The Magic Kingdom

A novel

By: Russell Banks

Narrated by: Danny Campbell, MacLeod Andrews

From one of America’s most beloved storytellers: a dazzling tapestry of love and faith, memory and imagination that questions what it means to look back and accept one’s place in history. In 1971, Harley Mann revisits his childhood, recounting his family's move to Florida’s swamplands—mere miles away from what would become Disney World—to join a community of Shakers.

“Eerily timely. Can what’s gone wrong in the past offer keys to the future? The Magic Kingdom confronts our longings for Paradise; also the inner serpents that are to be found in all such enchanted gardens.” —Margaret Atwood, author of The Testaments, via Twitter

Property speculator Harley Mann begins recording his life story onto a reel-to-reel machine, reflecting on his youth in the early twentieth century. He recounts that after his father’s sudden death, his family migrated down to Florida to join a Shaker colony. Led by Elder John, a generous man with a mysterious past, the colony devoted itself to labor, faith, and charity, rejecting all temptations that lay beyond the property. Though this way of life initially saved Harley and his family from complete ruin, when Harley began falling in love with Sadie Pratt, a consumptive patient living on the grounds, his loyalty to the Shakers and their conservative worldview grew strained and, ultimately, broke.

As Harley dictates his story across more than half a century—meditating on youth, Florida’s everchanging landscape, and the search for an American utopia—the truth about Sadie, Elder John, and the Shakers comes to light, clarifying the past and present alike. With an expert eye and stunning vision, Russell Banks delivers a wholly captivating portrait of a man navigating Americana and the passage of time.

informative with a juicy ending

might be a little slow in the set up, but when it revved up it really got going.

Slowwww

This ended up being a thought provoking story, but wowzerz it took a long time to get there. As the story went along you got just enough to hang on.

Not great

Overall the story was somewhat interesting, but I thought it petered out in the end without much of a finish. It seemed to drone on and on. I did not enjoy the readers voice.

Intriguing

Very intriguing story line with just enough Shaker Florida history to make it believable. Also, knowing how Disney purchased land in Florida also lends a semblance of reality. The characters were well developed and had just enough intrigue to keep you reading more. A very good book.

Rx for Readers Who Want to Understand Cults

Can a utopian society exist? This book intrigued me because it was about a cult that lived well and happily.