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timeywriter 's review for:
The Last Days of Night
by Graham Moore
Fascinating, absolutely fascinating. To read of the lives of the geniuses who invented, created, and patented the light bulb was so interesting. In a time which innovation was key and the first man with a patent was the winner, this novel provided an in depth look at the stories only briefly told in history books.
Paul Cravath is a young attorney who has just been handed his single and biggest client, George Westinghouse who is being sued by the famous Thomas Edison concerning his patent for the light bulb. I thought that this novel would be a trifle of legalities and the boring nonsense of pretentious men unable to leave their egos at the door. And while a good deal of this novel was just that, it was also an intriguing tale that involved the very fundamentals of how corporations started and still run today. Joining the mix was Nikola Tesla, a personal favorite of mine who was portrayed splendidly, and several historical figures including J.P. Morgan. Of course, there was the side story of a love interest for our main character, Paul, but such is the way of keeping things going some times. It didn't hinder anything, in fact Agnes Huntington proved to be a vital instigator of the plot instead of just a useless girl in the background, which was refreshing. The root of this novel was the ambitions of men in the dawn of the electric age and what they were willing to do to light the world. It was astounding that even as everyone won, it was still a loss to many. And, like Agnes, I cared deeply for Tesla, despite knowing the outcome of his history. Some men deserve better and this told the story of all of them.
Without a doubt, this novel was very engaging and kept me reading. It was a look into an era of history I have not previously read about and found absolutely interesting. Though, in the end, men are simply unbelievable when it comes to their business schemes. A theme that stays with us even today.
Paul Cravath is a young attorney who has just been handed his single and biggest client, George Westinghouse who is being sued by the famous Thomas Edison concerning his patent for the light bulb. I thought that this novel would be a trifle of legalities and the boring nonsense of pretentious men unable to leave their egos at the door. And while a good deal of this novel was just that, it was also an intriguing tale that involved the very fundamentals of how corporations started and still run today. Joining the mix was Nikola Tesla, a personal favorite of mine who was portrayed splendidly, and several historical figures including J.P. Morgan. Of course, there was the side story of a love interest for our main character, Paul, but such is the way of keeping things going some times. It didn't hinder anything, in fact Agnes Huntington proved to be a vital instigator of the plot instead of just a useless girl in the background, which was refreshing. The root of this novel was the ambitions of men in the dawn of the electric age and what they were willing to do to light the world. It was astounding that even as everyone won, it was still a loss to many. And, like Agnes, I cared deeply for Tesla, despite knowing the outcome of his history. Some men deserve better and this told the story of all of them.
Without a doubt, this novel was very engaging and kept me reading. It was a look into an era of history I have not previously read about and found absolutely interesting. Though, in the end, men are simply unbelievable when it comes to their business schemes. A theme that stays with us even today.