Palisades Park: A Novel

A joyous read.

I'd really rather give this book 3.5 stars. It was definitely more than just ok but not worthy of 4 stars. I grew up just over the border from Bergen County in NY so I loved the local history of this book. Palisades Park closed down a few years before I was born so I never did get to enjoy it but my parents loved it so much and talked about it so often that I felt like I did know the place while reading this book. I have read Alan Brennert's other two books, Molokai and Honolulu and Molokai is my favorite. The characters of Palisades Park were too one-dimensional and just not well developed enough, especially Adele (the mother). The writing was very cliché. I have to say even though it sounds like I am giving this novel a bad review I still highly recommend it to anyone that would be interested in the subject. I enjoyed the subject and the history of this novel so much that I bought a copy for my parents for Christmas.

Alan Brennert's latest historical novel charts the life of Eddie Stopka and his family from 1922 to 1974, and their deep connections to New Jersey amusement park Palisades Park. Like Brennert's previous historical tales, he uses his focus on an individual and his or her family to show the events of the day, making them personal and intimate.While school history classes teach us the big events and broad strokes of history, for most people, life is comprised less of the big events that affect the whole world, and more of the little moments that affect our lives, and those of our friends and neighbors. So, too, is life for the Stopkas. Due to his fond childhood memories of the place, Eddie Stopka decides to make a living as a concession vendor at Palisades Park, and this decision influences almost everything else in his life. He finds a wife through the park, and they raise a family. The park influences the lives of their children as much as it did Eddie and his wife.Through the eyes and experiences of Eddie and his family, we do see world events outside the park. The book takes place across at least two wars (World War II and Korea) and this has profound effects on the family, as the men are caught up in those events.Closer to home, we also see the effects of the Civil Rights Movement, and the casual, almost unconscious, acts of racism that led to that movement. Readers of Brennert's previous novels  Moloka'i  and  Honolulu  will recognize this as a familiar theme. However, not only would it be naive to shy away from the darker realities of the historical periods he's writing about, but these are also problems society continues to wrestle with today. So it's a theme I find very relevant, and I appreciate the way Brennert deals with it; instead of dismissing those attitudes as "just the way things were then," he reminds us that what is wrong now was wrong then, and we shouldn't just ignore that, even when viewed through the lens of nostalgia.Throughout, Brennert gives us three-dimensional characters who evoke a great deal of sympathy and emotion. As a longtime fan of his work, I have always felt his strength is in creating characters who have full, complex, emotional lives. I find myself genuinely caring about his characters hopes and dreams, as well as the matter-of-fact way in which he presents their lives. The mundane details of running a french-fry stand matter to me, because they matter to Eddie and his family, and I care about what happens to them.Along the way, we also learn a lot about the history of the park, from its earliest days to its final demolition. The history is integrated well, not pedantic at all.This is clearly a love letter to a place and time dear to Brennert's heart. That love shows through, but it's also a compelling story for folks like me who never had the chance to visit Palisades Park. Highly recommended. Moloka'iHonolulu

