A young untested lawyer named Paul Cravath, fresh out of Columbia Law School, takes a case that seems impossible to win. The person who controls the means to turn night into day will make history-and a vast fortune. Gas lamps still flicker in the city streets, but the miracle of electric light is in its infancy. Once he had an idea, he was done, he knew he had solved the problem and moved on.įrom Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian, comes a thrilling novel-based on actual events-about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America. Tesla, the third leg, only cared for the ideas themselves. Westinghouse did not want to sell the most but wanted to make the best. Westinghouse was different as he loved the products themselves and he made them better than anyone else. In the end, is it possible to actually say who invented the light bulb? What role did each of the three men-Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse-play in its development? Consider this passage from the book:įor Edison who loved the audience it was the performance. Was his "coup" of Edison's General Electric fair?Ĩ. Morgan and his insistence that the two men settle their differences. How was Nikola Tesla different from the two rivals at the heart of this story? In what way was his "genius" different from that of Edison or Westinghouse? What drove Tesla, as opposed to the other two men?ħ. How did Nikola Tesla revolutionize AC current? Do you think it possible/probable in real life that Edison might have made an attempt on Tesla's life? Or did Graham add that plot point to build fictional suspense?Ħ. Does Graham Moore do a credible job in breaking down the science of electricity, especially the differences between AC and DC current?ĥ. Can you explain the legal suit that Edison initiated against Westinghouse? In what way did Westinghouse's bulb differ from Edison's?Ĥ. What do you think about the two great giants of American science and manufacturing: Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse? Are you surprised at the manner in which Moore portrays Edison, an American icon? How do the two men differ?ģ. Talk about the role of the lightbulb, that small pear-shaped device, in changing the face of civilization. brilliant journey into the past.”-The Washington Postġ. 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. He conjures Gilded Age New York City so vividly, it feels like only yesterday.”-Entertainment Weekly Moore crafts a compelling narrative out of Cravath’s cunning legal maneuvers and Tesla’s world-changing tinkering, while a story line on opera singer Agnes Huntington has the mysterious glamour of The Great Gatsby. “A fascinating portrait of American inventors. “This captivating historical novel illuminates a fascinating American moment.”-People As it charges forward, the novel leaves no dot unconnected.”-Noah Hawley, The New York Times Book Review Takes place against a backdrop rich with period detail. 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.Critical Praise: “A satisfying romp. ![]() ![]() 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. Yet this unknown lawyer shares with his famous adversary a compulsion to win at all costs. Edison is a wily, dangerous opponent with vast resources at his disposal-private spies, newspapers in his pocket, and the backing of J. The case affords Paul entry to the heady world of high society-the glittering parties in Gramercy Park mansions, and the more insidious dealings done behind closed doors. 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? From Graham Moore, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of The Imitation Game and New York Times bestselling author of The Sherlockian, comes a thrilling novel-based on actual events-about the nature of genius, the cost of ambition, and the battle to electrify America.
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