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The Paper Palace
12 hours, 37 minutes
A story of summer, secrets, love, and lies: in the course of a singular day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades.
“This house, this place, knows all my secrets.”
It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a 50-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace” - the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: Last night Elle and her oldest friend, Jonas, crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next 24 hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. As Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families.
A story of summer, secrets, love, and lies: in the course of a singular day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades.
“This house, this place, knows all my secrets.”
It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a 50-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at “The Paper Palace” - the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: Last night Elle and her oldest friend, Jonas, crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next 24 hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn’t forever changed the course of their lives. As Heller colors in the experiences that have led Elle to this day, we arrive at her ultimate decision with all its complexity. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families.
Audiobook
First published July 6, 2021
About the author
Miranda Cowley Heller
2 books3,283 followersMiranda Cowley Heller has worked as senior vice president and head of drama series at HBO, developing and overseeing such shows as The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Deadwood, and Big Love, among others. This is her first novel. She grew up spending summers on Cape Cod, and now lives in California.
source: Amazon
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 25,350 reviews
July 8, 2021
WOW!!!!!! Review to follow - must get outside - sit with my thoughts — but a very strong 5 stars -
REVIEW:
Many books are page turners….we love them right?
“The Paper Palace”, is more than a page turner….
it’s an IV being pumped into your veins like a drug!
Personally— I LOVED IT!!!
Yet….
Not everyone will.
Beware….of taboo scenes: sex, lies, cheating, rape, incest, …..but it would be a shame —IMO if this book was labeled and categorized as the naughty-distasteful- book - because it’s NOT!
I doubt even the most prudish reader would be able to negate the LUSHNESS….LUMINOUS descriptions.
….Some of the nature sentences are absolutely breathtaking—
The dialogue - the narrative- is intoxicating- penetrating- savvy-simply marvelous!
It’s one of the most explosive-alive -experiences of writing I’ve read all year. Its psychologically riveting—gut-wrenching-complex- COMPLICATED ….lush, dreamy….with sensitive understandable thought-provoking situations!!! I found it quite reflective. Honestly it’s so exhilarating —-in the best ways contemporary novels can be. I’m in aw of the writing.
It was sad. It was funny. It was wrong. It was right. It was honest.
It explores morality — and most of all examines love at the deepest level.
Miranda Crowley Heller’s ‘styling’ was very appealing to me - it was fresh - and unique. The prime story takes place in one day- divided into five segments. The back-stories are intertwined with present day happenings. It just terrifically well done.
Personally I love everything about this book — I thought it was completely brilliant with tons of “OH MY”, moments.
There were many surprise zingers.. ZAP! ….
A little more storytelling…
ZAP….
A little more storytelling…
ZAP, zap, zap …. Many times these zingers just keep coming!!!!
Did anyone ever see the movie called “Adore”, with Robin Wright and Naomi Watts….(they each had an affair with each other’s son)…and it took place in lush Australia…in a beach house? Beautiful and uncomfortable- right?
Well….this book is NOT THAT….honest it isn’t….but….a few times the captivating atmosphere reminded me of that movie.
Rather than keep sharing on and on about how much I loved this book (yes, aware it might not be for everyone’s taste - but it sure was mine)….
I’ll include a few sample excerpts ..
‘teasers’ ….if you will. If they intrigue you ….then there is a good chance this novel would be exciting for you to read.
If not…skip it.
One more aspect…(before the excerpts)… it was the type of storytelling where you’re dying to know the conclusion…but the journey is so fascinating- (with those ZAP ZINGERS coming when you least expect them)…that you won’t want to miss a word of each page.
Teasers….excerpts:
“By the time we reach the Woods it’s almost midnight. The camp has been locked up all winter. Our canoes are stacked on the porch. Everything is covered in pollen and spiderswebs. Some large animal has managed to get in over the winter, knocking plates off the open shelves. Shards of iron stone are skittled across the living room floor. The mice have made their annual nest in the silverware drawer. Mouse shit in the fork tines, afterbirth on the teaspoons.
The hot water needs to be turned on. The flashlights are all dead. No one feels like making beds”.
“I pee in the bushes, walk down the path to my cabin, and throw myself onto the bare mattress. I’m so happy to be here”……..
NOTE…. this scene goes on - the writing continues getting more and more gorgeous; suspenseful for several more pages.
…..
“My stomach drops into my feet. My entire body is cold with panic”.
…..
“You knew I was watching, he says” …..
“I was worried you were going to keep sulking”.
“I was. But apparently I have the backbone of a snake”.
“We go to sleep listening to the flicker of the fire, the occasional thud of wood, chunks falling into the embers. Outside, in the winter moonlight, the world is cold—stark—a bare echo of the place where, for me, life begins and ends”.
“We drag our past behind us like a weight, still shackled, but far enough back that we never have to see, never have to openly acknowledge who we once were”.
“He should leave her. Is that what I want?”
“Gina and Jonas are our oldest friends. We have spent almost every summer of our adult lives together: shucked oysters and drink them live from their shells, watched the full moon rising over the sea, while listening to Gina complain that the moon was making her period cramps worse; prayed the local fishermen would start culling the harbor seals; over-cooked Thanksgiving turkeys; argued about Woody Allen.
Gina is my daughter Maddy’s godmother, for fuck’s sake. What if Jonas did leave Gina? Could I betray her that way? And yet I already have.
I fucked her husband last night. And the thought makes me want to do it again”.
“Hey, wife. Peter kisses the back of my neck”.
“Hey, yourself. I start, struggle for normal”.
“You look deep in thought, he says”.
“There’s coffee”.
“Excellent, he roots around in his shirt pocket and pulls out his cigarettes. Lights one. Sits down on the sofa beside me. I love the way his long legs look poking out from his faded surf shorts. Boyish”.
“My husband is a handsome man. Not beautiful, but handsome in an old-fashioned movie star way. Tall. Elegant. British. A respected journalist. The kind of man he looks sexy in a suit.
An Atticus. Patient, but formidable when angered. He can keep a secret. He rarely misses a beat. He’s looking at me now as if he can smell the sex on me”.
“Jonas is a brilliant painter. Successful. Looks like a bloody screen idol. He could’ve married Sophia-fucking-Loren. I think he hooked up with Gina just to irritate his mother”.
“Well, that was a worthy cause, anyway, my mother says”.
“Peter laughs. He loves it when my mother is bitchy”.
“The ‘two’ of you, I say. Enough”.
“There were nine ponds in our woods. We swam in all of them, crossing other people’s property lines to reach small sandy coves, clamber out over water on the trunks of fallen trees. Cannonball in. No one minded us. Everyone believed in the ancient rights of way: small shaded paths that led to the back doors of old Cape houses, built when the first dirt roads were carved, still standing in sober clearings preserved by snow and sea air and hot summers.
And watercress pulled from a stream— someone else’s stream, someone else’s watercrest”.
I like what this reader & author had to say:
“Set in the physical and psychic landscape of Cape Cod, ‘The Paper Palace’ is a fever dream of a novel, luminous with love and shot through with humor and heartbreak. It is a book that explores the indelibility of childhood, what it means to be shaped by place, and all that is unpredictable about the human heart. I couldn’t put it down”
——Adrienne Brodeur, author of ‘Wild Game’.
