Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
The greatest minds in the country use Dreamland to bring some truly amazing projects to life. The fact that someone like Dale Brown wrote Dreamland isn’t amazing. The author flew planes in the army. I shipped Peggy with someone else, even though I absolutely HATE myself for it. If you’ve read this you probably know and if not… just know I hate my brain and I need to stop reading messed up new adult romances. The story is a historical fiction/mystery that takes place in 1911 in Coney Island, with the main character being an American Heiress, Peggy Battenberg The focus on the mystery was much lesser than I'd expected which was disappointing. Most of the story focuses on Peggy's family and just a bit at the start and a bit at the end truly focuses on the murders (the reveal wasn't surprising at all). Having said that, I did enjoy the family drama and I feel the character development was commendable.
One day her uncle shows up and tells her she must join the family for the summer at the Oriental Hotel near Coney Island. Her sister is engaged to a wealthy man and the marriage is important as their father squandered their money away and they need the money that their marriage will bring. While out one evening at Dreamland at Coney Island Peggy meets an artist, Stefan, and she soon falls for him. He opens her eyes to the world outside her little bubble. Seabreeze Amusement Park in Rochester, New York, United States, known as Dreamland from the 1940s to the 1970s Peggy Batternberg is a member of one of the wealthiest families in America, but she doesn’t behave in the manner expected of her position in life - this is 1911, a time when privileged and wealthy young women had to maintain an air of respectability, and were told what they could and couldn’t do, especially by their menfolk.
Nancy Bilyeau does a fine job surrounding this storyline with all things Coney Island. The setting provides just the right amount of who done it and why. She's done her research and her atmospheric descriptors are spot-on. Her character of Peggy reflects women of the time period who ached for something more in life while being plagued with social mores and limits. This one is a winner with no prized Kewpie Doll necessary.....just a very satisfying read. Dara’s dream of defying the odds and becoming a partner at her firm is just within reach when Lani enters the picture. This handsome Nigerian man is about to irrevocably change her life, and her best friend’s and the newcomer to their book club’s lives, too.
Nancy Bilyeau’s writing catapults you into this vibrant outstanding thriller set in end of Gilded Age. Dreamland is a splendid, intoxicating book, with plenty of multi layered suspense. I watched this as I love Freema Agyeman, was drawn in by the beautiful colours and interested in Margate (as many are at the moment it seems!) I really enjoyed it and watched the whole series in one evening alone, and a 2nd time with my girlfriend as I knew she'd like it. For her Genevieve Planche novels--"The Blue" and "The Fugitive Colours"--she drew on her own heritage to create her Huguenot heroine. Nancy is a descendant of Pierre Billiou, a French Huguenot who immigrated to what was then New Amsterdam (later New York City) in 1661. Pierre's stone house still stands and is the third oldest house in New York State.
Publication Order of Dreamland Books
Sign in to see reasons why you may or may not like this based on your games, friends, and curators you follow. Bigotry and racism toward immigrants is a particular focus of this novel. Peggy is disgusted at how they are instantly blamed, used as scapegoats. Generalised as ‘Anarchists’, the residents of Coney Island turn their noses up at anyone not born in their country. Unfortunately, while set more than a hundred years ago, the issue is still at the forefront political discourse, not only in the US, but the entire world.
There are some distinctly unlikable male characters in the book including senior members of the Batternberg family who indulge in immoral behaviour whilst insisting on high standards of propriety from their own wives and daughters. Initially I found Peggy’s sister Lydia rather a wet blanket although I did feel sorry for the position in which she finds herself, promised in marriage to the rich and arrogant Henry as ‘the human glue between two families” rather as if she was a business asset the subject of a merger or acquisition. Later I warmed to her as Lydia proves her mettle in other ways. E-ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own and are not affected in any way. Oh my, this was so much more than I imagined it would be. It was filled with temptation, lies, deception, and a touch of darkness. The tension abounds, and I was hooked into Peggy’s story from the start. This book more or less delivers what people have come to expect from Dale Brown. Dreamland is a facility in the desert where cutting edge aerospace technology is developed.The book didn't have any 'Wow' moments but overall, it was a fun read. So if you're looking for a book that you can read at a leisurely pace and be able to put down whenever you need to because it isn't very gripping, this one will work well. It was not only VERY rushed, but didn’t really make that much sense. When they told us the murderer I thought it must have been a red herring, because it was so obvious that it was surprising. I don’t understand this character’s motivations for what they did. It was almost suggested they had some form of mental illness, which I did not appreciate.
Despite her concerns, Peggy finds more freedom than she expected, and begins to feel liberated, especially after meeting Stefan, an artist working in Dreamland on Coney Island. Things soon start to go pear shaped though, when two young women are found murdered close to the Oriental Hotel and Peggy begins to see a connection between them and herself! So, Peggy was my favourite of the lot. But I think that Lydia was the one that had undergone through a major transformation as a character. She came a long way, from being a meek, pliable girl, engaged to a prosperous partner, to a reliable sister to Peggy and a bold woman, ready to take a stand against injustice. Still, this book wouldn't have been as great if it were told from Lydia's perspective. In my opinion, Peggy made all the difference between making this book a delight to read and a total bore.
Sign In
As a historical fiction novel though, I thought it was wonderful and really enjoyed reading it. This is a seasoned historical fiction writer who continues to showcase her historical knowledge and writing skills! There is a military aspect to the books and a lot of detailed exploration of the technology in play, not to mention a few political angles. Dale is very attached to his characters. Above is the Oriental Hotel during the 1890's. This is the hotel that Peggy's family stayed at in the story. Read more about Coney Island Historic Luxury Hotels.
Great Deal 
New Comment