Dreamland Social Club

Apr 17, 2012 Alexa marked it as didnt-finish

Shelves: arc, early-reviewers, gave-away

When I started this book, I was really intrigued and I liked the strangeness of the characters. But as I continued reading, I felt like the main character wasn't making much progress in learning more about her mother (convenient how her own father doesn't seem to know anything, huh?). I'm sure by the end she would have learned just about everything, but I think it's taking too long, especially since I started finding the story less and less interesting. It took me two weeks to get halfway with t...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Heather rated it 5 of 5 stars

The story begins with Jane, Marcus and their father riding in a taxi to their new house, the house they inherited from Jane and Marcus' grandfather, Preemie. As they enter the dusty dirty house, they discover an old carousel horse chained with a triple length of chain to the radiator and locked with a padlock. No one can guess the reason why. Just that Preemie was known to be eccentric. Jane discovers other oddities in the house as she finds old treasures about Coney Island, it's history, the on...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Britney rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: okay

~May contain spoilers~

Accurately, I would rate this book a 3.5 instead of just a 3. I like this book and I love Luna Jane, because she's in interesting character. I felt there could have been more romance between Leo and Luna Jane. I think the only reason they got together at the end was because everyone was expecting them to. I just wasn't feeling the romance between them throughout the story. I also thought that she dragged the ending out a little bit too much to a point where I had to force m...more

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Jan 27, 2013 Alexa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-2013-advisory

Jane goes back to her mother’s home of Coney Island to discover part of her roots, which are her grandparents and her mom being carnival people. She wants to learn more about her grandparents, since her and her brother, Marcus, inherit their house, which is filled with Coney Island treasures. At first Jane wonders why there is so much of her grandfather’s Coney Island treasures, but soon realizes that each piece is very special to him. Also, one of the items is a large carousel horse that is cha...more

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Oct 30, 2012 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

This book was frustrating in many ways. It had so much promise, including a great premise, title and cover. It's set in high school, deals with non-conformity and recognizes that conformity within an alternative social structure is still conformity (ahem, Burning Man). It's YA but not a dystopian fable or paranormal romance. The author has serious writing chops and doesn't dumb it down. Great attributes but in the end, a boring book. The main character Jane is a dull, spineless sad sack who woul...more

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Jul 11, 2012 Marianna Belfiore rated it 2 of 5 stars

Where to start with this book. I think the best rating would be two and a half stars, right in the middle of it was ok and I liked it. First I should start by saying I started reading this book months ago and only when I didn't have time to pick out a new book before running out the door I picked this up to finish it. It is an extremely quick read (as far as pages and font). However the story itself was extremely slow. I'm not really sure which plot would be considered the main plot of the novel...more Where to start with this book. I think the best rating would be two and a half stars, right in the middle of it was ok and I liked it. First I should start by saying I started reading this book months ago and only when I didn't have time to pick out a new book before running out the door I picked this up to finish it. It is an extremely quick read (as far as pages and font). However the story itself was extremely slow. I'm not really sure which plot would be considered the main plot of the novel. There were a couple of different conflicts occuring in the life of the main character, a high school girl named Jane. She was struggling to find herself as an individual, learn about her deceased mother, rediscover the past of Coney Island, understand her relationship with a boy named Leo, and this just naming a few. I can say that all of the conflicts were eventually solved in the story and there were no loose ends. However, for many of these issues I felt the conclusion or solution was rushed and almost thrown into the story. There was too much going on for the book to be completely cohesive. I also felt like the author was extremely long winded, I mean just to say "she looked up" took a paragraph EVERY SINGLE TIME!

To be honest, if you are looking for a simple read that will get you through those beach days this is fine but, if you picked up the book looking for a story about self-discovery... keep looking. The main character doesn't "find herself" until the boy she likes, likes her back. Once he shows his interest, everything in her life falls into place. I would've liked for a little bit of a stronger female lead character. Granted she doesn't go into a year long depression when the boy doesn't reciprocate her feelings at first but, the end was just a little too cliche for my liking.

