Sorry, I thought I would not be able to listen and review this title, but t still appears on my bookshelf on my NG app, It may be due to me sampling the start of the narrator.  I will update my review once I finish listening to it (over my holiday break).

thank you

This time of year, all I want to do is cozy up with a book that’s going to suck me in and keep me distracted from the cold. And there’s nothing cozier in my opinion than a literary mystery. Any time a book or an author takes centerstage in a plot, I’m excited. That excitement often leaves me disappointed, as I tend to expect too much of these books for some reason. But sometimes I get my hands on a book that delivers. Escaping Dreamland is one such book. This is the first Charlie Lovett novel I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be my last.

I loved the dual timeline here. In 2010, we are slowly learning the story of an author, and what a lost children’s adventure series from the 1900s meant to him, his father, and his grandfather. In the early 1900s, we meet the three authors behind this series and see how their lives became intertwined. While the 2010 timeline was plenty interesting, and is where the mystery element of the novel came in, the historical portions of the book were what kept drawing me back to the story. 

The historical half of Escaping Dreamland was transportive and believable and captivating. The level of legwork and research that goes into a story like this is astounding, and it was evident that Lovett cut no corners in this regard. From what I gather, this degree of meticulous research is present in every single one of his novels, which is both respectable and very exciting. I loved learning about the publishing world of the early 1900s, especially as it dealt with children’s fiction. Learning more about how these famous series came to be was fascinating, though I must confess that the fictional series at the center of Lovett’s novel sound much more multifaceted and unique than Nancy Drew or The Hardy Boys.

While Escaping Dreamland was very interesting, I can’t say it was exactly enthralling. Even when important things were happening, I felt very little tension from the story. This is in large part why I’m not giving it a full five star rating. I think this is in large part due to Lovett’s style, which has a gentle quality to it, though I can’t say that for sure without having ever read any of his other work. While I was never on the edge of my seat, I was always deeply invested. And when you’re on the hunt for something comforting, that’s not necessarily a bad reading experience to have.

I very much enjoyed my time in Escaping Dreamland. There were certain sections that dragged, and others that felt rushed. But, for the most part, this was a fun, entertaining reading experience with the added bonus of introducing me to a new author whose backlog I’m excited to explore. If you’re an audio reader, Mike Lenz does a great job narrating the audiobook. And if you’re a fan of books about books, historical fiction, and mysteries, I think you’re going to love this story.

Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett had me very intrigued by the description. However, it was a DNF for me. I had a hard time figuring out points of view, connecting with characters, and could not get interested in the overall story the way I was expecting to. 

There were parts of Mike Lenz’s performance I was able to understand and get through. In other parts I found everything very monotone which made it hard for me to follow. 

While this was a DNF for me, I think if this is a story that sounds interesting give it a try. I know many have enjoyed it, but it was not for me. This might also be a book I would prefer in print.

I received an advanced audiobook copy from Blackstone Publishing through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

I love a book that spans different decades/eras/vibes! It makes it so engaging to read because you really get the sense and the imagery of all of these different settings. It is really fun to read books about books, somehow not done enough, a very unique way to tell a story. Thank you Charlie Lovett for the wonderful journey that is this book! Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy of this book for an honest review.

This is a poignant and heartfelt tale of a boy and his adventure books, young readers, the authors who wrote them, and the author who rediscovered them. Alternating chapters are set in different times, from 1906 to 2010, helping to build the two parts of the story to a single point in the middle, all while the reader gets to experience the mystery of the authors to the modern-day writer as well as witnessing the trajectory of the lives of the authors from the early 1900's. 
What an interesting story about stories! One of my favorite kinds of books.

I have mixed feelings about this novel.  On the one hand, I really enjoyed the dual nature of the story and the interesting characters we spent time with in each era.  On the other hand, the emotional growth and epiphanies of the characters felt forced and a little ham handed form the author; every time there was a pivotal conversation, a character has an immediate deep emotional understanding of the consequences of their actions.  If felt like their emotional processing was very sped up and that the author was forcing the themes and insights down my throat rather than letting me discover it myself.  On the third hand, the city of New York and the way it changed from the early 20th to the early 21st century was fun to read about.  But at times this novel felt like Ragtime-light, with every famous historical figure and event having a bearing on the plot.  One the fifth hand, it was great learning about the early history of kids adventure series books (like Tom Swift and the Hardy boys, both of which are still on my shelves).  So on the whole an enjoyable, mixed bag.

