A great mystery book about books and authors.  This is beautifully written and a must read for anyone who loves books.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for an Advanced Reading Copy of this book, which releases on September 22nd.  

Synopsis:  Escaping Dreamland has two alternating narratives.  One narrative, taking place in the early 1900s, tells the story of three young adults who are starting out their lives in the exciting New York City.  They start their journeys as children’s authors together, while also beginning a friendship, even though they each have their own hidden secrets.  The modern narrative, taking place in 2010, tells the story of author Robert Parrish, whose grief and guilt over the past keeps him from being honest in his relationship and from being real in his writing.  After his partner leaves, Robert goes on an adventure that will answer questions about his beloved childhood book series and help him feel closer to his father at the same time.

After hearing Charlie Lovett speak at the Modern Mrs. Darcy virtual book retreat event, I have such a respect for the amount of time he puts into researching the historical people, places, and events that he includes in his stories.  Down to the details, such as the inclusion of a historical baseball game that actually took place in the early 1900s, Charlie puts in the time to paint as accurate a backdrop as possible.  I loved reading the book through this lens, looking for all the historical pieces mixed into the narrative.  I always enjoy reading a book that teaches me something about history and humanity while also telling a good story, and this book definitely fits into that category.

This review will also be shared on my Instragram account at Instagram.com/the.reading.life.

ESCAPING DREAMLAND by Charlie Lovett explores friendship, grief, grappling with tragedy and overcoming it. In typical Charlie Lovett fashion, there is a historical timeline and a nearly present day timeline. The past timeline is NYC in the early 1900s and follows three characters who are unlikely friends. In the current day, Robert is a writer who is so bound to tragedy in his past that his life comes to a halt until he begins unraveling the past. The historical details were fascinating and incredible. The effect of tragedy as depicted here is realistic and comforting. The story for me was a little slow to get into it but well-written and one I could resonate with.

3.5 stars Escaping Dreamland is a literary adventure. This book is about four authors whose stories intertwine in past and present New York City.  The plot is easy to follow but interesting because the author moves through time and details the quest to publish children’s series. It was a little hard to follow the characters stories but ultimately, if you enjoy Lovett’s other novels, (books about books!), you will definitely love this one too.

The stories of 1 current day author and 3 authors from a century earlier intertwine in the publishing business. Their lives and their work, their relationships and struggles, draw the reader along as we try to discover how they are connected. Through little known and well known tragedies the story transports the reader back through the years to New York City in the early 1900s. By the end, I was so invested in the lives of the 4 main characters that I felt as if I'd known them forever. I was rooting for them to succeed in their various endeavors and found I did not want to put this book down.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

One of the things I love about a Charlie Lovett novel is the interplay between the past and the present. Doesn't our past always play in our future?

In Escaping Dreamland, there are four protagonists, each badgered by their past. It takes a little while to have the storylines come together because each character is fleshed out by themselves prior to joining the others. Three of the characters are from the early 1900s. Magda Hertzenbergers is haunted by the loss of her family and has shed her German name and background, trying to become an American girl. Thomas De Peyster shuns his place in elite American society, much to the horror of his match-making mama, to become a journalist. Eugene Pinkney delves into studying science, hiding his attraction to men, and courting danger. These characters come together, building a friendship that is natural and healing, but they also cause each other extreme pain.

In the present, Robert Parrish is facing a terrible case of imposter syndrome on the brink of losing the woman he loves. His past binds him in fear. To win her back, and make peace with himself, he delves into his past to understand himself before he will be worthy of her love. He peels back the layers on his family relationships and guilt as he discovers the origins of the authors of his favorite childhood series.

I recommend this book - especially if you have a desire to know more about the 20th Century and New York.

This is a fabulous literary tale, set in a fascinating time of history, with the four authentic characters fighting to live their destiny. 
I loved spending time with these characters. Robert’s passion for the series books like the Hardy Boys was infectious and brought back pleasant memories of my Nancy Drew obsession as a child. Magda, Tom, and Gene defined what it meant to be an American during these times. All three characters struggled with finding their identity in the face of their family backgrounds but gave us a window into a New York City where everything is possible. The historical events acted as an excellent background for this novel and the author expertly gave us a feel of the sights, sounds and smells that no longer exist in New York. 

The author focused on how historical events impacted everyday people which made these characters very relatable.   Magda, Tom, and Gene teach us that even though we should respect the past, we do not have to relive our mistakes. 

Although the individuality of the characters came through in the way they each overcame their specific hardships, the common bond was their continued challenge of the status quo and the questioning of why we have to put on a pretense just to satisfy societal norms. This books sheds light on the main question of how do we move past this as a society and let everyone be who they really are?

In Escaping Dreamland, Charlie Lovett explores the world of early 20th-century children’s series authors and their importance to Robert Parrish, a struggling writer in 2010. Like many readers, Robert’s love of books is grounded in the adventure series that he read as a child, but in Robert’s case, these books are also tied to a personal trauma that is holding back his relationships and his writing career. 