It really could have been a better book and I think I kept on wishing that it was going to turn out to be something that it wasn't. The mix of fiction and fact was unusual but, so it goes. Like I said earlier, looking for a quick read that will keep you somewhat entertained go for it. It was a decent book but, won't be making any book lists of mine any time soon. (less)

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Apr 12, 2012 Giselle rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: advisory-2011-2012-bookshelf

This book was about a girl named Luna otherwise known as Jane who moves to Coney Island with her father and brother after they inherit a house from their grandparents. Her mother has died and this is her mother's birthplace and where she grew up and she tries to find out more about her mother by observing Coney Island. She also meets some people who are not very "normal" and she starts to fall in love with this mysterious tattoo boy who also lives in Coney Island.

I think a major theme in this b...more

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Dec 27, 2011 Celeste hernandez rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ehhh-·-p

Well It was an Ok book for starters. I loved the fact that It was all based on Coney Island and it had to do with all these secrets that uncover a past which means an adverture!I gotta say I´m a sucker for anything to do with the ocean and some romance! I´ve never been to Coney Island but this book just got me into wanting to visit it evern more but even if I do get the oppurtunity to visit one day I wish I could have seen it let´s say 20yrs ago because there were so many rides that were later r...more Well It was an Ok book for starters. I loved the fact that It was all based on Coney Island and it had to do with all these secrets that uncover a past which means an adverture!I gotta say I´m a sucker for anything to do with the ocean and some romance! I´ve never been to Coney Island but this book just got me into wanting to visit it evern more but even if I do get the oppurtunity to visit one day I wish I could have seen it let´s say 20yrs ago because there were so many rides that were later removed:( The reason why I said it was an Ok book was because it just seemed like something I´ve read countless times before. I don´t mean to sound harsh but Hey I´m the reviewer right?! When I picked this book out at my school library I was drawn to It´s cover.I know, I know I shouldn´t judge a book by It´s cover. Even before I read the description inside I couldn´t wait to take it home and get under my covers and have a lazy day where I just read all day. Another reason why It´s OK in my opinion was because This advernture they set out to do wasn´t enough for me or the romance part. I guess I don´t know how to explain it, I was expecting this wild adventure where you wish as your reading you could have been in they´re shoes doing it! Also on the little fling between Leo and Jane like I said I was expecting more. Like since she remembered those tattoos I thought there was going to be this mystery of his past that he was a mermaid or something. Sorta like this book called ´Seven Tears into The Sea¨ which I recommend (it literaly put me to tears) I guess with all these secrets and this past that Jane didn´t really know of from here mother that passed away when Jane was only a little girl I would have thought the author would of took me on this awsome ride of different discoveries that would of kept me like ¨What thats awsome!? But overal it was a nice read I woudln´t Highly recommend it but Hey this is my opinion to whomever is reading this might think It´s the greatest book ever written or something. I will say before I stop writing that the author did a great job with her knowledge of Coney Island and even the rides and places that don´t even exist like the Anchor which is Ruby´s Bar. That also no longer exists:( Because if I ever visit I would have liked to sit in one of the stools and try to see whay the author decided to share this place with us, does that make sense? Plus there was a part about all these post cards that were posted on one of the bars walls I can only image how awsome/interesting that would have looked! I really liked at the end of the book how she also listed some books or aritcles about Coney Island that I will absoultely be checking out later on!!I also like the cool things that Jane found in the attic or the vintage dresses from her grandmother. I would have loved to have found those Vintage dresses they sound beautiful especailly the blue one. Well as I leave you with this review I hope you don´t take my opinion and not decide to read the book. I hope whomever reads this review gives the book a chance becaue you may end up thinking it was better than what I have writtin down. Enjoy! (less)

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Sep 05, 2011 Suzanne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: peach-consideration

4 is my grown-up weirdo-loving adult rating; 3 would probably be my reading like an "average" teen rating.

