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maaaartinaaaa's review
3.0
I was excited to find out that someone had written a book based in Marine Park. I immediately picked it up.
I was born and raised in Marine Park. I noticed right off the bat that the streets weren't adding up. For example, in the beginning the author mentions being on Quentin Road at Marine Park in the snowstorm and people from the Mariner's Inn come out to watch them shovel the car out of the rut. The Mariner's Inn is actually on Avenue S and East 35th street. There are a handful or two more of these location inaccuracies that had me annoyed. The author is FROM THE AREA. He could been a little more careful.
The feel of the neighborhood did not shine through for me. Marine Park is a working class neighborhood comprised of mostly Italian-American and Irish-American families. I feel the book made the neighborhood seem cheap and seedy. We speak with very thick, almost stereotypical Brooklyn accents which were not heard in the book.
That being said, the inclusion of neighborhood landmarks, such as the Lott house, put a smile on my face. I remember the tree lighting ceremony that was mentioned in the book, where the neighborhood was invited inside. That was about 13 or so years ago. It hasn't been open to the public since.
I think I expected something a bit different when I picked this book up. It was well written, but it may have been a better choice to make it a novel of fiction instead of many short stories.
I was born and raised in Marine Park. I noticed right off the bat that the streets weren't adding up. For example, in the beginning the author mentions being on Quentin Road at Marine Park in the snowstorm and people from the Mariner's Inn come out to watch them shovel the car out of the rut. The Mariner's Inn is actually on Avenue S and East 35th street. There are a handful or two more of these location inaccuracies that had me annoyed. The author is FROM THE AREA. He could been a little more careful.
The feel of the neighborhood did not shine through for me. Marine Park is a working class neighborhood comprised of mostly Italian-American and Irish-American families. I feel the book made the neighborhood seem cheap and seedy. We speak with very thick, almost stereotypical Brooklyn accents which were not heard in the book.
That being said, the inclusion of neighborhood landmarks, such as the Lott house, put a smile on my face. I remember the tree lighting ceremony that was mentioned in the book, where the neighborhood was invited inside. That was about 13 or so years ago. It hasn't been open to the public since.
I think I expected something a bit different when I picked this book up. It was well written, but it may have been a better choice to make it a novel of fiction instead of many short stories.
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