City on Fire
First edition (US)
AuthorGarth Risk Hallberg
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreFiction
PublisherAlfred A. Knopf (US)
Jonathan Cape (UK)
Publication date
2015
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages927
ISBN978-0-385-35377-9

City on Fire is a 2015 novel by Garth Risk Hallberg, published by Alfred A. Knopf.[1][2][3] The novel takes place in New York City in the 1970s. It is Hallberg's first published novel.[1] Hallberg received an advance of $2 million for the novel, which was rumored at the time to be the highest ever for a debut novel.[2] However, other debut novels acquired around the same time also received seven-figure advances.[4][5]

Summary

City on Fire follows the investigation of a Central Park shooting that took place on New Year's Eve during the 1970s.[6]

This book was a New York Times Notable Book and named one of the Best Books of the Year by The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, NPR, Vogue,[7] San Francisco Chronicle, and The Wall Street Journal.[6]

Television series

Main article: City on Fire (TV series)

A television adaptation of the novel will air on Apple TV+.[8]

Reception

City on Fire received a mixed reception from critics. The novel received praise from Megan O'Grady in Vogue, who called it "the kind of exuberant, Zeitgeisty New York novel, like The Bonfire of the Vanities or The Goldfinch, that you'll either love, hate, or pretend to have read".[7] Michiko Kakutani of The New York Times described it as "an amazing virtual reality machine", and credited Hallberg with an "instinctive gift for spinning suspense not just out of dovetailing plotlines and odd Dickensian coincidences but also from secrets buried in his characters' pasts".[9] Stephen King tweeted about the novel, calling it "massively entertaining", and "as close to a great American novel as this century has produced".[10] Louis Menand wrote in his long review in The New Yorker, "What Hallberg is after is an atmosphere, and he gets it."

On the other hand, Elisabeth Vincentelli of the New York Post called it "overhyped" and "a steaming pile of literary dung".[11] At The Guardian, Sandra Newman echoed the sentiment of overhype, calling it "a debut of remarkable promise, rather than as the masterpiece that fulfills that promise".[12]

City on Fire debuted at #5 on The New York Times Bestseller list in the hardcover fiction category on November 1, 2015.[13]

References

  1. ^ a b Kakutani, Michiko (5 October 2015). "Review: 'City on Fire,' Garth Risk Hallberg's Novel of New York in the Bad Old Days". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  2. ^ a b Doherty, Brian (5 October 2015). "The Unprecedented Garth Risk Hallberg". Vulture. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  3. ^ Menand, Louis (12 October 2015). "Review of "City on Fire"". The New Yorker. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  4. ^ Deahl, Rachel. "Frankfurt Book Fair 2014: Two Debuts Draw Seven Figures". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  5. ^ Deahl, Rachel. "The Rise of the Seven-Figure Advance". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  6. ^ a b "City on Fire". Knopf Doubleday. Alfred A. Knopf. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  7. ^ a b O'Grady, Megan (25 September 2015). "Literary Sensation Garth Risk Hallberg on Writing the Most Anticipated Novel of the Year". Vogue. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (29 October 2021). "'City On Fire': Wyatt Oleff To Star In Apple TV+ Series, Jesse Peretz To Direct". Deadline. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  9. ^ Kakutani, Michiko (October 5, 2015). "Review: 'City on Fire,' Garth Risk Hallberg's Novel of New York in the Bad Old Days (Published 2015)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  10. ^ King, Stephen. "Stephen King tweet". Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  11. ^ Vincentelli, Elisabeth (26 November 2015). "LIVING Overhyped novel 'City on Fire' is a steaming pile of literary dung". New York Post. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  12. ^ Newman, Sandra (22 October 2015). "City on Fire by Garth Risk Hallberg review – a promising debut, but no masterpiece". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - Nov. 1, 2015 - The New York Times". The New York Times.
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