Just like I have a hard time selling How to Say Goodbye in Robot or Marcelo in the Real World to most teen readers, this one is tough to advertise effectively.

If you want to know what it's like to be a giant, a dwarf, covered with tattoos, a kid with no legs, or a girl who can grow a full beard all while attending high school on Coney Island, this book might be for you. Jane, the main charac...more

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Jul 13, 2011 Pam Vlieg rated it 4 of 5 stars

I adored the setting in //Dreamland Social Club//. I have never been to Coney Island but I always imagined it to be magical and this book shows us that it is in fact very magical. Aside from the setting the family dynamics in the novel were quite interesting. They are a family on the brink of disaster, the mother has passed away and since that time it has been hard for the father to hold on to employment. He and the children have moved all around the world looking for work and a safe place when...more

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Jun 25, 2011 K rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library, pb-wishlist

Rollercoasters, carousels, and bumper cars; hot dogs, dive bars, and beach umbrellas. The heyday of Atlantic Ocean resort towns. Boardwalk Empire. The Darling Mermaid Darlings. Circus animals, freak shows, carnies. I like all of these things. This book set them around high school.

I’m a little enamored of Dreamland Social Club right now.

Jane and her brother Marcus, along with their father, move into a house on Coney Island that they’ve just inherited. It’s not a huge change considering a new scho...more Rollercoasters, carousels, and bumper cars; hot dogs, dive bars, and beach umbrellas. The heyday of Atlantic Ocean resort towns. Boardwalk Empire. The Darling Mermaid Darlings. Circus animals, freak shows, carnies. I like all of these things. This book set them around high school.

I’m a little enamored of Dreamland Social Club right now.

Jane and her brother Marcus, along with their father, move into a house on Coney Island that they’ve just inherited. It’s not a huge change considering a new school year has always meant a new school, but Coney is the place where Jane’s dead mother is from. Before she moved away, Clementine lived with her parents (Preemie and Birdie) in a house where the carousel horse in the living room was chained to the radiator. There were stories of attractions and mermaids and none of it really meshes with what Jane’s seeing of the now ramshackle boardwalk. There’s a Tattooed Boy, dwarves, a giant, and even a bearded girl—and Jane is now enrolled at Coney Island High with them. She’s trying to find out more about her mom and Coney, but keeps getting sidetracked with the mysterious and vague posters at school for meetings of the Dreamland Social Club.

This isn’t a rehashing of Girl Character coming to terms with her dead mother. Instead, Jane looks back to find out about teenaged Tiny. Her mother led a different life growing up than even her dad was ever a part of, as the daughter of locally famous Coney characters. What was it about the boardwalk that her mother loved and still wanted to leave behind? Is it worth preserving? Should they raze the whole aged expanse just to start over with a horror made of cardboard, plastic, and appalling colors? And does it really matter if Jane figures out the secrets of the Dreamland Social Club if they’re just going to leave after a year?

Like an invite to an afterhours card game with the crew of a traveling circus; the chance to be Marilyn Munster. There was nothing here that I didn’t like. Here’s hoping they keep that perfect cover for the paperback release. Gooble gobble.(less)

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Feb 22, 2012 Johnp rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, drama, female-lead, relationships

Jane and her brother Marcus have just inherited their grandfather’s house on Coney Island. They move there with their father, a roller-coaster designer, in the hopes that he can find someone to buy his newest ideas. The two teens know nothing of their grandfather, called Preemie, but she sure finds out. He has stockpiled all sorts of artifacts about Coney Island in their new house. Some interesting, most disturbing.

