Madison House

by Peter Donahue

Book Overview

Peter Donahue's debut novel Madison House chronicles turn-of-the-century Seattle's explosive transformation from frontier outpost to major metropolis. Maddie Ingram, owner of Madison House, and her quirky and endearing boarders find their lives inextricably linked when the city decides to re-grade Denny Hill and the fate of Madison House hangs in the balance. Clyde Hunssler, Maddie's albino handyman and furtive love interest; James Colter, a muckraking black journalist who owns and publishes the Seattle Sentry newspaper; and Chiridah Simpson, an aspiring stage actress forced into prostitution and morphine addiction while working in the city's corrupt vaudeville theater, all call Madison House home. Had E.L. Doctorow and Charles Dickens met on the streets of Seattle, they couldn't have created a better book.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0976631105
• ISBN13: 9780976631101
• Release Date: October 2005
• Publisher: Hawthorne Books
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.6" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

Neat look into Seattle's early 20th century

As a lifelong Seattle resident it was fun to look into "early" Seattle, and identify the character's story with the places I know today. Houseboats on Eastlake, Hikes around Lake Union, Picnics in Madison Park. Great stuff and entertaining to read.

Old Seattle Comes Alive

As a recent transplant to the Pacific Northwest, I am eager to learn as much as I can about its past as well as its present. Madison House allowed me to walk the streets and breathe the air in the early days of Seattle in the exciting days of the Denny Hill regrading. I also loved the sections on life in Alaska during the gold rush that made me think of Michner's Alaska. Some historical novels are hard to get through. This one, because of its vivid characters, is a great read!

Rich and rewarding

This is one of the best novels I've read in 2005. It's most certainly one of the best Northwest novels I've ever read. It ranks with A.B. Guthrie's The Big Sky and Ken Kesey's Sometimes a Great Notion. The historical scope and detail of the novel are truly impressive. I loved the many characters and the way their stories interweave with one another. The novel made me really experience early Seattle in all its grittiness. The two gold rush chapters also add a surprising look at Alaska and the Yukon from a woman's perspective. Donahue's writing paints a picture of the period that's vivid and alive.