REVIEW:
Many books are page turners….we love them right?
“The Paper Palace”, is more than a page turner….
it’s an IV being pumped into your veins like a drug!
Personally— I LOVED IT!!!
Yet….
Not everyone will.
Beware….of taboo scenes: sex, lies, cheating, rape, incest, …..but it would be a shame —IMO if this book was labeled and categorized as the naughty-distasteful- book - because it’s NOT!
I doubt even the most prudish reader would be able to negate the LUSHNESS….LUMINOUS descriptions.
….Some of the nature sentences are absolutely breathtaking—
The dialogue - the narrative- is intoxicating- penetrating- savvy-simply marvelous!
It’s one of the most explosive-alive -experiences of writing I’ve read all year. Its psychologically riveting—gut-wrenching-complex- COMPLICATED ….lush, dreamy….with sensitive understandable thought-provoking situations!!! I found it quite reflective. Honestly it’s so exhilarating —-in the best ways contemporary novels can be. I’m in aw of the writing.
It was sad. It was funny. It was wrong. It was right. It was honest.
It explores morality — and most of all examines love at the deepest level.
Miranda Crowley Heller’s ‘styling’ was very appealing to me - it was fresh - and unique. The prime story takes place in one day- divided into five segments. The back-stories are intertwined with present day happenings. It just terrifically well done.
Personally I love everything about this book — I thought it was completely brilliant with tons of “OH MY”, moments.
There were many surprise zingers.. ZAP! ….
A little more storytelling…
ZAP….
A little more storytelling…
ZAP, zap, zap …. Many times these zingers just keep coming!!!!
Did anyone ever see the movie called “Adore”, with Robin Wright and Naomi Watts….(they each had an affair with each other’s son)…and it took place in lush Australia…in a beach house? Beautiful and uncomfortable- right?
Well….this book is NOT THAT….honest it isn’t….but….a few times the captivating atmosphere reminded me of that movie.
Rather than keep sharing on and on about how much I loved this book (yes, aware it might not be for everyone’s taste - but it sure was mine)….
I’ll include a few sample excerpts ..
‘teasers’ ….if you will. If they intrigue you ….then there is a good chance this novel would be exciting for you to read.
If not…skip it.
One more aspect…(before the excerpts)… it was the type of storytelling where you’re dying to know the conclusion…but the journey is so fascinating- (with those ZAP ZINGERS coming when you least expect them)…that you won’t want to miss a word of each page.
Teasers….excerpts:
“By the time we reach the Woods it’s almost midnight. The camp has been locked up all winter. Our canoes are stacked on the porch. Everything is covered in pollen and spiderswebs. Some large animal has managed to get in over the winter, knocking plates off the open shelves. Shards of iron stone are skittled across the living room floor. The mice have made their annual nest in the silverware drawer. Mouse shit in the fork tines, afterbirth on the teaspoons.
The hot water needs to be turned on. The flashlights are all dead. No one feels like making beds”.
“I pee in the bushes, walk down the path to my cabin, and throw myself onto the bare mattress. I’m so happy to be here”……..
NOTE…. this scene goes on - the writing continues getting more and more gorgeous; suspenseful for several more pages.
…..
“My stomach drops into my feet. My entire body is cold with panic”.
…..
“You knew I was watching, he says” …..
“I was worried you were going to keep sulking”.
“I was. But apparently I have the backbone of a snake”.
“We go to sleep listening to the flicker of the fire, the occasional thud of wood, chunks falling into the embers. Outside, in the winter moonlight, the world is cold—stark—a bare echo of the place where, for me, life begins and ends”.
“We drag our past behind us like a weight, still shackled, but far enough back that we never have to see, never have to openly acknowledge who we once were”.
“He should leave her. Is that what I want?”
“Gina and Jonas are our oldest friends. We have spent almost every summer of our adult lives together: shucked oysters and drink them live from their shells, watched the full moon rising over the sea, while listening to Gina complain that the moon was making her period cramps worse; prayed the local fishermen would start culling the harbor seals; over-cooked Thanksgiving turkeys; argued about Woody Allen.
Gina is my daughter Maddy’s godmother, for fuck’s sake. What if Jonas did leave Gina? Could I betray her that way? And yet I already have.
I fucked her husband last night. And the thought makes me want to do it again”.
“Hey, wife. Peter kisses the back of my neck”.
“Hey, yourself. I start, struggle for normal”.
“You look deep in thought, he says”.
“There’s coffee”.
“Excellent, he roots around in his shirt pocket and pulls out his cigarettes. Lights one. Sits down on the sofa beside me. I love the way his long legs look poking out from his faded surf shorts. Boyish”.
“My husband is a handsome man. Not beautiful, but handsome in an old-fashioned movie star way. Tall. Elegant. British. A respected journalist. The kind of man he looks sexy in a suit.
An Atticus. Patient, but formidable when angered. He can keep a secret. He rarely misses a beat. He’s looking at me now as if he can smell the sex on me”.
“Jonas is a brilliant painter. Successful. Looks like a bloody screen idol. He could’ve married Sophia-fucking-Loren. I think he hooked up with Gina just to irritate his mother”.
“Well, that was a worthy cause, anyway, my mother says”.
“Peter laughs. He loves it when my mother is bitchy”.
“The ‘two’ of you, I say. Enough”.
“There were nine ponds in our woods. We swam in all of them, crossing other people’s property lines to reach small sandy coves, clamber out over water on the trunks of fallen trees. Cannonball in. No one minded us. Everyone believed in the ancient rights of way: small shaded paths that led to the back doors of old Cape houses, built when the first dirt roads were carved, still standing in sober clearings preserved by snow and sea air and hot summers.
And watercress pulled from a stream— someone else’s stream, someone else’s watercrest”.
I like what this reader & author had to say:
“Set in the physical and psychic landscape of Cape Cod, ‘The Paper Palace’ is a fever dream of a novel, luminous with love and shot through with humor and heartbreak. It is a book that explores the indelibility of childhood, what it means to be shaped by place, and all that is unpredictable about the human heart. I couldn’t put it down”
——Adrienne Brodeur, author of ‘Wild Game’.
November 3, 2022
DNF - Umm, gratuitous depiction of the sexual abuse of children? Yeah, that's where I draw the line. Especially because it isn't necessary to the story and I don't need to read multiple scenes of it across 50 pages for no particular reason other than to fulfill some misery quota.
Sure, I can see how some authors believe that trauma and rape is the only way to build female characters, but seriously? Last time I checked, we're in the 2020's and this just pisses me off. Usually, if I get to halfway through a book, I try to power through the rest, but I cannot stomach any more of this.
Regarding the rest of the story, it feels like a wasted opportunity. So much beautiful writing, yet the story is so meandering and pointless. Any one chapter feels like a lyrical journey, but you try putting it all together and it's utterly forgettable.
Do we really need to know the entire life story of Elle to understand her current predicament of infidelity? Must we read through in detail every single person she has ever met? And why is the graphic depiction of the trauma of her youth necessary in order to tell this story? I don't know. I don't mind disturbing stories, but only if there is a point. Whatever the message of this book, I don't understand it at all.
I had so much hope for this, and it was a colossal disappointment. I signed up to read about the nuance of family dysfunction and infidelity, and this sure wasn't it.
