The Waterworks
The Waterworks by E. L. Doctorow, published by Macmillan in 1994, is a historical fiction novel comprising 245 pages. Set in lower Manhattan during a rainy morning in 1871, the story follows Martin Pemberton, a freelance writer who encounters a stagecoach containing several elderly men, including one he believes to be his deceased father. As Pemberton attempts to uncover the mystery surrounding this encounter, he mysteriously disappears, prompting his employer, McIlvaine, the editor of an evening paper, to investigate the circumstances of his fate.
Readers will find a narrative that delves into the complexities of city life, revealing a modern metropolis rife with primordial urges and sins. As McIlvaine peels back the layers of the city, he exposes the corrupt operations of the Tweed Ring and the stark contrast between the wealthy nouveau-riche and the surrounding poverty. The Waterworks presents a vivid exploration of historical themes intertwined with the personal quest for truth, making it a significant addition to the literary landscape of its time.
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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 freelancers 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.
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