Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all timePublished in 1975, Ragtime changed our very concept of what a novel could be. An extraordinary tapestry, Ragtime captures the spirit of America in the era between the turn of the century and the First World War. The story opens in 1906 in New Rochelle, New York, at the home of an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday … an affluent American family. One lazy Sunday afternoon, the famous escape artist Harry Houdini swerves his car into a telephone pole outside their house. And almost magically, the line between fantasy and historical fact, between real and imaginary characters, disappears. Henry Ford, Emma Goldman, J. P. Morgan, Evelyn Nesbit, Sigmund Freud, and Emiliano Zapata slip in and out of the tale, crossing paths with Doctorow’s imagined family and other fictional characters, including an immigrant peddler and a ragtime musician from Harlem whose insistence on a point of justice drives him to revolutionary violence.
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I love E.L. Doctorow, and Ragtime is one of his best. “Billy Bathgate” a close second. He really gets New York City.
“Writing is like driving a car at night. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”
A brilliant book.
This is the novel that made Doctorow’s reputation and made the historical novel cool again.
This book is easily the kind of book that people think of when they think of a “great American novel.” It transcends time and puts the reader squarely into turn of the century living in New York. This isn’t a common time period for authors to use, so it’s important that it is dramatized so well in this book. The author writes in a way that is hard to describe, a mix of 3rd person with almost a dissociated 1st person. It gives one the feel of observing everything that is happening, but not actually being a part of it. I think this enhances the “look back in time” feel of the book. The story itself is historical fiction, weaving fiction with fact so expertly, that it is hard to know where one ends and one begins. After finishing the book, I had to look up several of the characters to find out which ones were real and which ones were fictional. The book covers several different characters from different facets of life, all the characters eventually interweave into each others life. Racism and classism were normal at the time, and highlighted in the book. While the characters were all distinct in the book, none of them stood out at as main characters, rather they were all just part of the story of life at the turn of the century. The book is written intelligently and uses a variety of vocabulary not often found in books. The story lines are very intriguing and full of action and suspense, but this book is more about immersing oneself in the time period and culture, then it is about unique characters and storylines.
There are few more overrated writers of fiction than Doctorow. This time he’s far too contrived.
I enjoyed the historical perspectives offered in this book. The characters were memorable.
I liked this book. I had seen the Broadway musical several years ago and loved that, so I thought I would take the opportunity from Bookbub to read the novel. Some of the show was taken directly from the book. I was surprised to see that. I think the story and some of the factual evens are important, but I would have liked it to have been more in-depth. Doctorow’s characters are realistic, but I just wanted more.
Doctorow creates an amazing and seamless blend of characters, description, and action with historical haunting flavor.
Read about 50 pages. It was awful
I have re read this book and I don’t do that very often. Its place in the top 100 list is well deserved!
The first part of the book sets up the various characters and their backstories, then proceeds to interweave their storylines in a superb fashion.
It is definitely a good book club choice, or even class assignment for a 20th century history seminar. I can’t truthfully call it a page turner, but once he launches into the interconnections, it’s a compelling read
This is a book I have read many times. Each time I get something new out of it.
I read this book many, many years ago. I also saw it on the stage! WONDERFUL!!
At my age, I sometimes do not remember the story line or the characters, but I always do remember the feeling that I was left with after reading the book.
WONDERFUL!! I have just decided to download it and read it again. I suggest that you do too.
In his unforgettable novel Ragtime, E.L. Doctorow takes legendary figures such as J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, Harry Houdini, Emma Goldman, and Evelyn Nesbit and places them in a fictional context where their feats intersect with the lives of three families. Each of the families deals with hardships that come to symbolize the haunting sight of the First World War on the horizon. Doctorow uses these ordinary families to reflect the adversity faced by that generation at the turn of the 20th century. He places his characters in the turbulence of events throughout the history of New York City and allows their lives to intertwine with the lives of the celebrities of the era. Doctorow’s ecstatic language generates pace that allows the subject matter to flow like music from the page. History becomes mesmerizing and alive through the magic of Doctorow’s imagination. He reinvigorates the past by giving a fresh and new vision to a time and place. He reconfigures how history is shaped and shows how those with the right influence worked to shape it. Ragtime is one of those all-time unforgettable classics, remarkable in its creative wonder. Over his brilliant career, Doctorow has distinguished himself as a premier ambassador of American literature, and Ragtime depicts how he enchants American history and blurs the lines between fact and fiction with an imaginative spirit that places his vision in the realm of mythology.
Good enough to share in class discussions about immigration and diversity.
Great book!
The first half of this novel is slow going, but if you can get through that, the story takes off.
Good insight into the conditions of the rich and poor in 19th century Northeast.
Classic, remarkably well written, alas very current. Insightful to today’s twisted political landscape.
Best book. Best movie. Best musical.