Aside 1: This book makes a mistake that annoys me to no end. At one point, Elle points out on how much she hates Daylight Savings because it's October and the sun goes down early. No, you like Daylight Savings. What you hate is Standard Time. *facepalm*
Aside 2: Writing this review has really revealed to me just how much I disliked my reading experience. I'm downgrading this to one star because a few lyrical passages isn't enough to justify an extra star.
Aside 3: For the sake of my blood pressure, I'm going to move on now.
Sure, I can see how some authors believe that trauma and rape is the only way to build female characters, but seriously? Last time I checked, we're in the 2020's and this just pisses me off. Usually, if I get to halfway through a book, I try to power through the rest, but I cannot stomach any more of this.
Regarding the rest of the story, it feels like a wasted opportunity. So much beautiful writing, yet the story is so meandering and pointless. Any one chapter feels like a lyrical journey, but you try putting it all together and it's utterly forgettable.
Do we really need to know the entire life story of Elle to understand her current predicament of infidelity? Must we read through in detail every single person she has ever met? And why is the graphic depiction of the trauma of her youth necessary in order to tell this story? I don't know. I don't mind disturbing stories, but only if there is a point. Whatever the message of this book, I don't understand it at all.
I had so much hope for this, and it was a colossal disappointment. I signed up to read about the nuance of family dysfunction and infidelity, and this sure wasn't it.
Aside 1: This book makes a mistake that annoys me to no end. At one point, Elle points out on how much she hates Daylight Savings because it's October and the sun goes down early. No, you like Daylight Savings. What you hate is Standard Time. *facepalm*
Aside 2: Writing this review has really revealed to me just how much I disliked my reading experience. I'm downgrading this to one star because a few lyrical passages isn't enough to justify an extra star.
Aside 3: For the sake of my blood pressure, I'm going to move on now.
August 11, 2021
"'Hummingbirds are the only birds that can fly backward...'
...'If I could fly backward, I would,' I said...
...And he said, as he always did, 'I know..'"
This was just beautiful.
I thought it was beautiful before I even got to the above quote...and then I loved it all that much more. I LOVE hummingbirds so much I have some tattooed on my body. But I digress.
If you have followed me for any length of time, you will know my reading tastes have evolved and changed a lot over the last 2-3 years...Messy, nuanced family dramas have become one of my favorite things to read. And boy did this deliver on that front.
In my opinion, this book exemplified showing vs. telling. Through Elle's narration, we are taken through the numerous consequential and seemingly inconsequential moments of her life that have brought her to the decision point upon which the book is premised. The moments, settings, and people who have shaped her reality.
And we perhaps reflect on those moments in our own lives. How the choices and actions of our parents and grandparents impacted the present. How our own might impact the future.
I just loved and appreciated everything about this book. The characters, the setting, the way Cowley unpacked everything for us across the two separate timelines. Just brilliant.
...'If I could fly backward, I would,' I said...
...And he said, as he always did, 'I know..'"
This was just beautiful.
I thought it was beautiful before I even got to the above quote...and then I loved it all that much more. I LOVE hummingbirds so much I have some tattooed on my body. But I digress.
If you have followed me for any length of time, you will know my reading tastes have evolved and changed a lot over the last 2-3 years...Messy, nuanced family dramas have become one of my favorite things to read. And boy did this deliver on that front.
In my opinion, this book exemplified showing vs. telling. Through Elle's narration, we are taken through the numerous consequential and seemingly inconsequential moments of her life that have brought her to the decision point upon which the book is premised. The moments, settings, and people who have shaped her reality.
And we perhaps reflect on those moments in our own lives. How the choices and actions of our parents and grandparents impacted the present. How our own might impact the future.
I just loved and appreciated everything about this book. The characters, the setting, the way Cowley unpacked everything for us across the two separate timelines. Just brilliant.
November 8, 2021
oof. this story hits hard.
i honestly had zero expectations going into this. the only reason i picked it up was because the synopsis sounds like something taylor jenkins reid would write, so i was intrigued. and let me tell you what. this is a life story.
im a sucker for childhood sweethearts, so i was 100% ready to see where the hookup would lead. but as i got to see how elle and jonas knew each other, the directions their lives went, the spouses they each married, and all of the little things that happened along the way, i became conflicted.
im not an advocate for cheating by any means, but i do think life and feelings can be messy and complex. and this story definitely proves that.
↠ 4.5 stars
i honestly had zero expectations going into this. the only reason i picked it up was because the synopsis sounds like something taylor jenkins reid would write, so i was intrigued. and let me tell you what. this is a life story.
im a sucker for childhood sweethearts, so i was 100% ready to see where the hookup would lead. but as i got to see how elle and jonas knew each other, the directions their lives went, the spouses they each married, and all of the little things that happened along the way, i became conflicted.
im not an advocate for cheating by any means, but i do think life and feelings can be messy and complex. and this story definitely proves that.
↠ 4.5 stars
July 15, 2021
I normally will read a book and just give it stars unless it is something I feel needs to be discussed. This book disturbs me in ways that I didn't know a book could. The sex, the emotional abuse, the parental abuse that goes on is one thing, the physical abuse of children and the lack of parental love is a completely different thing. More disturbing than all the above, the fact that this book has been rated so highly across the board. It gives me pause to think of the society we are becoming when this type of book is rated so highly. I'm not talking about the style of writing, development of characters, etc. I'm talking about what is acceptable in our society if this is the type of reading people enjoy. I will not finish this book and move on.
July 6, 2021
Thanks to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. I'll post that review upon publication.
TW*: rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and incest
*Please note that the victims and survivors of these horrors are children and that these topics/related scenes come up repeatedly.
Updated 7/6/21
2.5 stars
This is a well constructed novel born of the descendent of industry royalty (I came to learn in the acknowledgments), but I struggled with several central aspects.
Elle, the m.c., is a middle-aged woman whose husband Peter, three children, and mother (Wallace) all join her in the present day at "The Paper Palace," a rustic family retreat. They are surrounded by friends and neighbors, and Elle is nearly infested (much like the physical location) with memories and trauma.
Heller provides a clear sense of place, and one commendable feature is the connected description. While the detail feels overwrought at times (and flat out weird at others, like when Elle thinks of a white cat on the porch as "porny"), there is not a moment during the present-day scenes when readers cannot see, smell, and feel the environment. This attention to specifics highlights the themes of decay/rot, long-term burden, and connection between memory, place, and the development (or lack thereof) of the self.
Prospective readers should know that there are multiple references to rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and incest, and that all of these horrors are committed against children. It's relentless. If you are the kind of reader who can know that such a scene exists, manage or skip it, and keep reading, you need to know that this is not that kind of work. As someone who can generally manage this content, I felt overwhelmed by it here. It's not just the details but more so the profusion. Heller effectively demonstrates how damaging this kind of abuse can be and the long-term effects it creates on those who experience it, but unfortunately, readers can get swept up in this, too. When this material IS present, I like to come out of the novel feeling like all of the details and references were worth it: that the emotional labor was necessary. Upon completion, I do NOT feel like that at all.
