstories that lose the reader’s interest. On the whole, Metropolis is an accurate historical fiction that illuminates post-Civil War life in New York, doubling effectively as a high-caliber romance novel that is sure to entertain.
July 17, 2017
Excellent read, well written, very descriptive! Made me feel like I was in the setting! I love the late 1800's.
August 15, 2009
As an author who has written about New York’s seminal street gangs, I found the premise of Metropolis irresistible. A German immigrant with a shadowy past is wrongly accused of torching Barnum’s circus, resulting in a nationwide manhunt. The Whyos gang shields him from the law by giving him the new identity of Frank Harris, but for a price: he has to get a job as a sewer man and map the city’s maze of underground tunnels, which would make ideal escape routes. Danger lurks in the form of Luther Undertoe, the villainous opportunist who really set the circus fire and wants to see Harris swing for it. To complicate matters, Harris falls in love with Beatrice O’Gamnha, a tough and spirited member of the Why Nots, the gang’s female auxiliary.
Gaffney’s portrait of 1870s New York City is rich and engaging. The strongest passages in Metropolis depict the terrors and tribulations of the working and forsaken classes: the industrial accidents in the sewers and on the Brooklyn Bridge building site hammer home the fact that workers’ rights were secondary to profit, and a female gangster’s decision to kill her newborn girl to spare it the agony of growing up female in the Five Points comes across as not only justifiable, but natural.
Packed with more twists and turns than a Five Points street map, Metropolis suggests that Elizabeth Gaffney has a real future in historical fiction writing. While not as evocative of old New York as Jack Finney’s Time and Again or as rich in character development as Caleb Carr’s The Alienist, Metropolis has what one reviewer called “brawn and brains and heart”.
Gaffney’s portrait of 1870s New York City is rich and engaging. The strongest passages in Metropolis depict the terrors and tribulations of the working and forsaken classes: the industrial accidents in the sewers and on the Brooklyn Bridge building site hammer home the fact that workers’ rights were secondary to profit, and a female gangster’s decision to kill her newborn girl to spare it the agony of growing up female in the Five Points comes across as not only justifiable, but natural.
Packed with more twists and turns than a Five Points street map, Metropolis suggests that Elizabeth Gaffney has a real future in historical fiction writing. While not as evocative of old New York as Jack Finney’s Time and Again or as rich in character development as Caleb Carr’s The Alienist, Metropolis has what one reviewer called “brawn and brains and heart”.
March 31, 2009
Falls Apart Like A Thin Slice of White Bread In A Rainstorm.
This is a coming to America story with gangs and rats and grit.
It could have been fabulous, unfortunately in my opinion it wasn't very good. I have to say that I agree with the many criticism noted by other readers. I found a distracting inconsistency of style in the writing.
I did not dislike the meticulously detailed style when the author was writing about the sewers, building roads and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. But unfortunately when writing about the emotions and personalities of her characters there seemed to be a lack of details.
I never felt like I knew these characters, they never truly came to life under Gaffney's pen. I didn't like or dislike them, there just wasn't enough of them to get a sense of their true characters.
The premise that the gang known as the Whyos would communicate by whistle and song was stretched beyond believable when it was explained inside the courtroom during the trial at the end of the story.
Gaffney created this very tightly woven story with many details to hold it together but at the end it seems the rules no longer apply and the story completely falls apart.
This is a coming to America story with gangs and rats and grit.
It could have been fabulous, unfortunately in my opinion it wasn't very good. I have to say that I agree with the many criticism noted by other readers. I found a distracting inconsistency of style in the writing.
I did not dislike the meticulously detailed style when the author was writing about the sewers, building roads and construction of the Brooklyn Bridge. But unfortunately when writing about the emotions and personalities of her characters there seemed to be a lack of details.
I never felt like I knew these characters, they never truly came to life under Gaffney's pen. I didn't like or dislike them, there just wasn't enough of them to get a sense of their true characters.
The premise that the gang known as the Whyos would communicate by whistle and song was stretched beyond believable when it was explained inside the courtroom during the trial at the end of the story.
Gaffney created this very tightly woven story with many details to hold it together but at the end it seems the rules no longer apply and the story completely falls apart.
December 12, 2013
The story opens in 1870′s New York City, where recent immigrant Georg Geiermeier, awakens in a stable where he works for P.T. Barnum’s American Museum. The smell of smoke and the sounds of frightened animals is enough for Georg to realize that his life is in danger. Soon enough, he realizes that he is in more trouble than he thought, because he is not only being framed for the fire that ends his employment – someone has set him up on a murder charge.
What follows is an interesting and suspenseful journey where our young man gets mixed up with one of the gangs of the 5 Points. Georg’s name and identity changes from German immigrant to the newly landed Irishman, Frank Harris, and he seeks to win the love of a female gang member, while avoiding the man who seeks to kill him.