Robert’s chapters alternate with those set in turn-of-the-century New York City, where we meet Magda, Tom, and Gene -- three compelling characters from wholly different social circles who become friends, and then authors, almost by accident. We learn how trauma also impacted their lives and writing, while Robert uncovers more clues about these real people behind the pen names through what remains in the libraries and archives of contemporary New York.

My favorite aspect of Escaping Dreamland is Lovett’s attention to historical detail - the chapters set in the 1900s are peppered with real figures, events, streets, and even restaurants. Instead of weighing the narrative down, these details bring it to life. 

I recommend this book to anyone who has wondered about the authors behind their favorite children's books, who would get a thrill from doing research at the New-York Historical Society, or who wants to immerse themselves in Progressive Era New York. 

ARC provided by NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.

Escaping Dreamland is a book about books and how they affect us and potentially mold who we become. As the main character nostalgically explores the stories that influenced him as a writer and forged a bond between him and his father in childhood - he tries to solve the mystery of their authorship. In this weaving of two stories we get to come along on a nostalgic look into the New York of a century ago. 

This is a well paced story that weaves a bit of real history into each of its characters lives and gives us a chance to learn about what drives each character. Getting to know them was delightful in a way that made me sad to turn the last page.  Sweetly told and nostalgic it is a book about overcoming tragedy or crises of identity and living life as much as is possible on your own terms.  I enjoyed it greatly and recommend it as a great read.

Early on in the book, I thought of creating a spreadsheet to keep the characters straight.  The contemporary character, a struggling author named Robert, was easy enough to follow.  But the trio of early 20th century authors was more challenging.  They had: (1) their real names; (2) the new names they adopted for use in real life; (3) their nom de plume; and (4) their fictional hero’s name … times 3 = 12 names!  However, as I got further into the story, Lovett painted the unique aspects of each bookish friend so clearly and fondly, that I abandoned my chart.  

This book functions on several levels.  It is a historical novel of life in early 1900s New York City, drawn from archives and brought to life by Lovett’s careful attention to atmospheric detail.  It is a tale of finding oneself in a society that punishes those who step outside expected norms.

For me, "Escaping Dreamland" is a celebration of the children’s series books—think Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Tom Swift—that, whatever their literary merit, created a life-long love of reading in many of us.  Throughout my time in the book, I kept thinking of the lines from C.S. Lewis’s "An Experiment in Criticism": “Yet, while this [a party where status seekers attempt to impress with their knowledge of literature] goes on downstairs, the only real literary experience in such a family may be occurring in a back bedroom where a small boy is reading Treasure Island under the bed-clothes by the light of an electric torch.” 

Bring on the flashlights … and the children’s books … and more of Charlie Lovett.

This was an intriguing story with 2 story lines in the past and present in NYC. The 2010 story deals with an author Robert who is struggling with life as an author and eventually is on a search for information about his favorite childhood authors. The second storyline is about the 3 childhood authors that lived in 1906. Topics that are touched on include the history of children’s book publishing, LGBTQ, gender, family, and friendship. 
I loved the way this book wrapped up at the ending and both stories intermingled. I would recommend this book to others who like historical fiction and his previous books.

The star of Escaping Dreamland is New York City.  Yes, the characters move from place to place, but all the important action is centered in NYC, and it is as much of a character as a person with a name.  The history and architecture and neighborhoods all play a role in this interesting story of our beloved children's books series and their authors. Charlie Lovett did a through job on his research and that is what brings this whole story to life.  What were your favorite books as a child?  I bet you will find out something new about them in this book.

Escaping Dreamland is a wonderful novel set in two timelines:  partly in the very early 1900's and the other part in 2010.  The author weaves back and forth between the past and the present.  With a nostalgic look back at the novels such as the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew and other children's fiction, he reveals a "secret" maybe not known to all about the authors of those books.  This made me remember my childhood love of the Trixie Belden series and falling in love with reading as a child.  Charlie's novel is meticulously researched and I learned so many interesting things about New York in the early 1900's.  Escaping Dreamland is a novel about being true to yourself and finding your identity.  This is a fantastic read.

Part contemporary, part historical fiction with threads of mystery all tied around the power of story, Escaping Dreamland defies traditional labels.

It tells the story of Robert, a recently successful novelist, who is forced to confront the trauma of his childhood centering around a set of novels he read with his father.

Jumping between 2010 and 1906 New York, the book dove into the history of children's publishing while also addressing the plight of women, immigrants, and the LGBTQ community of that time.

A celebration of the power of story to shape our lives, fans of Charlie Lovett's other work will not be disappointed.

This is a story that has at its core a love of reading that was fostered into one man by his father. That love came from a shared experience of reading boys' adventure books from the turn of the century that had been handed down from grandfather to father, and then shared with the third generation. The son, now a writer himself, is trying to research the authors of the adventure stories that he enjoyed so much as a kid, so we have dual timelines of modern day and the early 1900's. I appreciated the research that went into the writing of this story, especially the detailed descriptions of New York City and the amusement park rides on Coney Island. The overall tone of the story felt a tad melodramatic, but I wondered if that was an attempt to mirror the tone of the adventure stories around which the story revolves? Part mystery, part historical fiction, part literary fiction, this book may especially appeal to the reader who got hooked into reading by those early childrens' series books.

I really loved The Bookman's Tale, and given the blurb on this one expected to fall into it in exactly the same way. For some reason though, unfortunately I never connected with this one and found the number of characters and back and forth stories confusing rather than engaging. It may be that this was just a more focused read than I had time or temperament for right now, because normally I love involved, intricate, character-driven stories, but I struggled with this one almost from the opening pages. I think it is just not the right fit for me...

The novel opens up on VE Day May 8, 1945 - …”Magda didn’t recall the flames & screams & rows of bodies (from her past) in the old “shoe box, souvenirs not of tragedy but of happiness. She was old enough now, …to know that she had loved them both, but had not been in love with either of them. Perhaps if she had realized that..the particular happiness she had felt…would have lasted longer …she could return to dreamland, whenever she liked…with true joy.”

The novel then takes readers to 2008 NYC Upper West Side – where we meet Robert and Rebecca. The next chapter introduces Three children in N.Y.C. in the days of horses and hansom cabs. Robert shares his contract with Rebecca his girlfriend and later see this happy couple drift apart. Can Robert pull it back together? Can Robert be real about where his inspirations come from? This sends him on an unusual journey to try and solve the mystery he and his father never could.

I liked many aspects to this story the bookish references, quotes, childhood books discussed, and the book adventures Robert and his father went on. There was a mysterious manuscript they tried to find. The flash backs were unorganized and not clearly marked for easy transitions between past and present and between real and fictional characters. There were so many to keep track of it became confusing. I never did connect with the main character and his girlfriend. I also wasn’t fond of being in the room when young Robert’s friends set him up with a girl, he took pictures of, along with Eugene Pinkney’s sexual interludes with men.

I wanted to like this unique story with a premise that sounded like a grand book adventure, it would be fun, but I felt it was going all over the place for me. I got up to chapter 39, I just could not finish it. Someone else might connect all the dots to this story and love it. I could not.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog www.bookfun.org

Another solid title for books lovers from Charlie Lovett. In his typical fashion, the story centers on books, this time children's book from the early 1900's. The modern day narrative focus on an author who is haunted by his past. It is always fun to learn something about books and collecting books. I also loved all of the historical events throughout.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club for an ARC of this book.

I was fortunate to receive an Advanced Reader’s Copy of Escaping Dreamland in advance of seeing it’s author, Charlie Lovett, speak at an online reader’s retreat my book club is hosting. As a lover of books and books about books, I always look forward to a new release by this author. And yet I always feel conflicted by the results, just as I was with Escaping Dreamland.

In 1906, three people with very different backgrounds meet, become friends, and collaborate to write books for children during an idyllic summer. Yet despite their closeness, they keep potentially harmful secrets from each other.

In 2010, author Robert should be celebrating the success of his best-selling debut novel. But he is keeping his own secret, one that is threatening to destroy both his career and his relationship with the love of his life.

These secrets are the true heart of Escaping Dreamland. The problem is this: if these people care about each other as deeply as they claim to, why are they keeping these secrets? Only Gene’s secret makes any sense as an actual secret. The others are facts; the kind of facts a person shares with the people they truly love, because these facts are the kind of formative things that make a person who they are. It really made me feel that the characters, excepting the one, brought their troubles on themselves for being so stubborn.

This was especially true in the modern-day storyline and that’s my usual experience with Charlie Lovett’s books. I enjoy the historical fiction, but the contemporary story is lacking. I found Robert to be childish, shallow, and selfish, even at the end of the story when he had supposedly gone through a transformation. I figured out the gist of the great, horrible event that happened to him about a quarter of the way through the book and found the ‘suspense’ that dragged through the entire book tedious. When you find yourself repeatedly rolling your eyes and saying, “Just get on with it” or “Just get over yourself”, the author hasn’t done the job he set out to do.

I give Escaping Dreamland 3 ½ stars. Although the basic premise is flawed and the contemporary storyline comes up short, I still recommend it, especially for books-about-books lovers and those who enjoy stories that take place in the early 20th century. It deserves a place on your TBR stack; just maybe not at the top of it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was a 4.5 star read for me--historical fiction about books, yes please! I really liked the historical detail but didn't love the modern day part as much. You have an strong inkling of what is to come, but it seems too dragged out in order to fit the historical part in. In short, it just felt unbalanced to me for a book that is alternating between the historical and modern day sections.