Though historic fiction is not my typical go-to genre, I thoroughly enjoyed this compelling story of a passionate young book lover who has distanced herself from her extremely wealthy family in hopes of living a happy, ordinary life.
After an emissary from Peggy Batternberg’s family removes her from her job at a bookstore in New York City and whisks her away to a summer holiday on Coney Island with her snobbish, pampered family, she takes off on her own to discover the unusual delights of the infamous carnival life. There, she finds a world she never imagined and the first stirrings of love she’s ever felt.
Told first-person, this novel captivated me from the start. The extravagance of Peggy’s family was countered by the daily hardships of the people who flocked to the amusement park for their entertainment or their livelihood.
There is danger and love and tyranny and murder, all of it mixed in with the strict morals of the day and the power that comes with wealth that can insulate the privileged from facing the consequences of their depravity. The writing is flawless, and the details that flesh out the story bring it to life with all the color and contrast of the era.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.
Frequently purchased items with fast delivery
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
About the author
a who dunit with flare
Confession time: I'm a book cover judger. Always have been. Always will be.When I saw the cover Dreamland, I fell in love. I barely read any of the synopsis before asking to read the book, probably because it was giving off some serious Night Circus vibes and I needed more Night Circus in my life.While this is a very good book in its own right, I want to be clear from the beginning that Dreamland is not Night Circus and isn't even close. These are completely different books in different genres and I don't want anyone going into the book thinking they are remotely related the way I did. Silly me.I'm a big fan of murder mystery books, and though I'm not sure what that says about me, the genre seems to only be growing, so at least I'm not alone. Dreamland is the perfect amount of historical fiction and mystery with a protagonist that I was immediately drawn to.I read a lot of reviews for this book after writing my notes for my own review, mostly because I'm always curious to see if people are thinking the same things I am. I have to say I was surprised by the complaints about Peggy. It seems that the reviewers who didn't like her (and the book in general) seemed to find Peggy to wishy washy and indecisive. I feel like that's an unfair assessment.Peggy was raised in one of the richest families in America and stands to inherit millions of dollars. When the book opens, she has taken a job (unpaid) in a bookshop simply because she has issues with her pampered, unfocused lifestyle. When she is manipulated into vacationing on Coney island with her family, she meets an immigrant whom she is immediately attracted to. From this point on she's supposed to be entirely sure of her future?Peggy is fighting engrained behavior, family expectations, society in just trying to figure out what she wants out of life. Of course she isn't whole heartedly determined in her pursuit of anything, because at the most basic level, she still isn't sure what she wants. Why can't she question things, change her mind, be apprehensive about what is the right thing for her? I have trouble ordering in a restaurant, but people expect a character to me single minded about their entire lives??I argue the Peggy was written honestly and realistically.The best parts of the book were the observations made about immigration and class. I would say it was a dark portrayal of the way immigrants used to be treated, but given today's political climate, Dreamland is more accurately described as a cautionary reminder of how far we haven't come.With a great mystery and amazing character development, Dreamland is a romantic whodunit with some coney island flare.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2023
- Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2020
- Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2020
- Reviewed in the United States on February 2, 2022
Top reviews from other countries
- That Short Writer - Marta K. DestlerReviewed in Italy on January 24, 2021
Reading Dreamland was like riding rollercoaster—@thatshortwriter on IG
This book is an historical murder mystery, set in and around Coney Island in 1911. A book that I read in one go and that, albeit with some weak points and a little predictability, left me with my eyes glued to the words. There is romance, a lot of mystery and angst, but also a lot of references to burning issues such as prejudice towards immigrants and the injustices they suffered, social differences and the role of women in that period.That Short Writer - Marta K. DestlerReading Dreamland was like riding rollercoaster—@thatshortwriter on IG
Reviewed in Italy on January 24, 2021
This is one of those cases where the cover immediately attracted me. It reminded me a little of the magical tints of The Night Circus, and although this book is a far cry from Morgenstern’s style and plot, the theme of the amusement park drew me like a moth to light.
