I really enjoyed this novel. It’s been on my reading list ever since I read glowing reviews of it from the New York Times and various blogs last year. It’s set in New York City in 1974 and centers around the day Philip Petite walked across a wire set between the World Trade Center towers (Man on Wire, a great documentary that came out a couple years ago details how Petite planned and executed his extraordinary walk).
The novel follows a set of characters whose lives intersect on that day and in the months and years that follow. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character – a young Irish monk, a prostitute, a wealthy Upper East Side housewife, a judge, a hippie painter, etc. They all come from very different walks of life, and it’s interesting to watch their lives intertwine with one another. I loved the descriptions of New York City, how different and kind of dangerous it was back then. The novel also touches upon 9/11 in a subtle way, I think. It shows a day that could have turned out tragic (i.e. what if Philip Petite had fallen or been knocked down) but turned out to be uplifting (his walk brought thousands of people on the streets of the city, cheering) unlike what happened decades later. I highly recommend this book; it's a really great read.
The novel follows a set of characters whose lives intersect on that day and in the months and years that follow. Each chapter is told from the perspective of a different character – a young Irish monk, a prostitute, a wealthy Upper East Side housewife, a judge, a hippie painter, etc. They all come from very different walks of life, and it’s interesting to watch their lives intertwine with one another. I loved the descriptions of New York City, how different and kind of dangerous it was back then. The novel also touches upon 9/11 in a subtle way, I think. It shows a day that could have turned out tragic (i.e. what if Philip Petite had fallen or been knocked down) but turned out to be uplifting (his walk brought thousands of people on the streets of the city, cheering) unlike what happened decades later. I highly recommend this book; it's a really great read.
3 comments:
I saw the documentary so I would def be interesting in reading this...thanks for the recommendation!
I saw the documentary too. It was an amazing feat that he accomplished. Although I will say the documentary was a bit drawn out, maybe the book had better pacing?
This is on my to read list! I'm glad to hear you liked it. I also think I should rent the documentary.
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