Synopses & Reviews
A rich historical and personal portrait of Manhattan from the bestselling writer who is for many the living embodiment of the city.
Manhattan, the keystone of New York City, is a place of ghosts and buried memory. One can still see remnants of the British colony, the mansions of the robber barons, and the speakeasies of the 1920s. These are the places that have captivated the imaginations of writers for centuries. Now Pete Hamill brings his unique knowledge and deep love of the city to a New York chronicle like no other.
During his 40 years as a newspaperman, Pete Hamill has been getting to know Manhattan's neighborhoods and inhabitants intimately, bearing witness to their greatest triumphs and tragedies. From the winding, bohemian streets of Greenwich Village to the seedy alleyways of the meatpacking district and to the weathered cobblestones of South Street Seaport, Hamill peels back the layers of history to reveal the citys past, present, and future.
More than just history or reporting, this is an elegy by a native son who has lived through some of New Yorks most historic moments, and who continues to call this magnificent, haunted city his home.
Review
"[A] delightfully personal, robustly informative portrait of New York....A marvelous read for anyone who has a hometown." Booklist
Review
"[A] delightful, informative, and elegantly shaded account....A finely etched and hand-colored portrait from one of those rare reporters who has lived long and hard in his beat." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Hamill's brilliant tribute to the city he loves. It is part history, part memoir, and part elegy....This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand this great city or is planning a visit." BookReporter
Review
"[H]ardly essential, but thoroughly engaging, a hard-to-categorize series of elegies strung together, neighborhood by storied neighborhood." Miami Herald
Synopsis
More than just history or reporting, this is an elegy by a native son who has lived through some of New York's most historic moments, and continues to call this magnificent, haunted city his home.
Synopsis
In Downtown, Pete Hamill leads us on an unforgettable journey through the city he loves, from the island's southern tip to Times Square, combining a moving memoir of his days and nights in New York with a passionate history of its most enduring places and people.
About the Author
Pete Hamill started his career at the New York Post in 1960. He is the author of seven novels and two collections of stories, and his writing has appeared in most national magazines. He has been a columnist for many years, and currently writes for New York's Daily News. He lives in New York City with his wife, writer Fukiko Aoki.