Along with the at times difficult subject matter, the characters are often infuriating. Secrecy is a main point, but WOW these characters are poor communicators, especially as adults. I found their lack of growth and their responses to each other confounding at times. The one relationship I did find fascinating is between Elle and her sister, Anna, and I was disappointed at how little of that is ultimately available.
I see enough in this novel to want to read more from Heller, but I am leaving this work feeling a sense of hollowness from the characters and from the overall plot. When I reflect on the piece as a whole, I feel most struck by the profusion of assaults on children, and this is disappointing for obvious reasons.
TW*: rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and incest
*Please note that the victims and survivors of these horrors are children and that these topics/related scenes come up repeatedly.
Updated 7/6/21
2.5 stars
This is a well constructed novel born of the descendent of industry royalty (I came to learn in the acknowledgments), but I struggled with several central aspects.
Elle, the m.c., is a middle-aged woman whose husband Peter, three children, and mother (Wallace) all join her in the present day at "The Paper Palace," a rustic family retreat. They are surrounded by friends and neighbors, and Elle is nearly infested (much like the physical location) with memories and trauma.
Heller provides a clear sense of place, and one commendable feature is the connected description. While the detail feels overwrought at times (and flat out weird at others, like when Elle thinks of a white cat on the porch as "porny"), there is not a moment during the present-day scenes when readers cannot see, smell, and feel the environment. This attention to specifics highlights the themes of decay/rot, long-term burden, and connection between memory, place, and the development (or lack thereof) of the self.
Prospective readers should know that there are multiple references to rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and incest, and that all of these horrors are committed against children. It's relentless. If you are the kind of reader who can know that such a scene exists, manage or skip it, and keep reading, you need to know that this is not that kind of work. As someone who can generally manage this content, I felt overwhelmed by it here. It's not just the details but more so the profusion. Heller effectively demonstrates how damaging this kind of abuse can be and the long-term effects it creates on those who experience it, but unfortunately, readers can get swept up in this, too. When this material IS present, I like to come out of the novel feeling like all of the details and references were worth it: that the emotional labor was necessary. Upon completion, I do NOT feel like that at all.
Along with the at times difficult subject matter, the characters are often infuriating. Secrecy is a main point, but WOW these characters are poor communicators, especially as adults. I found their lack of growth and their responses to each other confounding at times. The one relationship I did find fascinating is between Elle and her sister, Anna, and I was disappointed at how little of that is ultimately available.
I see enough in this novel to want to read more from Heller, but I am leaving this work feeling a sense of hollowness from the characters and from the overall plot. When I reflect on the piece as a whole, I feel most struck by the profusion of assaults on children, and this is disappointing for obvious reasons.
July 27, 2021
I needed some time to figure out how to review this book. And I had to re-read the ending multiple times to see if I could figure it out. The author states in an interview that she was very clear on who Elle chooses. After reading that ending over and over, I’m still not sure. I can guess… but it is not crystal clear like the author says. That is my biggest issue with this book. I don’t like open ended finales if you aren’t leading to a sequel. The other is the multiple timelines. When written correctly it can be great, even enhance a story. This one is jumbled and confusing. Within each chapter she jumps back and forth between present and past and often times you have no idea she has changed the timeline on you. Having said all of that, I gave this 3 stars. The writing isn’t bad, in face it’s good. I just didn’t care for the structure and that’s a personal preference. I also liked the premise behind the book. While I didn’t necessarily like or agree with all of Elle’s choices, it makes for good debate and discussions.
July 18, 2021
Well I've set a record with this one. Sometimes I DNF early, usually around 25%, sometimes before that; but I quit here in the middle of the 3rd sentence. If you are a person who is impressed by overwritten slush, stop reading here and walk away. Or in your preferred langue du commerce, relinquish the tome in your bejeweled, alabaster digits and prance haughtily from this verbose online chamber of literary enlightenment. With your chapeau atilt.
You're welcome.
Anyone who has read my opinion pieces knows how very little I value fancy dancy lacy pantsy writing, pages sludged down with pretentious creative writing class pomposity and unnecessary piles of detritus and detail. The offending phrase here involved a perfect green pear with "the stem atilt." This single word was a spoiler warning that I was going to be gagging on sugar syrup and to quit while I still had a lunch to digest, and before I found out whether there was actually a cake under all that icing. So I blew that pop joint.
Life's too short to waste time reading crap. Why are you still reading this?
You're welcome.
Anyone who has read my opinion pieces knows how very little I value fancy dancy lacy pantsy writing, pages sludged down with pretentious creative writing class pomposity and unnecessary piles of detritus and detail. The offending phrase here involved a perfect green pear with "the stem atilt." This single word was a spoiler warning that I was going to be gagging on sugar syrup and to quit while I still had a lunch to digest, and before I found out whether there was actually a cake under all that icing. So I blew that pop joint.
Life's too short to waste time reading crap. Why are you still reading this?
February 22, 2023
Oh my…………Some books make you feel alive! They’re literal definition of endorphins trigger lots of positive feelings into your brain! They might also trigger negative feelings but you have to toughen up for confronting them!
This book truly made me thankful because I’m nerd, I’m bookish, I devour books daily and I was born to be this way! And I’m so thankful to read it! It was one of the BEST READS of the year.
I’ll need few hours… maybe a day to gather my thoughts… my more detailed review will come sooner!
But I wish I had a chance to give this book more than five stars!
P.S: Dear Elyse, your review rocks!
This book truly made me thankful because I’m nerd, I’m bookish, I devour books daily and I was born to be this way! And I’m so thankful to read it! It was one of the BEST READS of the year.
I’ll need few hours… maybe a day to gather my thoughts… my more detailed review will come sooner!
But I wish I had a chance to give this book more than five stars!
P.S: Dear Elyse, your review rocks!
September 26, 2021
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
(CW: child sexual violence, rape)
This is the worst book I’ve ever read. There is not one redeeming thing I can ever write. First of all, the author commits well over half of this book to the child r*pe storyline. Within the first 30 pages there is an extremely graphic depiction of child s*xual violence. There are other graphic instenses of CSV peppered through out. Now, I study sexual violence. I have read countless books - fiction and nonfiction - that deal with this very important and sensitive topic. This book handles it terribly. The authors flowery (another one of my issues) writing almost seems to beautify and sanitize these scenes. Also, there is no mention or allusion to the traumatic content in any of the blurbs or summaries - it’s marketed as a summer beach book about couples and love. I shudder to think of the folks who pick this book up expecting that.
Second, the political and social leanings of this author/book are questionable at best. I, a young leftist queer white woman, was absolutely not the target audience for this book. The author very unironicly uses the phrase ‘white bashing’ and makes a character who cares about wildlife and climate change out to be the complete villain of the story for no reason.
Some lesser issues I have are the overly flowery, adjective heavy writing, the timing and pacing of the book, the lack of an ending, and extremely unlikable characters.
Please don’t read this. I had to read it for work otherwise I would never have picked it up.
0/5⭐️
(CW: child sexual violence, rape)
This is the worst book I’ve ever read. There is not one redeeming thing I can ever write. First of all, the author commits well over half of this book to the child r*pe storyline. Within the first 30 pages there is an extremely graphic depiction of child s*xual violence. There are other graphic instenses of CSV peppered through out. Now, I study sexual violence. I have read countless books - fiction and nonfiction - that deal with this very important and sensitive topic. This book handles it terribly. The authors flowery (another one of my issues) writing almost seems to beautify and sanitize these scenes. Also, there is no mention or allusion to the traumatic content in any of the blurbs or summaries - it’s marketed as a summer beach book about couples and love. I shudder to think of the folks who pick this book up expecting that.