The second thing that struck me, as soon as I started reading it, is the way the words catapult you directly into the New York of 1911, with its wonders and contradictions.
The events take place between the great hotels of Coney Island (the Manhattan Beach, the Oriental and the Brighton Beach) and one of the three amusement parks on Coney Island, Dreamland, with a few strolls in Central Park and its surroundings.
Beyond the minute physical details here and there, from the clothes to the streets to the hotels themselves, what stands out is the incredible knowledge of the society of the time and, above all, the differences between the working class and the rich one, which the protagonist, Margaret “Peggy” Batternberg, belongs to.
Her family is one of the wealthiest in New York, owners of numerous mining sites, but Peggy is the typical heroine and black sheep I love so much: independent, loyal and proud, with a huge heart and a bit of bubble naivety due to the bubble of glass in which she grew up. Despite the privileges that protect her in every move, Peggy is able to understand and see where the limits of her family lie and she shows it from the beginning, when we find her working in a bookshop even if she doesn’t need it, or when she mixes between dancers, street food vendors and Dreamland workers without ever looking at them with presumption—in this case the prejudices were aimed at her, a capricious bored heiress who never had to work a day of her life to buy her expensive clothes or the many jewels she wears.
The meeting with Stefan, a Serbian immigrant and artist who works in Dreamland, will lead her to dream of a different life, full of love and adventure, but when corpses start to appear along their steps, they will soon both be catapulted into a network of deceptions and injustice, not only on the part of her own family, but above all by those who should have had to work to find the real culprits, namely the Police Department. Each character is imbued with hatred towards immigrants, even some immigrants themselves towards other nationalities. Serbs who hate Italians who hate Russians. There is so much racism and prejudice that it makes my stomach turn. And more than once I have feared for their safety.
Speaking of these two lovely idiots: their love story is maybe a little too quick for my taste and I would have liked a lot more scenes with the two of them together (they are adorable as hell); I can understand, however, why they fell in love so quickly, despite the abysmal social differences that, for that time, were insurmountable: one was the comfort of the other, the promise of a better life that they always craved; someone who saw them with sincere eyes and for the people they are and not for what society expects. And then, I fell in love with Stefan right away too—how can you not love a gentleman with a broken English, who talks about art and ideals with so much ardor, humble and simply good despite the injustices he has suffered? I love him. I want one too.
Regarding the secondary characters I loved Lydia, Peggy’s sister, who has had tremendous growth among them all: from the silly young woman who wants a convenient marriage with a rich and handsome man, to a woman who wants to fight for her rights and justice. I loved the relationship between the two sisters, faced with ever higher obstacles and which they have overcome together.
Ben, Peggy’s cousin, is a very interesting character in his being ambiguous and fundamentally gray. I would have throttled him many times, but it’s really well written just to think about getting rid of him. Who I hated with all my heart is Henry Taul, Lydia’s boyfriend, so I won’t say a word, except: poor girl.
The killer, interesting as it is, is quite predictable. Maybe because I read a lot of murder mysteries (hello Jeffery Deaver!) but I suspected that character from the start and was sorry to be right. Be that as it may, this didn’t make the mystery any more boring, quite the contrary; Peggy’s investigations and the aftermath of her actions left me with my heart in my throat at the end of each chapter, with numerous twists that didn’t help my poor nerves at all (semi quote).
The ending left my heart empty; and it felt a little rushed to me, but overall the pace of the whole book was well weighted, a great blend of detailed descriptions and historical details, and action.
Reading Dreamland was like riding rollercoaster, constantly anxious that something bad would soon happen—and it often did. I recommend reading to all lovers of the genre. It’s wonderful. Find my spoilery review on my blog, thatshortwriter dot it!
Images in this review
- ValaReviewed in the United Kingdom on March 10, 2020
Made we want to read more from Nancy Bilyeau
- MidgebearReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2020
Down on The Boardwalk
