The Paper Palace
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3.5 • 265 Ratings
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
Brought to you by Penguin.
2 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE
LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE 2022
A PAGE-TURNING SUMMERTIME READ FOR FANS OF WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING AND LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE
On a perfect August morning, Elle Bishop heads out for a swim in the pond below 'The Paper Palace' - her family's holiday home in Cape Cod. As she dives beneath the water she relives the passionate encounter she had the night before, against the side of the house that knows all her darkest secrets, while her husband and mother chatted to their guests inside...
So begins a story that unfolds over twenty-four hours and fifty years, as Elle's shocking betrayal leads her to a life-changing decision - and an ending you won't be able to stop thinking about.
'A deeply emotional love story that follows one day in the life of Elle Bishop as she navigates the unravelling of secrets, lies and a very complex love triangle' REESE WITHERSPOON
'Glorious and gorgeous. I was absolutely immersed and gripped and I'm devastated to have finished it' MARIAN KEYES
'Here is a love triangle that keeps you turning the pages' Rachel Joyce
'Utterly addictive' Rosamund Lupton
'Dry, sharp and with devastating depths plumbed so elegantly' Pandora Sykes
'Smart, atmospheric and seriously juicy' Stylist
'Earthy, intoxicating, shimmering' Sunday Times
© Miranda Cowley Heller 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
As head of drama series at HBO, Heller oversaw some of our all-time favourite TV shows, including The Sopranos and The Wire. Here she deploys those formidable storytelling skills in an enthralling and evocative literary debut, unfolding across both 24 hours and 50 years. In the present, we follow heroine Elle—a happily married, middle-aged mother of three—across a single day as she deals with the fallout from having sex with Jonas, her lifelong friend, for the first time. This is intelligently intercut with vivid flashbacks, illustrating how the pair got to this crisis point—and the deadly secret from their youth which bonds them forever. With fantastic narration by Laurel Lefkow, we're drawn into this dizzying world—and Elle's past—with ease and fervor. We listened intently while wondering: will Elle gamble on soulmate Jonas or stay with her charming British husband? Heller’s immersive sensual journey takes in family trauma and midlife frustration, while transporting the reader back to the endless hazy summers of childhood holidays. Cleverly constructed and slyly devastating with several rug-pulling revelations, this is a love triangle with surprising angles.
Customer Reviews
Loved it.
Wonderful characters. Absolutely loved them
Loved it
Sometimes you just can’t wait to find out what happens next and this is what it was like listening to this book.
I loved it. It was very descriptive, evocative and a joy to listen to.
Disappointing
Kept waiting for something gritty to actually happen, but it just wafted on…and on…until, it just ended.