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I can always get on board with dysfunctional family stories, messy inter generational trauma and family secrets. I enjoyed this one, though some challenging themes which others have touched on previously.
Thanks to @Caroline2 for birthday gift last year!

I was going to say that I devoured this book but I think it actually devoured me! It‘s been a long time since I‘ve been this immersed in a story. The characters and setting were so real. Lots of trigger warnings but I loved it.

This book should have come with some warnings. There's some pretty explicit descriptions of child sexual abuse in multiple parts throughout the book. I think it makes sense to the character development as it goes back and forth in time to show this woman's relationship with her mom, husband, and another man, but yeah...warning for those of you who haven't read it!

Omgg I can't put this book down! Perfect sunset summer read. 👌

Read the TW before reading.

This drew me in. The weaving of the story is clever and very well done. I enjoyed the use of nature to add atmosphere and could imagine being there on the pond with the characters.

TW for sexual assault (children). Multiple generations and families of dysfunction, secrets, sadness, and in the end love. I truly love these kinds of stories. Why? Because they are far more real (imo) than happy, go-lucky romances etc. A paper cut is not realistically the worst thing that happens in someone's life so why do I want to read a story like that? Life is complicated, tragic, full of hard, impossible choices and yet...love. ❤️

Nap trapped = lots of reading. Little dude decided yesterday and today that he won't sleep unless I'm there and, more importantly, nursing him. (& if he falls asleep, how dare mom cover herself in case he needs it 15, 20, 30min later 😜).
Thank god tho for this beautiful sweetness b/c WOW was I highly unprepared for this book! Maybe i should have looked closer at reviews? But I am enjoying it, even if it's heartbreaking & pushes where it hurts.

So many emotions while reading this book! Trigger warning for those who have experienced sexual assault. The love story that unravels between Elle and Jonas is so sweet and compelling. The ending has open interpretation that she goes back to him?

This would be an interesting book to reread in the actual timeline!

This is a hard hitting book for me. I saw a lot of people DNF and give low ratings because of a child SA scene. I know it's hard to read things like this, because none of us want to think about these things happening to children. But the fact of the matter is, they do. And I hope by reading or listening to a scene including this, could bring a better understanding to why they might not have told or even the feelings after. Wish I could say more4/5

Oof... I hated this book from the first few pages. I will never understand the glorification of infidelity. Cheating is such gross behavior and it was super cringy to read an entire book about the selfishness of these two people.

I can't recommend this book.

I've choosen so-so because it was not a bad book but it was full with trauma. There were cheating, rape, death, cancer, stillbirth. It was awfaul to read and I don't recommend this novel to anyone who is in a bad mindset.

I dressed for my book today 😅

I wish I would of sat with this book and read it straight through, without the interruption of reading any other book. I think I would of appreciated it more. This would be a perfect selection for a book club book. So many things to discuss! The ending had me going straight to Google to read what others thought happened. I did enjoy the back and forth jumps in history, and the style of writing was quite lovely.
A 3.5 star read.

I have no words for how much I loved this book. I can‘t even describe why exactly other than it was one of those books that makes you look forward to slipping into the world created by the author.

2️⃣ Up during the night with a sick doggie so starting my second read of the year, heard very mixed reviews on this one but hoping I enjoy it! #paperpalace #mirandacowleyheller Took me a while to get through this one and the ending was an anti climax for me.

4.25/5

The Paper Palace is not for the faint of heart. This book tackles so many hard topics: infidelity, abuse, rape, death, trauma, signs of PTSD... but if you're looking for an emotional, heartbreaking read, I promise you will find that in this story.

What started out light, treading slowly creating ripples leading into waves, leads to a punch halfway through. This brought about so much emotion and anger and swelters into a bittersweet numbness.

I waited an entire weekend to calm myself before crafting this review. The writing was good, though I did get a bit lost with all of the back-and-forth through time. I'm not convinced that that adds appeal rather than detracting.
Now for the anger. That ending... was it even an ending? So, no spoilers, but it was VERY unsatisfying to say the least - to the point where I'm not even sure I liked the book.

Wow.. 🥺 This one is definitely going to stay with me for a long time!
(If this gets made into a film, I would DEFINITELY pay to go see it! Has a very 'Where the crawdads sing' vibe about it and both the book and film of that were amazing!)
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My next read! Heard so many good things about this one! 🤞
*EDIT* I am now midway through the third chapter, and must say that I thoroughly enjoy the way it has been written! It definitely gives off 'Black Water Lilies-Michel Bussi' and 'Where the crawdads sing-Delia Owens' vibes!

The writing in this is quite well done but the characters are hard to connect to and there are trigger warnings for pretty much all the things (abuse, incest, rape). Full review at http://booknaround.blogspot.com/2022/08/review-paper-palace-by-miranda-cowley.ht...