Second, the political and social leanings of this author/book are questionable at best. I, a young leftist queer white woman, was absolutely not the target audience for this book. The author very unironicly uses the phrase ‘white bashing’ and makes a character who cares about wildlife and climate change out to be the complete villain of the story for no reason.
Some lesser issues I have are the overly flowery, adjective heavy writing, the timing and pacing of the book, the lack of an ending, and extremely unlikable characters.
Please don’t read this. I had to read it for work otherwise I would never have picked it up.
0/5⭐️
July 7, 2021
This writing is lovely but everyone in this book is such a terrible person.
September 1, 2021
An enthralling book that is beautifully written and fantastically narrated!
The Paper Palace is a rambling house that is set in the backwoods of Cape Code. For every summer of her life Elle and her family have been vacationing there. Now at Fifty years old we see Elle, in the beginning chapter regretting that she has had sex with her childhood friend outside the house while both their spouses were inside during an evening gathering with the families.
I enjoyed the narration a lot. Nan McNamara was spot-on with the storytelling and especially the voice of Elle's mother. This is a slow building drama that is told in a 24 hour type of format as Elle contemplates her love of her husband and childhood friend. There are multiple timelines as Elle thinks back to certain parts of her childhood and life. The backstories are engaging and I'm glad I listened to the audio as I'm not sure if I could follow along as easily if I'd just read it.
I might be in the minority but the ending was a bit brusque. I wanted a precise conclusion but got more of an open ended one. It's still a book that I'd highly recommend especially the audio.
The Paper Palace is a rambling house that is set in the backwoods of Cape Code. For every summer of her life Elle and her family have been vacationing there. Now at Fifty years old we see Elle, in the beginning chapter regretting that she has had sex with her childhood friend outside the house while both their spouses were inside during an evening gathering with the families.
I enjoyed the narration a lot. Nan McNamara was spot-on with the storytelling and especially the voice of Elle's mother. This is a slow building drama that is told in a 24 hour type of format as Elle contemplates her love of her husband and childhood friend. There are multiple timelines as Elle thinks back to certain parts of her childhood and life. The backstories are engaging and I'm glad I listened to the audio as I'm not sure if I could follow along as easily if I'd just read it.
I might be in the minority but the ending was a bit brusque. I wanted a precise conclusion but got more of an open ended one. It's still a book that I'd highly recommend especially the audio.
December 4, 2021
"The Paper Palace" by Miranda Cowley Heller is Literary Fiction at its best!
"This house, this place knows all my secrets." ~ Elle Bishop
Fifty-year-old Elle is a happily married wife and mother of three with a life-changing decision to make...
Last night Elle had sex for the first time with her lifelong BFF, Jonas. It happened in the dark, in the backyard while both spouses were inside The Paper Palace.
Elle has always imagined marrying her childhood love, Jonas, but it never happened. She met and married Peter, her wonderful, beloved husband and Jonas met and married Gina, his beautiful, loving wife.
Over the course of 24 hours, Elle will go through her life, recounting all her memories, secrets, and lies to come to her decision. Will she continue to live her happy life with Peter or choose the life she's always dreamed of with Jonas?
This story is told entirely in the first person voice of Elle, teetering back and forth between the past and present. She recounts the memories of growing up with her sister, Anna, the turmoil before & after their parents' divorce, fifty summers at the Paper Palace on Cape Cod and all the seasons in between.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Nan McNamara, who's voicing skills are so perfect each character's voice truly held a different sound and quality. It was an amazing theatrical voicing performance that shouldn't be missed!
This is not a beach read as Reese Witherspoon has mistaken it to be. This is an extended family drama that holds situations that will rip your insides apart! Dark moments of child abuse, neglect, incest, rape, and emotional abuse. I had no idea about the depths of this story!
With that said, oh how I loved this book! So much so that I purchased a copy to add to my library. What a beautifully written debut novel that is easily one of my top reads of 2021! All the stars!
"This house, this place knows all my secrets." ~ Elle Bishop
Fifty-year-old Elle is a happily married wife and mother of three with a life-changing decision to make...
Last night Elle had sex for the first time with her lifelong BFF, Jonas. It happened in the dark, in the backyard while both spouses were inside The Paper Palace.
Elle has always imagined marrying her childhood love, Jonas, but it never happened. She met and married Peter, her wonderful, beloved husband and Jonas met and married Gina, his beautiful, loving wife.
Over the course of 24 hours, Elle will go through her life, recounting all her memories, secrets, and lies to come to her decision. Will she continue to live her happy life with Peter or choose the life she's always dreamed of with Jonas?
This story is told entirely in the first person voice of Elle, teetering back and forth between the past and present. She recounts the memories of growing up with her sister, Anna, the turmoil before & after their parents' divorce, fifty summers at the Paper Palace on Cape Cod and all the seasons in between.
I listened to the audiobook narrated by Nan McNamara, who's voicing skills are so perfect each character's voice truly held a different sound and quality. It was an amazing theatrical voicing performance that shouldn't be missed!
This is not a beach read as Reese Witherspoon has mistaken it to be. This is an extended family drama that holds situations that will rip your insides apart! Dark moments of child abuse, neglect, incest, rape, and emotional abuse. I had no idea about the depths of this story!
With that said, oh how I loved this book! So much so that I purchased a copy to add to my library. What a beautifully written debut novel that is easily one of my top reads of 2021! All the stars!
July 16, 2021
My goodness… I loved this book!
Perfect to read right now too.. A family spending all their summers on Cape Cod… a family that has dealt with some devastating history.
There’s so much more to this story then what the synopsis states.. so many layers ..so much that many of these characters have endured.
You’ll laugh, gasp, feel enraged.. so many emotions.
Perfect read for me!
Oh… and just beautiful descriptions of the land and sea!
Forgot to mention.. go see Elyse’s review of this book.. it sold me!!
Perfect to read right now too.. A family spending all their summers on Cape Cod… a family that has dealt with some devastating history.
There’s so much more to this story then what the synopsis states.. so many layers ..so much that many of these characters have endured.
You’ll laugh, gasp, feel enraged.. so many emotions.
Perfect read for me!
Oh… and just beautiful descriptions of the land and sea!
Forgot to mention.. go see Elyse’s review of this book.. it sold me!!
April 30, 2023
You lost me when the bug touched the nipple. Couldn’t do it.
July 14, 2021
This book was going to get two stars for me but then I looked back and saw that I gave two stars to where the crawdad sing which I hated but at least that had some redeemable characters this however did not. The entire premise as most people know is this Elle cheats on her husband with her childhood best friend at 50. So they met when she was 11 and he was 8 and he’s held a candle out for her for 40 some years and he decides a quickie behind the cabin from behind is the ticket. You’ve got to be kidding me. Also 3 scenes of gruesomely detailed child sexual assault is like 3 too many for me to be completely honest like I get this was important to the story however…you can miss me with the nitty gritty details I am good. Plus Elle was miserable and she just went back and forth from Jonas and then to her husband a bunch like she just couldn’t decide like give me a break. Then they could have stopped where she chose Pete her husband who was if we were being honest not that redeeming himself and sort of a part time funny guy but a chain smoker…his only redeemable quality was his British accent which probably didn’t translate for the book readers. Also they didn’t stop with her choosing Pete to be clear they left it open ended…let me just be clear selling this as a slow blossoming love spanning time and distance of hearts growing fonder just isn’t doing it for me. Utter garbage like if you are gonna cheat on your spouse that you have a happy marriage with a 3 kids like fucking commit and at least make one a measure able upgrade in a discerning way. The only redeemable character was the sister and they killed her off. Anyways don’t waste your time…it’s trash binge watch something on Netflix instead.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2022
5+ stars!
2022 Favourites List!
Complex relationship dynamics. Provocative and forbidden love. Undeniable family bond. Palpable atmosphere.
A central theme of this beautifully written, character-driven, slow burn novel is love. At the very core, it is a love story. A family love story. A love story with nature. A secret illicit love story.
The bulk of the book explores a unique and complex family dynamic that had me consumed and engrossed within the various relationships. The author did an outstanding job pulling me into feeling extremely invested in these characters intimate lives. I simply cannot pick my favourite character or relationship as there are so many engrossing and thought provoking layers to each one. When I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about it.
The main plot point happens before the novel even starts with the main character reminiscing about the night before. Even though I didn’t experience the event alongside the main character, I was consumed and invested immediately within the first chapter. This is a true testament of powerful writing!
I am surprised by just how much I loved this love story. Love stories are generally not my thing, yet I was 100% invested and rooting for this one from the first to last page. The relationships within this book felt so real.
While love is the main theme, this book is much darker than I expected. There are several heavy and uncomfortable topics that shocked and upset me but they were critical to the plot. Be warned that this isn’t an easy read and with the pace being slower, it is one you have to be ready for.
The atmosphere is tangible throughout and plays a large role in the overall storyline. The plot centres around a cluster of secluded cottages near a pond and forest that hold deeply buried family secrets.
The novel takes course over one day but is fleshed out with bits and pieces of the characters pasts which are slowly revealed. I loved the way the author presented the story and kept me feeling the burn of curiosity in how it would all come together.
As you can see, this was a winner for me. Easily makes it on this years Favourite Shelf. I can understand the mixed reviews as this is a heavy book that the reader must be ready for and luckily it came at the perfect time for me. Highly recommend!
2022 Favourites List!
Complex relationship dynamics. Provocative and forbidden love. Undeniable family bond. Palpable atmosphere.
A central theme of this beautifully written, character-driven, slow burn novel is love. At the very core, it is a love story. A family love story. A love story with nature. A secret illicit love story.
The bulk of the book explores a unique and complex family dynamic that had me consumed and engrossed within the various relationships. The author did an outstanding job pulling me into feeling extremely invested in these characters intimate lives. I simply cannot pick my favourite character or relationship as there are so many engrossing and thought provoking layers to each one. When I wasn’t reading this book, I was thinking about it.
The main plot point happens before the novel even starts with the main character reminiscing about the night before. Even though I didn’t experience the event alongside the main character, I was consumed and invested immediately within the first chapter. This is a true testament of powerful writing!
I am surprised by just how much I loved this love story. Love stories are generally not my thing, yet I was 100% invested and rooting for this one from the first to last page. The relationships within this book felt so real.
While love is the main theme, this book is much darker than I expected. There are several heavy and uncomfortable topics that shocked and upset me but they were critical to the plot. Be warned that this isn’t an easy read and with the pace being slower, it is one you have to be ready for.
The atmosphere is tangible throughout and plays a large role in the overall storyline. The plot centres around a cluster of secluded cottages near a pond and forest that hold deeply buried family secrets.
The novel takes course over one day but is fleshed out with bits and pieces of the characters pasts which are slowly revealed. I loved the way the author presented the story and kept me feeling the burn of curiosity in how it would all come together.
As you can see, this was a winner for me. Easily makes it on this years Favourite Shelf. I can understand the mixed reviews as this is a heavy book that the reader must be ready for and luckily it came at the perfect time for me. Highly recommend!
May 24, 2021
I loved this book. The proof (thanks the publisher) had sat on my shelf for far too long, and when I finally pulled it down, I read it in a day and a half, because I couldn't stop. One of those books that I read while walking around the house, attempting to do other things. Published in July.
Every summer Elle goes to 'The Paper Palace' with her family - husband, three children and mother - a series of cabins in the woods on the Cape. She's been going there since she was a child, when she became friends with the neighbours, including Jonas. Elle and Jonas have a complicated history, which we learn in luminous and illuminating flashbacks. The present-day narrative takes place over the course of 24 hours, at the end of which Elle must make the hardest decision of her life.
In rich and sensuous prose, Cowley Heller, cracks open the human heart and exposes her character's choices: the paths not taken and the devastating consequences. I smelled the old cabins and the backwoods, felt the pond water lapping around my ankles, experienced the love and loss of family. A perceptive and powerful story which will stay with me for a long time.
Every summer Elle goes to 'The Paper Palace' with her family - husband, three children and mother - a series of cabins in the woods on the Cape. She's been going there since she was a child, when she became friends with the neighbours, including Jonas. Elle and Jonas have a complicated history, which we learn in luminous and illuminating flashbacks. The present-day narrative takes place over the course of 24 hours, at the end of which Elle must make the hardest decision of her life.
In rich and sensuous prose, Cowley Heller, cracks open the human heart and exposes her character's choices: the paths not taken and the devastating consequences. I smelled the old cabins and the backwoods, felt the pond water lapping around my ankles, experienced the love and loss of family. A perceptive and powerful story which will stay with me for a long time.
Read
November 17, 2022Przeczytałem "Papierowy Pałac" w 2020 roku, kiedy jeszcze nikt o tej powieści nie słyszał. Miałem przyjemność poznać ją (w niefinalnej wersji) przed tym jak zadebiutowała na amerykańskim i światowym rynku. I cóż to była za powieść! Do tej pory siedzi w mojej głowie i wyzwala mały dyskomfort, na szczęście w tym pozytywnym sensie. Ta historia uwiera mnie trochę jak kamyk w bucie, bo proces rozważań głównej bohaterki musiałem domknąć sobie sam. I myślę, że wiem, co się wydarzyło i co powinno się wydarzyć na końcu tej książki, jednak trochę się temu sprzeciwiam. To mocna proza, trochę "filmowa", porządnie skonstruowana. Myślę, że jej siłą jest to, że każdy odbierze ją inaczej. Polecam!
January 1, 2024
“If I could fly backward, I would," I said. To the safety of branches, to the time when my heart raced for him like a hummingbird's, 1,200 beats per second. And he said, as he always did, "I know.”
It’s a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty year old happily married mother of three, awakens at "The Paper Palace" the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn't forever changed the course of their lives.
The Paper Palace is a stunning novel, about a woman and the ways her past continues to echo throughout her present. I really enjoyed this one. It had beautiful prose, and I loved the structure of this woman going through her life over the course of a single day, the way it wove in and out of time kept up the momentum for me.
However, this book is dark, there are no two ways about it and I wasn't expecting it to be as heavy as it was, it deals with sexual assault, but I thought it was handled well. It never felt gratuitous. I loved how complicated Elle was. I love when a protagonist is really messy and sometimes makes decisions that the audience probably wouldn't agree with.
The Paper Palace isn't a heartwarming family drama. It's reflective, emotional and extremely character driven. But it's also beautiful. The descriptions of the settings are lush, the relationships are complex and expertly drawn and the story unfolded expertly.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one and I highly recommend.
“Does letting go mean losing everything you have, or does it mean gaining everything you never had?”
4.5
It’s a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty year old happily married mother of three, awakens at "The Paper Palace" the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. But this morning is different: last night Elle and her oldest friend Jonas crept out the back door into the darkness and had sex with each other for the first time, all while their spouses chatted away inside. Now, over the next twenty-four hours, Elle will have to decide between the life she has made with her genuinely beloved husband, Peter, and the life she always imagined she would have had with her childhood love, Jonas, if a tragic event hadn't forever changed the course of their lives.
The Paper Palace is a stunning novel, about a woman and the ways her past continues to echo throughout her present. I really enjoyed this one. It had beautiful prose, and I loved the structure of this woman going through her life over the course of a single day, the way it wove in and out of time kept up the momentum for me.
However, this book is dark, there are no two ways about it and I wasn't expecting it to be as heavy as it was, it deals with sexual assault, but I thought it was handled well. It never felt gratuitous. I loved how complicated Elle was. I love when a protagonist is really messy and sometimes makes decisions that the audience probably wouldn't agree with.
The Paper Palace isn't a heartwarming family drama. It's reflective, emotional and extremely character driven. But it's also beautiful. The descriptions of the settings are lush, the relationships are complex and expertly drawn and the story unfolded expertly.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading this one and I highly recommend.
“Does letting go mean losing everything you have, or does it mean gaining everything you never had?”
4.5
July 13, 2021
Right after finishing the audio of “The Paper Palace”, I restarted from the beginning. It was so good. I was concerned that I missed things since I didn’t read it. Author Miranda Cowley Heller is an incredible writer, creating lush sentences and gorgeous dialogues. I ultimately decided to get the book as well. I NEED to read it. But as I gave it a second go in listening, I am grateful that I did the audio. Nan McNamara is suburb in her narrating skills, especially with her narrating Wallace, the mother of Elle (the novel’s narrator).
The story begins with Elle beginning her day after consummating a life-long crush relationship with a man, Jonas, who she’s known since she’s been a child. Elle and Jonas came to this family compound, named The Paper Palace, since they were children. Elle is two years older than Jonas, which is not a big difference in age now that they are adults. But as children, he was a mere boy. The beginning scenes are a bit “racy” in description of their tryst. Author Heller is direct. This is an extramarital affair.
Elle then narrates her history, beginning as a baby, including the volatility of her parent’s marriage. The structure of this story is Elle going through her present day, after having sex with Jonas, and the history of her life bringing her to this moment. She, in current time, is contemplating if she should leave her husband and go to Jonas, the love of her life. Yet, through her ruminations of her history, she sees her husband, Peter, as a good stable man, a man whom she loves.
The story of Elle’s life is troubling. Her mother, Wallace, is THE WORSE MOTHER EVER in my opinion. But Wallace didn’t have the best upbringing herself. Wallace is self-involved and blunt. Her haughty attitudes are so horrendous and cringe worthy that I snorted in derision while listening. Again, narrator Nan McNamara captures Wallace’s attitudes superbly. I believe McNamara made the story better. I know when I read it, I will have McNamara’s performance voice in my head. Elle’s father is no prize either. He passively neglected his girls.
Elle and her sister Anna had to suffer through their parent’s multiple marriages and many step-siblings who were disturbing to say the least. Very little consideration was given to the girls and their well-being. The fact that Elle was able to engage in a healthy relationship with a man is a testament to Elle’s inner strength.
Elle’s rumminations to stay in her marriage or run off with Jonas is complex. Author Heller weaves in the complications of life, both emotional and pragmatically. Marriage is complicated, life is fluid, choices are complicated.
I highly recommend this in audio or in print. I need to do both. I am happy I heard the audio first; it whetted my appetite for reading the prose. GR friend Elyse and I are going to re-read it together and discuss chapter by chapter, it’s that good.
The story begins with Elle beginning her day after consummating a life-long crush relationship with a man, Jonas, who she’s known since she’s been a child. Elle and Jonas came to this family compound, named The Paper Palace, since they were children. Elle is two years older than Jonas, which is not a big difference in age now that they are adults. But as children, he was a mere boy. The beginning scenes are a bit “racy” in description of their tryst. Author Heller is direct. This is an extramarital affair.
Elle then narrates her history, beginning as a baby, including the volatility of her parent’s marriage. The structure of this story is Elle going through her present day, after having sex with Jonas, and the history of her life bringing her to this moment. She, in current time, is contemplating if she should leave her husband and go to Jonas, the love of her life. Yet, through her ruminations of her history, she sees her husband, Peter, as a good stable man, a man whom she loves.
The story of Elle’s life is troubling. Her mother, Wallace, is THE WORSE MOTHER EVER in my opinion. But Wallace didn’t have the best upbringing herself. Wallace is self-involved and blunt. Her haughty attitudes are so horrendous and cringe worthy that I snorted in derision while listening. Again, narrator Nan McNamara captures Wallace’s attitudes superbly. I believe McNamara made the story better. I know when I read it, I will have McNamara’s performance voice in my head. Elle’s father is no prize either. He passively neglected his girls.
Elle and her sister Anna had to suffer through their parent’s multiple marriages and many step-siblings who were disturbing to say the least. Very little consideration was given to the girls and their well-being. The fact that Elle was able to engage in a healthy relationship with a man is a testament to Elle’s inner strength.
Elle’s rumminations to stay in her marriage or run off with Jonas is complex. Author Heller weaves in the complications of life, both emotional and pragmatically. Marriage is complicated, life is fluid, choices are complicated.
I highly recommend this in audio or in print. I need to do both. I am happy I heard the audio first; it whetted my appetite for reading the prose. GR friend Elyse and I are going to re-read it together and discuss chapter by chapter, it’s that good.
September 29, 2021
Gasp! Did she or didn't she?
Ooh, this is a tough one to review. A rustic summer family retreat. The cabin, woods, and pond/sea. Elle is married and a mother. She couldn't shake off that bond she has with a childhood summer love.
The story takes you back to when Elle was a child then with the style of alternating timeline. I like the writing, and vivid description of the place. There are heavy subjects of sexual abuse and adultery. After a while, this felt long. I do like the characters despite most of them being flawed and all.
Ooh, this is a tough one to review. A rustic summer family retreat. The cabin, woods, and pond/sea. Elle is married and a mother. She couldn't shake off that bond she has with a childhood summer love.
The story takes you back to when Elle was a child then with the style of alternating timeline. I like the writing, and vivid description of the place. There are heavy subjects of sexual abuse and adultery. After a while, this felt long. I do like the characters despite most of them being flawed and all.
February 1, 2022
This was like a bad rash. Irritated the living daylights out of me and wouldn't go away. I should have DNF'ed it but I admit to a morbid curiosity to find out who she'd choose.
I thought this was a book about a middle aged, married mother of three who has sex with her childhood BFF and first love. Oooh, now what will she do?? Wrong. This is the life story of a middle aged, white, privileged New England woman and there's the bit about the two utterly perfect men who love her tremendously. Even though she is a liar and a cheat. But these men, wow, perfect.
The primary problem is the complete lack of character development made it impossible to care about this woman. And the glaring issue that the two men are two-dimensional fantastical imaginings that could never exist. And if they did exist they sure as shit wouldn't be torturing themselves over this woman.
The secondary problem is that the blurb sells you a contemporary tale of love, conflict, betrayal and sacrifice that many a middle aged woman could either relate to or be vicariously curious about. Except instead you get this woman's life story whom you don't care about. Plus there are an overwhelming number of trigger warnings, all of them Bad.
And I couldn't figure these people out. They act like white trash but live off Central Park, send their kids to boarding school and nobody works. Do not recommend.
I thought this was a book about a middle aged, married mother of three who has sex with her childhood BFF and first love. Oooh, now what will she do?? Wrong. This is the life story of a middle aged, white, privileged New England woman and there's the bit about the two utterly perfect men who love her tremendously. Even though she is a liar and a cheat. But these men, wow, perfect.
The primary problem is the complete lack of character development made it impossible to care about this woman. And the glaring issue that the two men are two-dimensional fantastical imaginings that could never exist. And if they did exist they sure as shit wouldn't be torturing themselves over this woman.
The secondary problem is that the blurb sells you a contemporary tale of love, conflict, betrayal and sacrifice that many a middle aged woman could either relate to or be vicariously curious about. Except instead you get this woman's life story whom you don't care about. Plus there are an overwhelming number of trigger warnings, all of them Bad.
And I couldn't figure these people out. They act like white trash but live off Central Park, send their kids to boarding school and nobody works. Do not recommend.
October 3, 2021
The title makes me think of a house of cards. As one falls, the whole thing begins to tumble.
Yet, this is a summer house in Cape Cod. A place of history for 50 year old Elle, who relives a lifetime in 24 hours after a sexual interlude with her oldest friend, while her husband and 3 children are inside. A life with an altering event early on, that changed the course of her path.
A layered story of stories within this family. The sacrifices made to keep each other happy; the selfishness of poor decisions; And the aging family place where time can stand still.
4.5⭐️
Yet, this is a summer house in Cape Cod. A place of history for 50 year old Elle, who relives a lifetime in 24 hours after a sexual interlude with her oldest friend, while her husband and 3 children are inside. A life with an altering event early on, that changed the course of her path.
A layered story of stories within this family. The sacrifices made to keep each other happy; the selfishness of poor decisions; And the aging family place where time can stand still.
4.5⭐️
November 21, 2021
I didn't mean to read two books in one month that concern infidelity, but here I am thanks to library waitlists. In both books the woman is married with kids, but both their husbands are very different and the woman's ultimate decision are also different, and not in the way you would perhaps expect given their relative marital happiness or lack thereof.
This book jumps straight into the act of the infidelity itself, so if you 're looking for a book that makes you feel somewhat ok about it first due to extenuating circumstances, then this isn't it. You don't even know who any of the characters really are yet, you just know two of them are doing something they should not be. Then the book starts to go back and forth in time to explain how she got there. Initially I got a little confused between keeping straight the parts that related to Elle's grandmother, her mother, and herself. But despite all of that, I was very invested in this family and especially Elle. Did I agree with her decisions half the time? No, most of the time I didn't. But yet, I still understood her and sympathized with her. I didn't want the book to end when it did and how it did, but it fit. I'll remember this book.
This book jumps straight into the act of the infidelity itself, so if you 're looking for a book that makes you feel somewhat ok about it first due to extenuating circumstances, then this isn't it. You don't even know who any of the characters really are yet, you just know two of them are doing something they should not be. Then the book starts to go back and forth in time to explain how she got there. Initially I got a little confused between keeping straight the parts that related to Elle's grandmother, her mother, and herself. But despite all of that, I was very invested in this family and especially Elle. Did I agree with her decisions half the time? No, most of the time I didn't. But yet, I still understood her and sympathized with her. I didn't want the book to end when it did and how it did, but it fit. I'll remember this book.
July 10, 2021
Absolutely not. Sexual child abuse is a hard no. Didn’t even make it to chapter 3.
February 23, 2022
This was kinda a rough read. 😬 It’s good, but hard at times too. 🛑Caution: rated R 🛑Trigger warnings: sexual abuse and rape. Told on multiple timelines, this was an emotional roller coaster. I honestly had to look up the actual ending, to see if my interpretation was correct. 😉
January 9, 2022
The Paper Palace was good and it was dark, but not in the typical sense I think of when I hear a book was dark. From the start, there’s a sense of doom lingering in this story, which alternates between the present day and the past.
In the present, Elle is vacationing with her husband, Peter, their 3 kids, and Elle’s mom, in the outer edges of Cape Cod at their Paper Palace, as they have every summer of Elle’s life. She has just cheated on Peter with her childhood friend and crush, Jonas, who also vacations here most summers. In the past, the story includes flashbacks to Elle’s childhood, previous summers at the Paper Palace, how she and Jonas met, how she and Peter met, and more.
This family has experienced pain. They’ve dealt with trauma and loss. They’re not the warm and communicative type, with lots of long held tension and thoughts left unsaid. I felt frustrated by many of the characters’ actions and distance with one another, but the book still held my interest. I was curious to see how things would turn out and what Elle would decide to do. The Paper Palace is a thought provoking story.
In the present, Elle is vacationing with her husband, Peter, their 3 kids, and Elle’s mom, in the outer edges of Cape Cod at their Paper Palace, as they have every summer of Elle’s life. She has just cheated on Peter with her childhood friend and crush, Jonas, who also vacations here most summers. In the past, the story includes flashbacks to Elle’s childhood, previous summers at the Paper Palace, how she and Jonas met, how she and Peter met, and more.
This family has experienced pain. They’ve dealt with trauma and loss. They’re not the warm and communicative type, with lots of long held tension and thoughts left unsaid. I felt frustrated by many of the characters’ actions and distance with one another, but the book still held my interest. I was curious to see how things would turn out and what Elle would decide to do. The Paper Palace is a thought provoking story.
November 10, 2021
Be sure to visit my Favorites Shelf for the books I found most entertaining.
NEW FAVORITE 💚 I always know I thoroughly enjoy a book because I have very little to say when it's time to review. This book was phenomenal. I love the back-stories of the characters—so well thought out. The ending was rather abrupt, which somewhat bothered me but not enough to lower my rating. A Must Read.
NEW FAVORITE 💚 I always know I thoroughly enjoy a book because I have very little to say when it's time to review. This book was phenomenal. I love the back-stories of the characters—so well thought out. The ending was rather abrupt, which somewhat bothered me but not enough to lower my rating. A Must Read.
Shelved as 'dnf'
April 27, 2022Czułam się jakbym czytała powieść najbardziej obfitującą w epitety.
Możliwe, że teraz nie mam na nią po prostu ochoty.
Możliwe, że teraz nie mam na nią po prostu ochoty.
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