GRAND VIEW

by Steven Jay Griffel

GRAND VIEW is the third novel by bestselling author Steven Jay Griffel. Fans of his debut novel, FORTY YEARS LATER and its sequel, THE DEADLINE, will once again have the opportunity to follow Griffel’s storied hero, David Grossman, during a critical time in his early life in this authentic and heartwarming coming-of-age story set in New York's Jewish Alps during one summer in the 1960s. GRAND VIEW is a novel for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider. It’s the story of a teenager yearning to belong but forced to spend most of his time alone. It’s a story of romance and revenge; a story of friendships, feuds, and fathers that plays out against a summer bungalow colony in the Catskill Mountains, a world of time-honored traditions that begins to fall apart right in front of David’s eyes. At the heart of the story is forlorn David, the linchpin between Michael’s dying friendship and Richie’s growing fury. There is David’s pursuit of Andrea, the Ice Princess; and all the girls who pursue him in spite of—perhaps because of—his touching insecurities. There are mothers who pride and fathers who guide—even, in one case, from beyond the grave. Against the intense feelings and ambitions of the families summering at Grand View is the colony battling daunting odds to win a softball championship while fighting for its very life as new ownership threatens to destroy it. A love-crazy camp director; an evil handyman; a Nazi bastard; a fire-balling, Jesus-jawing evangelist are all part of the cast that helps to color this story both comic and tragic. GRAND VIEW is a story of friendships, fathers, and lost illusions. It’s a book of lessons learned and of times gone by. It’s a glimpse into the “simpler days” of the American past and into the character of David Grossman, the boy destined to become one of the great novelists of his time. THE AUTHOR Steven Jay Griffel is the Amazon Best-Selling author of FORTY YEARS LATER and THE DEADLINE, and is a columnist for Stay Thirsty Magazine. He lives in Queens, New York, and can be contacted via Facebook.

559 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 22, 2013

Reviews

[Mindi Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Visiting old memories of Fogels

Took many summers and combined it into one summer. Fun remembering the potato cave and all my summers at Fogels

[Kevin Cowdall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in a summer resort in the Catskill region of upstate New York during a lazy 1960's summer, Steven Jay Griffel’s ‘Grand View’ is a poignant and evocative American coming-of-age story.

With its open-air pool, cookouts, baseball games, Saturday night cabarets and end-of-season musical show, ‘Grand View’ is perfectly evocative of its more innocent time-set; with a sensitive and keenly observed portrait of the teenage David Grossman and his fellow adolescents at its heart.

As an English reader, I was most reminded of those classic films of the genre, ‘American Graffiti’ and ‘The Last Picture Show’.

A thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended read!