The Paper Palace (Reese's Book Club)
Books | Fiction / Women
4
Miranda Cowley Heller
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEROVER 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.
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More Details:
Author
Miranda Cowley Heller
Pages
400
Publisher
Penguin
Published Date
2021-07-06
ISBN
0593329821 9780593329825
Community ReviewsSee all
"Loved the descriptive writing, I definitely felt like I was transported to the paper palace. Heavy themes and events. Not surprised by the ending. "
Tessalyn Hisey
"This book took me a long time to get into but once I was roped in I needed to know what happened. It started slow but became unsettlingly real.
Certainly an interesting read and something that will make you wonder which moments unknowingly define your life."
IS
"Good summer read, some spicy stuff and slightly predictable "
Lyss
"A nice mix of a relaxing, nostalgic summertime setting, an interesting love triangle and a disturbing family secret. I couldn’t decide how I was hoping it would end and while I was reading and now that I’m finished, I’m left wanting to know more."
Kelly Decoteau
"This was a good read, a little slow at times but the story line is very interesting, however it was definitely predictable at times. I also was not the biggest fan of the ending. But all in all a relaxing read ! "
Leila Haidar
"Some parts gripped me - particularly Part 2 - but most I could take or leave."
Ricki Marking-Camuto
"Personally, I’m not totally sure I enjoyed this. But I can see why others did and I enjoyed the writing style, jarring at times as it was.<br/><br/>I think the hardest thing for me is that I didn’t like any of the characters. Especially when told in first person, it’s difficult for me to love a book if I don’t like the narrator. I admired Elle, and I felt immense empathy for her, but I didn’t like her as a person. <br/><br/>I did almost have to stop reading this, but ultimately I’m glad I saw it through to the end."
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Allie Peduto
"This book starts out quite steamy, which I don't mind. <br/><br/>This is a very descriptive writer that isn't boring. When it talks about the lake and how the Paper Palace was built, that's my favorite part. And when the characters are kids at the lake, I love those parts too. I miss being a kid during the summer. <br/><br/>This is one of those books that go back and forth in time, which can get confusing, but I never got confused with this one. I would read this again, this was a great story with many twists and turns. It's like watching your favorite movie over and over again, I would like to read this again someday. <br/><br/>This is worth the read, but this book does have sexual trauma. Happy reading."
tactical_booknerd
"I really have no idea what to think of this book. At times, I loved it. I loved the connection that Elle and Jonas had as kids growing up, and their burning desire as adults. Other times I found it difficult to follow, as I found the story all over the place at times. I felt the book’s ending was extremely anti-climactic and left me disappointed. <br/><br/>Trigger warning: instances of sexual assault are covered."
Sarah Camus
"Couldn’t put it down because I kept thinking it was going to get better. It didn’t. Her writing is beautiful- very descriptive like Kristin Hannah and Delia Owens but the storyline was all over the place, random memories popped up but i oh wasn’t able to connect them to the actual story. It was just odd for me."
J O
Jacquie Oermann
