The Queen City: The Marquette Trilogy: Book Two

A book review by Beverly Pechin for Review The Book

Oddly enough, while this book is book 2 of a trilogy, I could easily see someone who hasn't even read book 1 delve without regret into book 2! While I'd highly recommend reading book 1, simply because the trilogy itself unwinds so beautifully with book 2, you can easily scoop up in the middle of this trilogy and enjoy it to it's fullest extent! So don't despair if you haven't had the chance to grab book 1, you can go back and you WILL once you read "The Queen City"!

The author, Tyler R Tichelaar, has a way of bringing characters to life that is unbelievable. My favorite parts of the book are when characters from Book 1 wind through thedabblings of the characters in Book 2, but it's not a necessity to know these characters completely and intimately before hand. The characters that come to life are amazingly realistic & deep. Watching the world unfold before your eyes, through the characters of this amazing trilogy, is simply breath taking. It's a first hand glance from a perspective we, as people living in today's modern world, would otherwise never have a chance to take and it's an amazing one!

You see how the world changes around these people, realizing how much had evolved in such a short length of time in life as you read the stories of each of the characters. You will find yourself once again cheering for those you love, crying with those who have entered your heart and becoming bitterly angry at those whom we all seem to know are simply mean and angry characters that are all too realistic to life!

There are so many little stories going on throughout the book that you simply cannot get bored with the reading! If you have never read a trilogy in your life, NOW is the time to do so. It's not only a lesson on how a well written "trilogy" unfolds, but a lesson in history, life and humanity! Honestly, you cannot find a better historical fiction to read that brings the real world to life so well! Kudos to TylerTichelaar for an amazing book and an amazing series!

Reviewed on 02/17/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Beverly Pechin

Author Tyler R. Tichelaar has a way of making characters pulse to life. When I began reading The Queen City: Book Two in the Marquette Trilogy, I felt like I was greeting old friends and encountering new ones. In this second novel that picks up where the last one finished, a new generation is introduced as well as the changes that time and technology bring to the small town of Marquette. Reading the first novel in this trilogy, Iron Pioneers, will certainly make the reader appreciate this one.

Tichelaar’s characters are unforgettable, not because they are superheroes or famous, but because they are everyday folk—human beings with qualities, faults and universal issues we can all relate to. History comes alive through the lives of these characters—lives that, although fictional, mirror those of people who lived through the monumental eras of the World Wars and the Great Depression.

What I admire most about this author is his ability to weave the stories of his numerous well-developed characters together, linking them with true historical events. His novel flows well with every page turned as the reader becomes engrossed in these stories. Never predictable, sometimes heartbreaking, always hopeful, this author’s work is a pleasure to read. I look forward to the last instalment in this trilogy and to see how Tichelaar brings this American multi-generational saga to an end.

Reviewed on 02/04/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Laura Fabiani

Once again Tyler R. Tichelaar offers up a delightful novel with his second novel in the Marquette Fiction Trilogy “The Queen City”. Starting with a fresh group of citizens as well as some of fist settlers. Marquette is now a thriving city, although it still has it share of trials and tribulations. With a new century on the rise the citizens now have to get use to many of the modern changes that come along with development. Coming to grips with the new changes that include a automobiles and electricity they also are still faced with the changes each make in their own lives. “The Queen City”, broaches the subject of two world wars and the struggle to overcome the Great Depression. Like any city they two have their of deceit, heartbreak, and loss. With appearances from numerous historical characters including Wild Bill, Abbot and Costello, Paul Bunyan, President Theodore Roosevelt, and many others.

“The Queen City”, once again delighted, a remarkable read that was informative and entertaining. Well crafted characters, inspiring story lines, and a beautiful reflection into the past. Tyler R Tichelaar writes with so much heart you can feel his love for this majestic city. Once again I feel as though I have revisited a group of old friends. You cannot go wrong with this trilogy. The perfect gift for those who love both fiction and history.

Reviewed on 12/14/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons

"The Queen City" is the second book in the Marquette triology by Tyler Tichelaar.  This book continues the story from the first book in the trilogy, while adding many interesting characters. This book describes the value of community and how that community can become your family.  The story makes the reader feel a part of that community and family to the point of wishing you had been involved in their lives and the trials that made up their world.  It is hard to find many characters that are so entrenched in their lives and the land they live on. 

Tyler Tichelaar is an amazing writer.  This is the second book I have read by him and I can't get enough.  The descriptive language draws you in to where you can't get out, yet you don't want to get out.  The writing has a quality that isn't often seen today and is reminiscent of the literature greats in the canon.  I can't wait to see his name on the best seller list. 

Reviewed on 07/28/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Laura Johnson