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The Paper Palace by Miranda Heller

31 replies

ApplyWithin · 02/08/2021 22:28

Has anyone read this? It’s a Reese Witherspoon recommended read (movie tbc I presume…?) but incredibly well-written. I found the themes darker than expected and it’s definitely a thinker but really beautiful prose. Epic family saga set in Cape Cod.

OP posts:
Brainmuddled · 02/08/2021 22:34

I keep looking at it on Amazon and am very tempted I’ve read so many good reviews

tripfiction · 05/08/2021 14:42

This was interesting for me. I read it, found some of the flashbacks a little tedious and on 2 occasions I almost gave up. But something kept me reading and on reflection I think it was a very good read, that stayed with me....

EishetChayil · 08/08/2021 22:39

I'm about halfway through. The flashbacks are annoying and pointless, and I am losing track of all the marriages and step families.

But the modern day stuff is amazing.

RozHuntleysStump · 12/08/2021 22:10

I read the sample but not paying 9.99 for it.

hopeishere · 15/08/2021 08:05

I'm be just finished this. I really enjoyed it even though I don't like books with that sort of ending.

EishetChayil · 17/08/2021 16:15

I persevered and ended up really enjoying it.

Margot78 · 13/08/2022 00:19

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.

WGACA · 13/08/2022 00:22

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

roundtable · 13/08/2022 00:34

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.

Newdawnfreedom · 13/08/2022 00:37

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.

Tronkmanton · 13/08/2022 00:58

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

Tronkmanton · 13/08/2022 00:58

*the ending that is!

hopeishere · 13/08/2022 09:59

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

WGACA · 13/08/2022 12:13

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.

Margot78 · 13/08/2022 23:14

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.

Whiterose23 · 13/08/2022 23:37

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

PermanentTemporary · 13/08/2022 23:42

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

Xmasbaby11 · 13/08/2022 23:45

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.

BuellerAnyone · 13/08/2022 23:58

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

Margot78 · 14/08/2022 07:32

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.

Margot78 · 14/08/2022 07:33
  • paints a bit as an adult sorry
YingMei · 14/08/2022 10:51

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.

Devo1818 · 24/08/2022 08:05

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.

NoName2223 · 01/09/2022 23:19

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.

MsTSwift · 01/09/2022 23:23

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

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