The Dakota Winters: A Novel

Buddy Winter’s fall from grace as the popular and ebullient late-night talk show host has left him and his family floundering in The Dakota Winters by Tom Barbash. The novel follows Buddy’s middle son and right-hand man, Anton, as he returns from a year in the Peace Corp with malaria, and tries to get Buddy--and himself--back in the game. The novel reads as a white-washed homage to New York City circa 1980--which for me was not a bad thing. I enjoyed Anton’s exploits, reading about famous people, and the sometimes trite family drama that Barbash manages to soften with humor. The pop culture references and name drops from the time are effusive--I loved it, but it may be too much for some readers. The Dakota Winters isn’t going to show more change your life, but it is a fun and easy read, especially for those who like New York City and the early 1980s. show less

I adore Tom Barbash's short stories ("Stay Up With Me" is a must read...) and wanted to like the novel a bit more than I did. Yes, he evokes a particular time and place (1979-80 New York City) and readers who lived through that era seem to say he gets it right. I wonder whether younger readers, who don't remember all the many, many cultural references will enjoy the book as much as older readers. I very much enjoyed 'meeting' the Winters family, especially witty, damaged, Buddy and I appreciated the father/son dynamics that are seen in Anton and Buddy, as well as John Lennon's relationships with his own father and two sons. But I wearied of the name dropping and wonder whether this novel is an instance of a writer doing so much research show more and becoming so enamored with what he found that he tried to include it all rather than paring back. show less

I was just little over a year old when John Lennon was killed, and writing this review is it just days after the 38 anniversary of his death. And, this story was extra poignant when you think about how much John Lennon had left to give when his life was cut short. This is a fictional story, but Tom Barbash writes in a way that makes it all feel real. Like Anton, his father Buddy and the rest of the family really existed. Cudos to Barbash to make fictional characters come to life.

I loved reading a story set in New York 79/80. I'm too young to remember those years, but nevertheless, it made me nostalgic. And, letting Dakota, one of the most iconic buildings in the city be the central point was a great move. I loved getting to know Anton show more and Buddy. To follow them as Anton tries to help his father return to the limelight as well as trying to find his own place outside his father's shadow. There is so much going on the world, the Olympics, Ted Kennedy's campaign. I really, really loved Joan Kennedy part in this story. As the saying goes, "behind every successful man there's a woman". And, Joan really showed in this story how to rise above Ted's infidelities. Not to mention standing by Ted, despite the Chappaquiddick incident that in the end ruined his political ambitions.

There is so much going in this book. I first gave the book four stars. However, when I started to write this review did I start to think about how much I enjoyed this story. And, how sad I was to have to say goodbye to Anton and the rest of the characters at the end of the book. So, I raised the rating to five stars. I warmly recommend this book!

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review! show less

The Dakota Winters by Tom Barbash is a 2019 Ecco publication.

Melancholy, offbeat, humorous, nostalgic and quirky!!

For some reason, when I added this book, I thought it was a non-fiction book about the Dakota apartments written by a real- life resident telling stories about his encounters with some of the famous residents.

Well, as it turns out, this is a novel, set in New York City, in 1979 and is centered around the Winter family. Buddy Winter is a washed -up talk show host, who went into seclusion after a very public meltdown.

His son, Anton, has just returned home from the Peace Corps after surviving Malaria. Now the timing feels right for Buddy to attempt a comeback, but he leans heavily on Anton to help him.

Anton, however, feels show more trapped in Buddy’s shadow, wishing he could break free and find success on his own merit.

The Dakota remains “‘The Winters’” home, despite their fragile economic state. This set up allows Anton to run into the infamous apartment’s most famous residents, one which is John Lennon. As it happens, John, at this stage in his life, is also ready to stage a comeback.

Anton and John strike up a friendship, and Anton begins to plot out ways to convince John to be a guest on Buddy’s new show, which he also hopes will help both John and Buddy.

If you have the chance, add the audio version to complement this book. This is a poignant and nostalgic look back at New York City in 1979. The narrator did a fairly decent impression of John Lennon and Ted Kennedy as well as few other famous figures in this era. The story itself is a little eccentric, with an undercurrent of dolefulness, which contrasts against the cautionary optimism of second chances and new beginnings.

Although the book was not at all what I was expecting, I found myself caught up in it, enjoying the trip down memory lane and the poignancy of touching base with John Lennon during the last year of his life, even if it was a fictional imagining.

The ending was a bit too abrupt, although the reader knows where everything is headed, and what to expect. Still, I thought the story was original, and off the beaten path, which is always a good thing for someone like me, who can become easily bored with traditional genres.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I’m glad I stumbled across it and was able to readjust my preconceptions about it.

3.5 show less

A coming of age story that deals with the nostalgia of early television (think My Favorite Year), dealing with fame, friendship, growing up in Manhattan and, of course, living in the Dakota.

Anton, the protagonist, has always lived in the shadow of his famous talk host father. He has met countless other stars and famous people. Yet the world he inhabits leaves him no room for real friends.

John Lennon, in his famous withdrawal period, has been overwhelmed by his fame. People always want a piece of him. No one wants just to "be" with him.

Somehow, he and Anton are able to relate to each other with pretention. Anton has a friend who likes him for himself and not as a means of access to his father. John Lennon has a friend who just likes to show more hang out with him.

Having grown up in Manhattan at the same time as Anton, I knew all the cool places he hung out and shared his dismay as the Upper West Side gentrified. show less

A mixture of fact and fiction set in NYC in 1980, this novel focuses on the Winter family living at the famous celebrity-ridden Dakota Apartments. Anton Winter has returned home suffering from the aftermath of malaria, which he acquired in Africa. His father, Buddy, had a very public breakdown as a television host. There are numerous entertaining anecdotes about celebrities, and, of course, John Lennon as a fellow tenant and friend. The novel does bog down from time to time with Buddy's seemingly-endless perseverations and one equally endless dangerous sail that Anton and John had undertaken.

It is not a totally disappointing read, but not one that I will remember.