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Harvard Yard Hardcover – October 29, 2003

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 218 ratings

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Picking up where his runaway bestseller "Back Bay" left off, William Martin returns to Boston, this time bringing the history of Harvard University vibrantly to life.
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Martin, who introduced antiquarian Peter Fallon in his debut novel Back Bay (1979), brings him back for a second quest in this sprawling bibliomystery, which traces the tightly interlaced histories of the fictional Wedge family and Harvard University. Fallon, a proud Harvard grad, assists in the university's annual fund-raising appeals. One call, to Ridley Wedge Royce, lands him not a donation but a tip. The intriguing possibility that the Wedge family once owned a rare and unknown Shakespeare manuscript-a text purportedly linking Will Shakespeare and Harvard's founder-is enough to hook Fallon. But others are on the same scent and willing to go to any lengths to root out the manuscript if it still exists. How it came into the possession of the Wedges, and what happened to it next is gradually revealed as Martin spins through 300 years of American history-from the Salem witch trials and the Boston Tea Party to the Civil War and up to the radical late 1960s-telling a tale of Harvard the institution growing from a tiny establishment under beastly first master Nathaniel Eaton to become America's premier university. Fallon's search takes a back seat to the historical material, but the novel provides good entertainment and copious Crimson lore.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Martin continues to entertain with the successful formula he perfected in best-sellers Back Bay (1979) and Cape Cod (1991).The author races back and forth through time in order to solve a bookish mystery rooted in historical events. When antiquarian bookseller Peter Fallon follows the clues he hopes will lead him to recover a lost Shakespeare play written in the bard's own hand, he himself becomes the target of both underworld thugs and unscrupulous academics. The most compelling action takes place in the past as he traces the utterly fascinating evolution of Harvard University by interweaving it with the intimate history of one of New England's first families. Bound by oath to preserve John Harvard's library, Issac Wedge takes care to squirrel away the Shakespearean quarto the dying Harvard entrusted to his care. Realizing that Puritan reactionaries would most certainly destroy the play, Wedge hands it down for safekeeping to his own son, establishing a pattern that is repeated by each succeeding generation until it appears that the manuscript has been lost. Or has it? It is up to Fallon to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. The unexpected twists and turns through history will keep readers guessing and the pages turning. Margaret Flanagan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grand Central Publishing (October 29, 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 592 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0446530840
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0446530842
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.84 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 2 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 218 ratings

About the author

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William Martin
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Meet a “storyteller whose smoothness matches his ambition.”(Publisher's Weekly):

In his boyhood, William Martin loved what he later called "big stories on broad canvases." He read the historical novels of C.S. Forester and Esther Forbes. He sat transfixed by the big movies of the early sixties. So after college he went to Hollywood to try his hand at screenwriting but discovered that his instincts were better suited to novels. His first, "Back Bay," introduced treasure hunter Peter Fallon in a new kind of adventure that joined the contemporary mystery-thriller to the historical novel. In his twelve novels (including six bestselling Peter Fallon adventures), Martin has tracked national treasures across the landscape of the American imagination, chronicled the lives of the great and the anonymous in American history, and brought to life legendary American locations, from Cape Cod to Washington DC in "The Lincoln Letter." And after publication of his Gold Rush epic, "Bound for Gold," the Providence Journal called him "the king of the historical thriller." "December '41," published in the summer of '22, provides readers with an other propulsive journey through American history.

He has also written an award-winning PBS documentary on the life of Washington, a cult-classic horror movie, has contributed book reviews to the Boston Globe and The New England Quarterly, and has taught writing across the country, from the Harvard Extension School to the legendary Maui Writers Conference. He lives near Boston with his wife and has three grown children. He was the recipient of the 2005 New England Book Award, given to "an author whose body of work stands as a significant contribution to the culture of the region." He has also won the Samuel Eliot Morison Award and the Robert B. Parker Award.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
218 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers praise the book for its historical accuracy and storytelling. They find it an engaging read with fun characters and plotlines. Readers appreciate the writing quality as exceptional and easy to understand.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

38 customers mention "Historical accuracy"36 positive2 negative

Customers enjoy the book's historical accuracy and storytelling. They find it a well-written historical novel that provides an insightful perspective into history. Readers appreciate the author's use of historical names and mentions in his stories, making them intriguing and easy to read.