Gripping Dual-Timeline Story

Audiobook & eBook Review:
I wasn't quite sure what I was getting into with this book, but I am always drawn to novels about books and writing. What a fascinating listen and read. The author and narrator pulled me right into the story, and I found myself captivated by the dual timeline story. I typically listen to audiobooks while I do other things, and I found the narrator easy and pleasant to listen to, even if he pronounced a few words strangely, like Rembrandt and celebratory. As an avid reader myself whose love of reading started when I was a child (including Nancy Drews!), I loved the literary aspects of this book, both in the past timeline with three young people who wrote adventurous children's novels that were so popular back in the day (like Nancy, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, et al.) and in the present with the hero being a celebrated literary fiction writer whose love of those children's books—shared across the generations with his grandfather and father—inspired his own love of words and writing. Mysteries are a part of the book on several fronts. While we, the readers, watch the world of those early 20th Century writers unfold, the present-day main character doesn’t have such knowledge. He has to delve into the mystery about them for reasons we don't fully understand until much later in the book. Somehow, his present difficulties hinge on this mystery. 

I loved the complicated but believable and relatable characters in this book, particularly the ones in the past timeline. They all had rich backstories that the author reveals gradually. When they all finally meet and start their children's book writing careers, the group dynamic between them becomes gripping and tenuous at times. Tom comes from a wealthy family, and he defied them by going into journalism instead of banking, the family business. Magda/Mary is a German immigrant who lost all her family in tragic ways, including one horrifying scene the author shares. Gene is a cross-dressing homosexual at a time when gender fluidity wasn’t a concept, and heterosexuality was the only acceptable romantic preference.

The author did a good job describing New York and San Francisco around the turn of the previous century, during the last gasp of the Gilded Age. I felt like I was walking the streets with them and could visualize it all, especially Dreamland. As a former San Francisco Bay Area resident, I particularly liked his description of the journalist-author’s experience of the 1906 earthquake. Two of the past characters had to deal with some pretty horrific historical events. The author must have done a lot of research, first to create such a believable past and then to show the horror of historical events through the characters’ eyes. A fantastic book, whether you read or listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for my copy of Escaping Dreamland by Charlie Lovett in exchange for an honest review. It published September 22, 2020.
I found the premise of this book to be really interesting, and the writing to be well-done. However, I found the sexual content to be more "open-door" than I am comfortable with, however, I understand why it was important to the story. 
If you are a book lover who loves books about stories/books, looking for a sweeping story, following lots of main characters, over different time periods, set in NYC, look no further! 
Mike Lenz did a fabulous job narrating this! I highly appreciate that he didn't attempt to make his voice cloyingly high-pitched for women characters.

Wowwww is all I have to say. I haven't read a 5-star book in what feels like forever and this really exceeded my expectations. This is a wonderful historical fiction novel. I loved learning about America during the early 20th Century through the eyes of three young authors. The writing really kept me hooked. I was constantly curious about how everything would be connected in the end and watching Robbie unfold the mystery of the Tremendous Trio. Highly recommend!

I absolutely loved the back stories of Gene, Tom, and Magda but found our modern day author Robert lacking. I just didn’t buy into his relationship troubles as the motivation for his research. I think his story could have been accomplished without estranging his girlfriend. Could they not have made the discoveries together?

 We learn the coming-of-age stories of Gene, Tom, and Magda, all taking place during the turn of the 20th century in New York City. All heartbreaking, unconventional for the times, and intertwined with one another, the reader can’t help but be intrigued.

I listened to an audio version of this book which was well done. I did, at one point, wonder about how differently the story may have sounded with a female narrator, at least for the historical part since most of that was from Magda’s point of view.  

A delightful historical fiction story well worth the read.

As a lover of books and books about books, I always look forward to a new release by this author. I quite enjoyed ESCAPING DREAMLAND and think author Charlie Lovett did a good job balancing a modern-day literary investigation with the challenges of being a writer in Gilded Age NYC (particularly when not wealthy, straight, nor a man).

I really enjoyed listening to this story.  The narrator was perfect for this story.  In my opinion the story started out a little slow and I was confused about the different characters.  I feel it took a little longer than I would have liked to have the story become clear how it was all connected.  But I was intrigued by the story line and why Robert had issues and the pace did pick up.  I loved the fact that it was a book about books and reading.  My favorite was the references to "The Princess Bride:. I am a history lover so I enjoyed the history of Dreamland and just the way of life in the 1920s.  I learned new information. I think the characters were well developed and that you truly got to know them. I also loved the mystery of the Tremendous Trio.  I couldn't wait for Robert to find out what happened. I' listened on my way to and from work and would drive slower so I could listen longer. I felt like I was in NYC with the characters.  He truly brought the story to life for me. Definitely a movie in my head book!
Thank you to the author, publisher, and  Net Galley for a  free audio book  (ARC)  in exchange for my honest review.

This work of metafiction charts a contemporary author’s search for the history behind a beloved series of childhood action stories (think Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew) from one hundred years ago. In alternating chapters Robert wrestles with his personal challenges as a writer as we are introduced to the lives of emerging authors Magda, Tom and Gene .
I kept reading the audiobook version of this book because I was far more interested in the intertwined stories about the "Terrific Trio" who lived through disasters such as the sinking of the General Slocum steamboat in New York and the San Francisco Fire. However, I was far less invested in contemporary Robert’s relationship with his girlfriend and hints of some deep seated problem from his past. Lovett writes lovingly about many landmarks in New York. He includes beautiful descriptions of Dreamland, the Coney Island amusement park that was unrivaled as an attraction for New Yorkers at the turn of the last century. Drawing on his extensive background in the book business, Lovett paints a fascinating picture of the publishing industry that cranked out hundreds of fast paced children's adventure stories. In audio format it was much harder to sort out stories from alternating decades and difficult to keep track of each individual's journey. Perhaps the print version would have been easier to follow where one could see chapter distinctions more easily.

Overall while the audio narrator was a good interpreter of the story, there were a number of times he mispronounced words such as "Bon Mots" and he used an affected "German " accent to mispronounce "Meine Liebste". He kept mispronouncing the disputed French/German territory of Alsace where Robert's grandfather had served during World War I. When narrators do not know how to correctly pronounce foreign words in the text or are unfamiliar with less common words in English, it grates on the ear . The audio publisher has missed an opportunity to broaden the reader's spoken vocabulary.

I love books about books and writing and Escaping Dreamland is a great addition to the genre. 

Told via dual timelines - New York City in 2010 and in the early 1900s - the story revolves around a series of children's books featuring the Tremendous Trio. Robert Parrish, a newly successful writer, grew up loving these books after being introduced to them by his father and grandfather and finds himself drawn to find out what happened to one of the unfinished stories. Madga, Eugene and Tom are three very different people living in New York in 1906 who eventually come together and overcome their own personal demons to write the Tremendous Trio books under pen names. As Robert continues to research the genesis of the books, we follow the authors' lives at the turn of the century as they intertwine and unfold.

It took me about a third of the book to get invested in the story and characters but once I did, I was all in. Listening to this story reminded me how few books I read with male protagonists and I enjoyed having a different POV. I wish the narrator had a bit more range but overall, he did a good job and I really enjoyed this audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing and the author for an advanced listening copy to review.

‘Escaping Dreamland’ by Charlie Lovett (Blackstone Publishing)

Speaking about anticipating a novel experience: Readers have devoured everything of Winston-Salem author Charlie Lovett’s since the 2013 major publication debut of “The Bookman’s Tale” (https://tinyurl.com/y9vczq53), and we've comfortably come to know what to expect from this writer. Lovett is famously a former antiquarian bookseller (to the point that he was consulted by John Grisham as the legal-thriller writer was researching a novel), a Lewis Carroll scholar and a lover of the British landscape. Many, if not all, of these things populate his novels in some fashion or another.

Until this one. Oh, not the parts about the new novel being influenced by old books or even a Carroll reference — those are in there — but the part about knowing what to come to expect from this exceptional storyteller.
“Escaping Dreamland” is a departure from the Lovett canon in that it offers not one coming-of-age tale, but three; not one mystery, but two; not one love story, but four.

