The Last Days of Night: A NovelNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A world of invention and skulduggery, populated by the likes of Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla.”—Erik Larson “A model of superior historical fiction . . . an exciting, sometimes astonishing story.”—The Washington Post From Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian, comes a thrilling novel—based on actual events—about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America. New York, 1888. Gas lamps still flicker in the city streets, but the miracle of electric light is in its infancy. The person who controls the means to turn night into day will make history—and a vast fortune. A young untested lawyer named Paul Cravath, fresh out of Columbia Law School, takes a case that seems impossible to win. Paul’s client, George Westinghouse, has been sued by Thomas Edison over a billion-dollar question: Who invented the light bulb and holds the right to power the country? The case affords Paul entry to the heady world of high society—the glittering parties in Gramercy Park mansions, and the more insidious dealings done behind closed doors. The task facing him is beyond daunting. Edison is a wily, dangerous opponent with vast resources at his disposal—private spies, newspapers in his pocket, and the backing of J. P. Morgan himself. Yet this unknown lawyer shares with his famous adversary a compulsion to win at all costs. How will he do it? In obsessive pursuit of victory, Paul crosses paths with Nikola Tesla, an eccentric, brilliant inventor who may hold the key to defeating Edison, and with Agnes Huntington, a beautiful opera singer who proves to be a flawless performer on stage and off. As Paul takes greater and greater risks, he’ll find that everyone in his path is playing their own game, and no one is quite who they seem. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER “A satisfying romp . . . Takes place against a backdrop rich with period detail . . . Works wonderfully as an entertainment . . . As it charges forward, the novel leaves no dot unconnected.”—Noah Hawley, The New York Times Book Review |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - nwieme - LibraryThingThis was SO INTERESTING! Although Historical Fiction, there's a great online comparison timeline for the "re-arrangement" of some of the facts. All of the major characters were real people- and it was eye-opening! REALLY ENJOYED THIS READ. What a BUNCH OF JERKS hahahaha... brilliant, jerks! Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - jfe16 - LibraryThingThis fictional retelling of the rivalry between George Westinghouse and Thomas Edison reads more like a screenplay than a novel. The story hits all the right notes when it focuses on the science, but ... Read full review
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Common terms and phrases
Agnes Huntington Agnes's Alexander Graham Bell alternating current asked Paul attorney Batchelor Bell better build Carter and Hughes chair cHAPTER Charles Batchelor client Coffin desk device dinner direct current door Edison's patent engineers Erastus eyes face Fannie father Fessenden filament fire floor George Westinghouse going guests hand Harold Brown Henry Jayne idea imagine invented inventor J. P. Morgan Kemmler knew laboratory lamp lawyer light bulb Manhattan Marguerite Miss Huntington mother never night Nikola Tesla partners Paul and Agnes Paul Cravath Paul felt Paul found Paul looked Paul realized Paul thought Paul turned Paul watched Paul's problem Reginald Fessenden seemed sell Serrell smile someone Stanford White stared STEVE Jobs stood sure tell thing Thomas Edison tinghouse told took trying weeks Westinghouse Electric Company William Kemmler wire word York
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Last Days of Night: A Novel |
| Author | Graham Moore |
| Publisher | Random House Publishing Group, 2016 |
| ISBN | 0812988914, 9780812988918 |
| Length | 384 pages |
| Subjects | › › Fiction / Historical / General Fiction / Thrillers / Historical Fiction / Thrillers / Legal |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |