Plot:
It’s the 1950s. Ganady is sixteen and spends most of his time thinking about baseball and the games he watches through time eddies with his best friend Yevgeniy and Mr. O. The rest of the time, he thinks about the big questions in life, which he tries to answer with the help of his Jewish grandmother, his priest and her rabbi. And then his baba tells him the beginning of a fairy tale about an enchanted princess and Ganny suddenly finds himself in the middle of his own story revolving around baseball, cockroaches and the mysterious Svetlana.

A Princessof Passyunk starts off really sweet. So sweet, in fact, that I didn’t really mind the religious themes, which usually really aren’t my cup of tea. But then the entire story goes on too long and becomes really weird.

Read more on my blog: http://kalafudra.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/a-princess-of-passyunk-maya-kaathryn-b... ( )

Magical Reality comes to Polish immigrants in early-1950s South Philly. Faith, magic, miracles, family, love, and baseball. And a cockroach or twelve.

Works surprisingly well.



This short review has also been published on a dabbler's journal. ( )

I finally got an ereader so that I could read this book and I'm glad I did. I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first because I'm not a fan of baseball, but ultimately, that didn't matter. The story centers on a young boy and his tribulations growing up. There is the tension surrounding tradition versus modern society, loyalty to his grandmother and to his parents. He sees his brother and best friend growing up and moving toward their own lives. Then there's the magic of love. Is that all love is - an illusion? Or can it be real for him? A very enjoyable read. ( )

Note: I received this as a review copy from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

The Princess of Passyunk is an updating of the Frog Princess, in which we find that magic can still exist in a modern world although it may be in disguise. In 1950s Philadelphia, a young man is caught between Catholicism and Judaism, Polish and American cultures. If you're not already a fan of baseball (I'm not), the beginning will likely be slow going. But give it those first few chapters to set the stage, and then you'll be in for a thoroughly Philadelphian version of the Hero's Journey toward growing up and finding the love of his life with the help of a crazy old man, a wise grandmother, an eclectic cast of friends and family members, a magic baseball, and, yes, even cockroaches. ( )

This is one of those books that is hard to criticize. It’s a charming tale about baseball, music, family, faith and love. It’s a story about a young man growing up in Philadelphia. His parents have converted to Catholicism but his grandmother is Jewish. His grandmother tells him a fairy tale from her heritage and shortly thereafter the urban magic of Philadelphia reinvents the old story and brings it to life. Ganny, the book’s protagonist, meets a princess who is also a cockroach. Their love must overcome all odds. It’s a charming tale of love and everyday magic.
And yet, I struggled to get through it. I found it cheesy, predictable, and interminable. It’s weird because I usually love this type of story line. I love urban fantasy. It must be the author’s writing style. I couldn’t get into it. The plot didn’t flow smoothly. It’s cute but it’s nothing special. ( )