Overview

A transportive work of historical fiction chronicling the life, loves, and iconic successes of Rafael Guastavino, the influential yet largely forgotten Spanish architect of New York’s Gilded Era Iconoclast. Genius. Womanizer. Architect Rafael Guastavino’s signature vaulted tile ceilings revolutionized Gilded Age New York City. The Oyster Bar in Grand Central, the Prospect Park Boathouse, and the iconic Old City Hall subway station number among his masterpieces. But while his works continue to imbue the city with the glamour of a bygone era, the man himself has been largely forgotten. Told through the eyes of Guastavino’s son and business partner, Rafael Jr., Javier Moro’s magnetic prose brings to life the remarkable rags-to-riches journey of this influential immigrant family. Guastavino was a stubborn man, enamored of his own sense of destiny, but he was also a deeply compassionate father, as committed to his family as he was to his work, and equally defined by his successes in the latter realm as by his failures in the former. Set against historical events including the Chicago World's Fair and the sinking of the Titanic, The Architect of New York is a moving and entertaining father-son story filled with finely developed and deeply researched real-life characters (including such figures as Stanford White and Daniel Burnham) that captures the romance and drama while offering a timeless glimpse into the human heart.

Full Product Details

9781640097469

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Reviews

""The Architect of New York is a page turner that reveals the secrets of a turbulent family life and the conflicts father and son—both extremely talented, inseparable companions, yet rivals—had to face in order to survive in the gilded age."" —Antonio Banderas ""A father, a son. A past to hide and a future to build. In this gripping biographical novel, Moro tells the story of how Spanish immigrant Rafael Guastavino not only made it in New York; but how in many ways, Guastavino made New York, designing and building some of the city's most iconic spaces, still enjoyed by New Yorkers today."" —María Dueñas, author of The Time In Between

Author Information

JAVIER MORO is one of the best-loved writers of his generation and a highly regarded figure in Spanish literary circles. He is a winner of the Planeta Prize and the Primavera Prize. His books include Passion India and The Red Sari.

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