Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Palisades Park
    Palisades Park
    Palisades Park
    Audiobook17 hours

    Palisades Park

    Written by Alan Brennert

    Narrated by Mark McCarthy

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Bestseller Alan Brennert's spellbinding story about a family of dreamers and their lives within the legendary Palisades Amusement Park Growing up in the 1930s, there is no more magical place than Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey-especially for seven-year-old Antoinette, who horrifies her mother by insisting on the unladylike nickname Toni, and her brother, Jack. Toni helps her parents, Eddie and Adele Stopka, at the stand where they sell homemade French fries amid the roar of the Cyclone roller coaster. There is also the lure of the world's biggest salt-water pool, complete with divers whose astonishing stunts inspire Toni, despite her mother's insistence that girls can't be high divers. But a family of dreamers doesn't always share the same dreams, and then the world intrudes: There's the Great Depression, and Pearl Harbor, which hits home in ways that will split the family apart; and perils like fire and race riots in the park. Both Eddie and Jack face the dangers of war, while Adele has ambitions of her own-and Toni is determined to take on a very different kind of danger in impossible feats as a high diver. Yet they are all drawn back to each other-and to Palisades Park-until the park closes forever in 1971. Evocative and moving, with the trademark brilliance at transforming historical events into irresistible fiction that made Alan Brennert's Moloka'i and Honolulu into reading group favorites, Palisades Park takes us back to a time when life seemed simpler-except, of course, it wasn't.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMay 31, 2013
    ISBN9781470347260
    Palisades Park
    Author

    Alan Brennert

    Alan Brennert is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. He grew up in New Jersey but moved to California in 1973. His novel Moloka’i was a national bestseller and a One Book, One San Diego selection for 2012. It also received the Bookies Award, sponsored by the Contra Costa Library, for the 2006 Book Club Book of the Year. His next novel, Honolulu, won First Prize in Elle Magazine’s Literary Grand Prix for Fiction and was named one of the best books of 2009 by The Washington Post. Of his novel Palisades Park, People Magazine said: “Brennert writes his valentine to the New Jersey playground of his youth in Ragtime-style, mixing fact and fiction. It’s a memorable ride.” His work as a writer-producer for the television series L.A. Law earned him an Emmy Award and a People’s Choice Award in 1991. He has been nominated for an Emmy on two other occasions, once for a Golden Globe Award, and three times for the Writers Guild Award for Outstanding Teleplay of the Year. Alan's short story"Ma Qui" was honored with a Nebula Award in 1992. His story “Her Pilgrim Soul” was adapted by Brennert himself for the Alan Menken musical Weird Romance in 1992. His novel, Daughter of Moloka'i is a follow-up to Moloka'i that tells the story of Rachel Kalama's daughter Ruth, her early life, her internment during World War II, and her eventual meeting with her birth mother, Rachel. The novel explores the women's 22-year relationship, only hinted at it in Moloka'i.

    More audiobooks from Alan Brennert

    Related to Palisades Park

    Related audiobooks

    Sagas For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      'The Heart's Invisible Furies' Is the Funny, Touching Story of an Irish Everyman

      Sep 1, 2017

      Boyne's new novel follows its protagonist throughout the decades, from birth in 1945 to age 70, and the story encompasses a great deal of history.

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Year in Reading: Steph Opitz

      Dec 17, 2018

      I put down a lot of books that didn’t do it for me, and shuffled and reshuffled my to-be-read pile to my heart’s content. It’s been liberating. The post A Year in Reading: Steph Opitz appeared first on The Millions.

      6 min read

    • Article

      Howl Palace

      Sep 15, 2019

      Last week, I finally had to put Howl Palace up for sale. Years of poor financial planning had led to this decision, and I tried to take some comfort in my agent’s belief in a buyer who might show up with an all-cash offer. My agent is a highly organi

      25 min read

    • Article

      The Southern Book Club’s Guide To Slaying Vampires

      Mar 25, 2020

      RELEASED 7 APRIL 408 pages | Paperback/ebook/audiobook Author Grady Hendrix Publisher Quirk Books Grady Hendrix writes women beautifully, never more so than in his terrific coming-of-age horror My Best Friend’s Exorcism, so it’s an absolute joy to re

      1 min read

    • Article

      February’s BOOK CLUB

      Jan 5, 2023

      River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer (£18.99, HB, Headline) It’s Barbados 1834 and slavery has been abolished, but former slaves must work for another six years – for free! In an act of resistance, Rachel heads off through the Caribbean and South A

      4 min read

    • Article

      Celeste Ng’s Hard Truths

      Sep 17, 2022

      Celeste Ng’s Hard Truths
      6 min read

    • Article

      Top 10 Books

      Jun 16, 2023

      Top 10 Books
      1 min read

    • Article

      Femi Kayode

      Feb 4, 2021

      Femi Kayode
      6 min read

    • Article

      In Summary

      Jul 1, 2021

      There’s some good writing here. This short extract has covered a lot of ground and established that Edwina is a recently widowed woman thanks to the sinking of the Titanic. Her interior voice is skilfully rendered and there are some subtle touches su

      1 min read

    • Article

      HOW I WRITE Lucinda Riley

      Jun 17, 2019

      Irish-born Lucinda Riley is the bestselling author of over 20 novels. Her Seven Sisters series has topped the charts the world over, and has been optioned for a TV show. I have to write my first draft in total solitude. As we have four kids and our

      1 min read

    • Article

      Cedar River Homecoming

      May 12, 2022

      Cedar River Homecoming
      8 min read

    • Article

      At The End Of The Highway

      Feb 20, 2020

      At The End Of The Highway
      11 min read

    • Article

      Riding with the Rich & Famous along the Hudson & Delaware Rivers

      Apr 14, 2021

      Crossing the New York state line from the east, I was surprised at how richly treed the region was. I had imagined that as I approached the sprawling monster that is New York City, I would face nothing but concrete and traffic. I had, in fact, consid

      8 min read

    • Article

      Town & Country Notebook

      Feb 14, 2024

      1) What would one measure using a pluviometer? 2) Which English Prime Minister had the first names William Ewart? 3) What institution is known as the ‘old lady of Threadneedle Street’? 4) ‘Fill-dike’ is a rural name for which month? 5) What are Rum,

      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Palisades Park

    4/5

    116 ratings17 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Loved it. Sang the theme song through the whole book.
    • 4/5
      Three generations of one family share an intertwined history with Palisades Park in New Jersey. The family is fictitious, but the events surrounding the park are true history.
    • 4/5
      (Fiction, Historical, American) The real Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey, just across the Hudson River from New York City, saw millions of visitors in its life 1898 – 1971. It was immortalized in Freddy Cannon’s 1962 hit of the same name.Brennert has created a novel that could well be the biography of generations of those who worked and/or owned the concessions and made the park their second home during the summer months.Read this if: you remember having fun at Palisades Park or another large privately-owner amusement park. 3½ stars
    • 4/5
      hardcover4 ★"Palisades Amusement Park was a thirty-acre amusement park located in Bergen County, New Jersey, across the Hudson River from New York City.""The park operated from 1898 until 1971, remaining one of the most visited amusement parks in the country until the end of its existence."(Wikipedia statistics)----"Alan Brennert grew up in the towns of Cliffside Park, Palisades Park, and Edgewater, always living within a mile of the legendary Palisades Amusement Park, the setting for his novel. "He calls it "a love letter to a cherished part of my childhood." (from Amazon biographical author profile.)----I found an enjoyable weaving of historical events and a fictional family tapestry, from 1922 to 1974.The plot revolves around the Stopka family: Eddie and Adele and their children Toni and Jack."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." (Book List)My first exposure to the park was probably when the song "Palisades Park" (written by Chuck Barris and sung by Freddie Cannon) peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1962.Yes I do mean Chuck Barris (game show creator, producer, and host.)Statistics aside, I enjoyed entering the Stopka family home and experiencing their saga.I found it a thoughtful rendition of "the times" and the adjustments life required, set against a backdrop of Palisades Park.
    • 4/5
      Of course I'm reading this the week the carnival comes to my town. Yes I'm going. I can't resist after reading this book. Makes you crave cotton candy and you actually smell it in the air when you are reading this book. Wonderful story about a family and an amusement park from days past. I miss them.
    • 4/5
      A fun historical fiction story about the famous Palisades Park in New Jersey. The story follows Eddie Stopka from his boyhood in the 1920's through the end of the park in the early 1970's. it covers all of the major events of the park as well as the depression, WWII, the Korean War, the civil rights movement, and mafia corruption, and the effects of these events on Eddie, his wife Adele, and his two children, Jack and Toni.
    • 4/5
      I hovered over the fifth star for a moment. I really enjoyed this book - and now I can look forward to Moloka'i, which I've been meaning to read forever, and even own, even more! I don't want to say too much now since it's a book club book, but the characters were easy to identify with and likable. A long book, but worth it.
    • 4/5
      I am a firm believer that places and objects can take on a personality, and Palisades Park definitely has one in this book. Brennert does a fantastic job bringing the amusement park to life; I could almost feel the breeze and smell the fries and hear the roller coaster rush past. The amusement park creates a nice frame for the other characters as well, people who seem real and genuine. As with life, some books are about the journey, and some about the destination. Your enjoyment may depend on which type of story you like better. This book takes us on a wonderful journey indeed, and I feel all the richer and warmer for it.
    • 4/5
      Palisades Park is a bit wash-rinse-repeat in terms of plot: boy meets girl, boy marries girl, family is started, family experiences troubles, family overcomes troubles and becomes successful, children grow up, and cycle repeats. However, what sets Palisades Park apart is the emphasis on the total immersion experience into the setting -- the book made me incredibly nostalgic for Astroworld, an amusement park that used to exist here in Houston and which I visited many times growing up. Brennert does an incredible job of conveying the underbelly world of amusement park life.
    • 5/5
      PALISADES PARK by Alan BrennertBrennert writes generation spanning novels that are well researched and well written with engaging characters, vivid place descriptions and enticing plots. In Palisades Park he does not disappoint. Although Palisades Amusement Park itself is the main character, Eddie Stopka the main human character, his children and his friends are by no means shorted in either characterization or plotting. Brennert’s people react the way ordinary folks would in similar circumstances. His plot twists are reasonable but not mundane, exciting but not overwhelming. These are people you know and care about. Their story is arresting and satisfying and you are sorry when the book ends. One of the things Brennert excels in is incorporating “real” people, places and events into his story line. Even if you are knowledgeable about the actual historical events they are so seamlessly incorporated you find yourself wondering only why you “didn’t remember” the fictional parts. Perhaps because I am from Chicago, I especially appreciated the inclusion of crime and mob influences. He handles racism with sensitivity and realistic drama. World War II and the Korean War are touched on in ways that will resonate with those affected by today’s military incursions. Divorce, women’s roles, faith, bullying, dysfunctional families, immigration and business practices are all timely and timeless topics well covered.And, if you haven’t yet read MOLOKAII and HONOLULU his two previous best sellers – well, you should!
    • 4/5
      I tend to read heavily in the fantasy and historical fiction genres but every once in awhile I like to step outside of my reading habits and try something new. Palisades Park was that something new. Let’s just say that stepping out of routine is a very good thing, because if I hadn’t taken that chance, I never would have found this book. Eddie Stopka is a kid with dreams. Looking to escape an abusive step-father, he runs away as a teenager but he can’t stay away from his little hometown on the New Jersey coast for long. When he returns, he finds a job at the Palisades Amusement Park, a place that holds very happy childhood memories for him, and it’s there he meets the woman who will become his wife. Taking a chance, the two buy into a French fry stand at the park, start a family, and live a life. However, it’s their oldest child, a daughter named Toni, who is the true dreamer in the family. Having seen a woman high diver at the park, Toni immediately knows that’s what she wants to do when she grows up. Even with her mother telling her women can’t be high divers, Toni persists. Her mother gives in enough to get her and her brother swimming lessons, but beyond that, doesn’t give much encouragement to her diving dreams. Toni, however, knows her heart and it sits at the top of the high platform in front of an audience.I’m a character driven reader. Yes, plots are nice and I like when they stick together for a story to play out properly, but when characters are wonderful, I’m in for the duration. The Stopka family, well, even for all their faults and problems, they are a pleasure to be with. Also, Brennert manages to evoke such a sense of time and place in this story that I felt right at home with the characters and setting. Brennert knows how to draw a reader in and keep them in the pages of the book. Palisades Park spans over 50 years and the characters are not immune to the world around them --- WWII, Korean War --- as well as smaller scale problems pertaining to family life and work. Even with all the years in between, the story doesn’t falter and the characters feel very genuine.Palisades Park is what I think of as a soft-spoken book. There’s not always a great deal of happiness in the lives of the characters, and we are reminded that bad things do happen to even the best of people, but somewhere in all the mess that is life, there is a wonderful story. The laughter is tinged with a bit of bitterness, sometimes even sadness, but the dreams that are held dear, can sometimes come true. I like leaving a book with that kind of ending.
