People who know me know that I'm not a fan of "one-off" books. I don't normally buy or read books that are not part of a series. But, once in a while, a book comes along that piques my interest due to its connection with comics, super heroes, or, as in this case, children's mystery books. While there are plenty of books out there that reference or utilize Nancy Drew as a part of the plot; but recently, someone mentioned this book to me that referenced not only Nancy Drew, but also Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Rover Boys, and so many other old Stratemeyer series books. In fact, the entirety of the book is based upon the main character's love for children's series books! Well, in that case, I had to have it.
Escaping Dreamland, by Charlie Lovett, tells two stories simultaneously - which, I'll admit, is a bit difficult to navigate in the beginning. The book is not just the story of Robert Parrish, a best-selling author who has a love for children's mystery series, but which love comes with a heart-breaking secret; the book is also the story of Magda Hertzenberger, Thomas De Peyster, and Eugene Pickney, three children who grew up at the turn of the century and whose lives eventually collided, the results of which have lasting impacts well into the next century! The chapters alternate between Robert Parrish (the odd-numbered chapters) and Magda, Thomas, and Eugene (the even-numbered chapters). Not going to lie here - about the first third of the book reads like a simply "day in the life" kind of tale, making it somewhat difficult to truly get invested in the book. But I stuck with it, and by the mid-way point, I was definitely all in!
Meanwhile, in the 21st century (2010, to be exact), Robert Parrish is dealing with his emotions after the success of his first published book. It seems all of his dreams have come true - he is a published author, he lives in New York City, and he has the most beautiful, smart, amazing girlfriend. So why, then, can he not get out of this rut he's in? He can't seem to get anything new written. He can't seem to communicate with Rebecca any more. And when she decides to take a break and go move in with a friend for a while, Robert realizes he needs to do some soul searching. While he may want to admit it, he knows part of the problem are the children's mystery series that he has kept hidden from Rebecca. From the moment Rebecca first told him of her own love of reading Nancy Drew as a child, Robert thought he finally had someone with whom he could share his love and joy of children's series with - until she remarks how she has outgrown such things and moved on to real literature. Which forces Robert to keep his continued love of those books a secret. But it's more than that. His love of those series books goes all the way back to when he first discovered those Tremendous Trio books in a box of his grandfather's belongings. His father had read those books with his father, and Robert suddenly had a connection that he and his father could share. And share they did! Until Robert was a teenager. And teenagers don't read such books, do they? Robert had made a promise to his father all those years ago, and if he has any hope of getting Rebecca back, he realizes he has to not only fulfill that promise, but he needs to tell Rebecca the truth - no matter how much it hurts!
Escaping Dreamland follows Robert's journey as he tracks down the authors of those Tremendous Trio books - Dexter Cornwall, Buck Larson, and Neptune B. Smythe, who wrote the Daring Dan Dawson, Alice Gold, and Frank Fairfax series, and jointly, they wrote the Tremendous Trio books. Who were these authors? Why are their books so hard to find? Why does it seem no one has ever heard of them? And whatever happened to the final Tremendous Trio story - the one that Robert's grandfather had the first chapter for which stuck inside his own books?
The author, Charlie Lovett, is clearly a huge enthusiast of children's series, or did a considerable amount of research. While I will admit, it's a little unbelievable that a character such as Robert Parrish, with the availability of information on the internet at the touch of his fingers, would not know that the authors of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Tom Swift, Bobbsey Twins, etc. were not real, but just pseudonyms for a plethora of ghostwriters, it was rather nice to see his reaction when he does find out the truth (which, I think, is the same way most of us fans first felt when we learned that Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon and Victor Appleton and Laura Lee Hope never really existed). It was also great to see the Stratemeyer Syndicate and its numerous publications get the acknowledgement is deserved. Sure, the books churned out by the Syndicate may not have been literary masterpieces as idealized by society, but there can be no denying that those series books made a great impact on countless generations of boys and girls. And the fact that Lovett includes not only the well-known series such as Hardy Boys and Tom Swift, but also references many lesser known series, such as the Rover Boys and Ragged Dick (which came as the biggest surprise to me, as I had never even heard of that series until just a few years ago - and I am privileged enough to have obtained a complete set of that series!).
There were also some great mentions by the author about these books and characters. On page 23, Robert reminisces about the old-fashioned language of the series "especially the almost obsessive need by the writers never to use the word said." And he is right! The Hardy Boys exclaimed or declared; Nancy Drew cried out or announced; Tom Swift demanded or retorted; and, as the author references here, some characters "ejaculated." Which, back in the day, did not necessarily have the connotation that it does today, and it's pretty funny that Lovett has Robert acknowledge his own thoughts of that particular word at twelve years old, which made him laugh.
The Ragged Dick series gets its mention on page 75. Obviously, Dick refers to the name of the title character; however, the title certainly has its own hilarious connotations. And the fact that Lovett chose this particular book as the inspiration for Thomas De Peyster's own desire to discover what life on the streets was like is a nice way to honor the importance of those series books of yester-year.
There are so many other references throughout the book to various real series books (the Tremendous Trio and their individual series are, obviously, fictional creations for the story) that it brings to life the story, making ti feel more biographical in nature than pure fiction. Robert's search for the identity of the authors and his (and his father's) hunt for the real-life locations that were utilized in their favorite books definitely draws parallels to the fun I and my fellow collectors have had over the years following in our favorite series characters' footsteps. And, I'm not going to lie here, by the end of the book, I became attached to Magda, Thomas, and Eugene so much so that I hated the idea that they were now long gone, having lived their lives in the past and for whom no more stories could be told. Or could they? (Ask Robert!)
As far as how the title of the book fits in with the story? Well, that definitely took quite a while to come into play, but there is a definite connection, a bittersweet one that ties all of the characters together. Lovett has given series book collectors a definite love letter with this book, and I am definitely glad that I picked it up and read it.
RATING: 9 conversations on the Bow Bridge out of 10 for honoring children's series and recognizing their place in history with the respect they so richly deserve!
No comments:
Post a Comment