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jeanner222
Jun 07, 2013jeanner222 rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
Brennert is the author of two spectacular novels set in Hawaii: Moloka’i and Honolulu. I loved Moloka’i, so my expectations for his latest effort were very high. Palisades Park is definitely a novel more focused on setting, rather than characters. Or, the setting is a character, the main character. That’s kind of disappointing. Anyway, PP spans from the 1920s to the 1970s and focuses on one family’s experiences with the park. Eddie Stopka attends the park once as a child and returns as an adult and concessionaire. Half of the novel focuses on his story. The other half of the novel focuses on Eddie’s daughter. Antoinette “Toni” Stopka grows up at the park and dreams of becoming a high diver. And for Toni, that dream becomes a reality. Along the way, there is a lot of family drama and quite a few growing pains. Outside of the park, there are wars to be fought, and Stopka men will fight them. Initially, this novel did not appeal to me. Fortunately, when the focus switched to Toni, my opinion of the novel changed. I loved Toni and her diving aspirations. This is a wonderful tribute to Palisades Park and an engaging summer read. Give it a chance!