Review of Vanguard In The Gilded Age

Please use this forum to discuss historical fiction books. Common definitions define historical fiction as novels written at least 25-50 years after the book's setting.
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Annelore Trujillo
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Review of Vanguard In The Gilded Age

Post by Annelore Trujillo »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Vanguard In The Gilded Age" by James C. Landers.]
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3 out of 5 stars
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Vanguard in the Gilded Age by James C. Landers is a historical fiction book based on the life of John Brisben Walker, the publisher of Cosmopolitan from 1889-1905. The fictional Brisben owns a smelter in Colorado, where he is known for paying his workers more than other places and for providing exceptional benefits for them. However, he doesn’t feel like he is making enough of a difference and wants to be able to change things on a more national level. To do this, he embarks on the journey of magazine ownership. He uproots the lives of his family and several of his most valued smelter workers to take them to New York City to take over a magazine called Vanguard. This book follows their story as they take over the magazine.

I love the inclusion of magazine articles throughout the book. These are interesting to read, provide context for what is happening in the story, and help move the book along. There are a lot of political opinions of the time included in the book, and the articles about these topics help set the stage for what is happening in the book. Another positive aspect of the book is that the author did a great job looking into the major events of the period before writing the book. The historical points match what really happened.

Unfortunately, there are also a few negative aspects found in the book. The first is that the editing needs improvement. There are several errors throughout the book. Many of these errors are easily caught by reading the book. Unfortunately, the errors are distracting while reading.

The book does not seem to have one specific problem and solution. Instead, there are several small peaks throughout the book where a problem arises and is dealt with. This creates ups and downs throughout the book. The format is unique and not a problem on its own. The action scenes and peaks are strong. However, the space between these scenes is long and drawn out and is often over-detailed in the wrong places, which contributes to an overly slow pace.

The book would benefit from another round of editing and some revision to avoid having so many sections that are unnecessarily long and drawn out. It took me a long time to decide on a rating for the book, but after much thought, I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. The issues with the editing and pacing severely impacted my enjoyment of the book, and I felt the need to take off one star for each of these aspects. There are still positive aspects of the book, such as the articles and accurate historical facts, and readers who enjoy a slower-paced book would like this one.

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Vanguard In The Gilded Age
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Areena David
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Post by Areena David »

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In fact, the review you wrote encouraged me to read the book because Cosmopolitan included political and cultural articles, in addition to literature and the arts. Walker led the magazine with bold depictions at that time, making it one of the leading platforms for culture, literature, and sophisticated topics. During that period, Cosmopolitan was an important platform for expressing literature, arts, and cultural topics, making it a part of the cultural heritage of publishing and media in the early twentieth century.
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Liam Patel
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Post by Liam Patel »

Hey there! After reading the review, it seems that the book "Vanguard in the Gilded Age" by James C. Landers has its ups and downs. On the positive side, the inclusion of magazine articles and accurate historical facts adds depth and context to the story. However, there are some drawbacks, such as editing errors and a slow pace in certain parts. Overall, the reviewer gives the book a 3 out of 5 stars. So, if you're into historical fiction and don't mind a slower pace, it might still be worth giving it a read. Unpredictable plot twists, kept me guessing.
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Ray Thompson
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Post by Ray Thompson »

The plot twists in this book were spot on. I didn’t see them coming, and that kept things exciting. Some of the side characters felt underdeveloped, but the main story was strong.
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