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Banished Children of Eve A Novel of Civil War New York Peter Quinn 9780140230031 Books

Download As PDF : Banished Children of Eve A Novel of Civil War New York Peter Quinn 9780140230031 Books

Banished Children of Eve A Novel of Civil War New York Peter Quinn 9780140230031 Books

As the author of a historical novel that is also set during the Civil War, I was blown away by the magnificently researched depiction of the times in The Banished Children of Eve. It’s hard to believe that author Peter Quinn was not actually alive in 1863, and a witness to New York during the Civil War: to the newly built mansions and to the shanty towns, to the concert saloons and orphanages, to the theaters and the railway cars which were switched from steam engines to horsepower when entering downtown streets. He has written a novel grand in its scope, and one that left me with a significantly greater understanding of the economic unfairness that lay behind the New York City Draft Riots. I had actually included a scene in my own novel depicting the murderous attacks on black men, women and children – even on the Colored Orphan Asylum - by white mobs of predominantly Irish immigrants. But I hadn't truly understood the cruelty of the economic system that literally starved poor Irish families, thus pitting impoverished white immigrants against similarly impoverished blacks for jobs that paid a mere pittance. The poor were kept at each others' throats – and out of banding together in unions – while no one but the Robber Barons profited.

The novel is richly populated with characters both poor and rich, from freed blacks to recent immigrants, and from various walks of society, both fictional characters and real historical ones, such as beloved composer Stephen Foster. But just as the reader is becoming invested in any particular character, the narrative shifts to a flashback of his or her father, mother or great grandparents or to another character altogether. This is not a book for readers who want a tightly plotted story, and it can make for some slow reading. But for those who want a panoramic picture of the times and the great city beset by riots over the passage of the Civil War draft law, it excels.


Tags : Banished Children of Eve, A Novel of Civil War New York [Peter Quinn] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. On the eve of the Union army's military draft, an opportunistic Irish-American hustler, a scheming Yankee stockbroker,Peter Quinn,Banished Children of Eve, A Novel of Civil War New York,Penguin,0140230033,Literary,New York (N.Y.);History;Civil War, 1861-1865;Fiction.,New York (N.Y.);History;Fiction,AMERICAN HISTORICAL FICTION,Civil War, 1861-1865,FICTION Historical General,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction Historical,Fiction Literary,Fiction-Historical,GENERAL,General Adult,Historical - General,History,Modern fiction,New York,New York (N.Y.)

Banished Children of Eve A Novel of Civil War New York Peter Quinn 9780140230031 Books Reviews

This is so well written. Even though I was frustrated by the 10th jump to another new cast of characters, the writing flowed so well I kept reading. Lost connections completely about 3/4 way through. Kept expecting it to all get tied back together with some gentle reminders of who the many many characters from past chapters were. The ending isn't an ending at all but rather a hodge podge of bizarre futurist endings. Please keep writing but try outlining the story line.
Peter Quinn's "Banished Children of Eve, A Novel of Civil War New York" is everything that historical fiction should be. It is an engaging story laced with characters drawn from history, intertwined with the author's own characters. The result is a novel on an epic scale which captures the gritty flavor of Civil War era Manhattan.

Readers of Doctorow's "Ragtime" or Baker's "Paradise Alley" or Delillo's "Underworld" will find themselves in familiar terrain here. Those not familiar with this type of prose may be put off by the insertion of history into the narrative or may wonder at how exact this history is. There is no doubting the precision of any of Quinn's research. Reading this book hot on the heels of Barnet Schecter's "The Devil's Own Work", I can make that assertion with utmost confidence.

But this, in no way, is meant to take away from the other element of the novel, and that is the sympathy we have for most of the characters. The financier, the archibishop and his assistant, the minstrel player, the maid, the barkeep, and the man who frames the book, James Dunne, breaking/entering and yegg specialist. In no other novel, in my opinion, is the plight of the famine Irish and the generation that followed more poignantly and dramatically portrayed. This book has been in print for over ten years. These are just some of the reasons for that.

