The Paper Palace by Miranda Heller

Just starting this but I have to admit it's not what I was expecting already. I think I'm going to put it back on the pile for another time.

I wanted to love this book but I really hated the sex abuse scenes and elements to it. I googled afterwards to see if this was someone who had experienced abuse but didn't find anything. I understand that writers write about things they have not experienced but sometimes, writing about child sex abuse feels voyeuristic and pornographic, as if it needs this element of abuse of women to be a complete and rounded book. It left me feeling used as a reader.

I thought it was Incredibly well written.i could imagine their whole camp,lake,scenes everything.

I toom the end to mean she chose Peter buuuut then realised no.she couldn't.and so imfact put her ring on the side and swam to jonah.
I did see her love for Peter.but didn't.i did get in the writing this piece missing.that was obviously jonah and how her whole self seemed to come out with jonah.like the comfortable with oneself as she was.i always thought she was trying desperately hard to play a part with Peter so she could finally ha e that safety and steadying relationship.

I loved this book! Evocative, so well written and also found it compelling- a real page turner. My favourite kind of book. Pity she had only written the one so far!

I couldn't buy into either. She and Jonas didn't seem to have a real relationship at all. I couldn't imagine a mother of three throwing away a decent marriage over him.

Also liked all the swimming! Hence why nice summer read

Enjoyed as a summer read. Found the main character really annoying though.

I found the book compelling but agree with PPs that Jonas’ character was not fleshed out. But maybe that was intentional as they hadn’t gotten to know each other beyond a certain point in their childhood, so time stood still. I preferred the relationship with the husband. It was more real.
I really loved all the descriptions of swimming in cold water (misses the point) and it made me yearn for lake and/or sea swimming. Especially during the very hot U.K. summer.

I just finished this. I thought it was a brilliant book but I wasn't prepared for all of the child sexual abuse, had no idea it contained so much. That said, I found it gripping and well written and it had a satisfying ending.

I read this a couple of months ago and it didn't do much for me. I couldn't get myself to care about the characters.

• paints a bit as an adult sorry

Jonas (read posts above). Although I didn’t feel like he was a very fleshed out character so it didn’t impact the reader as much as it perhaps could. We just had a few brief descriptions of him as a child and we are told he paints a bit as a child. If we had more of a sense of who he was then we might understand her decision. Peter was described in a lot more detail so it was disappointing when she left him. That’s why the love triangle left many readers feeling flat.

A well written slow burn but didn't actually know what exactly happened at the end. Who did she end up with.

I read it a couple of months ago and loved it. It had a very strong sense of place which I like in books, and I enjoyed the story too.

I did finish it but it didn't really stay with me. Just didn't care enough.

I loved this book when I read it in February. It took me a while to get into but I still think about now

I mother told her that if you flip a coin and feel disappointed with the outcome then you should do the opposite. She effectively did this, deciding to stay with Peter but all
she could think about was Jonas. The final page has her leaving her ring behind and swimming out to where Jonas is waiting.

Apparently she took off her wedding ring before she went for her swim and she saw a bird flying backwards which signifies she chose Jonah. I didn’t pick up on this at all and thought after all of that life was going to continue as it was.

I think the ending is ambiguous but I read it that she had decided to be with Jonah.

*the ending that is!

I didn’t get it either!!! Please explain?

Have a copy and saving it for my holidays! I love a good family epic and the fact that it's set in Cape Cod makes it all the more alluring for some reason...looking forward to getting stuck in.

I didn't enjoy it. All was too melodramatic for me. There were some chapters that I found readable but if I'd have bought a paperback it would be donated to the charity shop.

I was gripped the whole way through but didn’t get the ending at all. Someone had to explain it to me 😳

I’m midway through and enjoying it. I just find the Jonas thing a bit off - they barely had much time together as kids yet he is weirdly possessive
of her and surely if he’s longed for her that long, their first sexual encounter should have been tender and erotic rather than a quickie up against the wall after dinner. I like her husband better - he adores her but in a more real way, he doesn’t idolise her and has a good sense of humour - Jonas is like a petulant toddler! I think it does highlight well the damage that broken homes inflict on children although the evil stepmothers were a bit cliché and some of the child abuse and rape flashbacks could be quite triggering for some. I am enjoying the relationships she has with her mum and sister - they feel more nuanced and believable.