Thank you to NetGalley and Catapult, Counterpoint Press, and Soft Skull Press for the e-ARC!

Originally published by Javier Moror in Spanish as “A prueba de fuego” in 2020, this new English language version comes via translator, Peter J. Hearn.

This work is technically historical fiction, as it is a biography of the real-life architect and builder, Rafael Guastavino (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Guastavino), as told in an imaginary memoir style by his son Rafael. Spanning the decades from 1870s through the 1930s , but mostly focused on the era pre-dating WWI.

As both an architectural/public works and New York City aficionado, I found the book engaging and enjoyable, and was surprised I had never hear of Guastavino before. However, while it’s title states it’s a “novel” it reads much more like a memoir or biography, so reader beware.