Did you enjoy the setting of New York City in the 70s/80s? Do you think the same story would have been possible elsewhere?
1 Like
It was a good setting but I feel it could have been set elsewhere, Seattle, San Francisco. I was newly divorced in my small town of Wenatchee Wa and me and my friends certainly enjoyed the night life, but luckally without drugs. We liked dancing and drinking. I did know friends into drugs.
New York City is a character in the story and it is easy for readers who understand the city’s history to envision the events occurring there. In the 70’s, it was crime-ridden, dirty, rundown – the frequent subject of new reports about its problems because numerous projects and programs were yet to be established to clean the city up and make it a desirable destination again. But truthfully, with some tweaking, the story could have been set in a number of other big U.S. cities, including Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, etc.
1 Like
I think any reasonably large, 24/7 city would have worked.
I did enjoy the setting of New York City in the 70s/80s. I did not have experience with New York at that time but had visited there with family in the 60s and then later, about 2005. It made me think about how cities change over time. I could also relate it to Chicago which I knew more about in the 70s. I agree that it was a story that probably could have been placed in several big cities.
I found this setting and the NY drug scene very convincing, even though I did not personally experience the 70s/80s in a big city. I feel this story could be told in any city and still ring true.
I think it could be set in another major city, but NYC is so well known that more readers will be able to visualize the setting and the vibe. It reminded me a bit of Let the Great World Spin in that way.
I found the New York setting in the 70s & 80s to be gritty, authentic and compelling. It may work somewhere else but I believe it may lose some authenticity and atmosphere - I like the NYC setting!
I totally agree. For my career I had many visits to NYC in the late 70’s and early 80’s. When riding on the subway it was essential to turn my rings around and the atmosphere was very chaotic.
The setting was true to the times in New York City but this was also the same culture on most college campuses and large cities at the time. It was the 70s!!!
I agree with those who feel the book could have been set in any large US metro; however, NYC is so iconic and known to most readers, that think it was the perfect choice. The drug culture is realistically portrayed.
1 Like
Yes this could have been set anyplace. There was not that many NYC locations in this story to make it different.
I found New York City the perfect setting, but I’m aware of something similar happening in Wisconsin. A man I know left his friend, who was ODing in a hospital emergency parking lot. His friend lived (barely. No, Narcan then), but he ended up going to court for a felony. His friend, who had forgiven him, testified as a character witness in court. The man who dropped him off faced prison time, but the judge was lenient and charged him with several felonies.
This book brought those memories back full and center, and I wish I could forget the whole thing.
I enjoyed the setting and the time period. I grew up in the late 60’s, early 70’s so it has some special meaning. I think this story could have been set in any large city, LA, Chicago, New Orleans, many different locales.
I thought this was a good setting for the book, definitely with the drug culture in the 70s… but I don’t think it had to be New York to make it realistic.