Finished this book 📖 with a final toe dip in the beautifuld 🤩 Aegean Sea 🌊 omg 😳 paper palace bloody loved it ! Will be in my top 5 books 📚 of the year , her writing style does remind me of Ann patchett , it‘s compared to where the crawdads sing but far far better in my opinion I hope 🤞 it‘s made into a 🎥 film…. Who wouldn‘t be in love with Jonas

Great read. Hard to put down. I do love family secrets unravelled slowly. And the location of this one felt so real #readingretreat

@squirrelbrain @trishb @RaeLovesToRead @jenniferw88 @CGainor3 @scripturient @julesG @Mitch @Susanita @rockpools @Leniverse

Our alast day in Greece 🇬🇷 I‘m really enjoying this ! But il be very sad 😢 to leave such a beautiful island 🏝 people and place and the heat & head back to a cold 🥶 wet uk 🇬🇧 with a delusional prime minister who in a week manages to crash 💥the pound kill everyone with a mortgage 💸and have no empathy for people less fortunate than her 😕no wonder 💭 we want to stay in Greece 🇬🇷 it‘ll be a winter of discontent!

My book club is gathering later today to discuss this one and I am really looking forward to talking about it! Though the book takes place in 24 hours, it also covers Elle‘s whole life- and a little before that even as it relays her family‘s story of over 50 years. Elle, married with three children, starts the book with an act that had been building for what feels like her whole life- and the flashbacks show this building as she makes her choices.

How can you get a degree in Communications? It's like getting a degree in Walking....or Breathing

Great questions @TheSpineView ! read a lot of great books in August, but (1) The Paper Palace was my favorite (2) because I loved the writing and the complex emotional lives of the characters. #Two4Tuesday

3 out of 5. This book is not for everyone! It had heavy themes but I enjoyed reading it. What was that ending though???!!!

This book made me supremely uncomfortable, but I got through it, and enjoyed the story except for her relationship with her step-brother. Too close to home with a family member.

This was a good read (audio). It does time jump around a bit so i did have to pay attention to where the narrator was taking me.

Catching up on the #alphabet game.
I talked about The Paper Palace on CBC radio earlier this summer. Listen here: https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-28-information-morning-saint-john/clip/15...
Quiver is a well-written and creepy thriller with links to Elizabeth Bathory.
The Roanoke Girls delivers all the things I love in a book.
#LetterP #LetterQ #LetterR
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Not for the faint hearted. This book has turned me to remember life trauma but also to realize it is not our fault . The story of a woman who must choose between her husband or the man she loved since she was a child. One of the best books I‘ve ever read.
#20 read a book with a building on the cover

What a punch this book packs!!! I loved it!!

I just finished Book 2 and if I said WTF multiple times leading up to the end of this section, they barely count with the HOLY SHIT I just said out loud in my backyard 😱😱😱

This book was immersive, thoughtful, and bittersweet. A woman‘s journey recovering from a generationally dysfunctional upbringing and finding her way to a forever love. Sad and honest, the writing was lovely and the sense of place exceptional. I will definitely read more from Heller. Great on #audio #bookspinbingo #TBR @TheAromaofBooks

Already in love with the Cape Cod setting and many pond swims that are happening. It‘s lovely and nostalgic.

This wasn't what I was expecting - the cover would suggest a lighter, summery type read - of vacations, families and messy choices. And it is about that - but its darker and deeper and I wasn't ready for that. What I loved was her detailed creation of time and spaces. It was a really visual book - where both the natural watery world of ponds, lakes and oceans could be smelt and felt - as well as the interiors perfectly pitched in time and place.

It‘s been too hot to read this week and I‘m way behind on Bookclub book ( meeting on Monday !)- but @Chrissyreadit superwoman comes to the rescue with a wearable fan WITH lights! How brilliant is that! ❤️

We‘re both taking sanctuary in the north facing Snug as the temperatures outside soar. I bucked up the courage to join the village IRL Bookclub - so need to actually read the book and have some thoughts!

4.5⭐️ It took me about half of the book to really get into the book, but once I got past that halfway point, I really got into it. I liked how the author built up to what happened and the fallout from what happened. I also liked the time jumping in the book and how efficient it was used. Content warnings for rape, sexual assault, pedophilia #2022 #bookreview #bookstagram #fiction #contemporaryfiction #reesesbookclub

Things come from nowhere. #firstlinefridays

#unpopularopinion time(at least here on Litsy!) I loved this. The writing is gorgeous and evocative, capturing the summer in the backwoods, creating an atmosphere of sultry heat and the rotting camp perfectly. As family secrets and past trauma are slowly revealed, the urgency of intense emotions play out in the present day over 24hrs. Questionable decisions are made, complex emotions and flawed behavior are abundant. And I couldn‘t stop reading.

I enjoyed this compulsive novel. It‘s full of rich white people behaving badly & the narrator is unlikeable but it‘s well written and a great book club book. There are characters you can love to hate and readers will have strong opinions about the choices Elle makes and her 2 ‘loves‘. The writing feels like a film or tv with a strong sense of place & scene and shows the author‘s screenwriting experience. A privileged, snarky tone but a fun read.