Summary and Reviews of Signal and Noise by John Griesemer

Media Reviews

Esquire Magazine, June 2004 How crammed with rich, resonant period details is Signal and Noise? Well you can almost smell the Great Stink of the 1850s-era London

Chicago Tribune - Charles Matthews Griesemer, whose previous novel was the well-received 'No One Thinks of Greenland', has written a historical novel in which, for once, the characters don't sound like moderns in fancy dress, and the fascinating history doesn't detract from the fiction - or vice versa.

Christian Science Monitor - Ren Charles Griesemer picks up every dot and dash of this fascinating story, conveying the boggling incongruity of the age.

The New York Times - Annette Kobak This is a novel of epic interconnectedness. Like the laying of the trans-Atlantic cable between England and America in the mid-19th century, whose story it reimagines, John Griesemer's Signal & Noise spans continents and oceans. Through a cast of characters who themselves interconnect in ingenious ways -- including cameo appearances by real figures like Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Charles Dickens, Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln and Karl Marx -- the action moves from the River Thames and the launching of Brunel's mammoth ship, the Great Eastern, to New York, Maine, Siberia, Malaya, Belgium, Ireland and several American states during the Civil War. Off terra firma, the dramas encompass the Atlantic Ocean and even the spirit world.

Booklist - Joanne Wilkinson Starred Review. Griesemer effortlessly animates a tumultuous time through one extraordinary family, provocatively pointing up the thin line separating ambition and hubris, visionaries and quacks, signal and noise. An incredibly rich and rewarding read.

Kirkus Reviews Storms, war, explosions, sex, science, tragedy, and deep affection. Worth every minute.

Library Journal -David W Henderson This is a big novel whose historical setting belies its relevance to the modern reader. Highly recommended for both public and academic collections.

Publishers Weekly Though Otis, who becomes pivotal in the novel, is somewhat underdeveloped, this is an accomplished, gripping work....This book will be appreciated by the same audience that enjoyed Dava Sobel's Longitude.

 Jeffrey Lent, author of In the Fall Within the broad, epic scope of John Griesemer’s Signal & Noise is a considerable achievement—Griesemer not only entangled me neatly and fully within the lives of his characters, but without fanfare, he sketches a deeply turbulent age, with fascinating similarities to our own. Perhaps his genius lies in his emphasis on story, leaving the reader to ponder the ceaseless energy of human endeavor.

 Joanna Scott, author of Arrogance Ambition, failure, triumph, love, betrayal, farce, and spirit-conjuring—these are some of the subjects powerfully animated in this grand novel. John Griesemer is a masterful writer. In Signal & Noise, he has turned the clamor of history into a beautiful symphony.