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Dancing on Seaside
Dancing on Seaside is a novel set in Atlantic City during the summer of 1977, the last summer before legalized gambling. The story revolves around characters whose lives will be forever changed: friends who may be spending their last summer together, siblings who are finally facing regrettable decisions they made decades ago and first loves that may never be realized. Atlantic City is no longer the "Lady by the Sea" as it used to be called. By 1977, it is a town that is on it's knees with crime, poverty and desperation - and many people who had called this place home are now leaving. Neighborhoods are crumbling...but for some, some that remember the good times, it still has some magic left in it.
346 pages, Paperback
Published October 21, 2019
2 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
August 5, 2021
Wow, loved this book! Best first sentence ever - where the hell was Nicky? It took me back to a time and place I never knew, but could easily imagine. Great story and characters, very believable and real. I felt like I was watching my husband's childhood unfold (he grew up at the shore, not AC though) and appreciated all the references to Atlantic City itself at a time when it was at a crossroads. It was really interesting from the perspective of the "locals" whether residents or shoobies. The city was a character as real as Jamie, Nicky, Hope, Max, and all the rest. I highly recommend this book!!
April 15, 2020
Summering on the New Jersey Shore is deeply rooted in tradition against the backdrop of nostalgia. Nowhere is that more evident than in Atlantic City and along its famous boardwalk. It's into this world that Julius DeAngelus drops us to explore and experience all that summer on the boards was meant to be in the eyes of adults and children alike.
Set in the summer of 1977, DeAngelus calls upon his experiences to spin an engaging tale of a family simultaneously struggling with the wounds of the past while facing an uncertain future. Atlantic City is in the throes of crumbling decline with local, full time residents vacating everyday and empty houses and hotels being boarded up. It's against this backdrop that the Shepherds arrive for their annual stay on Seaside Avenue while wondering if it's their final summer there.
DeAngelus does a brilliant job of painting a vivid picture of Atlantic City and the carnival atmosphere of the boardwalk. I can smell the popcorn and roasting peanuts, taste the cotton candy and hear the screams of young girls as they twirl around on the rides their boyfriends conned them into getting on. Jamie and his friend Nicky are very much a part of this world, challenging the status quo and living for the moment while Hope, Jamie's mother, deals with the loss in her past.
There is a nice balance of back story description and strong, flowing action in this novel. Written from two points of view, with multiple flashbacks to Hope's past, DeAngelus does a nice job of pulling off this challenging writing style, presenting a tale well told. It's a story of loss, memories and reckonings for Hope while Jamie experiences first love and what friendship means in the face of change and growing up. There's a lot packed into this novel and DeAngelus does a good job of tying it altogether in a story that's sure to please and maybe take you back to your own memories of summer and trying to fit yourself into the world.
Set in the summer of 1977, DeAngelus calls upon his experiences to spin an engaging tale of a family simultaneously struggling with the wounds of the past while facing an uncertain future. Atlantic City is in the throes of crumbling decline with local, full time residents vacating everyday and empty houses and hotels being boarded up. It's against this backdrop that the Shepherds arrive for their annual stay on Seaside Avenue while wondering if it's their final summer there.
DeAngelus does a brilliant job of painting a vivid picture of Atlantic City and the carnival atmosphere of the boardwalk. I can smell the popcorn and roasting peanuts, taste the cotton candy and hear the screams of young girls as they twirl around on the rides their boyfriends conned them into getting on. Jamie and his friend Nicky are very much a part of this world, challenging the status quo and living for the moment while Hope, Jamie's mother, deals with the loss in her past.
There is a nice balance of back story description and strong, flowing action in this novel. Written from two points of view, with multiple flashbacks to Hope's past, DeAngelus does a nice job of pulling off this challenging writing style, presenting a tale well told. It's a story of loss, memories and reckonings for Hope while Jamie experiences first love and what friendship means in the face of change and growing up. There's a lot packed into this novel and DeAngelus does a good job of tying it altogether in a story that's sure to please and maybe take you back to your own memories of summer and trying to fit yourself into the world.
December 30, 2019
Really enjoyed this sweet book about growing up in Atlantic City. It strongly evokes a particular time and particular place and really transports its readers. I recommend for anyone who enjoys a good vintage story. It takes place down the shore but it’s definitely more than a beach read!
September 6, 2020
Great visit to Atlantic City pre casinos - his phrasing is so believable, AC is depicted as a character!
Want to read
August 18, 2021Dancing on Seaside is a fast read novel by Julius DeAngelo.
