Rating: 
Summary: New York in microcosm
Review: I've seen several movies and read several books about life in New York around this time, but none of them are as full of life and wonder as Kevin Baker's "Dreamland".Baker's description of turn of the century New York and Brooklyn, as well as the people who populate them, is full of color, intrigue, and emotion. All of the people he describes are fully realized individuals, from Trick the Dwarf and Gyp the Blood (don't you love those names?) down to Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, who did indeed visit the US around that time for a series of lectures. My personal favorite in Baker's collection of characters is Big Tim Sullivan, one of the high muckety-mucks in New York's Tammany Hall political machine - and boy, does he have character. To be sure, Baker's description of him is full of a lot of the old Irish stereotypes - but you still can't help liking the guy, for the simple reason that his heart is in the right place (well, most of the time, anyway). The only flaw in Baker's tale is his description, toward the end of the book, of the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. That lacked much of the emotion and punch of the rest of his story. I'm eagerly looking forward to Baker's next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Every bit as entertaining as "The Alienist."
Review: After I had read "The American Century" and found that Kevin Baker was responsible for the bulk of the research on that fine book, I wanted to read his new work of historical fiction, "Dreamland." I'm glad I did. Not since I read Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" a few years ago, have I enjoyed a novel as much as this one. Baker is able to bring the reader nearly to tears as he details the travails of young women trying to make it from day to day in New York, either as workers in one of the sweatshops on the lower east side or, unfortunately as one of the prostitutes every night putting her life in jeapordy in the Tenderloin or on the other mean streets of that heartless, corrupt, and sad, very sad city. The section detailing the days spent in jail by the striking women is especially chilling. The inclusion of Freud and Jung is compelling not so much for the interpretation of their work, but rather for the hint of progress that would be made in the years to come in the field of psychoanalysis. Other critics have harped on their inclusion in this work, but I found their conversations stimulating. How they end up in Dreamland at the end of the book with the other colorful and larger than life characters in this inspired work-Kid Twist, Gyp The Blood, the Mad Carlotta, Esther, Trick the Dwarf, Tim Sullivan-is deliciously presented. I thought that the inclusion of Frances Perkins as the sole upper class liberal fighting vainly with limited success to stem the tide of worker abuse allowed the author to speak through her character and graphically describe the carnage enveloping the poor young ladies of that era. No wonder FDR made her his only Secretary of Labor. I thought it ironic that a scant thirty years after the time of this novel, this same age group of women, imprisoned in 1912 for having the gall to ask for a 54 hour work-week, formed the nucleus of the manufacturing force that produced all the armament that saved our world from tyranny and made it safe for democracy during World War II. It is never fair to give away the ending of a book, and I won't. But, trust me, you'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: Dream a little Dream of....a plot.
Review: Dreamland is a bit of a paradox for me...I liked it and didn't like it...was intrigued, and bored...so many contradictions, I don't know what to think.... Dreamland starts in a dark, hypnotic swirl of smoke, promising shadows and magic...and quickly becomes something else...something more...real. Kid Twist, immigrant and self-appointed savoir of children running free in the streets rescues a dwarf disguised as a newsboy and a a young man in danger of having his back broken by the dreadful Gyp the Blood, extortionist and pimp, by brandishing a shovel which he uses to knock Gyp out cold, and then runs, knowing he has incurred the wrath of a dangerous and powerful enemy. His flight takes him into the arms of...Gyp's sister, Esther...a proud seamstress who is torn between duty to her family and a desire to stand up for herself. Her affair with Kid Twist; carried on in the hindquarters of a Tin Elephant hotel, quickly confirms for Esther her burgeoning womanhood, and the fact that it is time for her to start living as such, despite the protests of her father. Add in an American visit by Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, plenty of political intrigue, and numerous glimpses into the world of Coney Island at the turn of the 20th century...this novel is chock full of content. So why only four starts? Because throughout the 500+ pages..I failed to find a centralized plot line, other than the danger of Esther and Kid Twist's affair being discovered by her brother. Kevin Baker delivers a very well realized portrait of blue collar people, circus freaks, and Bowery Bullies, but fails to pull all of them together tightly enough to really wow me. Worth the read to explore the world of Coney Island that will never be again....I hope that future novels of Kevin Baker will have a better realized plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Very ambitious but ultimately disappointing.
Review: I really wanted to like this book. I'm a glutton for information on old New York and have read a lot about the time period in question: early 20th century New York. Don't get me wrong. There were some terrific plots evolving throughout this book. I loved the character of Esther, the labor organizer who turns her back on her father, a man who richly deserves her disdain. I enjoyed the love affair between Esther and Kid Twist and the fascinating scenes of Coney Island. I never understood before reading this book that the fascination with the jostling rides was the pleasure it gave men and women who were looking for any excuse to engage in inappropirate behavior. There is much to learn from this book which is exquisitly researched. But for every enjoyment, there is a corresponding disappointment. The plot involving Freud and Jung was tedious and inconsequential, at least in my eyes. It could easily have been eliminated with no problem. I know the author would argue vociferously with that because he intended the book to be ambitious and filled with ideas and not just some setpiece full of fluff. Fair enough. But for me, his ambition did not pay off. Sometimes, shorter is better and this book would have benefited with fewer characters. One more note: The author really copped out in the end on the romance between Kid Twist and Esther. Maybe nothing felt right when he was writing the ending but, to delve into every possible historical and emotional detail between these two characters and then to say, "Well, anything could have happened. I'm not sure what did" is one of the biggest copouts I've ever come across in a novel. The reader is very letdown. Given the dark material of this book, it's not like we were expecting a happy ending, just a definitive ending. We were invested .
