The Waterworks

A Novel

By: E.L. Doctorow

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

“An elegant page-turner of nineteenth-century detective fiction.”
–The Washington Post Book World

One rainy morning in 1871 in lower Manhattan, Martin Pemberton a freelance writer, sees in a passing stagecoach several elderly men, one of whom he recognizes as his supposedly dead and buried father. While trying to unravel the mystery, Pemberton disappears, sending McIlvaine, his employer, the editor of an evening paper, in pursuit of the truth behind his freelancer’s fate. Layer by layer, McIlvaine reveals a modern metropolis surging with primordial urges and sins, where the Tweed Ring operates the city for its own profit and a conspicuously self-satisfied nouveau-riche ignores the poverty and squalor that surrounds them. In E. L. Doctorow’s skilled hands, The Waterworks becomes, in the words of The New York Times, “a dark moral tale . . . an eloquently troubling evocation of our past.”

“Startling and spellbinding . . . The waters that lave the narrative all run to the great confluence, where the deepest issues of life and death are borne along on the swift, sure vessel of [Doctorow’s] poetic imagination.”
–The New York Times Book Review

“Hypnotic . . . a dazzling romp, an extraordinary read, given strength and grace by the telling, by the poetic voice and controlled cynical lyricism of its streetwise and world-weary narrator.”
–The Philadelphia Inquirer

“A gem of a novel, intimate as chamber music . . . a thriller guaranteed to leave readers with residual chills and shudders.”
–Boston Sunday Herald

“Enthralling . . . a story of debauchery and redemption that is spellbinding from first page to last.”
–Chicago Sun-Times

“An immense, extraordinary achievement.”
–San Francisco Chronicle

Good book with a potential to be great

Great narrator, Good Story but too many jumps into sub stories that can be hard to follow. But I will definitely recommend it

Great Prose

The premise intrigued me enough to listen to the entire book to find out what was going on, but I did get a bit bored in the middle. It moved at a snail's pace and didn't seem to pick up until near the end. Overall an interesting and well written story. I appreciated the thoughtful nature of the prose, and the usage of complex yet digestible vocabulary.

Bizarre story

Newspaper editor McIlvaine tells the story of his freelance writer, Martin Pemberton who one day sees his supposedly dead father riding around in a stagecoach in the company of several other old men. When McIlvaine notices that the younger Pemberton has himself disappeared, he sets out to find him – a thing not easily done in the New York City of the days of the Tweed Ring. McIlvaine seeks help from one of the few honest policemen in the city at the time, and together they uncover the bizarre story of a few wealthy men who wanted to live forever.

Narrator Mark Bramhall does an excellent job with the narration. Very clear and easy to understand.

History, mystery, and Drama

What did you love best about The Waterworks?

Amazing story with excellent historical underpinnings. Doctorow weaves a tale that combines a mystery with characters who ask the big questions.

Any additional comments?

This book is one of Doctorow's best books and a great joy to listen to . The reader is wonderful and does the story proud. It would be a page turner if we weren't listening to it.
Quite terrific and fun and absolutely engaging.

Literary Mystery/Horror of the Finest Order

A masterfully written, lyrical thriller about the rotting evils of American greed and industry and knowledge-making.