![]() That’s what happens when you’re living apart from your family. I didn’t just decide to review a book that I read awhile ago. ![]() But it fell very flat on the page, and was a weak ending for an otherwise wonderful book.įirst, yes, I did read this entire book in three days. Perhaps the poem would have been effective if read aloud by, say, Morgan Freeman or James Earl Jones. 2) Lewis concludes the book with an excerpt from a poem. Two quibbles: 1) there are many illustrations, including paintings of the "Hudson River School." Having them in color would have made their inclusion much more effective (though probably the cost would have been prohibitive). Whether or not one loves the Hudson, or has even seen the Hudson, this book will be an interesting read. He profiles some of the characters, well-known and obscure, who shaped life on the river's banks from the colonial period to the early 21st century. Lewis provides a view of the Hudson as the force of nature it is, as well as from artistic and historical perspectives. I have had this book on my TBR list since its publication, and thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Whether viewed from the vantage of car, train, boat or on foot, its beauty delighted me. I acquired a love for the Hudson during the years I lived in Manhattan. Lewis's book arms would-be travelers an understanding of and appreciation for that history, making it an especially essential read for anyone living in or visiting the area. The Hudson River Valley is gorgeous in the fall (I'd imagine it's pretty nice year-round), but there is more history here than perhaps anyplace in the entire United States. If your interest in history for history's sake, then Lewis skillfully explains the river's leading role in America's exploration, fight for independence, industrial and cultural development and awakening to the need to conserve and preserve our environment, and he does so without ever getting into the weeds, keeping the reader fully engaged and eager to learn what happens next. ![]() Too bad, because having this under my belt (along with not making the trek in midweek) would have made our visit to the area much more meaningful. In the event, we blew off our intended AirBnB stay in Tarrytown on Wednesday and headed for home a little earlier than we had intended.Ĭonsequently, I didn't get into Lewis' excellent history of the Hudson River and its denizens until we were safely home. I don't know if this is a seasonal thing or a Covid-related one, but it meant we were unable to experience Boscobel, Washington Irving's Sunnyside and several other sites we had hoped to see. Unfortunately, the Hudson River Valley shuts down tighter than a drum on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the two days we spent traveling through it. I took this book with me on a recent trip to New England, intending to start reading it on my return trip by way of the Hudson River Valley. Inviting us to view the river from a wider perspective than ever before, this entertaining and enlightening book is worthy of its grand subject. Their stories appear here, alongside those of such less famous individuals as the surveyor who found the source of the Hudson and the engineer who tried to build a hydroelectric plant at Storm King Mountain. Among those who have figured in the history of the Hudson are Benedict Arnold, Alexander Hamilton, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, the Astors and the Vanderbilts, and Thomas Cole of the Hudson River school. Their compelling narratives attest to the Hudson River’s distinctive place in American history and the American imagination. This book traces the course of the river through four centuries, recounting the stories of explorers and traders, artists and writers, entrepreneurs and industrialists, ecologists and preservationists-those who have been shaped by the river as well as those who have helped shape it. ![]() A vivid history of the Hudson River and how it has fired the American imagination for four hundred yearsįlowing through a valley of sublime scenery, the Hudson River uniquely connects America’s past with its present and future.
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