The writer takes us to a neighbourhood in Atlantic City, very near to the Boardwalk and Gardner's Basin during "America's Playground" era. The place of Capt. Starts and Hackeyneys.
It's now a one way street heading towards the ocean, but the story line has characters that open our eyes to the multi-directional personalitys that summer and live on Seaside.
My personal view of the book is good. I laughed, cried, became nervous and experienced an area of Atlantic City I knew nothing about.
The writer takes us to a neighbourhood in Atlantic City, very near to the Boardwalk and Gardner's Basin during "America's Playground" era. The place of Capt. Starts and Hackeyneys.
It's now a one way street heading towards the ocean, but the story line has characters that open our eyes to the multi-directional personalitys that summer and live on Seaside.
My personal view of the book is good. I laughed, cried, became nervous and experienced an area of Atlantic City I knew nothing about.
June 12, 2020
A love song
Not that kind of love song, rather a love song to a place. In this case, Atlantic City. It captures her decline perfectly. I was caught between smiling and weeping. I know how that felt as I spent time there at that time, so nostalgic for me. My only criticism was the flow, although it didn't distract from the story.
Not that kind of love song, rather a love song to a place. In this case, Atlantic City. It captures her decline perfectly. I was caught between smiling and weeping. I know how that felt as I spent time there at that time, so nostalgic for me. My only criticism was the flow, although it didn't distract from the story.
May 17, 2020
Dancing on Seaside is a wondrous and wonderful novel. Whether you grew up in Atlantic City as I did, visited now and then, or you just love a great story, this one will capture your heart from beginning to end.
April 23, 2021
I loved this book!
I loved getting to know this family and I loved getting to know the Atlantic City of the past. Wonderful!
I loved getting to know this family and I loved getting to know the Atlantic City of the past. Wonderful!
June 10, 2020
Good summer read. It take place in Atlantic City before the Casinos. The story is told by a mother and son. I preferred the mom’s story but both were good. Loved the characters.
March 21, 2020
This wonderful novel explores the constant human struggle to hold onto the past while struggling to accept and embrace the future. Told from the perspective of a son and his mother, and their circle of family and friends, Mr. DeAngelis writes about the inevitability of change, loss, and embracing one's history while not being controlled by it. The son, Jamie, is coming of high school age during a summer in Atlantic City. There he cherishes his time with his friends whom he knows solely from his summers, while coming to realize that he and his friends may be moving in different directions, and that their normal summer shore diversions may not be enough to hold their friendships together. At the same time, Jamie's mother is forced to confront a long suppressed family tragedy, one for which she has carried guilt, shame, and regret. Both Jamie and his mother must decide whether their feelings about past experiences reflect reality and what they must do to move forward at a time of transition.
Their stories play out against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming Atlantic City, a place that for both characters represented magical childhoods but has fallen on hard times. Will Atlantic City remain a haven for families, or fall prey to decay and gaudy casinos? Jamie's family and his friends' families all are impacted differently by the changes around them. Mr. DeAngelis probes how Atlantic City's transformation impacts families of diverse racial and economic backgrounds.
Mr. DeAngelis' writing is lucid, fun, and thoughtful. He paints a picture of summertime at the Jersey shore that rings true to anyone who has experienced it. However, his story is far more than mere nostalgia. Atlantic City, to the characters, is at once a home, a vacation destination, and a backdrop for the characters' evolutions into a new decade. I highly recommend this book. In fact, why not read it at the beach?
Their stories play out against the backdrop of a rapidly transforming Atlantic City, a place that for both characters represented magical childhoods but has fallen on hard times. Will Atlantic City remain a haven for families, or fall prey to decay and gaudy casinos? Jamie's family and his friends' families all are impacted differently by the changes around them. Mr. DeAngelis probes how Atlantic City's transformation impacts families of diverse racial and economic backgrounds.
Mr. DeAngelis' writing is lucid, fun, and thoughtful. He paints a picture of summertime at the Jersey shore that rings true to anyone who has experienced it. However, his story is far more than mere nostalgia. Atlantic City, to the characters, is at once a home, a vacation destination, and a backdrop for the characters' evolutions into a new decade. I highly recommend this book. In fact, why not read it at the beach?
December 18, 2019
Dancing on Seaside takes place in Atlantic City during the summer of 1977, before legalized gambling changed the nature of the city's culture. It captures a bygone era during which the city was known more for its poverty than for opulent casinos or winning games.
Readers familiar with Atlantic City's present-day milieu or past history will find delightful this nostalgic, realistic story which brings to life the region's culture from the eyes of son Jamie and his mother. Both experience a magical last summer, many new opportunities and transitions in their lives and relationship, and the changing sands of time.
To Jamie, it's a summer on the cusp of positive change. It's the summer before high school, when he's required to mature in many ways. For his mother, it's a journey into caretaking and seeing her priorities change from son to mother as she accepts a new and challenging role. And then there's a family history to struggle with, which both impacts their lives and threatens future generations.
Atlantic City is not the only thing waking up in this story. So are characters whose lives hang in balance and slowly tip into unfamiliar territory.
The sights, sounds, and smells of the piers, boardwalk, tides, and view of Atlantic City come to life under the astute observational pen of Julius James DeAngelus. There's a bitter wind blowing that challenges innocence, exposing closely-held secrets and changing lives. Mother and son find themselves nearly swept away by its force. Each must loosen their defenses, develop new awareness of one another and themselves, and hone new objectives.
Dancing on Seaside opens gently as these waves of change lap at a reader's senses, easing into these dilemmas only after taking time to craft an appropriate and especially well-detailed sense of time, place, and perspective. Against this backdrop, guilt, fear, and frightening revelations take their place and reflect some of the social changes affecting the broader picture of Atlantic City and the 1970s era as a whole.
Readers looking for an atmospheric, engrossing story of evolution in a season that changes everything will find Dancing on Seaside a gently compelling read, perfect for a beach tote and a summer's contemplation.
Readers familiar with Atlantic City's present-day milieu or past history will find delightful this nostalgic, realistic story which brings to life the region's culture from the eyes of son Jamie and his mother. Both experience a magical last summer, many new opportunities and transitions in their lives and relationship, and the changing sands of time.
To Jamie, it's a summer on the cusp of positive change. It's the summer before high school, when he's required to mature in many ways. For his mother, it's a journey into caretaking and seeing her priorities change from son to mother as she accepts a new and challenging role. And then there's a family history to struggle with, which both impacts their lives and threatens future generations.
Atlantic City is not the only thing waking up in this story. So are characters whose lives hang in balance and slowly tip into unfamiliar territory.
The sights, sounds, and smells of the piers, boardwalk, tides, and view of Atlantic City come to life under the astute observational pen of Julius James DeAngelus. There's a bitter wind blowing that challenges innocence, exposing closely-held secrets and changing lives. Mother and son find themselves nearly swept away by its force. Each must loosen their defenses, develop new awareness of one another and themselves, and hone new objectives.
Dancing on Seaside opens gently as these waves of change lap at a reader's senses, easing into these dilemmas only after taking time to craft an appropriate and especially well-detailed sense of time, place, and perspective. Against this backdrop, guilt, fear, and frightening revelations take their place and reflect some of the social changes affecting the broader picture of Atlantic City and the 1970s era as a whole.
Readers looking for an atmospheric, engrossing story of evolution in a season that changes everything will find Dancing on Seaside a gently compelling read, perfect for a beach tote and a summer's contemplation.
January 26, 2020
Told with a serene nostalgia like the feeling one gets looking at a decades old black and white photo, Dancing on Seaside earnestly tells the story of reflection, change and hope.
With the backdrop of 1970s Atlantic City, a city on the verge of a transformation, so too do the characters face a similar shift in their lives. Some characters come of age, others come to terms with the past as they all prepare for the future.
Written in a steadfast prose with beautifully descriptive scenes, this an engaging read. Highly Recommended!
With the backdrop of 1970s Atlantic City, a city on the verge of a transformation, so too do the characters face a similar shift in their lives. Some characters come of age, others come to terms with the past as they all prepare for the future.
Written in a steadfast prose with beautifully descriptive scenes, this an engaging read. Highly Recommended!
December 27, 2019
Brought back some great memories.....
Perfect description of life at the Jersey Shore every summer of my childhood during the 70s! Great characters - I really enjoyed this book! I even cried at the end when they were leaving the shore at the end of the summer, remembering exactly what that felt like!
Perfect description of life at the Jersey Shore every summer of my childhood during the 70s! Great characters - I really enjoyed this book! I even cried at the end when they were leaving the shore at the end of the summer, remembering exactly what that felt like!
January 5, 2020
A very sweet book full of wonderful memories for those of us who grew up going to Atlantic City for the summers in the 60s and 70s. The book has some wonderful reflections on family, friendship, first loves and social justice. Some great story telling with more than a few unanticipated but compelling twists. Definitely happy to have read it!
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews