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The Strong City
The Strong City
541 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1942
77 people are currently reading
117 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Caldwell
122 books558 followers Also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner.
Taylor Caldwell was born in Manchester, England. In 1907 she emigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother. Her father died shortly after the move, and the family struggled. At the age of eight she started to write stories, and in fact wrote her first novel, The Romance of Atlantis, at the age of twelve (although it remained unpublished until 1975). Her father did not approve such activity for women, and sent her to work in a bindery. She continued to write prolifically, however, despite ill health. (In 1947, according to TIME magazine, she discarded and burned the manuscripts of 140 unpublished novels.)
In 1918-1919, she served in the United States Navy Reserve. In 1919 she married William F. Combs. In 1920, they had a daughter, Mary (known as "Peggy"). From 1923 to 1924 she was a court reporter in New York State Department of Labor in Buffalo, New York. In 1924, she went to work for the United States Department of Justice, as a member of the Board of Special Inquiry (an immigration tribunal) in Buffalo. In 1931 she graduated from SUNY Buffalo, and also was divorced from William Combs.
Caldwell then married her second husband, Marcus Reback, a fellow Justice employee. She had a second child with Reback, a daughter Judith, in 1932. They were married for 40 years, until his death in 1971.
In 1934, she began to work on the novel Dynasty of Death, which she and Reback completed in collaboration. It was published in 1938 and became a best-seller. "Taylor Caldwell" was presumed to be a man, and there was some public stir when the author was revealed to be a woman. Over the next 43 years, she published 42 more novels, many of them best-sellers. For instance, This Side of Innocence was the biggest fiction seller of 1946. Her works sold an estimated 30 million copies. She became wealthy, traveling to Europe and elsewhere, though she still lived near Buffalo.
Her books were big sellers right up to the end of her career. During her career as a writer, she received several awards.
She was an outspoken conservative and for a time wrote for the John Birch Society's monthly journal American Opinion and even associated with the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby. Her memoir, On Growing Up Tough, appeared in 1971, consisting of many edited-down articles from American Opinion.
Around 1970, she became interested in reincarnation. She had become friends with well-known occultist author Jess Stearn, who suggested that the vivid detail in her many historical novels was actually subconscious recollection of previous lives. Supposedly, she agreed to be hypnotized and undergo "past-life regression" to disprove reincarnation. According to Stearn's book, The Search of a Soul - Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives, Caldwell instead began to recall her own past lives - eleven in all, including one on the "lost continent" of Lemuria.
In 1972, she married William Everett Stancell, a retired real estate developer, but divorced him in 1973. In 1978, she married William Robert Prestie, an eccentric Canadian 17 years her junior. This led to difficulties with her children. She had a long dispute with her daughter Judith over the estate of Judith's father Marcus; in 1979 Judith committed suicide.
Also in 1979, Caldwell suffered a stroke, which left her unable to speak, though she could still write. (She had been deaf since about 1965.) Her daughter Peggy accused Prestie of abusing and exploiting Caldwell, and there was a legal battle over her substantial assets.
She died of heart failure in Greenwich, Conn
Taylor Caldwell was born in Manchester, England. In 1907 she emigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother. Her father died shortly after the move, and the family struggled. At the age of eight she started to write stories, and in fact wrote her first novel, The Romance of Atlantis, at the age of twelve (although it remained unpublished until 1975). Her father did not approve such activity for women, and sent her to work in a bindery. She continued to write prolifically, however, despite ill health. (In 1947, according to TIME magazine, she discarded and burned the manuscripts of 140 unpublished novels.)
In 1918-1919, she served in the United States Navy Reserve. In 1919 she married William F. Combs. In 1920, they had a daughter, Mary (known as "Peggy"). From 1923 to 1924 she was a court reporter in New York State Department of Labor in Buffalo, New York. In 1924, she went to work for the United States Department of Justice, as a member of the Board of Special Inquiry (an immigration tribunal) in Buffalo. In 1931 she graduated from SUNY Buffalo, and also was divorced from William Combs.
Caldwell then married her second husband, Marcus Reback, a fellow Justice employee. She had a second child with Reback, a daughter Judith, in 1932. They were married for 40 years, until his death in 1971.
In 1934, she began to work on the novel Dynasty of Death, which she and Reback completed in collaboration. It was published in 1938 and became a best-seller. "Taylor Caldwell" was presumed to be a man, and there was some public stir when the author was revealed to be a woman. Over the next 43 years, she published 42 more novels, many of them best-sellers. For instance, This Side of Innocence was the biggest fiction seller of 1946. Her works sold an estimated 30 million copies. She became wealthy, traveling to Europe and elsewhere, though she still lived near Buffalo.
Her books were big sellers right up to the end of her career. During her career as a writer, she received several awards.