"...This series combines many of my favorite genres: historical fiction, historical mystery, and modern day thrillers, all in a single superb novel...." Read more

"...I give the book 4 stars because it is excellent as a historical novel that gives insight into the foundations of one of the most important non-..." Read more

"...Washington worked well, it is in this form that Mr.Martin seems most insightful. Like Back Bay and Cape Cod, Mr. Martin covers familiar ground...." Read more

"...Martin is such an eerie writer in all his historical books that you would think he has done the same...." Read more

23 customers mention "Readability"23 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book. They find it an exciting and enjoyable read that educates them at the same time. The book is praised for its well-written historical fiction and recommend it to anyone visiting Boston or who appreciates well-crafted historical fiction.

"...fiction, historical mystery, and modern day thrillers, all in a single superb novel...." Read more

"...Still, all in all, an enjoyable read, esp. if you have read Back Bay by Wm. Martin and I’d you enjoy learning about the history of Boston." Read more

"HARVARD YARD, like all William Martin books, was a joy to read with really good characters and a well-developed story...." Read more

"...intellectual puzzle becomes a foot chase, but I still enjoyed this fine novel, and learned a lot about Harvard too, and would recommend it to others." Read more

11 customers mention "Character development"8 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the characters and plot. They find the mystery engaging and say the book is enjoyable.

"...There are numerous historical characters in this novel as you might imagine considering we get to travel through all of American history from 1605..." Read more

"...of historical fiction is masterful, weaving historical data through usually fictional characters from the settling in the New World by the English..." Read more

"...YARD, like all William Martin books, was a joy to read with really good characters and a well-developed story...." Read more

"...Extended character development prevents the mystery from achieving much pace until the very end...." Read more

4 customers mention "Writing quality"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the books exceptional and easy to read.

"...Martin is a fine writer, and if you're interested in Harvard, rare books or a good mystery, you will find much to recommend this novel...." Read more

"I found the book to be extremely interesting and easy to read...." Read more

"...All of William Martin's books are exceptionally written." Read more

"i really enjoy his writing...i love that he goes back into history and then brings it to the future....so interesting and entertaining...history..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2014
    Every time I read a novel by William Martin, I feel so lucky to have found him and have long since elevated him to my favorite author list. I’ve yet to read a bad or even an “OK” book by him. They all hold precious real estate on my best book shelf. I can now add that his Peter Fallon series is among my favorite series of all…ever. This series combines many of my favorite genres: historical fiction, historical mystery, and modern day thrillers, all in a single superb novel. They can be read as stand alones but it would be better to read them in order.

    This is the second of the Peter Fallon books and the first thing I noticed is that we’ve jumped a number of years forward from the end of the last book. Peter is now a well-regarded antiquarian book dealer and has stumbled across a clue to a long lost, never before known, Shakespearean play titled ‘Love’s Labours Won’, a companion to his well-known play with a similar name. In the hands of a lesser author such a premise would strike me immediately with thoughts like ‘here we go again’ and ‘haven’t I seen this before’ and I would most probably pass it by in search of a better book to read. But since it is William Martin, I knew I was in for an amazing journey.

    As in the first book of the series, chapters alternate between the present day Peter Fallon mystery/thriller plot where he hunts for further clues to the history behind the lost play, all the time being hounded by rivals willing to kill for such a valuable find, and the past whereby we get to witness history unfold and actually see what happened along the way. Every time Peter uncovers a new piece of the puzzle we get to then go back and see how that actually came to be. This leads to a fascinating, page-turning read.
    There are numerous historical characters in this novel as you might imagine considering we get to travel through all of American history from 1605 to the present, following the fictional Wedge family and their caretaker approach to the Shakespearean manuscript. In 1605, a good friend to Shakespeare, Robert Harvard, received the play as a gift and it is his son, John Harvard who was instrumental in founding the first college in America. The setting for most of this novel is Harvard University and, indeed, it really becomes a character in and of itself. So many major American historical figures graduated from Harvard or taught there, or both and the novel benefits from all of them. Major events and eras such as the Puritan’s witch burning, the fires of the Civil War, the riots of the 1960’s and famous figures such as Cotton Mather, heroes of the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War, through the era of Teddy and Franklin Roosevelt, Joe and Jack Kennedy, etc. etc. all play out on the Harvard stage. And through it all runs the thread of the lost Shakespearean play.

