In 1661, Lucas Turner, a barber surgeon, and his sister, Sally, an apothecary, stagger off a small wooden ship after eleven weeks at sea. Bound to each other by blood and necessity, they aim to make a fresh start in the rough and rowdy Dutch settlement of Nieuw Amsterdam; soon lust, betrayal, and murder will make them mortal enemies. In their struggle to survive in the New World, Lucas and Sally make choices that will burden their descendants with a legacy of secrets and retribution, and create a heritage that sets cousin against cousin, physician against surgeon, and, ultimately, patriot against Tory. In what will be the greatest city in the New World, the fortunes of these two families are inextricably entwined by blood and fire in an unforgettable American saga of pride and ambition, love and hate, and the becoming of the dream that is New York City.

贝弗利•斯沃林，美国最具人气的历史小说家，对文字的敏感近乎极致。她的文字大气而不失细腻，她所设计的情节曲折而不矫揉，她所塑造的人物千奇而不陌生，她笔下的故事永远让人爱不释手。

《梦想之城》是斯沃林的处女作，这是一部极具野心的历史小说，《洛杉矶时报》称誉《梦想之城》：“这个故事近乎完美，堪称纽约版《百年孤独》。”