The Must-Read Book Club
Paula Lynch Liberis: After reading Brennert's previous book Molokai, I sought out more of his work as I found the character and plot development to be so engaging and luscious. I went to my local bookstore, in search of more titles by him, and found this one.
YCNYC: What did you like best about it?
PLL: I have given each of these books away to other people to read because I loved them so much and wanted to share them, so the visual imagery is what remains in my memory. I recall brightly colored images of the amusement park where this story takes place, and of all the characters who work there throughout the years.
YCNYC: Who would you recommend this book to?
PLL: Someone who appreciates the nostalgia of amusement parks throughout the ages, and the quirky tales of carnival people. It's the saga of one family who built their lives working at an amusement park, so if you like family drama, this one's for you.
YCNYC: What moment or part resonates with you the most?
PLL: The heroine in this story is most captivating, but it's the details around her that I remember most—her brother's experience in the Korean War, her father's experience in the South Pacific, her mother's experience of being a woman left behind as her husband goes off to war. The background is so rich and moves so well that the book's current takes you along effortlessly.
You can purchase Palisades Park here.
Have a Must-Read book to recommend? Email us here.
—Interview by Allison Richard