    I must say, I have never been a huge fan of Harvard University. Not sure why really other than a life-long image of an old stodgy institution that seemed in a world all its own and so not for a common sort of fellow like myself. But this novel really opened up my eyes about Harvard and helped me to appreciate its history and what it stands for. Just the fact that Harvard (formed initially in 1636 and known as ‘New College’) was renamed for John Harvard in 1639 because of his gift of his personal library of some 400 books is awesome. And to see the school meander its way through history, witness its ups and downs, its triumphs and controversies, is really to watch the evolution of the entire country as well.

    The patriarch of the fictional Wedge family and good friend to John Harvard, Isaac Wedge was fond of saying “A man is best known by his books”. That is a sentiment that I can certainly relate to and I am proud to count this book among my own library.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2005
    This book is a Harvard mystery. Be aware, however, that it is more Harvard than mystery. Those who love Harvard will enjoy this book far more than those who love mystery.

    This book should not be compared to "The Da Vinci Code," which I also have read. While both books concern the search for something important and both have a historical backdrop, "The Da Vinci Code," though not much shorter, is much more efficiently told. Every word of "Da Vinci Code" advances the mystery. There are too many sentimental and dramatic digressions into and out of, well, Harvard Yard for the same to be said of this book. Extended character development prevents the mystery from achieving much pace until the very end. That would be fine in a historical novel which was not also a mystery, but it works imperfectly here.

    I give the book 4 stars because it is excellent as a historical novel that gives insight into the foundations of one of the most important non-governmental institutions in America. As a mystery, it would receive a lower rating.
    6 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2003
    Bill Martin returns to a familiar and comfortable style in Harvard Yard. His historical "then and now" narrative gives the reader a unique sense as to how the past is always intertwined with the now.
    While the multi-narrated style of Citizen Washington worked well, it is in this form that Mr.Martin seems most insightful. Like Back Bay and Cape Cod, Mr. Martin covers familiar ground.
    At first, I thought the topic could be too parochial for mass consumption. However, after reading the novel, I realized this is not just the story of the history of one institution in Boston, but is a metaphor for the evolution of education in America. Harvard has been a leader and innovator in the American style of college education. Mr.Martin expertly shows how innovation need not scacrifice tradition.
    As always, Mr. Martin is able to pull pertinent history of the times to his central story. As always, I learned much.
    For those with a Harvard connection, this is a must read. For those who are interested in the history of American education, this book will fill your plate. And for those who just enjoy reading, this is a treat
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on July 2, 2007
    Peruse your family tree and go back as far as you dare. Your triple great grandma Kathryn who walked with poets (mine, being Irish, was George Bernard Shaw). See that old house they lived in and passed down through the generations? Climb up on the rain barrel and pull yourself up to the windowsill and eavesdrop for a few hundred years. Listen to the family laugh, argue, disinherit, hide their secrets, air their grievances - and stay there until you are born. Now you understand Harvard Yard. In the book "Forever" the main character lives for generations and can acurately describe life from those years in detail because he's lived them. Martin is such an eerie writer in all his historical books that you would think he has done the same. He weaves you into this tale and you become part of the family. He transports you into pre-Harvard days of cow pastures and puritan ideas and moves you ever so gently through the years, personalities, wars, fires, deaths, births and secrets that when you reach the end of the book and gently awake in 2007 you are homesick to do it again. Read this book after the Lost Constitution and Back Bay. Martin has graduated from Harvard and he has the history ingrained in his writing. Listen as he spins the delicate fabricate of the hallowed halls of learning and you, like myself, will become one of his truest fans.
    3 people found this helpful
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