Back Bay Mass Market Paperback – July 1, 1992

I stumbled upon this book and am happy I did. I love Boston. It is my very favorite city. This book took me there and I could see everything in my mind so perfectly. I love how historic this book is. And I love the flow that this book has between the past and the present. This was the first book that William Martin wrote and he did an amazing job! This is the first book by him that I've read and I liked it enough to want to read more of his books. I hated... absolutely, absolutely hated the very end. It completely fell flat. I am hoping that I will feel better about it after reading more of his books with Peter and Evangeline in them.

I want to give this 4 stars (and while reading, 5 stars) but it just crashes at the end. There are some parts you're thinking "that's a little unrealistic, but that's fine, I;m enjoying this so much," and then the last 50 pages or so are just over the top and the very end falls flat on its face. Such an interesting story- the historical scenes (of all years) are way better than the modern day saga which just never flows as naturally.

Possibly the best book I've read this year (and I read a lot of books)! A highly suspenseful and mysterious tale that takes place in Boston from the early days of the city, in 1789, when it was just a tiny version of its future self, to the fill-in of the back bay marshes. A silver tea set made by Paul Revere is presented in Boston to President Washington, who takes it back to the swampy capitol. The British invade the capitol

Like Cape Cod I first read this book quite a long time ago. Since 9/11/01 I have found that some books just don't read "true" because they were written before the changing of the world on that historic date. A test of good historical fiction is that it can be read at any time without regard for what has happened since.This book, as the title indicates.....is set in Boston MA and switches back and forth in the lives of the Pratt family from the time of the War of 1812 to the mid 1970s. You come to know many members of this family....like some, despise others but even those who are unlovable still capture your interest and imagination.Like other books by this author the historical portions of this historical fiction run true to the facts of the time. An enjoyable way to refresh my memories of events that happened near the city I call home.

When I started reading this book, I thought it would be a run of the mill crime story, but boy, was I wrong....being a Bostonian, I loved the historical references to parts of the city that I knew so well, and the story covers a critical part of American history with a present day crime story. It did jump around a bit and had lots of great characters, but all in all, it was an entertaining novel. I was disappointed with the ending...it was a bit weak, and could have been ended better, but all in all, I really enjoyed the book.

Quickly became one of my favorite books. The author does a great job at keeping it historically accurate yet current enough to hold interest. Highly recommend.

Back Bay, by William Martin is definately one of my favorites!! I love the way Martin intertwines the decades covered in this novel. His character development is suberb!! From one chapter to the next the story is mesmerizing!! Not to mention the wonderful moments in Boston's history-----Bill Martin brings history alive. I adore his novels an always anxiously anticipate his next one.This is the third time I have read Back Bay, since it was published, and I still enjoy the thrill of the "hunt"!!

I have been re-reading Cape Cod & was told Back Bay was also terrific. I am loving Cape Cod but it is a hard cover & I have a fractured sternum so the book is too heavy for me to handle. I decided to put it aside & started reading Back Bay. I love it! It is a real page turner, a combo of fact & fiction that keeps the reader hooked. I read a lot & would highly recommend this book & Cape Cod as well.