Dreamland (Abridged) Audiobook

" Favorite book of the year. I love the mix on real history with a fictional story. "

" my least favorite of the nyc trilogy-this one taking place during the turn of the century and focusing in on the iconic Coney Island--freak shows, roller coasters, and more! "

" I am also still reading this one... about halfway through. This paperback made my tactile test. Paper, flexibility, fonts-wise. Oh and it's a pretty great read too. "

" I would do anything to be able to see the Coney Island of this era. On my way to work in the mornings, it's hard to believe that Dreamland, Luna Park, and Steeplechase used to be somewhere to my left. However, with this novel behind me, I can picture it all. The book is thoroughly historical, full of amazing dialogue/commentary, and has added yet another character to my "Female Protagonists to Emulate" list. Just brace yourself for a few gut-shots by the end. "

" Great book. Highly recommended for an interesting historical story in old NYC -- poverty, prostitution, gangs, immigration, assimilation, industrial revolution, labor organizations, race relations, politics, corruption -- there's something for everyone. "

" I read this in fits and starts until finally the intertwining plots grabbed and ran. Many topoi familiar to fans of 19th-century NYC history (Triangle Fire, Delerious Coney Island, the tin elephant hotel, the electrocuted elephant) appear in thick profusion and are brought to life by unique characters who surely could have lived and breathed. They meet up with the lesser-known but roughly contemporaneous story of Sigmund Freud & Carl Jung's speaking tour of America. Underlying it all like a dreadful sucking undertow is the conviction that life was cheap. Horses, dwarves, abandoned boys, gangsters, immigrants, discredited rabbis, machine politicians, whores, working girls, and cops all poised to be thrown on the ash-heap. And in ways that make HBO original series look tame. "

" This is a fascinating subject that doesn't require a love story tacked on. Oof, The characters were interesting but it was a weird mesh of events forcing them together. I liked them as portraits but not as a story that felt the need to connect them. Long live Coney Island! "

" A good yarn about turn of the 20th Century NYC, particularly the Lower East Side and Coney Island. Will probably check out the author's other books. "

" Awseome book about the characters of old New york City. "

" The story was good. I think it would have been better if the Freud/Jung parts were left out. They were an unnecessary distraction and I found myself reading through those sections a quickly as possible so I could get back to the story. "

" Not as good as Paradise Alley, but very good especially if you're interested in the very particular worlds and colorful past of New York City's lower East side, Brooklyn communities, and of course, Coney Island. "

" almost a 4, epic historical fiction- another look at the american dream "

" Very long but very good. "

" I love this author and snatched this up when I came across it because 'Paradise Alley' is one of my favorite books of all times. I like the way each chapter is in a different character's voice. "

" for all fans of the lower east side tenemant museum or new york in general - amazing and tangible history "

" Very interesting historical fiction. It reminded me a bit of Carnivale combined with the rough and tumble immigrant life in NYC at the turn of the century. So many colorful characters. "

" I enjoy historical fiction that deals with working class people and below, for whatever reason. This is a fascinating look at Manhattenites we don't usually get to see. "

" Mesmerizing. I'm already obsessed with NYC history and this book added more fuel to the fire. "

" Please see my review at Amazon.com: Grace's Dreamland Review "

" I enjoyed this book more than any other I have read in the last couple months of epic reading. I thought I was done with fiction, but this book reminded me how much I enjoy historical fiction. "

" This would be 3.5 stars for me. Extremely well-written, but I liked some of the characters' voices and stories more than others. I felt particularly drawn to Esther, the main character if there is one. "

" This was an ok read (or actually listen). It had A LOT of characters to keep up with and was interesting enough to keep me listening but the ending was anticlimatic for me. "

" This was not nearly as good as Paradise Alley. Too many characters means not enough depth to really know them. And I have no idea why Freud and Jung had to make such a long appearance as all they did was distract from the story "

" I liked it! I learned a lot. "

" It took a while to get connected and interested in the characters, but the wait was worth it. There is something about that time and those places. Hard lives, for sure, but there is such atmosphere and romance in the characters and their locations and how they deal with life's challenges. "

" Great book. Highly recommended for an interesting historical story in old NYC -- poverty, prostitution, gangs, immigration, assimilation, industrial revolution, labor organizations, race relations, politics, corruption -- there's something for everyone. "

" The story was good. I think it would have been better if the Freud/Jung parts were left out. They were an unnecessary distraction and I found myself reading through those sections a quickly as possible so I could get back to the story. "