Lightning Keeper - Softcover

Lawrence, Starling

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0552777234 ISBN 13: 9780552777230

Publisher: Black Swan, 2011

Synopsis

The Lightning Keeper is a sweeping, epic novel of ambition, love, and enterprise in America. It is the story of an unlikely Romeo and Juliet romance at the dawn of the electric age, with the nation balancing on the brink of world war and a scientific revolution.

In 1914, Toma Pekocevic is a penniless immigrant in New York, recently escaped from the bloody politics of the Balkans that have claimed most of his family. He is also a gifted inventor who designs a revolutionary water turbine while working with Harriet Bigelow, scion of a proud Connecticut iron-making dynasty now fallen on hard times. Their attraction is immediate and overwhelming, but every circumstance is against them.

Toma is eventually drawn inside the industrial empire of General Electric, his machine an essential cog in its grand scheme to provide electricity to the entire country. His invention is all he has after losing Harriet to a wealthy politician, but Toma is determined to win her back, setting the stage for a confrontation that could change not only his life but the course of scientific progress.

Deeply evocative and utterly engrossing, The Lightning Keeper is a rich tapestry of technology, romance, and war -- an unforgettable and distinctly American saga that establishes Starling Lawrence as one of the most talented writers at work today.

Performed by Terence Aselford

About this title

About the Author:

Starling Lawrence is the editor in chief and vice chairman of W.W. Norton & Company. He is the author of the novel Montenegro and the story collection Legacies. He lives in New York City and northwestern Connecticut.

From AudioFile:

This fascinating story of a long-term romance, interwoven with the story of the creation of the alternating current power grid, is performed with professionalism and verve by Terence Aselford. Exotic European accents evolve over the course of this tale of inventor Toma Pekocevic and the love of his life, Harriet. Toma's invention, a water-powered turbine, revolutionizes electric generation. Aselford is especially effective at portraying the anguish experienced by Toma as he loses Harriet to a wealthy politician who realizes the genius of Toma's invention and pulls strings to bring power to the people. For readers not interested in a behind-the-scenes peek at the science of power production, there are two juicy love triangles. R.O. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: Black Swan
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0552777234
• ISBN 13: 9780552777230
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 544