The Alienist
4 journalers for this copy...
This is one of the best books I've read in a while. My online bookclub chose this for our May 2005 read, and I'm really glad that we did. It kept my interest, and Carr's writing style is good enough to make me want to read more of his books.
Paperback, 599 pages
Synopsis:
The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels.
The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology—amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before and will kill again before the hunt is over.
Fast-paced and gripping, infused with a historian's exactitude, The Alienist conjures up the Gilded Age and its untarnished underside: verminous tenements and opulent mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. Here is a New York during an age when questioning society's belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and mortal consequences.
Caleb Carr is a contributing editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History and the series editor of the Modern Library War Series. His military and political writings have appeared in numerous magazines and periodicals, among them The World Policy Journal, The New York Times, and Time. He currently lives in upstate New York.
Paperback, 599 pages
Synopsis:
The year is 1896, the place, New York City. On a cold March night New York Times reporter John Schuyler Moore is summoned to the East River by his friend and former Harvard classmate Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, a psychologist, or "alienist." On the unfinished Williamsburg Bridge, they view the horribly mutilated body of an adolescent boy, a prostitute from one of Manhattan's infamous brothels.
The newly appointed police commissioner, Theodore Roosevelt, in a highly unorthodox move, enlists the two men in the murder investigation, counting on the reserved Kreizler's intellect and Moore's knowledge of New York's vast criminal underworld. They are joined by Sara Howard, a brave and determined woman who works as a secretary in the police department. Laboring in secret (for alienists, and the emerging discipline of psychology, are viewed by the public with skepticism at best), the unlikely team embarks on what is a revolutionary effort in criminology—amassing a psychological profile of the man they're looking for based on the details of his crimes. Their dangerous quest takes them into the tortured past and twisted mind of a murderer who has killed before and will kill again before the hunt is over.
Fast-paced and gripping, infused with a historian's exactitude, The Alienist conjures up the Gilded Age and its untarnished underside: verminous tenements and opulent mansions, corrupt cops and flamboyant gangsters, shining opera houses and seamy gin mills. Here is a New York during an age when questioning society's belief that all killers are born, not made, could have unexpected and mortal consequences.
Caleb Carr is a contributing editor of MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History and the series editor of the Modern Library War Series. His military and political writings have appeared in numerous magazines and periodicals, among them The World Policy Journal, The New York Times, and Time. He currently lives in upstate New York.
On its way to bestwhenfresh.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Recieved in the mail today from a fellow BC'er... THANKS
Offered it up on PaperBackSwap.com to get it moving and not sitting in a box not being read.
Off to Sherria in CT via a BookRelay!
ENJOY!
ENJOY!
Arrived this weekend. Thanks so much for sharing this book. I have the sequel, Angel of Darkness, and it's been sitting on Mt. TBR for much too long. Now that I have this one, I expect I'll get them both read much sooner.
I've heard good things about this book, so I'm really looking forward to it.
I've heard good things about this book, so I'm really looking forward to it.
What a wonderful book! I've tried several times to read Carr's sequel to this book, Angel of Darkness, and haven't managed to get through the first chapter. When I picked up this book I was expecting similarly "heavy" writing, but that wasn't the case. The Alienist drew me in quite quickly and while it wasn't a fast and easy read, it was enjoyable throughout.
Carr's characters are complex and intriguing. They were well fleshed out and mostly believable. Not knowing much about that period in history, I couldn't form an opinion about how authentic they were, but they felt realistic. It was fun to read about how people like Theodore Roosevelt might have been in the days before they were famous. Carr made them very human and real.
I enjoyed reading about NYC at the turn of the century and comparing it to the city that I regularly visit now. I could easily picture NYC at that time period, both the physical geography and the social/cultural aspects due to the wonderful descriptions.
The plot was fast paced and intriguing. It was fascinating to read about what the advent of what are now such commonplace techniques, such as fingerprint analysis, psychological profiling, and other forensic techniques. I often forget that it really wasn't so long ago that such things were ridiculed and we didn't have the benefit of the things that they can reveal. I'm certainly glad that there have been advances in psychology and the treatment of mental illness since the turn of the century!
I'm looking forward to tackling Angel of Darkness again, now that I have a "relationship" with some of the characters and a little background.
Thanks for sharing this with me b-flat-78!
Carr's characters are complex and intriguing. They were well fleshed out and mostly believable. Not knowing much about that period in history, I couldn't form an opinion about how authentic they were, but they felt realistic. It was fun to read about how people like Theodore Roosevelt might have been in the days before they were famous. Carr made them very human and real.
I enjoyed reading about NYC at the turn of the century and comparing it to the city that I regularly visit now. I could easily picture NYC at that time period, both the physical geography and the social/cultural aspects due to the wonderful descriptions.
The plot was fast paced and intriguing. It was fascinating to read about what the advent of what are now such commonplace techniques, such as fingerprint analysis, psychological profiling, and other forensic techniques. I often forget that it really wasn't so long ago that such things were ridiculed and we didn't have the benefit of the things that they can reveal. I'm certainly glad that there have been advances in psychology and the treatment of mental illness since the turn of the century!
I'm looking forward to tackling Angel of Darkness again, now that I have a "relationship" with some of the characters and a little background.
Thanks for sharing this with me b-flat-78!
Gave this to a friend to read and release.