Dreamland

Rating:
Summary: Coney Island lives again!
Review: In Dreamland, Kevin Baker vivdly recreates the New York of the early 1900's. With exceptional detail, Baker shows the garish exterior and the seamy underbelly of Coney Island. He takes the reader on a journey through the cruel bars of the Bowery, the backroom politics of Tammany Hall and the brutal sweat shops of pre-sufferage America. By having Freud and "Big Tim" Sullivan interact with Baker's fictional creations, Baker creates a true portrait of the times. My only complaint is with the "choose your own ending" for Kid Twist and Esse. Rather than create various possibilities (although the author makes a point that one is more likely) why doesn't he just choose one? Ambiguous ending aside, this book is well worth your time.

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Summary: Disappointing end doesn't detract from great book.
Review: I chose this book because I wanted to learn and be entertained at the same time. Baker delivers. Facts that would normally bore me became tolerable, even interesting, because of their context in this brilliant story. Baker's prose is captivating; the comic characters ingenious, and the evil ones depressing. I am glad that, because of a great story, I now know something about the injustices faced by poor immigrants working in the garment factories at the turn of the century, as well as their incredible courage to say no to the injustice. Book knowledge is one thing; feeling like you know someone who lived the experience is another. Like some of the other critics, I was let down by one of the scenes toward the end. I expected fireworks, and was handed a sparkler. But not even a moment of disappointment can dampen my admiration for this book.

Rating:
Summary: What a Great Read!
Review: It is not often that a reader can be entertained and informed at the same time. Dreamland performs both tasks magnificently. Set in the early 20th century, Dreamland presents the underside of New York City. Baker's plot flows nicely, and the setting is extensively researched. The reader will visit places where men bet on brutal battles between rats and a dog, and laborers struggle to survive in horrific working conditions. Baker develops his characters brilliantly, providing a context for their current plight. While I will not disclose the ending, I do compliment Baker on leaving many questions unresolved. Life doesn't always work out like a nice, neat John Grisham novel. I highly recommend this book- I think you'll love it.

Rating:
Summary: Nice book, but not worth your time
Review: Hey all, I'm not one to usually write a bad review, but the ending of this book forced me to. I'm not going to give it away, however, it was....Lacking. After all the investment that this book required, I was hoping for more. Nice picture, but I prefer Caleb Carr's books which are of a similar subject matter. Todd

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining and hypnotic
Review: I loved this book. My only criticism could be that there should have been more of it! Each of the fascinating characters could have had a novel written about them individually - it was almost like each chapter was a "tease" of a particular character's continuing adventure. I was held spellbound by the heart-wrenching portrayal of the sweathouses - the scenes were painted so vividly I could smell the sewing machine oil and feel the bone-weariness of the young women. I did not enjoy the inclusion of Jung and Freud among the otherwise colorful fictional characters - they were completely and simply boring. Nevertheless - this was thoroughly an enjoyable story - read it!

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Summary: Great turn of the century history and much much more
Review: I bought the book because I thought I would be interested in the historical background, since it is circa 1905, and I love reading about that era. Well, there is all that and more. You will be plunged into a colorful era. Did you know that the bars had a picture of either Custer at his last stand or TR on San Juan Hill? And did you know that there was a San Juan Hill Roller Coaster at Coney Island?

But this book was so much more than I thought. Not only were there more historical facts from the era, but there were so many more layers of the book.

The book is primarily about Jewish Imigrants, even though it is also about the experiences of all imigrants. But there is a particularily great account of an imigrant who just takes off through Europe and stowes away on a boat and arrives in New York to see the lights of "Dreamland," a part of the Coney Island experience.

There are unbelievably poingnant accounts of the "sweat shops" in the garment district, a whole town of dwarfs set up in Coney Island, just like a "Disney Village," a girl who is molested until she becomes a whore, abandoned by her family, even though she was taken without her will. Then there are the unionization attempts and the atrocities in jail for the women. Some of the story just breaks your heart.

So why are Freud and Jung there in NYC at this time? They have some commentary about the Americans being crazy. My feeling is that this book is about America, and specifically about the Jewish experience in America. Freud is so afraid about his ideas being accepted because he is Jewish. Will Jung be is disciple who will make it all possible? Will America be closed like Europe and have two cultures, the Jewish and the Arian? Jung has this dream about two heads. Are there two cultures, Jewish and Arian? What is America? When you reach here, my grandfather (imigrant from Italy) thought the streets were lined in Gold. Are we as a country a melting pot? Or are there two cultures, Jewish and Arian?

The reader has to make the decision.

It's a great book. Buy it.

Rating:
Summary: 8 Months Later, I'm Still Thinking About It
Review: I haven't read much in the past ten years that stayed in my consciousness long after I read the last page. I found this an extremely compelling and well written fiction. My fondest hope is that it will be "discovered" in paper and reap the attention it deserves.

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Summary: Too many threads make Dreamland a colorful, patchy schmatte
Review: If publishers cared just a bit more about art than commerce, Kevin Baker would have created a trilogy. One novel named for each Coney island park: Luna Park to cover Trick's story of Kid and Esther; Dreamland about Big Tim and the labor unrest; and Steeplechase to follow Freud in America.

Alas, Baker was forced to twist all his skeins together into one book. Immigrant wagon hijacker Kid Twist (Kafka's Man Who Disappeared) rescues Trick the Dwarf, Mayor of the Little City, from the murdering grasp of Gyp the Blood and must hide from the vengeful gangster. Out on Coney Island, Kid falls in love with Esther, a Yiddish seamstress and union organizer. Meanwhile, Big Tim Sullivan, the second-in-command at Tammany Hall must deal with Beansy Rosenthal, a turn of the century John Gotti whose love of seeing his words in print could burst the whole delicious balloon of Tammany corruption. While Freud and Jung feud during their visit to America.

Baker breaks his story into 9 narrative threads and it gets confusing. And honestly, how can Trick, the first-person narrator who introduces the story know anything about the Termini Hall and Freud lines?

Baker weaves in many true stories of Manhattan and Coney Island that are by turns delightful and harrowing. Learning the slang of the time (mapped out in a handy glossary) is interesting too. But an author should never let simple color get in the way of his characters and above all the momentum of the story.

There is the flaw of Dreamland. It never gets up enough steam to propel you through its inevitable conclusions. It's the run up to the end, not the end itself that ultimately makes a book satisfying.

Do derive maximum pleasure from Dreamland, read "The Great Head Doctors from Vienna" chapters first (if you are interested in Freud). Read the Trick, Kid Twist and Esther chapters to savor the best color, characters and plot Baker has to offer. Then go back to Big Tim for another good read about a terrific character.

Rating:
Summary: Impossible to get into
Review: Although certain chapters of this book were entertaining, to read the entire thing was a complete stuggle!! I found the chapters to be completely disconnected from each other which provided no continuity throughout. I would suggest skipping this book and finding something more enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: Enchanting and earthy,a 20th.century rival to Dickens.
Review: This book grabs you immediately and pulls you into the incredible world of New York at the turn of the century. Gritty, down to earth, and sometimes shocking, you can almost smell the cabbage cooking in the tenaments. Yet, at the same time, we never lose sight of the dreams and hopes of the immigrants in the midst of all the squalor. Very well researched and written, it paints a vivid picture of New York seldom seen in books.