As Jane and Marcus begin their school year, several of the student body are chil...more

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May 10, 2011 Chelsea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jane is used to moving around. Her father designs roller coasters and the family has moved many times to places where her father's work took them. This time it is to Coney Island, New York, the place where her mother grew up. Jane is both excited and nervous to learn more about her mother, who died when Jane was only six. But Jane ends up learning a lot more than that. With the help of new found friends, Jane will learn things about people she never dreamed she would meet, see things she never t...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Sara (LitHacker.com) rated it 4 of 5 stars

A refreshingly unique story of a girl who returns to her family's roots on Coney Island after following her engineer dad around the world from school to school and country to country. I really enjoyed the strong sense of place and history that the author created, as well as main character Jane's struggles to find a sense of belonging - as a friend, a daughter, a person, and a thoughtful citizen of her new home. I also love the gorgeous cover.

I didn't like the abrupt shifts from the 3rd person n...more

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Aug 09, 2011 Sara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I recently visited Coney Island, famed for its Cyclone rollercoaster, the Wonder Wheel, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, and freak shows. So of course I was primed to read Tara Altebrando’s young adult novel “Dreamland Social Club” (Dutton Books, 2011).

Set in Coney Island, this book perfectly captures the nostalgia and gritty wonder of Brooklyn’s legendary playground, full of quirky, colorful characters.

Sixteen year-old Jane Dryden and her older brother have spent much of their lives moving from one p...more I recently visited Coney Island, famed for its Cyclone rollercoaster, the Wonder Wheel, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, and freak shows. So of course I was primed to read Tara Altebrando’s young adult novel “Dreamland Social Club” (Dutton Books, 2011).

Set in Coney Island, this book perfectly captures the nostalgia and gritty wonder of Brooklyn’s legendary playground, full of quirky, colorful characters.

Sixteen year-old Jane Dryden and her older brother have spent much of their lives moving from one place to another, following their father’s work as a rollercoaster designer and engineer.

Still grieving ten years after the death of Jane’s and Marcus’s mother, the family inherits their mother’s childhood house in Coney Island from a grandfather the children never knew, Preemie. “There was an amusement part here in the early nineteen hundreds,” Jane’s father explained. “Dreamland. Incubators had just been invented…Your grandfather was part of a premature baby display when he was born,” who later made a living “harassing people on the boardwalk into playing a carnival game where you shoot clown mouths with water guns.”

Her grandmother, Jane learned, was a sideshow act, supposedly part bird. Jane is determined to explore the secrets of her mother’s past, a life she both loved and longed to escape.

Jane is a wonderfully complex character who just wants to find a place where she can fit in, call home. But at Coney Island High, her new friends are Leo, the Tattooed Boy; Babette, a goth dwarf; Debbie, who sports a peach-fuzz beard; H.T., who has no legs; and a giant named Legs. Normal never seemed so…weird. Jane discovers that her mother founded the mysterious Dreamland Social Club, something that everyone seems to know about but her.

Over the course of the year, Jane finds herself in the middle of a decades-old family feud involving a carousel horse chained to the radiator the living room as well as an ongoing battle between a development company that might have a job for her father and preservationists who fear that their beloved Coney Island will be turned into another slick theme park and shopping mall.

This book is steeped in Coney Island history and the carnival-like atmosphere of Jane’s new world. If you’ve ever been to Coney Island, or know anything of its history, you’ll be nodding your head in delighted recognition throughout the book. If you’ve never been there, you may well find yourself making travel plans—or wishing you could. Fortunately, Altebrando lists some excellent resources for readers wanting to learn more about The People’s Playground.

This review was first published in The News-Gazette, Sunday, August 7, 2011. (less)

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Feb 23, 2013 Jennifer rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of old Amusement Parks

Recommended to Jennifer by: Waukegan Public Library

Shelves: read-young-adult

A young adult novel that would make a stunning movie, Dreamland Social Club tells the story of Jane, a teenager who moves to Coney Island with her brother and her father to live in a house they've inherited through Jane's mother, who died when she was six. Jane and her family have lived all over the world--never staying more than a year or two in one place--due to Jane's father's job as an engineer. Jane isn't sure what to think of her new home and the memories of her mother that it raises. Her...more

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Nov 29, 2011 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen

Jane’s mother passed away when she was a young girl. Her mother never spoke about her own childhood. So Jane is surprised to inherit a house from a grandfather she didn’t even realize was alive. The house is filled with mementos from her grandfather’s life as a circus performer. Jane also learns about her mother’s life and a club she formed and she begins to remember more and more about her mother, especially stories she used to tell usually involving mermaids. As she begins to unravel secrets i...more

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Aug 06, 2012 Sasha rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of A.S. King

Recommended to Sasha by: Estelle

Shelves: audiobook, contemporary, penguin, young-adult, unexpectedly-enjoyed, 2012

I was slightly hesitant when going into Dreamland Social Club; Having just finished up two amazing contemporaries, I knew that Dreamland Social Club was going to have to be spectacular for me to like it, and it was just that – spectacular.

Dreamland Social Club is weird and quirky and kooky, and I loved it. The main character, Jane, is trying to figure out who she is, who her mother was, and how this strange closed-off place (Coney Island) fits into the mix. It was so much fun watching Jane find...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Melissa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-teen-book-reviews, audiobook-reviews-2012, battle-of-the-books-possibilities-f, favorites, read-in-2012, teen-general-fiction, with-reviews

Summary:
When Jane, her brother, and her father move to the house they inherited from a maternal grandfather Jane has never known, she begins to find out all sorts of interesting facts about the grandparents she never knew, and the mother she lost so long ago. Her grandfather’s house in Coney Island is a museum of Coney Island memorabilia, and so much of Jane’s life before her mother died revolved around this place she has never seen. Yet Coney Island is a place of controversy, where they try to...more Summary:
When Jane, her brother, and her father move to the house they inherited from a maternal grandfather Jane has never known, she begins to find out all sorts of interesting facts about the grandparents she never knew, and the mother she lost so long ago. Her grandfather’s house in Coney Island is a museum of Coney Island memorabilia, and so much of Jane’s life before her mother died revolved around this place she has never seen. Yet Coney Island is a place of controversy, where they try to merge the past with the present, and with hard feelings on all sides. Can Jane find herself, her mother, and her place to belong in the childhood home of a parent who died years ago?

Review:
I love books with a strong sense of setting and this book definitely falls into that category. Of course I have heard of Coney Island—who hasn’t, but that doesn’t mean I really knew what Coney Island was. In this novel and in reality Coney Island is a battleground where the past clashes with the present, and Altebrando has done an amazing job teaching us to appreciate Coney’s history, and hope for the best for Coney’s future. In this novel, Coney itself was almost a character. It was vividly depicted and a place I felt myself longing to explore.

At first you aren’t sure what to make of Jane. She is a nice enough character, but she is also kind of a blank canvas. She is a girl who isn’t sure about who she is. All she knows is she is moving into the childhood home of her mother. The home of a deceased grandfather she never met. She isn’t sure what to make about her unusual relatives, or about the unusual group of characters she meets as she gets to know more about Coney.

Jane herself is torn, she wants to remember the past, remember her mother, but at the same time she wants to get on with her life and feel like she belongs somewhere. The irony being she is a perfectly normal girl who shouldn’t have trouble fitting it, but can’t seem to find her place with the oddities of the characters around her—normal as abnormal.

Audiobook Review:
The audio book is produced by Recorded books and read by Erin Moon. I loved Moon’s nartion of this novel. She does a great job with the voices and especially pulling you into Jane’s story and Jane’s voice. The CD book is 9 discs long roughly 10 hrs and 15 minutes. The beginning of the novel is a little slow, so the audio is a good way to get yourself into the action of the novel. It is a clean production and a pleasant listening experience. I would definitely recommend the audio.

Overall:
This was a wonderful novel about a search for identity and belonging. What the future may bring, no one knows, but you want to remember where you came from. I love learning about Coney and really had trouble putting this one down because I always wanted more of this great setting.

Cautions for Sensitive Readers:
Some drinking.
(less)

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Nov 15, 2011 Kelly added it

Shelves: could-not-finish, ya-fiction, read-in-2011

I gave this a good 65 pages before giving up. I wanted to like this more than I did, but the third person tense was so distancing. I never could forge an emotional connection with Jane, and I really wanted to. But each page took me further away from her, as I learned back story of her family's history with the carnival world. Third person past along with back story kept taking me further and further out of the world entirely. The voice wasn't there.

More than that, though, I ... just didn't have...more

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Jun 18, 2011 Chelsea rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen-fiction

I think that the fact that I grew up in a circus town has influenced my love for this book. I've had a fascination from a young age with the circus/carnival golden age in the US, and the public's obsession with the unusual and the exotic that fed this unique entertainment industry. Altebrando perfectly captures the nostalgia, wonder, and protectiveness that I feel towards the circus, but in this case she is writing about Coney Island, which was fun and enlightening for me.

Luna Jane (known as Ja...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Jennifer rated it 4 of 5 stars

(ARC Review) I loved the Coney Island lore mixed into Jane's search for information about her deceased mother. The Coney stories added a touch of historical to the fiction but this book was not historical fiction. Also a meaningful missive about how old towns can lose themselves and opportunities in the fight for keeping tradition.

Full of quirky, colorful characters that will have you clearly envisioning the Coney Island side-shows! Enchanting love story as Jane lusts after Leo. Nice touch of my...more

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Mar 10, 2012 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

After I finished this, my husband asked me what it was about. "It's complicated" was my reply. This is a multi-layered story involving Luna Jane, her life in a newer country, new house, new school, and new persona. As she uncovers who her long-deceased mother was, a woman full of fun and secrets, Jane finds out slowly who her mother was and is, who her grandparents were, and who she is. This all takes place amidst the backdrop of an ever-changing Coney Island. I liked the bits of history mixed w...more

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Apr 12, 2011 the golden witch. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-galley, first-reads-early-reviewers, 2011, teenage-shennanigans, faepunk, magical-reality, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I’ve always had a soft spot for carnies, I’ll admit it. I don’t know if it was that X-Files episode featuring actual geeks from the Jim Rose Circus that I saw when I was 9 or 10, but they’ve always fascinated me. Even while reading biographies on Cheng and Eng and other famous geeks, I’ll admit that I still don’t have a great sense of actual carny life. But thanks to this book, I think that I might have a little bit of a better understanding of what it means to be different.

I love how Altebrando...more I’ve always had a soft spot for carnies, I’ll admit it. I don’t know if it was that X-Files episode featuring actual geeks from the Jim Rose Circus that I saw when I was 9 or 10, but they’ve always fascinated me. Even while reading biographies on Cheng and Eng and other famous geeks, I’ll admit that I still don’t have a great sense of actual carny life. But thanks to this book, I think that I might have a little bit of a better understanding of what it means to be different.

I love how Altebrando has spun the traditional teenage story line: girl transfers/moves to a new town/city, tries to fit in when she’s most definitely not even near the definition of “normal”, only to be accepted in the end by at least one person. Here, ‘normal’ is the abnormal, and Jane’s loss at what to do (including the small shock of being descended from carny folk) was absolutely delicious to behold. Her floundering in what would usually be a reverse situation (where society-dictated ‘normal’ would be on top, with the geeks at the bottom of the food chain) was wonderful and it was nice to watch her grow through her experiences with trying to find friendship and herself in what is known to be a very tight-knit and wary-of-outsiders community of people.

This book charts the usual teenage experience of trying to find oneself that is so often the main theme of normal (and by normal, I mean otherwise non-sub genre literature) YA lit but does it in a way that’s not only tolerable to people like me who get sick of that usual experience quite quickly, but does it with such charm that you can’t help but to love every single character in that book and not want to let them go. Even the usual idea of carny geeks is still pushed further to the edge – the bearded lady is a teenage girl, the dwarf is a goth, tattoo boy has intimate ties to the protagonist that both discover together through his tattoos.

And the mermaid for a mom angle was lovely, too. My heart ached along with Jane’s for her lost mother as she slowly grew to embrace her carny heritage from being a ‘usual’ (if not otherwise boring, as so many characters along the way pointed out) teen girl.

There’s also the issue of politics, but it’s woven in so deftly by Altebrando that you don’t really realize that it becomes a major part of the plot until after you’re about halfway done with the book. I won’t spoil that angle, but you do get the sense of community that wraps around you as you read that’s so powerful it really is as if you’re there with everyone else on the boardwalk, fighting to live your way of life.

As Peter Bishop said in “Fringe” this past season, ” ‘Reality’ is only a matter of perception”, and this book is yet another piece to back up that statement. But one should add – which reality would you choose? Would you choose to be with a traditionally outcast community? Or would you stay with the status quo? Would you deny your heritage for how society deems you should live your life? These are all essential questions that come up for the first time during one’s teenage years, and Altebrando really challenges the audience’s views the entire time, forcing you to think about what’s important to you versus what is “supposed” to be important to you.

Otherwise, a wonderful, masterful read. I can’t wait to read more of Altebrando’s work.

(crossposted to librarything, shelfari, and witchoftheatregoing.wordpress.com)(less)

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May 11, 2011 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: arcs, books-i-own

Dreamland Social Club is another one of those books that kind of came out of nowhere and completely took me by surprise. Prior to receiving a copy, I hadn’t heard a word of this book. No reviews, no buzz, nothing. And considering I’ve had a handful of bad experiences with situations like this, I’ll be honest and admit that I wasn’t expecting much from this book.

But I don’t understand why there hasn’t been buzz surrounding this book. I absolutely loved it. I’m having a hard time trying to put int...more Dreamland Social Club is another one of those books that kind of came out of nowhere and completely took me by surprise. Prior to receiving a copy, I hadn’t heard a word of this book. No reviews, no buzz, nothing. And considering I’ve had a handful of bad experiences with situations like this, I’ll be honest and admit that I wasn’t expecting much from this book.

But I don’t understand why there hasn’t been buzz surrounding this book. I absolutely loved it. I’m having a hard time trying to put into words how amazing I thought it was. It was one of the best novels I’ve read so far in 2011.

There are so many stories going on in this book at once; Jane’s hunt to discover the Coney Island that her mother grew up with and her hunt to know her mother, the rebellion against renovation for Coney, the odd friendship Jane has with Leo, her struggling attempts to fit in and her struggling attempts to find out who she really is. It sounds pretty crammed in 304 pages but it’s not. The author tackles all of this and tells all of these wonderful stories that end up tying together in the end.

The characters, Jane in particular, were amazing. I’ve never read a book with such a broad spectrum of personalities. Jane starts off as this quiet nobody and literally evolves through the pages into someone more brave and lively and spirited.

And the scenery. Don’t get me started on the scenery. Even if I ended up hating the book, I would’ve re-read it again and again just for the gorgeous descriptions of Coney Island and the circus-esque atmosphere that surrounds Jane both in school and at home, especially in the scenes where Jane is exploring the contents of the attic. More than once I just wanted to jump into the book to see it for myself.

Overall, I thought Dreamland Social Club was a brilliant novel that evoked a lot of emotions and left me thinking about it days and days after finishing it. Whenever I close a book with a grin on my face, I know it’s been a terrific reading experience, and Dreamland Social Club absolutely was. I definitely recommend you check this one out!(less)

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May 14, 2011 Britta rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book – it was interesting, kooky, strange, mysterious and a whole lot of fun.

Dreamland Social Club follows Jane who has just moved to Coney Island, the place of her late mother’s youth, with her father and brother. Because of her father’s erratic job as a roller coaster designer, she is never in one place for more than a year. The past few years have been spent abroad in Europe and Asia. Coney Island is much different than anything she has ever seen before – and she’s been...more I really enjoyed this book – it was interesting, kooky, strange, mysterious and a whole lot of fun.

