Heyday by Kurt Andersen
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Author Kurt Andersen has really done his homework. Who knew how important the year 1848 was? You will after reading this large novel that covers New York, Paris, London, and San Francisco. 1848 was the year of the second Paris revolution, the year gold was discovered out West, the second year of the coffin ships from Ireland and the first women’s convention in Seneca Falls.
Three characters drive the novel along with their assorted friends and family. Duff Lucking is a volunteer fireman, former member of the Saint Patrick’s Battalion, and a pyromaniac. Timothy Skaggs is a journalist, pulp novelist and photography (daguerreotypes) enthusiast. And Benajmain Knowles, lately of England, is an independently wealthy fan of America. They all meet in New York and it is through their lives and the lives of their families, friends and enemies that we come to really know the year 1848.
The fun of this novel is in the details. Did you know that NYC, Buffalo and Albany were all on different times? Cities and states could choose their own time zone. What drew cities to get standardized times was the proliferation of the railroad. The majority of the action does occur in New York City and Andersen creates a very real and vibrant place. You can follow his characters as they walk down streets you’ve heard of (Broadway, Park Avenue) and down streets you don’t know. The horrendous living conditions for everyone, well, not John Jacob Astor, but children and women are horrific. Clean distributed water had just begun in 1842 and many places advertised that they had it. Of course they charged you for it.
Real people, though highly fictionalized, also make an appearance: Horace Greely, Allan Pinkerton, Matthew Brady (Civil War photographer) and Charles Darwin.
At about 620 pages the novel could have lopped off 100 without really losing much. It became harder for Andersen to keep up the frenetic detailed pace of the characters when they start traveling across country. Covered wagons, horses, trains, etc., just couldn’t go that fast. But the first 500 pages are a treat to read. - mingh