"Palisades Park" is no roller coaster ride of a novel, rather a well written love letter to a "cherished part of the author's childhood." (author's quote). This is a fascinating historical fiction, written with love to a magical place and era long gone.Located high atop the New Jersey Palisades' cliffs, within the boroughs of Cliffside Park and Fort Lee, once stood the home of the famous Cyclone roller coaster, the Tunnel of Love and the world's largest salt water pool. The place was called Palisades Amusement Park and even today, over thirty years after it closed its gates, the Park is still warmly remembered, with nostalgia, by many, many people. This novel strikes a particular chord with me as I was born and raised in Atlantic City, NJ, (way before the casinos marred the beauty of the town, and the majestic, beautifully designed hotels were torn down to make room for tacky casino architecture). I was a regular at Steel Pier and Million Dollar Pier and would ride the "rides" even when I was in college.The protagonist of this tale is the Park itself, inhabiting 30 acres across the Hudson River from New York City. The glue holding the storyline together is a carnie family, the Stopkas. Eddie Stopka ran away from home in his teens, during the Great Depression and Prohibition. He rode the rails until he got a job at Palisades Park "sweeping up." It was here where Eddie met Adele Worth who worked at a root beer concession. He was attracted to her because she was beautiful and he was also amused by her "pitch." She would call, "Root beer, ice-cold root beer! Only legal beer in the Park! Not as much fun as malt, but just as delicious and twice as foamy! C'mon, lift a glass to Carrie Nation!!"Adele's father used to be a well known film director in Fort Lee, NJ. His company was called Worth While Pictures. Eventually the film industry relocated to Hollywood, thus ending his career in the movies. He remained bitter about this change for the rest of his life and drank heavily as a result. Adele was just 6 months old when she "acted" in her first film, "Babes in Arms." When she was a pre-teen she met big stars like Douglas Fairbanks and silent film actress Blanche Sweet. The lovely Adele was Miss Bergen County. She came to work at Palisades hoping to be noticed by anyone who could help her get a job in the film industry. And why not? "Everyone" visited Palisades Park! She was to hold on to her dream of being a movie star all her life.Eddie and Adele eventually married and their children Antoinette, a tomboy, fantasized about being a great diver, like the daredevil she saw at the park who jumped from a 90 foot tower into a water tank six feet deep. She insisted, to her mother's dismay, that she be called Toni and was definitely more into swimming & trying to climb the Palisades than in playing with dolls. Her younger brother Jack had a real knack for drawing and a love of action comic book characters. Eventually, when their parents bought a "joint," (a carny concession), the children worked there. This was their real home, more so than the house where they lived in Edgewater, NJ.In 1912, the park added a salt-water swimming pool. It was filled by pumping water from the saline Hudson River, 200 feet below. This pool, 400 by 600 feet in surface area, was billed as the largest salt-water wave pool in the nation. Behind the water falls were huge pontoons that rose up and down as they rotated, creating a one-foot wave in the pool. This pool was to eventually play a big role in "Toni's" life.The carnival "freaks" "Jolly Irene, the Fattest Woman In The World," "Susi, The Elephant-Skinned Girl," "Charles Phelan, Strong Man," "Victor-Victoria - Half Man, Half Woman," "Hoppe The Frog Boy," etc., were not freaks to the children or their parents, they were just friends and colleagues on the midway. Here there was an aura of camaraderie. Vendors helped each other through fire, sickness, poverty and loss. Annually the Rosenthal brothers, who owned the park, added new rides. They constructed a 24 feet high, one million watt marquee advertising Palisades Park.The park's reputation and attendance continued to grow throughout the 1950s and 1960s, largely due to saturation advertising and the continued success of the park's music pavilion and the Caisson bar. In addition, behind the Palisade Park music stage lay the park's worst-kept secret: a hole in the fence used by local children to sneak into the park without paying admission. Despite the fact that the Rosenthal brothers knew all about this breach, it was purposely left unrepaired."Palisades Park" spans several decades, 1922-1971 (the closing of the park). We experience, through the author's writing and impeccable research, the evolution of the Park. Some of the well-incorporated historical details include: The Great Depression, President Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, the peacetime draft, big band music, Hitler, Pearl Harbor, Mafia hits, racial discrimination, the Korean War, and the 1960's, which brought a major change to American culture. The reader also learns about the Park's history which runs parallel to world history. There were also major events here which effected both the families who worked at Palisades and those who came to be entertained. A few devastating fires, the bane of amusement parks everywhere, resulted in extraordinary damage, including terrible injuries and, sometimes, death. The resulting loss of property caused those who owned concessions to rebuild or go to work elsewhere, traveling the carnie circuit.Alan Brennert magically brings to life a way of life. The character of Palisades Park in all its moods, and the people, especially the engaging Stopkas, are vividly portrayed in this enjoyable novel.My "however moment," is this - although this is a very entertaining read, the characters are not complex at all. There is nothing in their life stories which has not been written about before. The novelty is the Park itself and the view of history which the author brings to the story. Yet I found myself satisfied, even through these shortcomings, because of other aspects, written about above, which makes this a hard to put down book.I think the character of Park owner Irving Rosenthal sums things up when he says, "A place like this - it's like a living thing, the way people interact with it, how they think of it. For kids like you who grew up around here, it's always been a part of your lives - it's personal. Sell it to someone like Walt Disney, and it's no longer the same park. I want it to be the same, to go one living after I'm gone. We're at the top of our game now. Palisades has never been more popular, more famous. What's wrong with wanting that to go on? Nobody wants summer to end."A bit of history from Wikapedia: "Palisades Amusement Park was host to Kings and Queens, rich and poor alike. At the famed open-air theater, top entertainers of the day performed for record crowds. During the Big Band era the talent included such classic performers as Benny Goodman's Big Band, Cab Calloway, Les Brown & His Orchestra, Harry James and The Dorsey Brothers. The names of performers from the world of Pop and Rock reads like a Who's Who of musicians; Fabian, Chubby Checker, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, Leslie Gore, The Jackson Five, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, The Four Seasons, Bill Haley & The Comets, Bobby Rydell, Dion, Jackie Wilson, Neil Sedaka, Tony Orlando, Frankie Avalon, Little Anthony, Freddy Cannon, Diana Ross & The Supremes, The Young Rascals, The Lovin' Spoonful, The Fifth Dimension and many more. It was host to the Little Miss America Pageant, the Miss American TeenAger contest, the Diaper Derby and many other diverse and interesting competitions.Palisades finally closed its doors on September 12, 1971 to make room for high rise condominiums but the memories live on.JANA

Brennert writes generation spanning novels that are well researched and well written with engaging characters, vivid place descriptions and enticing plots. In Palisades Park he does not disappoint. Although Palisades Amusement Park itself is the main character, Eddie Stopka the main human character, his children and his friends are by no means shorted in either characterization or plotting.Brennert’s people react the way ordinary folks would in similar circumstances. His plot twists are reasonable but not mundane, exciting but not overwhelming. These are people you know and care about. Their story is arresting and satisfying and you are sorry when the book ends.One of the things Brennert excels in is incorporating “real” people, places and events into his story line. Even if you are knowledgeable about the actual historical events they are so seamlessly incorporated you find yourself wondering only why you “didn’t remember” the fictional parts. Perhaps because I am from Chicago, I especially appreciated the inclusion of crime and mob influences. He handles racism with sensitivity and realistic drama. World War II and the Korean War are touched on in ways that will resonate with those affected by today’s military incursions. Divorce, women’s roles, faith, bullying, dysfunctional families, immigration and business practices are all timely and timeless topics well covered.And, if you haven’t yet read MOLOKAII and HONOLULU his two previous best sellers – well, you should!