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By Gaslight

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'By Gaslight' by Steven Price is a historical novel set in London and America, focusing on the mystery surrounding Edward Shade and the complex relationship between fathers and sons. The book is known for its atmospheric writing style, intricate storytelling, and lack of traditional punctuation such as quotation marks, which may initially confuse readers but eventually adds depth to the characters' interior lives. The narrative weaves between different time periods and locations, immersing readers in the gaslit streets of London, civil war battles, and eerie séances, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected stories and memories.

Characters:

Players in the story have complex emotional arcs but are generally viewed as unappealing or self-absorbed.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is challenging yet immersive, characterized by rich descriptions, unusual grammar choices, and an absence of quotation marks.

Plot/Storyline:

The story weaves a complex narrative set across different locations and timelines, focusing on mysteries involving familial relationships and emotional struggles.

Setting:

The novel is set against a backdrop of a bleak and oppressive 19th century London, with significant scenes in America and South Africa.

Pacing:

The pacing is notably sluggish, which can deter some readers but invites deep contemplation.
He wore his black moustaches long in the manner of an outlaw and his right thumb hooked at his hip where a Colt Navy should have hung. He was not yet forty but already his left knee went stiff in a da...

Notes:

The book is set in late 19th century London, particularly in 1885.
The author vividly describes London's gloomy atmosphere, including fog, rain, and squalor.
The narrative includes elements from American history and South Africa, but they feel disconnected.
The story is said to move at an extremely slow pace, with long descriptive passages.
There are no quotation marks used in the dialogue, which can be confusing for readers.
The book is over 720 pages long, challenging both in length and in style due to the lack of punctuation.
Characters are portrayed as dislikable and consumed by their own depression.
The theme of the book revolves around fathers and sons, exploring their complex relationships.
The book features historical figures like Allan Pinkerton and weaves in elements of detective fiction.
Despite its challenges, readers find the atmospheric writing captivating and poetic.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Triggers and content warnings include themes of depression, violence from war, and general squalor and darkness associated with the environment.

From The Publisher:

A literary tour de force of a detective's ceaseless hunt for an elusive criminal.

By Gaslight is a deeply atmospheric, haunting audiobook about the unending quest that has shaped a man's life.

William Pinkerton is already famous, the son of the most notorious detective of all time, when he descends into the underworld of Victorian London in pursuit of a new lead on the fabled con Edward Shade. William's father died without ever finding Shade, but William is determined to drag the thief out of the shadows.

Adam Foole is a gentleman without a past, haunted by a love affair 10 years gone. When he receives a letter from his lost beloved, he returns to London to find her. What he learns of her fate - and its connection to the man known as Shade - will force him to confront a grief he thought long buried.

A fog-enshrouded hunt through sewers, opium dens, drawing rooms, and séance halls ensues, creating the most unlikely of bonds: between Pinkerton, the great detective; and Foole, the one man who may hold the key to finding Edward Shade.

Steven Price's dazzling, riveting By Gaslight moves from the diamond mines of South Africa to the battlefields of the Civil War on a journey into a cityscape of grief, trust, and its breaking, where what we share can bind us even against our darker selves.

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1 comment(s)

It Was OK
5 days

I do love to read mystery set in victorian times but they are not as easy to find as I would like them to be. So I was super excited and even more so when I realized it was a big chunky one. But unfortunately it was rather a lukewarm reading experience. Not bad but for the the size and the time spent on this book it didn't feel like it was a time we'll spent.

 
 
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