Under the Boardwalk

by Norman Rosten

A reprint of the 1968 edition. Annotation copyright Book News, Inc. Portland, Or.

126 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

American poet, playwright, and novelist.

Reviews

[Masseyalum · Rating 4 out of 5]

First read this book as a 14 year old. Stuck with me enough to track it down and re-read at 70.

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Official poet laureate of Brooklyn, Norman Rosten also wrote a few novels of which Under the Boardwalk was the first. Since the book describes a Coney Island childhood in a series of vignettes, I had assumed that it was more or less a boyhood memoir (which is what it reads like), but in fact the author grew up elsewhere and had a father who was a farmer, not a slightly crazed handyman running a seaside boarding-house. Odd. Maybe childhood holidays made a big impression...

Ronald Sukenick described Under the Boardwalk as “gentle, humane, funny, and beautifully written” and that seems fair enough. It's unambitious and a little lightweight perhaps, but quietly readable.