Typically with a Lovett novel, the story is built on the enigma of old books and is divided into historical time periods. So it is here. In “Escaping Dreamland,” the year 1906 is largely centered on the Manhattan of that era — although the San Francisco earthquake figures prominently — and that period intersects with the life of a contemporary author, Robert Parrish, whose connection to three young writers of the early-20th century epoch propels much of the narrative.

Through alternate tellings, the story of Magda, Gene and Tom gradually evolves to reveal the answers to both their own mysteries, and the mysteries that are driving Robert’s lifelong insecurities and fears. With graceful insight and prose injected into those stories, Lovett explores and exposes themes he has only hinted at in previous works — sexuality, women’s rights and bigotry among them.

Few are the authors who have so beautifully captured the Gilded Age of New York as has Lovett here, and fewer still are those who could couple that period with the inner struggles of a modern-day Manhattan novelist — while simultaneously teasing out the puzzles behind a set of century-old children’s books and the secret that has defined Parrish’s life.

“Escaping Dreamland” is a bold and brave novel from Lovett. Even the title is like nothing he has produced before, and although its raw stories and controversial subjects may lose the author a few current fans, he will gain many more for what he offers us here.

Offering another dimension is the nearly 13-hour audio version of the novel, also from Blackstone. Ably and well-read by veteran voice artist Mike Lenz, the narrator does a fine job traveling not only between time periods, but between the most diverse group of characters Lovett has produced to date. Capturing the friendship, love and angst between Magda, Gene and Tom, and bringing that forward to Robert’s and his wife’s marital struggles would be a challenge for any audiobook narrator. Lenz is up to the task.

I think the best word to describe my feelings on this book is disappointed. There was so much potential here for an incredible novel: a literary mystery, NYC in the early 1900s, actual historical events tied in. The research was incredible and weaved into the tale really well. But the writing unfortunately was abysmal. There was no magic to the story, and the dialogue felt so fake and stilted. I am really bummed because this could have been something amazing at the hands of another.

The audio was well done though.  The narrator really fit the story and did a good job making bad dialogue sound decent.

2.5 stars 

Books shape our lives, expanding our imagination and inspiring our futures. Robert Parrish’s obsession with his favorite childhood book series, The Tremendous Trio, led him to be a writer, but when his past becomes inescapable, he will go on a journey to discover how the series came to be, along with uncovering the lives of its authors — Magda, Gene, and Tom. How far will a son go to fulfill his father’s wish? Will finding the truth of the past help Robert fix the present? 

“Childhood is something you never forget or leave behind, but that doesn’t mean you should dwell in it. There is a great chasm between a man who always has a child-like part of his spirit and one who is eternally childish.” ~ Charlie Lovett

Escaping Dreamland was not what I expected. The title and summary led me to believe this would be an epic adventure, which it was, though not as exciting as most adventures tend to be. At times suspenseful and intriguing, I nevertheless found myself unable to submerge into the storyline. While the writing was well-done and the plot unique, certain directions caused me to not connect to the characters. I wanted to love this book, it began with a quote from Hamilton, after all; but, unfortunately, it fell flat for me.

“Food that is perfectly suitable for the mind of a child will not nourish that of a man.”  ~ Charlie Lovett

Thank you NetGalley for providing this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Dreamland tells two interlocking stories. Modern day best  selling author Robert Parish kept secret that he was inspired to write by reading children’s series books as a child with his father. He didn’t think that fact was sophisticated enough to mention in interviews. He especially liked the Tremendous Trio books and set about to discover more about the author. In a flashback to the early 1900s we meet a trio of young adults, each with their own secrets. The relationships of the three change as they begin writing series books. They have shared adventures as well. The author beings in a lot of historic events and personages from that time. It was a very interesting book.

I read a copy of this book as well as listened to it. The book was great in both forms. The narrator, Mike Lenz, is a great reader who kept the book well paced throughout. There were different points of view, and different voices throughout this book, as it moved from male to female characters, different nationalities and accents, and different time lines. It was always clear who was speaking.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for this ALC. It was just what I needed. The writing was on point, and I loved the dual timeline, although I loved the 1906 timeline a little better. I love how historical fiction novels always come around and connect the two timelines. The amount of research Charlie Lovett did was phenomenal and totally captivating. Again, a familiar theme here - finding out who you are and being ok with that, even in the midst of tragedy. Highly, highly recommend.