METROPOLIS, Elizabeth Gaffney

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Enter the world of New York City in the late 19th century. Cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages, the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge ... Life isn't easy, especially for an immigrant. This imaginative story gives an in-depth view of what life was like in the city at that time.

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Synopsis: Frank Harris has lived many lives and carried different names. From his childhood in Germany to his arrival in New York City to his unfortunate association with the Whyo gang ... with each turn of bad luck, he enters a new chapter of his life. We identify with his desire to live an honest life, but things keep getting complicated.

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My Thoughts: This is such an interesting book! From the beginning, I felt immersed in the daily life of New York at the cusp of its greatness. I was with the main character through his turns of luck ... his accomplishments and his setbacks. There is quite a cast of characters, some charming and others dispicable. Reading this book made me want to see Gangs of New York again, because although I saw it several years ago, I have some images in my mind of the setting, which is the same. And although it's a different time and place from my life, it's easy to identify with the root of the story.

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rating: ****
read: December 2008 - January 2009
source: English Language Library in Angers (borrowed)