I enjoyed Gaffney’s foray into the sewers and up into the heights of the Brooklyn Bridge, as Harris becomes one of the workers who help to build it. What I did not enjoy was the author’s agendas, which distracted from the story. Her attempts to introduce history and opinions about women’s and race issues were too influenced by the 21st century to be wholly believable. 2 1/2 stars.
What follows is an interesting and suspenseful journey where our young man gets mixed up with one of the gangs of the 5 Points. Georg’s name and identity changes from German immigrant to the newly landed Irishman, Frank Harris, and he seeks to win the love of a female gang member, while avoiding the man who seeks to kill him.
I enjoyed Gaffney’s foray into the sewers and up into the heights of the Brooklyn Bridge, as Harris becomes one of the workers who help to build it. What I did not enjoy was the author’s agendas, which distracted from the story. Her attempts to introduce history and opinions about women’s and race issues were too influenced by the 21st century to be wholly believable. 2 1/2 stars.
June 4, 2012
The characters are not engaging, the narrator is too full of the author's voice. Statements like: "our man" and "I wouldn't do that to his fate" were annoying and kept disrupting the pace of the story. Gaffney went above and beyond researching the history of New York, and its seedy underbelly. She unfortunately couldn't compose all of the information into a compelling novel. There was too much "telling" and not enough "showing." Pages went on with narration, but none of which added to the plot or characters. I read about 60 pages, the first 7 chapters before calling it quits. From reading the other reviews, I'm glad I stopped here.
April 28, 2022
Meh. I finished it because I wanted to know the ending, but in turns too unbelievable and too predictable.
May 23, 2012
This was a difficult read for me. The first few chapters brought to mind various works that I have seen or read (Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman in "Far and Away", Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz in "Gangs of New York" and Steve Buscemi in "Boardwalk Empire", as well as several different characters from Ken Follett novels, most notably Tom the Builder in "The Pillars of the Earth"). The thing is, I like all of the above movies/shows/books, so the likenesses should have been a positive thing, but somehow it instead made "Metropolis" feel a bit stale and tired to me. In addition, this novel is full of long passages of heavy narration. There are many pages entirely lacking in dialogue. This makes for a particularly difficult read if you tend to be a bit of a skimmer like I am.
The book revolves around a series of events that are at times highly coincidental. It gives one the sense that New York is a very small place. Sure, it was a lot smaller in the 19th century than it is now, but it was not small enough for me to be sold on many of the coincidental meetings and occurrences that take place in "Metropolis". Likewise, the main character (an immigrant that is framed for arson and inadvertently and unwilling becomes initiated into a gang) has bouts of extreme fortune -- sometimes good luck and sometimes bad luck, both of which often seem equally unlikely.
However, at its heart, "Metropolis" is a love story and I'm always a sucker for a love story. Overall, I found it to be both well researched and imaginative and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would when I first began reading it.
The book revolves around a series of events that are at times highly coincidental. It gives one the sense that New York is a very small place. Sure, it was a lot smaller in the 19th century than it is now, but it was not small enough for me to be sold on many of the coincidental meetings and occurrences that take place in "Metropolis". Likewise, the main character (an immigrant that is framed for arson and inadvertently and unwilling becomes initiated into a gang) has bouts of extreme fortune -- sometimes good luck and sometimes bad luck, both of which often seem equally unlikely.
However, at its heart, "Metropolis" is a love story and I'm always a sucker for a love story. Overall, I found it to be both well researched and imaginative and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would when I first began reading it.
November 14, 2014
I had high expectations for this one that started out feeling like good meaty historical fiction. But honestly, I can't go beyond two stars. It just never really took off for me, like a rocket struggling to launch and eventually imploding because the mission is doomed.
I kept at it because I think the author worked hard and researched much to put it together, so I felt I owed her. But really, I found the narration too lengthy and, despite all those pages, the character and relationship development was strangely flat and lacking. Even the love story never really conveyed much chemistry.
There was some interesting historical information regarding the maintenance and layout of the early New York sewers and the building of the streets and Brooklyn bridge. There were several interesting characters, but just frustratingly undeveloped. Finally, the whole secret communication of the gang members seemed far fetched to begin with and just became even less plausible as the book progressed.
I won't say I'll never read anything by this author again. In fact, I bet she can do better.
I kept at it because I think the author worked hard and researched much to put it together, so I felt I owed her. But really, I found the narration too lengthy and, despite all those pages, the character and relationship development was strangely flat and lacking. Even the love story never really conveyed much chemistry.
There was some interesting historical information regarding the maintenance and layout of the early New York sewers and the building of the streets and Brooklyn bridge. There were several interesting characters, but just frustratingly undeveloped. Finally, the whole secret communication of the gang members seemed far fetched to begin with and just became even less plausible as the book progressed.
I won't say I'll never read anything by this author again. In fact, I bet she can do better.
July 15, 2013
This is the other book I quit. Set in the 1900's it is about a young immigrant man who gets caught up in the gangs of New York. While it is supposed to give you a feel for the time, place and some actual gangs that existed, it has a soap opera feel. The hero stumbles around totally oblivious to what happening around him while it gives the gangs the impression he is super sharp and secretive and scheming. So he just falls in with them and things keep going his way to keep the gang on their toes around him. Oh - and he is in love with the girl gang member.
It just couldn't hold my attention or make me feel like I was in that time period. So I bailed.
It just couldn't hold my attention or make me feel like I was in that time period. So I bailed.
October 21, 2016
So disappointed. I love this time period in NYC, so I was excited to dive into this book. Unfortunately, it fell short. The slow pace and epic narratives had me turning the page just with the hope that something might actually happen. I hung on until about page 120 then decided it was time to move on. If you enjoy historical fiction with a similar setting, I recommend Caleb Carr, The Alienist. That, is a fantastic book.
March 28, 2012
I thoroughly enjoyed this story that took the reader through post-Civil War New York. The historical details felt accurate and yet alive as though the author had actually been there. One of the more enjoyable historical reads I’ve had of late.
August 2, 2017
Meticulously researched, and the history portions were interesting to read, but the characters seemed not as well-formed as they could be. The book's a little too long for the story.
July 20, 2020
A novel set in New York City in 1870s. Georg Geiermeier is a recently arrived immigrant, and his various adventures manage to hit upon every single remotely memorable thing happening in the city at the time: the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, P.T. Barnum's circus, the explosion of the Staten Island Ferry, working on the sewers, laying cobblestones on the streets, German immigrants, Irish immigrants, Black immigrants, female doctors, secret abortionists, new factories, old Brooklyn farms, street life ('Gangs of New York' style), a night in the Tombs, sex work, life in Five Points, the freezing solid of the East River, and on and on. Gaffney's determination to namecheck every element of her research ends up feeling somewhat ridiculous, and by the end I started to laugh whenever she brought in yet another historical event.
All of this pointless scene-setting provides the background for a fairly bland narrative: Georg falls in love with Beatrice, a member of the Whyos gang, which leads to a rivalry with Johnny, the leader of the gang who wants Beatrice for himself. Meanwhile, a sadistic arsonist/serial killer becomes convinced that Georg is to blame for his own incarceration, and is determined to get revenge. None of these characters are particularly interesting, and the plot never manages to do anything surprising. It's not improved by Gaffney's odd stylistic choices – occasionally butting in with an omniscient narrator to inform us of things like "but Georg wouldn't know that for another two years" or "none of them suspected that the problem was already solved". She doesn't do this often enough for it to become a consistent feature of the book, but it appears just often enough to give a further distancing effect to any emotion the reader might have been developing for the characters.
Overall it's cliched, it's frustrating, and it's mostly just boring. Is there anything exactly wrong with Metropolis? No, not really. Are there thousands of better historical novels out there better than this stale melodrama? Very much yes.
All of this pointless scene-setting provides the background for a fairly bland narrative: Georg falls in love with Beatrice, a member of the Whyos gang, which leads to a rivalry with Johnny, the leader of the gang who wants Beatrice for himself. Meanwhile, a sadistic arsonist/serial killer becomes convinced that Georg is to blame for his own incarceration, and is determined to get revenge. None of these characters are particularly interesting, and the plot never manages to do anything surprising. It's not improved by Gaffney's odd stylistic choices – occasionally butting in with an omniscient narrator to inform us of things like "but Georg wouldn't know that for another two years" or "none of them suspected that the problem was already solved". She doesn't do this often enough for it to become a consistent feature of the book, but it appears just often enough to give a further distancing effect to any emotion the reader might have been developing for the characters.
Overall it's cliched, it's frustrating, and it's mostly just boring. Is there anything exactly wrong with Metropolis? No, not really. Are there thousands of better historical novels out there better than this stale melodrama? Very much yes.
September 5, 2017
I enjoyed Metropolis & would recommend it to others. It's an enjoyable work of historical fiction - the kind that has you wondering which parts are fact & which parts are fiction as you read.
This was not a book full of loveable characters. I didn't much like most of the main characters with the bulk of the character development, but I still enjoyed reading about them. The story has a very long arc & an extremely quick resolution. It can drag a little at times but generally flows well. The end may be a tad heavy-handed, but I'm all right with happy endings.
Although I didn't like her, I appreciated the ambition & genius of Beatrice. Harris is a somewhat boring man to whom a lot of stuff happens. Other characters are anything between brutally violent and adorably straight-laced.
I am sure others did not like this based on reviews, but I enjoyed the omniscient narrator & accompanying comments. The author used the narrator to sometimes step back or zoom out from who we were focused on to remind us of where we were and how many others were there, too. It was an interesting device & added perspective to the story.
This was not a book full of loveable characters. I didn't much like most of the main characters with the bulk of the character development, but I still enjoyed reading about them. The story has a very long arc & an extremely quick resolution. It can drag a little at times but generally flows well. The end may be a tad heavy-handed, but I'm all right with happy endings.
Although I didn't like her, I appreciated the ambition & genius of Beatrice. Harris is a somewhat boring man to whom a lot of stuff happens. Other characters are anything between brutally violent and adorably straight-laced.
I am sure others did not like this based on reviews, but I enjoyed the omniscient narrator & accompanying comments. The author used the narrator to sometimes step back or zoom out from who we were focused on to remind us of where we were and how many others were there, too. It was an interesting device & added perspective to the story.
June 14, 2018
I made it to page 173 before realizing that I just didn't care to go on with it. I think it's a case of the author getting too carried away with her own ideas - becoming so much a fan of them that she runs them into the ground in an attempt to make sure the reader gets EVERY. LITTLE. DETAIL. about her great idea.
For example... the "gang" called the Whyos (who find it necessary to name their female counterparts the "Why Nots" ... seriously?) have developed a system of using calls, whistles, and tone-perfect singing to signal each other and evade notice by the cops. Okay, that was simple enough to understand, right? No need to go into pages and pages and endless paragraphs of explanation about it... but that's just what she does.
Every time the story line starts to sag a bit, she dives right back into the explanations of all the tiniest details of the Whyos gang musical call system.... gahhhhhhh.
Lost me.
For example... the "gang" called the Whyos (who find it necessary to name their female counterparts the "Why Nots" ... seriously?) have developed a system of using calls, whistles, and tone-perfect singing to signal each other and evade notice by the cops. Okay, that was simple enough to understand, right? No need to go into pages and pages and endless paragraphs of explanation about it... but that's just what she does.
Every time the story line starts to sag a bit, she dives right back into the explanations of all the tiniest details of the Whyos gang musical call system.... gahhhhhhh.
Lost me.
January 19, 2020
3.5 Picturesque epic of immigrant and gang life in New York of the 1870s. Reminiscent of the film Gangs of New York,which remains one of my favorite films,so the perilous adventures of the cast of characters was quite vivid. The historical growth of the city,a character in and of itself, itself never fails to amaze me. Metropolis
is gaudy time capsule in which to lose oneself,tho not as mature and polished as Kevin Bakers Paradise Alley trio or The Banished Children of Eve by Peter Quinn.Gaffney goes for sex,travails, violence and unrequited love in a predictable trajectory but manages to hold one's attention (or maybe I just kept imagining the faces of Daniel Day Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio!).
is gaudy time capsule in which to lose oneself,tho not as mature and polished as Kevin Bakers Paradise Alley trio or The Banished Children of Eve by Peter Quinn.Gaffney goes for sex,travails, violence and unrequited love in a predictable trajectory but manages to hold one's attention (or maybe I just kept imagining the faces of Daniel Day Lewis and Leonardo DiCaprio!).
October 3, 2018
What a great read! I sped through this book because every chapter was full of forward moving action of sympathetic characters. Although fiction, it’s chock full of real historic people and events. Great imagery, tension, relationships.
January 16, 2019
I really enjoyed this story, however I felt the writing was very wordy at some parts. It almost felt as though you were chewing through the book, but the description was great, so I would highly recommend it.
April 24, 2019
An excellent read. The characters and setting are vivid and fun to read. You get through about 2/5 of the book and suddenly find so many clever plot twists that you can't help yourself but to continue on with reading.
November 24, 2019
This book took forever to get through. In a word- boring. The back of a shampoo bottle offers more excitement. The writing was long winded, the characters were flat, and the drawn-out story was never engaging.
April 19, 2020
The story line was quite complex considering the main character used no fewer than 3 names and kept reinventing himself. A classic novel format - boy gets girl in the end and bad guys mostly all die along with a number of innocent parties. But it was well written and flowed well.
August 1, 2024
Intrigue. Romance. Violence. Gangs. Identity. Escape. This was really good. Some of the characters are absolutely depraved. One of them is basically a 19th c. Patrick Bateman. Tragically, but beautifully American.
September 4, 2017
An interesting, rollicking depiction of New York City in its infancy.
September 24, 2017
Well detailed. Felt like I was in the 1870s!
April 20, 2019
I liked this book, although it was at times a little confusing. Interesting time in history.
August 17, 2019
Beautifully written turn-of-the-century immigrant story.
July 4, 2020
Enjoyed, but was 100 pages too long.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews