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Willow Locke #1
The Brass Starling
★★★★★ 5.0 out of 5 stars
From the elegant, rich language to the stunning descriptions of people, places and events, this book is pure magic. The reader is drawn into a tangled web of characters and their mysterious connections. Jewish mysticism, progressive scientific advances and politics meld into the brilliance of the story of Willow Locke. Peterson’s writing paints a new perspective on tenement life, the suffrage movement and industry, one that makes the reader question whether this is fact or fiction.
From the elegant, rich language to the stunning descriptions of people, places and events, this book is pure magic. The reader is drawn into a tangled web of characters and their mysterious connections. Jewish mysticism, progressive scientific advances and politics meld into the brilliance of the story of Willow Locke. Peterson’s writing paints a new perspective on tenement life, the suffrage movement and industry, one that makes the reader question whether this is fact or fiction.
393 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 29, 2020
3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 18, 2020
Immigrant’s Plight
This story revolved around the desperate plight of immigrants. But it also focused on their brilliant and often unknown contributions to the country they sought refuge in. It is fast-paced and action-packed with well-developed characters.
The writing style and setting reminded me of The Golem and the Jinn, which I loved. A great read, but I would have liked a more conclusive ending.
This story revolved around the desperate plight of immigrants. But it also focused on their brilliant and often unknown contributions to the country they sought refuge in. It is fast-paced and action-packed with well-developed characters.
The writing style and setting reminded me of The Golem and the Jinn, which I loved. A great read, but I would have liked a more conclusive ending.
December 4, 2020
Beautiful Writing!
Well worth reading if only for the symphony of it, but the characters are well defined and sympathetic. My only complaint would be that it is a cliff hanger.
Well worth reading if only for the symphony of it, but the characters are well defined and sympathetic. My only complaint would be that it is a cliff hanger.
August 31, 2020
"The Brass Starling" by Isaac Peterson is a steam-powered adventure. This is the fantastical tale of an ordinary immigrant family struggling with a new lifestyle in New York City at the turn of the 20th century.
The father, Reuven, had once been a famous engineer, reknowned for his intricate inventions. In America, he had to swallow his pride and take on a menial job. His two daughters, each bright and talented in their own ways, were forced to forego higher education and instead work from day to night. Talia enjoyed the fleeting feeling of freedom as she performed her duties as a bicycle messenger, while Ayala strained her capabilities as a seamstress in a factory.
Although their daily lives were full of hardship in the tenements and exhausting work, the family remained grateful to be away from their war-torn home country.
When the family becomes sought out by old acquaintances, they are offered secret jobs that would enhance their income and provide mental stimulation. The family became spies at a local machine company, and soon found themselves involved in a mysterious conspiracy regarding the father's new invention and an eccentric genius by the name of Nikola Tesla.
Together, the family and Tesla must protect their world-changing inventions, and thwart the power-hungry entities such as Edison, who will stop at nothing to obtain the dramatic feats of engineering.
This story was woven with traditional Jewish rituals and historic nuance that added credibility to the fiction. I am a huge fan of steampunk, and to see Nikola Tesla portrayed as a strong supporting character was a real treat.
The father, Reuven, had once been a famous engineer, reknowned for his intricate inventions. In America, he had to swallow his pride and take on a menial job. His two daughters, each bright and talented in their own ways, were forced to forego higher education and instead work from day to night. Talia enjoyed the fleeting feeling of freedom as she performed her duties as a bicycle messenger, while Ayala strained her capabilities as a seamstress in a factory.
Although their daily lives were full of hardship in the tenements and exhausting work, the family remained grateful to be away from their war-torn home country.
When the family becomes sought out by old acquaintances, they are offered secret jobs that would enhance their income and provide mental stimulation. The family became spies at a local machine company, and soon found themselves involved in a mysterious conspiracy regarding the father's new invention and an eccentric genius by the name of Nikola Tesla.
Together, the family and Tesla must protect their world-changing inventions, and thwart the power-hungry entities such as Edison, who will stop at nothing to obtain the dramatic feats of engineering.
This story was woven with traditional Jewish rituals and historic nuance that added credibility to the fiction. I am a huge fan of steampunk, and to see Nikola Tesla portrayed as a strong supporting character was a real treat.
September 14, 2020
This is an author to follow. The story is well-written with true literary quality.
The word the author seems to emphasize again and again is "tessellation" which means a shape is repeated and possibly altered slightly with each repetition until a beautiful pattern is firmly established. It is like an M.C. Escher print where the pattern begins with white birds on the left side with a dark background changing into dark fish with a white background on the right. This the author does with clearly defined characters, Reuven the inventor and patriarch, Ayala his eldest daughter, Talia the daughter who becomes the central character Willow, Zilpah the seamstress, Eitan the newsboy and youngest son, Mrs. Whitcomb the labor reformer and anarchist, all of them being the elements of the tessellated pattern. The story is more historical fiction than science fiction, though it is both. And it is a very compelling read with carefully woven plots and subplots.
My only disappointment with the book is that it has a cliffhanger ending that forces me to get the next book and read on... but maybe that is actually a good thing.
The word the author seems to emphasize again and again is "tessellation" which means a shape is repeated and possibly altered slightly with each repetition until a beautiful pattern is firmly established. It is like an M.C. Escher print where the pattern begins with white birds on the left side with a dark background changing into dark fish with a white background on the right. This the author does with clearly defined characters, Reuven the inventor and patriarch, Ayala his eldest daughter, Talia the daughter who becomes the central character Willow, Zilpah the seamstress, Eitan the newsboy and youngest son, Mrs. Whitcomb the labor reformer and anarchist, all of them being the elements of the tessellated pattern. The story is more historical fiction than science fiction, though it is both. And it is a very compelling read with carefully woven plots and subplots.
My only disappointment with the book is that it has a cliffhanger ending that forces me to get the next book and read on... but maybe that is actually a good thing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 7, 2020
I couldn’t put this book down - it is a masterpiece!
From the elegant, rich language to the stunning descriptions of people, places and events, this book is pure magic. The reader is drawn into a tangled web of characters and their mysterious connections. Jewish mysticism, progressive scientific advances and politics meld into the brilliance of the story of Willow Locke. Peterson’s writing paints a new perspective on tenement life, the suffrage movement and industry, one that makes the reader question whether this is fact or fiction.
From the elegant, rich language to the stunning descriptions of people, places and events, this book is pure magic. The reader is drawn into a tangled web of characters and their mysterious connections. Jewish mysticism, progressive scientific advances and politics meld into the brilliance of the story of Willow Locke. Peterson’s writing paints a new perspective on tenement life, the suffrage movement and industry, one that makes the reader question whether this is fact or fiction.
August 24, 2020
A nsyeh through history...
The Brass Starling is a journey through some of America's least favorite history, yet told in a way that makes reading about the era tolerable. Peterson weaves characters around real historical figures and through human nature. There were a few delightful and insightful looks at Mother Nature, too.
If you have any interest in history or historic events, you might want to breeze through this novel.
The Brass Starling is a journey through some of America's least favorite history, yet told in a way that makes reading about the era tolerable. Peterson weaves characters around real historical figures and through human nature. There were a few delightful and insightful looks at Mother Nature, too.
If you have any interest in history or historic events, you might want to breeze through this novel.
September 5, 2020
Excellent story telling
This book captures the grit of the New York immigrant exerience. The hopeless cycle of poverty and the yearning of young women for a better life. I would have given 5 stars but for the unresolved ending.
This book captures the grit of the New York immigrant exerience. The hopeless cycle of poverty and the yearning of young women for a better life. I would have given 5 stars but for the unresolved ending.
December 1, 2020
A thoroughly interesting read, much better written and more detailed than I was expecting from a sci-fi novel. If anything, this book is a unique take on the genre. I used to live in the lower eastside of Manhattan so I’m a built-in audience for just such a book. I always find it fun to read about the history of my old neighborhood, learning of a time when New York City was truly the epicenter for science and social progress. The author does an outstanding job of placing the reader back in the days when people bought newspapers from little kids bellowing the headlines and the streets were mucked with horse dung from so many carriages. (I wasn’t even aware that Ayala Lostch was a real person until I came across the photograph of her within the text.) The novel’s only shortcomings are the abundance of characters which can be hard to keep track of. For instance, I had to flip back to remember who Yaakov was when he reappeared as Ayala’s suitor. There are also a few too many grand speeches made, bringing the narrative momentum to standstill. I also found myself glazing over spots where the dialogue becomes overstuffed with science jargon. However, I’ll take reading a book which tries too hard over a book which doesn’t try at all any day of the week. Definitely a recommended read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews