Graham Moore

When electric light innovator Thomas Edison sues his only remaining rival for patent infringement, George Westinghouse hires untested Columbia Law School graduate Paul Ravath for a case fraught with lies, betrayals, and deception.

A Novel

The Last Days of Night

Jackie Cunningham

If John Grisham was suddenly motivated to write historical fiction based heavily in the sciences - or if Grisham wrote and Andy Weir provided the science. Great, fast-paced read.

Patricia Nelson

I really enjoyed this book. I loved how the author used actual events and wove them together with some conjecture into a compelling storyline. I did not know the history of this time period or these inventors, and enjoyed learning about them. I appreciate the detailed description at the end by the author of what was real, what was moved around in time, and what was conjecture. This is our book club pick for March, and I'm excited to discuss it!

The impulse decision of all impulse decisions to read this book.

After watching the movie "The Current War" I was further interested in the interconnected history of Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse, and that's when this "Historical Fiction" presented itself, so twenty minutes after the movie ended I suddenly started reading.

Historical Fiction can be so good when it packs accurate history and the participating characters into a partially dramatized and compressed story.

The book compresses the Current War into two years (1888-1890) and revolves primarily around Edison's lawsuit against Westinghouse's alleged light bulb patent infringement. The story centers on protagonist and Westinghouse lawyer Paul Cravath - another real person.

At which points author Graham Moore has bent the true story somewhat, he summarizes in the epilogue in a sensible and comprehensible way.

An entertaining book with a great learning effect, which continued with reading several hours of Wikipedia.

Nick Bicko

4.5 stars.

The impulse decision of all impulse decisions to read this book.

After watching the movie "The Current War" I was further interested in the interconnected history of Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse, and that's when this "Historical Fiction" presented itself, so twenty minutes after the movie ended I suddenly started reading.

And it was worth it.

Historical Fiction can be so good when it packs accurate history and the participating characters into a partially dramatized and compressed story.

The book compresses the Current War into two years (1888-1890) and revolves primarily around Edison's lawsuit against Westinghouse's alleged light bulb patent infringement. The story centers on protagonist and Westinghouse lawyer Paul Cravath - another real person.

At which points author Graham Moore has bent the true story somewhat, he summarizes in the epilogue in a sensible and comprehensible way.

An entertaining book with a great learning effect, which continued with reading several hours of Wikipedia.

Amanda Wells

What a read... I picked this up on a whim at the library, with no expectations - only looking to read something that I hadn't looked up and therefore something I didn't have anyone else's opinions to go on. And I think I picked quite nicely! The story was unknown to me, and fascinating. I loved the crafting of the plot by Moore, and the entirely believable characterisation of both famous and non-famous people was enjoyable.

Of course, this being a fictionalised version of real events, there are several discrepencies and inaccuracies - but I believe it still gives an excellent coverage of the main themes and issues of the time. And the final chapter explains where and why Moore changed and imagined certain things - all for the sake of a narrative, which in this case was certainly successful. 

All in all I'd certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in a an historical narrative, or interested in the Current Wars. It was an easy and interesting read that illuminated (hehe) historical events I'd never paid much attention to.

Christian West

connor arnette

Callisone Dozier

siegs

John Manoogian III

Jen Sorenson

Drew Spartz

Cheri McElroy

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A thrilling novel based on actual events, about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America--from the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and author of The Sherlockian SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE STARRING EDDIE REDMAYNE 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 task facing Cravath is truly daunting -- win. And the stakes are immense: the winner of the case will illuminate America. 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... Praise for The Last Days of Night 'Moore weaves a complex web. . . He conjures Gilded Age New York City so vividly, it feels like only yesterday' Entertainment Weekly 'A model of superior historical fiction . . . Graham Moore digs deep into long-forgotten facts to give us an exciting, sometimes astonishing story of two geniuses locked in a brutal battle to change the world. . .[A] brilliant journey into the past'The Washington Post 'Mesmerizing, clever, and absolutely crackling...a beautifully researched, endlessly entertaining novel that will leave you buzzing' Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl 'Part legal thriller, part tour of a magical time - the age of wonder - and once you've finished it, you'll find it hard to return to the world of now' Erik Larson, author of The Devil in the White City

Jon Noronha

Rebecca Henry

Emily K McCullar

Barry Hess

Todd Gagne

Angi Cox

ANDY SLOPSEMA

"Originally published in hardcover in the United States by Random House, an imprint and division of Penguin Random house LLC, in 2016"--Title page verso.

The Last Days of Night A Novel

Reviews