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The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore - 5* - My Review

Set in New York and Pittsburgh in the late 1800s, this historical fiction tells the story of the (real) rivalry between George Westinghouse (proponent of alternating current) and Thomas Edison (proponent of direct current) in their battle over the establishment of an American standard electrical infrastructure. It covers the invention of the incandescent bulb, the largest patent lawsuit in history, and the story of the creation of General Electric. The protagonist is George Westinghouse’s lawyer, Paul Cravath. Other key players include inventor Nikola Tesla, financial magnate J.P. Morgan, and opera singer Agnes Huntington. (These characters are all real people of history.)

As the story opens, Cravath is a twenty-six-year-old attorney and a recent graduate of law school. Cravath is hired by Westinghouse to prosecute a patent-related lawsuit against Edison to prevent a monopoly on electric lighting. The central question to be answered in this legal dispute is: “Who invented the light bulb?” By the date of the lawsusit, 1878, low-quality lighting systems were being sold to cities and towns throughout the US, but gas lighting was much safer and more attractive. There was a huge potential market for an invention of a better lighting system so the results of the lawsuit would lead to great gains for the winner and great losses for the loser.

Edison’s side believed his patent covered any type of light bulb, and Cravath was charged with convincing the judge that Edison patented a specific lightbulb. One of the best characterizations in the novel is that of Nikola Tesla, who displays the eccentricities of genius. At one time Tesla worked for Edison, but left due to a falling out, and was hired by Westinghouse to design a better bulb. Tesla ultimately invented alternating current and the bulb that operated on it. This led to an escalation of the battle between Westinghouse and Edison over the rights to electricity generation and distribution. Eventually J.P. Morgan became involved in a clandestine deal that ended the debate.

This is one of those rare books that takes a business issue and its corresponding legal wranglings and turns it into a riveting story. In the Afterword, the author states that it is based on real events, but the author also engaged in educated guesses, dialogue fabrication, timeline compression, and dramatic renderings. It covers so much ground, including a new legal practice designed by Cravath, that became a model for future legal teams.

This book shows how close America came to using an inferior system. The characters of Edison, Westinghouse and Tesla, are very well crafted. It was easy to envision Edison’s grandstanding, Westinghouse’s devotion to quality, and Tesla’s laser focus on ideas. Even though they were far from cooperative team, the resulting electrical solution was a product of their combined interactions.

The writing is strong, creating dramatic scenes that are easy to envision. I found this book engrossing, and recommend it highly to those interested in business, history, invention, law, science, or technology. It was a trifecta for me – I love books that combine science, history, and compelling storytelling.

BWF Extra "L" tagged "historical mystery" x14:
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...

PBT Comments: This would be a good one to read for Steeplechase if you land on technology.

PBT Content Warning: (view spoiler)[There is a scene of cruelty to animals involving electrocution experiments, which were (unfortunately) a real part of history. The scene is easy to see coming and easy to skip over. (hide spoiler)]

I loved this book! I was totally drawn in with the combo of law, science, and history.

There is a street in my town named for Tesla!

I read this when it first came out-and I also liked it, wasn't writing reviews back then, but I am pretty sure I found it fascinating too that the legal/business side of it was not boring at all!

5 stars from Joyce is a real big deal-just saying😊

Nicole R wrote: "I loved this book! I was totally drawn in with the combo of law, science, and history."
So glad you loved it too!

Robin P wrote: "There is a street in my town named for Tesla!"
Very cool. There's a huge statue of him at Niagara Falls, which I saw a few years ago when I visited.

Joanne wrote: "I read this when it first came out-and I also liked it, wasn't writing reviews back then, but I am pretty sure I found it fascinating too that the legal/business side of it was not boring at all!
..."

I thought of you as I was reading and wondered if you had read it.

I think I put this on my TBR after you reviewed it, Nicole - it’s a great trifecta for me too. This has kicked me into trying to find it again. I feel a purchase coming on.

I really enjoyed this when I read it a few years ago. I remember that the book really brought the setting to life, and not wanting to put it down.