    • 3/5
      Allan Brennert is a talented story teller as evidenced in his previous novels. This book is set in NJ at the famous Palisades Parkway amusement park and spans thirty years of American history. Eddie and Adele Stopka meet and marry at Palisades Parkway when they are working at different concession stands. Their two children, Toni and Jimmy, became integral members of the amusement park when their parents rent a booth that sells french fries. Toni, the central character, has early aspirations to become a headliner on the fairway, and when the Stopka marriage becomes a fatality of WWII, Eddie, Toni and Jimmy learn to survive without Adele. This is a very readable book with interesting characters in turbulent years that encompass the Great Depression, WWII, racial conflict and more.
    • 5/5
      Well researched and easy to read, this epic novel should appeal to fans of Alan Brennert’s previous books and to those who enjoy historical fiction in the vein of Edward Rutherford and Jennifer Donnelly. Spanning a period from 1922 to 1974, the story follows the likeable Stopka family as they experience the challenges and culture of American life. Palisades Park, a New Jersey amusement park, provides a colorful backdrop for their saga.I believe well-written historical fiction motivates a reader to learn more about the time and place in which it’s set and Palisades Park passed my historical fiction test – I frequently paused to look up people and places as I read about them. Indeed, much fact was woven in with the fiction and I have emerged from the reading a bit wiser! Highly recommended – this would be a great vacation book!
    • 5/5
      Palisades ParkByAlan BrennertMy " in a nutshell" summary...The story of a family with a long interest and involvement in an amusement park...specifically Palisades Park!My thoughts after reading this book...Amazing, satisfying, absorbing...these truly were the thoughts running through my head when I finished Palisades Park. It's a family's story woven around major world events. It begins with the Stopka family and Eddie and his dad enjoying a day at Palisades Park...eating French Fries doused in salt and malt vinegar and ends with Eddie's son Jack writing a story about the wonders of Palisades Park. But in between are wars and the Depression and Prohibition and fires and Civil Rights and rationing and infidelity and emotions and death and rebuilding and so much more. It was sort of like looking at someone's family album and learning about the lives and events surrounding that one central family. What I loved about this book...I think I loved everything...there was not a character that was not fascinating or appealing. There were tons of characters and all of them had a story. From high diving life guard Bunty to Antoinette/Toni to Mimette to Toni's mom, Adele and Eddie...Toni's and Jack's father and his Hawaiian dream...everything was interesting. Learning about the history of Palisades Park was also delightful. The author has a special affinity with this park and it shows throughout this book.Parts of the book that really made me stop and think...I though about what it was like to feel discrimination in those early years and how sad it would have been to feel so hated. Rationing...saving bacon fat to help the way effort and actually just living through that particular war era when Americans worked so hard to help the men on the front. Final thoughts...This author wrote a wonderfully informative novel. I loved that it was a leisurely reading experience. It was beautifully written and when I read the very last word of this book...I was extremely satisfied!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed my trip to Palisades Park. A story of days gone by and it was a great read.
    • 4/5
      Look no further than Palisades Park by Alan Brennert for a magical place to spend happy hours of reading. Eddie and Adele Stopka, parents of Toni and Jack, sell vinegar-soaked French fries near the thunder of the Cyclone roller coaster. Toni is enthralled with the divers who do daredevil stunts in the largest salt-water pool in the world. This family of dreamers shares a love for Palisades Park, which becomes a character in itself. The park has an aura of camaraderie and daring. Vendors help each other through fire, sickness, poverty and loss. The park is populated with imaginative and creative people. Economic conditions drive the sixty-year-old high diver to attempt a dive off the George Washington Bridge to prove he still “has it”. Chief Little Wolf is an American Indian wrestler. Whitey, the ballroom manager, books black jazz musicians. Jolly Irene (six hundred and fifty pounds) says she’s not a star, but a galaxy.Once enraptured with this Palisades park microcosm, the reader is swept up into World War II, its international implications, and effects on the Stopka’s. The independence of the Stopka family members shows up early when their fearless daughter Antoinette declares ”Toni” as her new name and begins high diving at age seven much to her mother’s horror. Soon they are torn apart by world events and their own independent natures. Struggles with fidelity, life ambitions and self-doubt widen the fissures between them.The book spans 1922-1971 (the closing of the park). Some of the well-incorporated historical details include The Great Depression, President Roosevelt’s Fireside Chats and peacetime draft, big band music, Hitler, Pearl Harbor, Mafia hits, discrimination, and the Korean War. Packed with period language, distinctive personalities the novel is full of warmth and compassion. The Stopka family is one story, but the people of Palisades Park (as well as the park itself) resound as the real stars. While we worry for the Stopka’s, we cheer for the others. We are left with a yearning to visit the legendary park.The book is well researched (extensive citations in Author’s Note) as well as relevant because of the popularity of this legendary amusement part. Author Alan Brennert spent many happy childhood times there. Book groups will love this because of the extensive discussion it will prompt. New Jersey residents will appreciate his descriptions of the geography and cultural attractions. You will learn your history in Palisades Park, but it will be as fun as riding the Cyclone Roller Coaster. A winner!Reviewed by Holly Weiss, author of Crestmont
    • 3/5
      Brennert's well-researched novel is a warm and loving tribute to the Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey and to American carnivals in general. A winner for fans of historical fiction.