I loved this book. The last 50 or so pages were so gripping, I stayed up until 1 AM to finish reading it. I can't remember the last time I did that. I often doze off reading even good books.
Paradise Alley is an account of the 1863 Draft Riots in New York City. But it's so much more than that. Meticulously researched, the book provides detailed descriptions of daily life in Paradise Alley, famine in Ireland, and tactics of Civil War battles. The research never takes away from the narrative but enriches it.
Its story is told from multiple points of view, but focuses on three woman, Ruth, Deidre, and Maddy. They all live in Paradise Alley, but in some ways live in different worlds, until they band together to save themselves.
I can't wait to read more of Kevin Baker.
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