Can you name all the children in your Kindergarten class? Suzanne McLain Rosenwasser can, and the name of the bus driver, and the policeman, and even the garbage man! In this great book the author describes with exquisite detail what it was like to live in Manhasset, Long Island in the three decades following the 1950s. This is not only a memoir but also a portrait of small town, America as it changed along with the world around it.
The book is made up of twelve 2-3 page stories (and one recipe), two of which have been featured in the New York Times, and one of which earned a Long Island Press Association Award. The stories cover everything from vacationing at beach 9 where the hotdogs were so crisp they snapped when bitten, to the author being a "popover girl" at Patricia Murphy's Candlelight Inn Restaurant. There is even a (very) short mention of slumber parties at the convent of Our Lady of Grace where some of the girls went (gasp!) skinny dipping in the pool while the nuns slept.
Alternating between nostalgic and funny, this book is an examination of the glue that holds a community together in the midst of change, and of the values, experiences, and metaphors which over the years turn children into adults who have a clear sense of belonging. The author's writing is so casual and engaging that when you are reading you feel she is talking while seated next to you.
Whether you want to read Manhasset Stories as entertainment, as history, or as a blueprint for jotting down reflections about your own life, you will not be disappointed. Buy Suzanne's book and join her in her quest to seek old Manhasset in the shadows of memory.
The book is made up of twelve 2-3 page stories (and one recipe), two of which have been featured in the New York Times, and one of which earned a Long Island Press Association Award. The stories cover everything from vacationing at beach 9 where the hotdogs were so crisp they snapped when bitten, to the author being a "popover girl" at Patricia Murphy's Candlelight Inn Restaurant. There is even a (very) short mention of slumber parties at the convent of Our Lady of Grace where some of the girls went (gasp!) skinny dipping in the pool while the nuns slept.
Alternating between nostalgic and funny, this book is an examination of the glue that holds a community together in the midst of change, and of the values, experiences, and metaphors which over the years turn children into adults who have a clear sense of belonging. The author's writing is so casual and engaging that when you are reading you feel she is talking while seated next to you.
Whether you want to read Manhasset Stories as entertainment, as history, or as a blueprint for jotting down reflections about your own life, you will not be disappointed. Buy Suzanne's book and join her in her quest to seek old Manhasset in the shadows of memory.
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