Dreamland

Rating:
Summary: Violent and self indulgent
Review: Dreamland is filled with bizarre and violent charectors none of whom I could relate to. The fact that one of the main charectors worked at the Triange shirt Factory ;only gave away the ending on the first few chapters of the book. If you are interested in turn of the century N.Y and enjoy a good read try Jack Finney's books. This one is a disturbing read.

Rating:
Summary: The Good Old days...They Were Terrible!
Review: But, this book was great. Dreamland kept me in the story,in the era,from beginning to end. Even though it was interrupted by Dr.Sigmund Freud from time-to-time. This is one of those "can't put it down" books. But, you must. To savor the life and times of Esse, Gyp the Blood, Kid Twist, and,lest we forget the greatest storyteller...Trick the Dwarf. Kevin Baker puts these , and a large company of characters, some fictional, and some real onto the seedy canvas which was Turn of the Century New York City. It dosen't matter where you live , this is the kind of book that not only entertains, but teaches us about the living and working conditions during the early part of the 20th Century. Maybe too vividly. Even so...it is a MUST read.

Rating:
Summary: The Great American Novel!
Review: Let me tell you: this guy has risked the wrath of the Snoot-culture Police to write a gut-wrenchingly beautiful story about heartache and desire, and has done so without the shield of irony with which to deflect charges of sentiment, which makes his achievement all the more impressive. This DREAMLAND is the sort of novel people don't even imagine possible anymore, a book whose ambition and scope seem almost--well, unseemly, at least among writers under the age of, say, fifty. But never mind all that: this book is a masterpiece, and it shows the yearning soul of New York (and by extension America if not the world) at its most desperate and vibrant. And the novel's ending is a set-piece that builds and swirls toward a conclusion that, with one misstep, could have been a disaster. Instead it's a moment of genuine literary magic. I urge you, I beg you, I charge you: Read this book, read this book, read this book.

Rating:
Summary: A Stirring, Moving Novel
Review: Baker's "Dreamland" is a stirring novel, populated with vibrant characters and a sweeping storyline. Epic in scope, Baker almost manages to seamlessly integrate a variety of historical figures with imaginary, archetypal characters. Most surprising is his somewhat ambiguous ending, something that brings a tear to the throat and a pit to the stomach; it is more effective than any sorty of definitive conclusion. Baker's only real misstep is including the travels of Freud and Jung into his narrative. The two and their trip are only peripherally integrated into the novel, and their intermitten presence only draws away from the novel, particularly in the last chapter, which only squelches an otherwise perfect ending. Other than this, though, Baker's novel is a real triumph of heartfelt historical fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Leonardo Buys Film Rights
Review: Leonardo DeCaprio, currently in Thailand filming Danny Boyles 'The Beach' - has bought the film rights to this book under his production company Birken Productions [mothers maiden name].

Rating:
Summary: Dreamland is dreadful. Predictable and pretentious.
Review: Dreamland is dreadful. From the moment that one learns that the heroine works at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, the conclusion is obvious to anyone with a passing interest in New York (or American) history. The pointless inclusion of imagined anecdotes of Freud and Jung's visit to America (presaging the Holocaust) and narration by a dwarf add nothing but self-indulgent prose to a weak melodrama.

Jewish gangster meets nice girl. Said gangster gets into a deadly dispute with another gangster who just happens to be the brother of said nice girl. (Capulets and Montagues anyone?) Add a dash of The Jazz Singer (conflict of second generation children with intransigent rabbi father) and stir in a few dwarves, a self-consciously ambiguous kaliedoscopic coda and a dead porkupine) and you have Dreamland.

Rating:
Summary: Good historical fiction on the industrial age
Review: Life on the mean streets of Gilded Age. The author made good use of historical facts and characters but the story tended to veer off into self introspection after the first half. The ending was a guest who dropped by and left without having said or done anything.

Rating:
Summary: A grand tour of New York City in the early 20th century.
Review: Mr. Baker's description of turn of the century New York is magnificent. A truly enjoyable story.

Rating:
Summary: A gripping, colorful journey through early 20th century NYC
Review: This remarkable book brings to life a vivid cast of characters, immigrants struggling to survive. The backdrop of Coney Island, and the short-lived Dreamland (part of the triumverate amusement parks that included Steeplechase and Luna Park) is exceptionally well-portrayed. But it is the memorable characters who carry the story: Esther, trapped in the soul-killing garment factories; Kid Twist, emigrated from the pogroms of Russia; and Trick the Dwarf, a denizen of the strange world of sideshows and gangsters, the lost and the outcasts. A major American book that should earn some literary awards.

Rating:
Summary: The best book of the year!
Review: This is the best work of historical fiction I have read in years. Also, one of the best books about New York I can remember.