The Paper Palace (Reese’s Book Club): A Novel
$2.46
Related Products
REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK
INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
OVER 2 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
THE PAPER PALACE IS:
“Filled with secrets, love, lies and a summer beach house. What more could you ask?”—Parade
“A deeply emotional love story…the unraveling of secrets, lies and a very complex love triangle.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club July ’21 Pick)
“Nail-biting.” —Town & Country
“A magnificent page-turner.” —Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author
“[An] irresistible placement of a complicated family in a bewitching place.” —The New York Times
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 August 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. 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.
From the Publisher
Publisher : Riverhead Books
Publication date : July 6, 2021
Edition : First Edition
Language : English
Print length : 400 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593329821
ISBN-13 : 978-0593329825
Item Weight : 1.35 pounds
Dimensions : 6.29 x 1.35 x 9.26 inches
Melissa Joseph (Book Addicts Reviews) –
Loved this book!!
4.5 wth stars!!I absolutely loved this book (other then the end). This was a book with so many lessons and so many hardships. While going through the past you get to enjoy watching characters blossom. With that there was a lot of pain in so many characters lives throughout. It was necessary. I can see why this book was chosen as a book of the month club book there is ALOT to discuss. Shoot I am discussing with myself nonstop.I think my favorite part is jumping from past to present. I needed that. It was all perfectly placed as well. It gave you background on why you ended up here with these characters. I mean I was in the Paper Palace with all the girls and I grieved with them. It was not all about negative stuff there was a lot of growth and love. It felt like a true story. Like was this someone’s life because I’ll be damned if it didn’t feel like it. And so I give you my second favorite thing is the characters. Omg I love everyone of them and despise many others too. You cheer them on and you cry with them. You second guess everything and wonder what could have been as well. This book was deep for me.Be aware there is a lot triggers and that comes with people writing all these negative reviews. What I say to that is know your boundaries and what you are comfortable with. There are warnings and people say I can’t handle child sexual trauma and that’s understandable. But it’s a part of a story. It builds this story. The pain, the strength, the hopelessness leads to the growth. I don’t think it was done poorly either this is real to some peoples life and I think it felt like it could have happened to anyone. Sadly it has.Now my only critique and the reason I could not give this 5 stars is because the damn ending. She left me. She has me mind boggled. And in some case that’s good.I guess it made me think non-stop about this book, so yea, that’s good. But I need more!! I told my hubby about it because even the next day I am frustrated. He says “is there a part two?” No dang it there is not!!!Get ready to ride the rollercoaster of emotions with this book. I think it is a fabulous summer read.
Gianna Guido –
what a book!
This book is filled with so much angst and yearning. I was at the edge of my seat the whole time just trying to see it all unfold. There was no way for a happy ending here. Either way, someone gets hurt. I loved both of the characters. They were all so fully developed in the story and both of the male characters had me wanting her to choose them. The ending was confusing at first but in the end, I still can’t figure out if I love her choice. Either way, it was a great book!
Lovestoread123 –
Not “Lite” Summer Fiction: But if You’re Game, Fasten Your Seatbelt, and Go for It!
The rot, decay, and various vermin infestations of the protagonist’s family summer camp on Cape Cod is an obvious clue this will not be a frolic-y, frothy, “lite” summer romp of a read, in the spirit of, say, Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket-based romances. Not that there’s anything wrong with Hilderbrand’s novels, which I truly enjoy and devour like snack bags of cheese doodles. By contrast, Miranda Cowley Heller’s deeply lyrical writing style, which in some places reads like Creative Writing 101 on steroids – i.e., no adjective or description left unturned – takes “some getting used to.” And then, she settles into an elegant prose reminiscent to me of the beauty of Donna Tartt’s evocative details in “The Goldfinch,” and bam – I was hooked. The novel, in “real time,” takes place over a 24-hour period, and yet covers 50 years of memories and the backstory of a deeply troubled family. In my humble opinion, the author’s method of storytelling, though at times whipsawing, meandering and even maddening, is brilliant and compelling. Yes, there are deeply disturbing and graphic episodes of child neglect, rape, and molestation, but these were essential to propel the plot – and the protagonist — toward conclusion. And yes, some characters are underdeveloped, overdeveloped, obtuse, and/or unlikeable. But, though fictional, they are human, including the protagonist and her mother (whose actions, at some points, left me scratching my head). And readers may disagree with me, but the ending is PERFECT. In sum: go for it! I read tons of popular (and unpopular) fiction, and this is the best novel I’ve read this year. But, if you are looking for the literary equivalent of a beachy summer read (to which you are certainly entitled), turn elsewhere.
DomeniqueMC –
3/5 because the book is so misleading.
Depressing and complicated. The book starts off interesting, and sexy, and like a fun mystery, but when you figure out what the mystery is all about it is just depressing. Make you never want to let your children out of your sight. I am not sure if I should spoil it since the book jacket mentions nothing of the actual plot…The writing is good, the beat is nice. It flashes back and forth a lot which can be hard, but it is not that hard because we’re always revisiting the same tentpoles. Seems like it would be a good vacation read, but actually it is not. I felt gross reading it in the office of the obgyn while waiting for an appointment last week. Which is usually my favorite place to read, because it is quiet, and there is no tv on, and no one bothers me when they know I am going to that dr.3/5 because the book is so misleading.
Paulo Roberto Feldmann –
A escritora confundi o leitor com tanta falta de objetividade
Ana Silva –
Will start to read sono, arrived today and like expected.Recomend.
Anastasiia –
This book brings up childhood memories and envelops you in sun and sand 😌
Aicha camer –
It’s good for me
HannahBZ –
Great read and suitable for a wide range of people. I don’t know how else to describe this book other than beautiful