Dreamland Social Club follows Jane who has just moved to Coney Island, the place of her late mother’s youth, with her father and brother. Because of her father’s erratic job as a roller coaster designer, she is never in one place for more than a year. The past few years have been spent abroad in Europe and Asia. Coney Island is much different than anything she has ever seen before – and she’s been a lot of places. The other kids are…. well, freaks. Like sideshow freaks. From midgets and dwarfs, to totally tattoo covered, to bearded ladies, and giants- Coney High has them all.

Not only does Jane’s move stir up community trouble, Jane also starts to uncover secrets from her family’s past and she finds herself choosing between her friends and her family, and her history and her future.

The imagery in this book was great! I have never been to Coney Island before… actually, I didn’t even know it existed (which is odd since I live so close to it). So needless to say, I knew nothing about the scenery. The author does an amazing job engulfing the reader into the world of Coney Island. She got me so interested in the park and its history that I found myself looking up pictures and history (which I found to be portrayed almost perfectly in the book). HERE is the link to the Coney Island website, which fascinated me!

Apart for the imagery and setting, the characters were entertaining and vey unique. Jane and her family are “normal” but dysfunctional in their own way, but although they are the main characters, they are definitely not the most interesting. The cast of supporting characters was the most different set of characters I have ever read about. Jane’s newly acquired best friend, Babette, is a goth dwarf. Her bad-boy crush is Leo, is completely covered in tattoos. The boy who crushes on her, Legs, is giant – like an actual giant. And that is just naming a few. What I found most interesting about them is that not only are they different, but they defy their own little stereotypes. They each have strong personalities, but they are nothing like what one would expect. They are each struggling in their own way, and they each deal with it differently.

This novel has a great plot and a great atmosphere – I would definitely recommend it. People like me who’ve never seen Coney Island will enjoy learning more about it, and people who have been there will appreciate how realistically it is portrayed. I would definitely recommend this one. Although it deals with common issues such as fitting in, deciding between the past and the future, and family verses friends conflicts this story is one hundred percent individual. I was eager to flip the pages, dying to know where the story went next, but when I reached the end, I was very sad that it was over. The author created a wonderful, consuming world that the reader is sure to love.(less)

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Jun 13, 2012 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Really brilliant novel interweaving both the past and present Coney Island and how the locals relate to the changes. Growing up in the boardwalk areas of NJ myself, I understood these characters on so many levels. Much like Coney, Asbury Park has seen those same would be developers come and go as the boardwalk sits in ruins. However, in Coney, they keep shutting down existing structures to make room for gentrification. On another level, the protaganist Jane is a teenager struggling to know the m...more

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Nov 30, 2011 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this one! I'd heard good things, but still didn't really know what to expect. And now that I'm done, it's kind of hard to describe. It was a nice balance of fun, fast read, with enough meat that it didn't feel too fluffy. The characters were well-developed, but what really made it work is the setting. I learned a lot about Coney Island and it has some interesting things to say about how to deal with buildings and neighborhoods that are past their prime. There's another "finding...more

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Nov 02, 2011 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! Not only is the environment in Dreamland Social Club amazing, stunning, fascinating, and surprisingly realistic considering that the protagonist, Jane, lives in a world with goth dwarfs and 7ft. giants (that might be an exaggeration) but, Tara Altebrando drew me into her world. I fell in love with Leo along with Jane and yearned for the Coney Island that was in the story. I was outraged when I heard about the plans against Coney and experienced every emotion along with Jane....more

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Jul 02, 2011 Frances rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Frances by: Chelsea

Shelves: read-in-2011

3.5 stars. The best thing about this book is that it's set in Coney Island. The author seamlessly weaves together real and imagined places such that I will be confused if I ever go there (and how much do I want to go there? So much!). For all of the magic of the setting, though, I struggled with the narration. Why is it written in 3rd person? Why the clunky italicized memories that jar the reader out of the story? Why does the timeline occasionally seem confusing when the story takes place over...more

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