Sideways In Neverland by William Etling
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(Hardcover)
- Pub. Date: July 2005
- 332pp
- Sales Rank: 574,546
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Product Details
- Pub. Date: July 2005
- Publisher: iUniverse, Incorporated
- Format: Hardcover, 332pp
- Sales Rank: 574,546
- ISBN-13: 9780595811441
- ISBN: 0595811442
Synopsis
The "Neverland Valley-Welcome" sign depicts a little boy, bending over to talk to a troll. Peter Pan was playing at the packed eighty-seat, 7,000 square-foot theatre. Popcorn and drinks were dished up gratis to the mobs at the concession stand. On-screen, Captain Hook had ten wide-eyed children bound and gagged, about to be fed to the crocodile. Nearby, amid the rides, a band was taking a break. Beat It thumped loudly from hidden speakers. A circus-like tent houses the bumper cars, where jubilant lads, faces flushed with excitement, rammed each other with enthusiasm.
...I freely admitted, there was no doubt that allegations of child molestation had hurt Jackson in this community. Where wouldn't such charges resonate? Sodom and Gomorrah?
*** What do Michael Jackson's neighbors really think of him, or the other famous residents of the rural California wine country made famous by Sideways? Just two hours from Los Angeles, the honorable Old West lives on, with cowboys and Indians, a Danish village, stars, surfers, Michael Jackson, and more.
*** "William Etling has the soul of an explorer, and the wit of a jester. Lucky for us, he also has a pen."-Michelle Schlegel
The collected "Santa Ynez Notebook" of a Santa Barbara News-Press writer. Etling's delightful bi-weekly editorial dishes on all things Santa Ynez Valley, an area of tiny towns near Santa Barbara, Calif. This compilation of almost three years of work covers a wide variety of topics, including community events, regional history, locals both famous (Michael Jackson, anyone?) and not-so, and the author's personal life. The column's buoyant tone and warm voice make for a charming read-"I still love the beach. If I had a tail, I'd wag it when I'm near the water." As a teenager, Etling moved to the area with his family, and it's clear that he has adored the area ever since. More than just a love letter to his hometown, however, Sideways provides affecting reading for all-Etling is all over the board, from what happens when a small town kid goes to war to the peril of navigating a highway crossed frequently by deer to a Hollywood invasion, when suddenly everyone's an extra on the set of Seabiscuit.
Fruitful subject matter, a likable host and evocative writing make for an enjoyable guide to this nook of California.
-Kirkus Discoveries
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Sideways in Neverland: Life in the Santa Ynez Valley, Californiaby Anonymous
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December 02, 2005: After Michael Jackson was arraigned in a Santa Maria courtroom, the King of Weird invited hoards of strangers to party at his sprawling Santa Ynez ranch. As Etling describes it: ?Middle-aged white men like myself were as unusual as the three-foot-tall gentleman walking beside me as we approached the first of an extensive network of ponds and waterfalls, including four geysers, shooting thirty feet in the air.? It gets weirder. And, fortunately, Etling has a keen eye for detail. In a series of essays, Etling deftly describes life as an extra on the ?Sideways? set (he was promoted from ?bathroom walker? to ?diner,? though instructed not to eat the food), the chilly waters of Jalama Beach and the pitfalls of being a Realtor. (?I?m a Realtor. Mind-numbing boredom is my life.?) The career might be boring, but some of his funniest writing is about people?s reactions to housing prices in a market gone berserk. - Patrick S. Pemberton, The San Luis Obispo, Ca. Tribune
Sideways in Neverland: Life in the Santa Ynez Valley, Californiaby Anonymous
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December 02, 2005: 'Etling has lived in 'the West of legend, with Danish pastry' since 1966 these columns from the Santa Barbara News-Press have nothing to do with wine, little to do with movies and everything to do with an enchanting landscape and its residents, past and present. Michael Jackson, Fess Parker, Ronald Reagan and Matt LeBlanc are among those residents, but surfers, cowboys, artists, veterans and settlers get the most affectionate treatment. Etling takes us not only to Jackson's fantasy estate and the sets of Sideways and Seabiscuit, but to Highway 154 on California Cleanup Day, a university lecture on gophers and numerous local festivals. Though this is not truly a guidebook, Etling tips readers to wildflower fields, surfing spots, cave paintings and museums. Readers will forget 'Sideways' and head south to eat with cowboys and celebrities at the Longhorn Cafe, watch a missile launch at Vandenberg Air Force Base and ski on Figueroa Mountain.'
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