Rating:
Summary: Every bit as entertaining as "The Alienist."
Review: After I had read "The American Century" and found that Kevin Baker was responsible for the bulk of the research on that fine book, I wanted to read his new work of historical fiction, "Dreamland." I'm glad I did. Not since I read Caleb Carr's "The Alienist" a few years ago, have I enjoyed a novel as much as this one. Baker is able to bring the reader nearly to tears as he details the travails of young women trying to make it from day to day in New York, either as workers in one of the sweatshops on the lower east side or, unfortunately as one of the prostitutes every night putting her life in jeapordy in the Tenderloin or on the other mean streets of that heartless, corrupt, and sad, very sad city. The section detailing the days spent in jail by the striking women is especially chilling. The inclusion of Freud and Jung is compelling not so much for the interpretation of their work, but rather for the hint of progress that would be made in the years to come in the field of psychoanalysis. Other critics have harped on their inclusion in this work, but I found their conversations stimulating. How they end up in Dreamland at the end of the book with the other colorful and larger than life characters in this inspired work-Kid Twist, Gyp The Blood, the Mad Carlotta, Esther, Trick the Dwarf, Tim Sullivan-is deliciously presented. I thought that the inclusion of Frances Perkins as the sole upper class liberal fighting vainly with limited success to stem the tide of worker abuse allowed the author to speak through her character and graphically describe the carnage enveloping the poor young ladies of that era. No wonder FDR made her his only Secretary of Labor. I thought it ironic that a scant thirty years after the time of this novel, this same age group of women, imprisoned in 1912 for having the gall to ask for a 54 hour work-week, formed the nucleus of the manufacturing force that produced all the armament that saved our world from tyranny and made it safe for democracy during World War II. It is never fair to give away the ending of a book, and I won't. But, trust me, you'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: Not bad, but...
Review: I couldn't make up my mind if it had no plot or too many plots. As a series of character studies or a glimpse into New York City history, it was a great book. I could've done without Jung and Freud visit America, and still am not sure what they added to the story, but I really got caught up in Esther's story. I have seen the "Coney Island" program by Ric Burns that was mentioned in the sources section, and this kept bringing me back to memories of that show.
Rating:
Summary: New York in microcosm
Review: I've seen several movies and read several books about life in New York around this time, but none of them are as full of life and wonder as Kevin Baker's "Dreamland". Baker's description of turn of the century New York and Brooklyn, as well as the people who populate them, is full of color, intrigue, and emotion. All of the people he describes are fully realized individuals, from Trick the Dwarf and Gyp the Blood (don't you love those names?) down to Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, who did indeed visit the US around that time for a series of lectures. My personal favorite in Baker's collection of characters is Big Tim Sullivan, one of the high muckety-mucks in New York's Tammany Hall political machine - and boy, does he have character. To be sure, Baker's description of him is full of a lot of the old Irish stereotypes - but you still can't help liking the guy, for the simple reason that his heart is in the right place (well, most of the time, anyway). The only flaw in Baker's tale is his description, toward the end of the book, of the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. That lacked much of the emotion and punch of the rest of his story. I'm eagerly looking forward to Baker's next book.
Rating:
Summary: A Glorious Mess!!
Review: Read this book if you have eclectic tastes, love saucy descriptions, and want to revel in the work of writers who clearly love their work. It's rare that I read a book by someone and think, "I'd love to meet this guy." This is one of those times. The historical details of Coney Island, New York, and the labor movement in in the early 20th century are masterful, not only in their (mostly) accurate portrayals, but in Baker's ability to keep it lively, centered, and completely entertaining. I wish this book would have spanned twice the page count. Only four stars because there are lots of loose ends here and some scattergun artistic license (especially in the end), but I dare you to not have a good time with this book. I know I did, and I can't wait to read "Paradise Alley" next!
Rating:
Summary: Good book but not as great as Gangs of NY.
Review: I bought this book after I finished reading Gangs of NY by Asbury and I was a little disappointed but not mad. The only reason I'm a little disappointed is it wasn't what I was expecting after reading Gangs of NY. This book only focuses on 6 or 7 main players and not the huge bag you read about in Gangs of NY.
It was still a very interesting book that I felt seemed to read more like short stories then history. I found myself very interested in all the subjects of the book except Freud. I don't understand where that fit into timeline of early NY.
The author did keep my interest enough that I still wanted to read everyday until I finished.
It is a long book that reads at average speed.
Rating:
Summary: Not at all disappointing...but fascinating!
Review: This was an incredible book, filled with fascinating details of the early 20th century and set in lower Manhattan and on Coney Island. All the characters were intriguing, from the cruel Gyp the Blood to the romantic but cynical Trick the Dwarf to the stoic yet ill-at-ease-in-America Freud. The stories were different and yet similar, starting off apart and weaving together in time. Yes, the book was long, but I wish it could have been longer. Kudos, Kevin Baker!
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