Rocco Dormarunno

author of The Five Points, a Novel
For generations historians studied the lives of elite white men in order to compile a record of the past. Starting in the 1950's, historians began using the "bottoms up" approach to history wherein they looked at the lives of individual persons at the lower end of the tradional social order. Traditionally historians considered the center of the society - kings, leaders, rulers - as the controlling force. More recent historians argue that the periphery, that is the persons of what was usually called the fringes of the society, controls the center.
Peter Quinn ably uses this approach in his novel BANISHED CHILDREN OF EVE. In considering life in mid 19th century New York City, he explains the prejudice that existed between the Irish and the Black community on an economic level which makes it understandable. While not justifying the acts of violence, the reader comes to see the blight of the underclass. The reader comes to identify with the overworked housemaid, petty criminal, homeless orphan and free black. One sees the corruption in the society. The upper clas is not romanticized but shown as the oppressors.
The Civil War affected major changes in the lives of most Americans. Quinn shows the changes in the lives of the major characters in the book. Through the eyes of these characters the reader sees the emergence of the middle class, which was one of the major impacts of the War. There are Horatio Alger stories in the book but not in the tradtional sense. The reader also sees the brutality of life in 19th Century society. Death and separation from parents and realtives were a common experience. The use of alcohol was common and one can see why the Temperance Movement became so important by the end of the century. And prostitution is shown as the only way out for many women. But some women do get out of it.
Students read about the brutality of slavery and as a African American and a student of African American history I am in no way trying to diminish the horrors of America's "peculiar institution." Slaves lacked all rights and had no freecom to lave their masters. Family members were sold and never seen again. But when you look at the lives of the working poor in New York during much of the 19th Century, there are many parallels. The horros of the middle passage are unspeakable but the horrors of many immigrant ships were terrible also.
Historian Nell Painter argues a theory of "Soul Murder." She aruges that the effects of slavery were so damaging to all of American Society, both black and white, that we are still feeling it today. She argues that the dysfunctional families of today are the result of the violence experiences of both black and while children during the 19th century. Her argument is interesting, but in it she fails to consider the effects on white society of such events as orphan children shipped West, the abandoned family as a result of immigration, alcoholism and death. Surely these events have long range consequences in contemporary society. Quinn includes all of these in his marvelous book.
By way of criticism I thought the book was a tad long. The story of the priest did not seem to add anything to the story and in my humble opinion could have been left out. Some of the sub plots got a little wordy. The point was made and the author could have moved on. I assume that Stephen Foster is used as an example of someone that falls from the upper class to the lower class whereas Bedford is a person that moves up. I'm not sure that Quinn does such a good job of wrapping up the story. In a sense the novel is kind of a look at a period of time in the lives of the characters. The reader is left to speculate as to the rest of their lives.
I first heard about this book when Quinn was interviewed on Public Radio. I bought it and started it and then left it on the shelf for a year or so until I saw in a recommended section in my local book store. That caused me to start it again. Once you get about 50 pages into the book it really kicks in and is a fascinating read. I high recommend BANISHED CHILDREN OF EVE to the student of American History and those interested in the study of Irish immigration.
As the author of a historical novel that is also set during the Civil War, I was blown away by the magnificently researched depiction of the times in The Banished Children of Eve. It’s hard to believe that author Peter Quinn was not actually alive in 1863, and a witness to New York during the Civil War to the newly built mansions and to the shanty towns, to the concert saloons and orphanages, to the theaters and the railway cars which were switched from steam engines to horsepower when entering downtown streets. He has written a novel grand in its scope, and one that left me with a significantly greater understanding of the economic unfairness that lay behind the New York City Draft Riots. I had actually included a scene in my own novel depicting the murderous attacks on black men, women and children – even on the Colored Orphan Asylum - by white mobs of predominantly Irish immigrants. But I hadn't truly understood the cruelty of the economic system that literally starved poor Irish families, thus pitting impoverished white immigrants against similarly impoverished blacks for jobs that paid a mere pittance. The poor were kept at each others' throats – and out of banding together in unions – while no one but the Robber Barons profited.

The novel is richly populated with characters both poor and rich, from freed blacks to recent immigrants, and from various walks of society, both fictional characters and real historical ones, such as beloved composer Stephen Foster. But just as the reader is becoming invested in any particular character, the narrative shifts to a flashback of his or her father, mother or great grandparents or to another character altogether. This is not a book for readers who want a tightly plotted story, and it can make for some slow reading. But for those who want a panoramic picture of the times and the great city beset by riots over the passage of the Civil War draft law, it excels.