Palisades Park

February 25, 2013
Brennert (Moloka’i) grew up in the shadow of this New Jersey amusement park and wrote the book as a love letter to Palisades—and to a bygone age. Opening in 1922, when young Eddie Stopka visits the park, and closing in 1974, with Eddie’s daughter witness to its demolition, the novel traces the ups and downs of this classic park during its heyday–and of the Stopkas’ similarly variable fortunes. When Eddie’s home life falls apart, he returns to Palisades determined to recapture the sense of wonder he felt there as a young boy and soon marries fellow concessionaire Adele, a former child actress who still dreams of the stage. Various challenges—fire, war, protests, and infidelities—shape not only the Stopkas but also the park. The couple’s daughter, Toni, demonstrates the best qualities of her flawed parents in her dedication to becoming a high diver rather than simply relying on her looks. Brennert convincingly incorporates into the narrative authentic figures and anecdotes about the park, and creates a real emotional pull in his evocative descriptions of the eccentric, hardworking people who made up the Palisades family in good times and in bad. Announced first printing of 100,000. Agent: Molly Friedrich, the Friedrich Agency.

February 1, 2013
A literate, thoughtful saga covering half a century in the life of a family whose world centers on a New Jersey amusement park. As Brennert (Molokai, 2003, etc.) opens his tale, with its plentiful shaggy-dog moments, we find something approaching Eddie Stopka's idea of paradise: a swimming pool "packed with hundreds of swimmers, the beach overrun by sunbathers and toddlers wielding toy shovels." A few pages and years later, and Eddie's world has been transformed: The Great Depression has wiped happiness from the land, and he's taken to riding the rails--though, careful as ever, isn't actually as broke as his fellow hobos. Eddie is nothing if not goal-oriented, and he makes his way back to the shore and talks his way onto the crew, promising that he's "torn down Ferris wheels and put 'em back up again." One thing leads to another, and in time, Eddie's a dad--though therein lies a story that's not shaggy in the least. As the years roll by, Eddie and his offspring face a changing world in which--gasp--African-Americans expect to enter the park and--gasp--Richard Nixon takes national office. For all its exotic setting, Brennert's tale is a universal one, pointing to the travails of family life. But there are differences between the lives of his characters and ours: As one stunt diver says, smiling, of a particularly stunning feat, "Ah, that's nothing. Wait'll you see me do it when I'm on fire." A pleasure to read, especially for those who collect giant pineapples, roller coasters and other roadside attractions.

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November 1, 2012

Emmy and Nebula Award winner and the author of Moloka'i and Honolulu, Brennert grew up in the shadow of Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. He opens his story in the 1930s, as seven-year-old Antoinette (who prefers Toni) becomes entranced with the high divers at the park's immense saltwater pool, then follows her family right up to the park's closing in 1971. Are the golden years always golden? A big national tour and lots of promotion.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2013
When Eddie Stopka first visits New Jersey's Palisades amusement park with his family in 1922, he is so charmed he knows he is destined to come back. When he does return, it is to become a french-fry vendor, marking the beginning of nearly half a century of work at the park. Eddie marries Adele, also a park vendor, and shortly after their children, Toni and Jack, are born, Eddie joins the navy to help resurrect Pearl Harbor. In 1949, when the park comes under the scrutiny of civil-rights activists protesting the whites-only pool policy, Toni, who has become a first-rate lifeguard, boldly joins the fray. She then follows her dream to become one of few female high divers in the nation. Brennert effectively captures twentieth-century American history from the unique perspective of the park and the lives of those who work there. But if at times Brennert's narrative seems to only lightly skim the surface of history, then Stopka's old-time integrity and lovable gullibility are rewarding depictions of the more cheerful, hopeful American of old.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)