Cliff-Dwellers by Henry Blake Fuller is a captivating novel that offers a glimpse into the rapidly changing landscape of late 19th century Chicago. The story follows the lives of a group of social elites living in a luxurious apartment building known as the Clifton.

Fuller skillfully weaves together multiple storylines, giving readers a multifaceted view of society at the time. The characters are complex and well-developed, each grappling with their own desires, fears, and ambitions. Through their interactions and conflicts, Fuller explores themes of social class, wealth, and identity.

The novel is rich in detail, immersing readers in the vibrant and bustling city of Chicago. Fuller's descriptive prose brings the setting to life, from the opulent interiors of the Clifton to the gritty streets of the city below.

While the pacing of the novel can be a bit slow at times, Fuller's beautifully crafted prose and sharp social commentary make it a rewarding read. Cliff-Dwellers is a thought-provoking exploration of society and class in the Gilded Age, and a valuable contribution to the canon of American literature.

Book Description:
Between the former site of old Fort Dearborn and the present site of our newest Board of Trade there lies a restricted yet tumultuous territory through which, during the course of the last fifty years, the rushing streams of commerce have worn many a deep and rugged chasm. These great canons—conduits, in fact, for the leaping volume of an ever-increasing prosperity—cross each other with a sort of systematic rectangularity, and in deference to the practical directness of local requirements they are in general called simply—streets. Each of these canons is closed in by a long frontage of towering cliffs, and these soaring walls of brick and limestone and granite rise higher and higher with each succeeding year, according as the work of erosion at their bases goes onward—the work of that seething flood of carts, carriages, omnibuses, cabs, cars, messengers, shoppers, clerks, and capitalists, which surges with increasing violence for every passing day. Summary by HENRY B. FULLER