RIVERSIDE PARK

Author: Laura Van Wormer ISBN: 9780778326526 8/2009 FICTION Publisher: MIRA

Rolling along the banks of the Hudson River is one of New York's premier enclaves, Riverside Park, where up-and-comers rub shoulders with those who have already made it Once deliriously happy, Amanda and Howard Stewart now teeter on the brink of infidelity—and financial ruin. Media titan Cassy Cochrari's storybook marriage hides the secret at the core of her existence. Beautiful, privileged Celia Cavanaugh's life is spiraling out of control—and she's taking a naive teenage boy down with her. Headstrong single mother Rosanne DiSantos struggled for years to better herself.. . and now realizes she despises the life she worked so hard to achieve. Proud father Sam Wyatt refuses to see his family destroyed by an act of desperation—he will do anything to preserve their happiness. The widespread branches of this urban family entwine in a stirring, multifaceted story of love denied, love revealed and love remembered.

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

On the surface, RIVERSIDE PARK seems to be a collection of interpersonal episodes that are related only by location. The characters all reside in, or are somehow related to, the Riverside Park neighborhood in suburban New York. They are mostly privileged, well-off people who, to anyone who cares to observe them, should have their lives pretty much sewn up and completely glitch-free. There is more lurking in the swanky neighborhood than can be first seen, however. As the episodes unfold, it is obvious that not only is nothing as it seems in Riverside Park, the characters and their trials and tribulations are all connected in an intricate web that is large enough to accommodate each one of them.

So many character "types" come into the action in this book. The philandering husband; over-eager virgin; rebellious daughter; striving-to-please wife; spoiled brat child; young woman searching to find herself (there were a couple of those!); closet homosexual...the list goes on and on. While each was interesting, and their stories mostly essential to the overall theme of the novel, I was particularly engaged by one character, a young woman struggling to find herself amidst the various bits of other people's lives that she collects. I won't say that I wasn't interested in the others or their troubles; I'll just say that watching Celia search for her own place in the ritzy, convoluted world she was born into was the high point in the book for me. I honestly cared about her, and wanted to see her succeed. The others? They were well written and somewhat intriguing but not nearly as much as Celia was.

I can't say that I didn't enjoy this book. It is flawlessly written, with dialogue that is realistic and convincing. The emotional passages stirred me, and the life-or-death scene near the end had me on the edge of my seat. But I have to admit there were times when I felt a tad confused. Lots of people, each with a conflict and agenda, all colliding time and again—let's just say there is enough going on in this novel that I had to step back for a minute a couple of times and sort out who was doing what with whom, and why. Still, that one sticking point didn't mar my enjoyment of this novel. RIVERSIDE PARK gives a glimpse into the world of some upscale New Yorkers and shows that even in a classy suburb life isn't always green grass and red roses. Well done!

Kay James