She was an outspoken conservative and for a time wrote for the John Birch Society's monthly journal American Opinion and even associated with the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby. Her memoir, On Growing Up Tough, appeared in 1971, consisting of many edited-down articles from American Opinion.
Around 1970, she became interested in reincarnation. She had become friends with well-known occultist author Jess Stearn, who suggested that the vivid detail in her many historical novels was actually subconscious recollection of previous lives. Supposedly, she agreed to be hypnotized and undergo "past-life regression" to disprove reincarnation. According to Stearn's book, The Search of a Soul - Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives, Caldwell instead began to recall her own past lives - eleven in all, including one on the "lost continent" of Lemuria.
In 1972, she married William Everett Stancell, a retired real estate developer, but divorced him in 1973. In 1978, she married William Robert Prestie, an eccentric Canadian 17 years her junior. This led to difficulties with her children. She had a long dispute with her daughter Judith over the estate of Judith's father Marcus; in 1979 Judith committed suicide.
Also in 1979, Caldwell suffered a stroke, which left her unable to speak, though she could still write. (She had been deaf since about 1965.) Her daughter Peggy accused Prestie of abusing and exploiting Caldwell, and there was a legal battle over her substantial assets.
She died of heart failure in Greenwich, Conn
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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June 27, 2012An engrossing read. I first read it when I was in my 20's and somehow wanted to read it again. I'd be interested to read reviews of this novel from reviewers who read it when it was first published (1942). Wonder if this book was ever made into a movie... thinking about it, the plotting was disappointing. The author created Irmgard, a strong female love interest for Franz, but she wasn't fully developed or functional. The novel developed into psychological confrontations between Franz and his brother-in-law. Of course, this novel wasn't written during the age of feminism, so perhaps I'm conditioned to expect outspoken female characters when they're presented in a novel. Still a good read.
August 23, 2013
This is probably the lowest rating I've given a Taylor Caldwell book - she's an absolutely exceptional author. However, I'm not sure what it was about this one. I just disliked the protagonist far too much.
July 13, 2025
At first, this was a well written story about unique characters in a hard, gritty world. But by page 300 it was just paragraphs of people looking at each other and feeling great longing, despair, and judgement. This book has a lot of Gothic qualities to it, in that nobody feels "a little bit annoyed" or "slightly bothered". Every emotion is the absolute pinnacle of human possibility. Everyone hates each other and loves each other at the same time. The characters despise and admire the other's capacity for hate, while feeling contempt and loathing for them. It just gets exhausting, no one is likeable, I didn't feel invested in the outcome, I just trudged through the book.... With hate and passion and Teutonic fervor or whatever.
March 25, 2024
A good look at the early steel industry
As you would expect, Ms. Caldwell has crafted a remarkable look into the early steel industry. It very clearly defines how ambitious and driven men can resort to unspeakable acts to achieve their dreams! If you want to look into large scale industry, learn what it does to families and people it touches, you must read The Strong City!
As you would expect, Ms. Caldwell has crafted a remarkable look into the early steel industry. It very clearly defines how ambitious and driven men can resort to unspeakable acts to achieve their dreams! If you want to look into large scale industry, learn what it does to families and people it touches, you must read The Strong City!
September 2, 2023
This is a dated 1942 tale of American capitalism and its destruction of workers’ lives. It also features a heavy-handed psychological explanation of each character’s emotional life and leans heavily on plot while striking a constant, discordant note about American greed. Read half. That was enough.
May 20, 2010
Another Taylor Caldwell novel that I attempted many moons ago. I think this attempt will be successful.
5/19: It was. After getting off to a slow start, this becomes a very engrossing novel, although I have to say it didn't quite go where I thought it was headed - ultimately the novel's background of the steel industry takes second-stage to the personal relationships of the characters. Franz Stoessel is a character firmly in the mold of Ernest Barbour, Jules Bouchard, and Henri Bouchard (who appeared in DYNASTY OF DEATH, THE EAGLES GATHER, and THE FINAL HOUR) as well as Joseph Armagh (CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS) - men who know what they want (usually power and money) and go after it. And, of course, there's always a woman . . .
5/19: It was. After getting off to a slow start, this becomes a very engrossing novel, although I have to say it didn't quite go where I thought it was headed - ultimately the novel's background of the steel industry takes second-stage to the personal relationships of the characters. Franz Stoessel is a character firmly in the mold of Ernest Barbour, Jules Bouchard, and Henri Bouchard (who appeared in DYNASTY OF DEATH, THE EAGLES GATHER, and THE FINAL HOUR) as well as Joseph Armagh (CAPTAINS AND THE KINGS) - men who know what they want (usually power and money) and go after it. And, of course, there's always a woman . . .
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews