Central Park Love Song: Wandering Beneath the Heaventrees

To see Central Park is one thing, but to experience it is another. Stephen Wolf allows you into his past and makes you relive with him, the many memories he has made in Central Park and in the Magestic New York City. With his master control of the English language, Wolf provides a splendid reminiscent historical account of what it took to make the man-made Eden, we call Central Park. A must read for those who find beauty and awe in the creations of humankind!

Excellent!

A beautiful story about life and also lessons about nyc

Stephen Wolf's weaving of history and personal experience, all tied to the various and manifold aspects of Central Park in this book, Central Park Love Song, is just amazing. He never gets stuck. It keeps it moving back and forth and all around the edges, with prose that can take your breath away, and tidbits of info about statues, who carved them, who the model was, what happen to both in their lives, this amazing man who lived for years in tree houses he built without a nail and the park people would tear them down and he'd simply build another in another spot until you finally find out who he was and what happened to him. But of course the lead-in is with his beloved dog, Bo, when he first arrives into the city in the '70s from the midwest, how he takes on the guise of a blindman so he can take the dog in a harness onto the subway from the East Village to Columbus Circle and it's Bo who sniffs his way through the right passageway that brings them right up into the park, where Stephen can then take the harness off Bo and let him run free. So the first third of the book circles around Bo in a way discovering the Park for Stephen following...ah I'm going on too long. Just so much that amazes, that makes the park so real and personal and alive, that I do wonder if this is the first book of its kind written about the park. Not a dull historical treatment, although the history is there with all these fascinating side jaunts to it, but again its the weaving, it never bogs down. If you want to know the park and how important it is to the city, to the people of the city, to this man who has walked and cycled every inch of the park and gives you the real feel of his love for the park, yes, Central Park Love Song is the book to read!

The title of this book is completely fitting because it reads like pure poetry. Spanning 40 years of the author's life, this books takes the reader through the wonders of Central Park. You can cherish a single line like a solitary trail through the The Ramble or walk to the apex of the elegant arch of a bridge to peer into outstretching history.You'll bump into familiar figures like Holden Caulfield in the shadow of the The Palace Hotel searching for ducks in The Pond. You'll stroll through the early morning with the birders while walking past John Lennon and Yoko Ono embracing on the Bow Bridge within view of The Dakota. You'll also meet a number of the characters you may only hear about in this book like Bob Redman living in secret tree houses whom the author personally discovered while surreptitiously camping in the Sanctuary decades ago.The book is filled with touching personal stories and vastly researched historic facts. There are countless literary references that have unquestionably been culled through the author's life while he made his way from driving delivery trucks in New York City to lecturing on Literature as a professor at Berkeley College. All these lines are drawn together and beautifully braided like the meandering paths that wander through the park, each step offering the wonder of delightful discovery. The book reads as effortless and beautifully as an enchanting stroll through Central Park.

From the moment this Midwestern transplant first enters The Word's Greatest Park to the final imaginary lunch with his daughter Lily and Central Park's designers Calvert Vaux and Frederick Law Olmsted we are treated to one of the most beautifully written, delightful "love song" to NYC's greatest jewel. Whether a tourist for the first time or a dog owner twice a day, 365 times a year, a runner, walker, parents with children you will be captivated by places and stories about The Park you never new existed. Mr. Wolf's1 writing flows with facts and history.As a native I never heard of the great Zoo Hoax, Hooverville encampment. Mayor Jimmy Walker ran a full blown Casino with show girls delivered by N Y's finest to frolic with Upper East side gents inside the 72nd street Fifth Avenue Gate.Pale Male comes alive.Mr. Wolf is the Park's modern reincarnation of J F Cooper's THE PATHFINDER.You will never see the Park with the same eyes. A real tour de force!

Be prepared to enjoy Central Park as you never have before. "Central Park Love Song" celebrates with delightful detail. The literary references will surprise even the most knowledgeable reader. The poetry that peppers the "story" is a special treat, as is the park trivia, which again must be noted, may amaze seasoned Central Park history buffs. Overall, this book was a very pleasant surprise and likely to become a popular gift book.