The Coney Island Book Of The Dead
by Sheila Martin
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Pub Date Dec 01 2016 | Archive Date Mar 08 2022
Description
The Coney Island Book of the Dead throbs with the kinetic energy and dark undercurrents of the Coney Island of 1957. It’s imbued with mythical stories from Yiddish and Delta folklore and narrated by a spunky, talented eleven-year-old girl named Brooklyn. In the midst of dysfunctional family crises and supernatural death threats from a rat-pack singer, who may be the Angel of Death, she tries to heal her grief over the death of her grandmother by singing the blues.
Each chapter is illustrated with a visionary painting by the author.
A Note From the Publisher
Each chapter is illustrated with a visionary painting by the author.
Advance Praise
“Coney
Island in the summer of 1957—what time or place could be more magical?
Sheila Martin has concocted a semi-mystical, very real, and beautifully
illustrated tale of growing up in America's playground. A story that
lives on the edge of dreams, where the water meets the sand and the sky.”
—Kevin
Baker, author of The New York Times bestseller Paradise Ally, Dreamland, and Luna
Park, among many other books.
“Martin,
a Coney Island native herself, evocatively describes a childhood spent freely
roaming boardwalks, seedy clubs, and amusement parks … The book’s illustrations
… are wonderfully colorful, evocative, and slightly creepy, and they go well
with Martin’s playful, gothic text … A(n) … enjoyable magical-realist novel of
Brooklyn.”
—Kirkus
Reviews
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9780997282221 |
| PRICE | $3.99 (USD) |
Links
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 361335
The Coney Island Book of the Dead is a thrilling and fascinating read. I loved this book. All the characters have so many different layers. Their back stories are each intriguing and appear to be able to be developed into their own mini-series, if the author decided to later on. The book starts out describing Coney Island during a time where life was somewhat carefree and light-hearted. The main character is a young girl that is full of adventure and rebellion. Her best friend/cousin can be just as rebellious but they both have somewhat good reason at times.The adventures that "Brooklyn" goes on and the things she learns are genuinely creative and full of enough details that you could imagine watching her do it. Even though the book does have a good/evil type theme, it is in a totally different concept and more along the lines of good guy Vs. guy that thinks he is doing good even though both are doing the same job. Their perspectives about the approach is what sets them apart. Another aspect of this book is that it touches lightly on the mother's eating disorder. As the story progresses, the physical description tells you what is happening and then at the end, gives you some insight into the character's futures. The author also touches lightly on racism. One of the leading men in the story has to gently explain to a naive Brooklyn that she isn't supposed to be in his house alone or behind closed doors with him. He implies that it is because he is black and she is white. He talks about his younger life in which he grew up on a plantation and why he left. This book is multi-faceted. It has many layers that get more complex as it goes but not so deep down the rabbit hole that the reader begins to lose interest.
