Status
Available
Description
"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. Set against the summer backwoods and beaches of Cape Cod, The Paper Palace unfolds over 24 hours and across 50 years, as decades of family legacy, love, lies, secrets, and one unspeakable childhood tragedy lead wife and mother Elle Bishop to the precipice of a life-changing decision. With its transporting setting and propulsive pace, the story draws on the sweet promise of young love, as well as the heartbreaking damage incurred by too many secrets. It's a compulsively readable story about the tensions between the romantic childhood ideals we grow up with, and the family responsibilities that carry us into adulthood. Must our life choices remain irrevocable if the conditions are changed? It is a perfect July 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, because 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 24 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"--… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member maneekuhi
There was nothing about this book that I liked. The characters had no appeal to me at all, and there a number of them. Two extended familieis, people all over the place. All spent a fair amount of time at a coastal retreat for summer vacations, weekend getaways. We get their history through the
It's not sexy, not for me. Rather a bit grimy, tawdry. Finally, the decision is made. (yawn)
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years. The book starts with Elle ruminating on the sex she's just had with a long-time family friend. Elle, 50, mom of 3.....Now what? Does his wife know? Can she, should she....leave her husband? It's not sexy, not for me. Rather a bit grimy, tawdry. Finally, the decision is made. (yawn)
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LibraryThing member whitreidtan
Do you remember your first love? The person you thought you were meant to be with for all time? What broke you up? Do you ever second guess the life you've gone on to lead without them, the relationship you've built, the family you've created? Would you reconnect with this person? More importantly,
Elle, Peter, and their three children are at the Back Woods, the family camp compound that has been a part of Elle's life forever. She's spent a lifetime of summers at this seemingly idyllic retreat. It holds the memory of her first love, her deep love of her sister, and many wonderful times, but it also holds the memory of the neglect and abuse she endured as she grew up. Opening the morning after a transgression she's spent a lifetime working towards, the novel moves back and forth between specific times in Elle's current day and her unspooling past. It is also broken into five sections: Elle, Jonas, Peter, This Summer, and Today, but all of the sections are narrated in the first person by Elle and the novel as a whole is centered on Elle's interiority, how she is torn between the love of her childhood friend, Jonas, and her husband and father of her children, Peter. She has a long and complicated history with Jonas and he knows the darkest parts of her but she has built a good life and wonderful family with Peter.
The writing here is quite beautiful, visual, and sensory, and it evokes the Back Woods wonderfully. It makes sense that Elle would face her personal conundrum in the place she is both the most comfortable and uncomfortable. The long tale of her past, including the trauma, rape, and sexual abuse she endured, are inextricably woven together with her friendship and eventual love of Jonas but their actual connection isn't fleshed out enough to make the years delayed infidelity understandable. To be fair, none of the characters were engaging enough that the reader cares about their interactions with each other, making Elle's question of whether to stay with her husband or to leave him for Jonas less gripping than it might have otherwise been. The novel tackles a lot through the lens of marriage and divorce but it also addresses some pretty taboo subjects (incest, rape, ongoing sexual abuse, neglect) and the ways that these traumas impact someone for their entire life. All of this is believable but somehow, it was still hard to connect with the novel as a whole. The end is ambiguous in a way that you can argue either outcome, which really mirrors the entirety of the novel and as such is probably quite appropriate. This is a very polarizing novel and it is does get rather graphic so while readers might want to read it to decide for themselves, know that some scenes will really disturb some people.
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would you cheat on your spouse with this person? This is just a small sampling of the questions swirling through Miranda Cowley Heller's novel The Paper Palace. The bigger question, perhaps, is what drives main character Elle, in so many of her decisions, and what is right and what is wrong on a grander scale.Elle, Peter, and their three children are at the Back Woods, the family camp compound that has been a part of Elle's life forever. She's spent a lifetime of summers at this seemingly idyllic retreat. It holds the memory of her first love, her deep love of her sister, and many wonderful times, but it also holds the memory of the neglect and abuse she endured as she grew up. Opening the morning after a transgression she's spent a lifetime working towards, the novel moves back and forth between specific times in Elle's current day and her unspooling past. It is also broken into five sections: Elle, Jonas, Peter, This Summer, and Today, but all of the sections are narrated in the first person by Elle and the novel as a whole is centered on Elle's interiority, how she is torn between the love of her childhood friend, Jonas, and her husband and father of her children, Peter. She has a long and complicated history with Jonas and he knows the darkest parts of her but she has built a good life and wonderful family with Peter.
The writing here is quite beautiful, visual, and sensory, and it evokes the Back Woods wonderfully. It makes sense that Elle would face her personal conundrum in the place she is both the most comfortable and uncomfortable. The long tale of her past, including the trauma, rape, and sexual abuse she endured, are inextricably woven together with her friendship and eventual love of Jonas but their actual connection isn't fleshed out enough to make the years delayed infidelity understandable. To be fair, none of the characters were engaging enough that the reader cares about their interactions with each other, making Elle's question of whether to stay with her husband or to leave him for Jonas less gripping than it might have otherwise been. The novel tackles a lot through the lens of marriage and divorce but it also addresses some pretty taboo subjects (incest, rape, ongoing sexual abuse, neglect) and the ways that these traumas impact someone for their entire life. All of this is believable but somehow, it was still hard to connect with the novel as a whole. The end is ambiguous in a way that you can argue either outcome, which really mirrors the entirety of the novel and as such is probably quite appropriate. This is a very polarizing novel and it is does get rather graphic so while readers might want to read it to decide for themselves, know that some scenes will really disturb some people.
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LibraryThing member ccayne
This book was a page turner and that is the best thing about it. Parts of it were humorous - banter between Peter and Wallace but most of it was quite depressing. The plot turns on Elle and her repeat of her mother's self absorbed behavior, especially in relation to the men in her life. Secrets
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kept, assumptions made, emotional manipulation all cause pain. I read this on the heels of a Upper Bohemia, a memoir with striking similarities. I came away thinking of the damage caused to children reared by parents who continued to live like adolescents, despite having children. Show Less
LibraryThing member tibobi
The Short of It:
Layered and rich. This story grabs you and holds you.
The Rest of It:
Elle returns with her family to The Paper Palace. It’s the summer home of her youth that she has visited every summer of her life, but this particular summer morning, she wakes to the fact that the night before,
Elle is happily married to Peter. Truly. He is funny, and loving, and dependable and a good father to their children but the bond that she has with Jonas goes way back, way back to earlier summers where they both shared a secret that ultimately affected Elle’s entire life. The story is told in the past and present, alternating between young Elle and married Elle and as the secret comes to light, things get tense. How can you right a wrong so many years later?
I didn’t know anything about this story when I picked it up. It was a Reese Book Club pick and I went in blind. I have had a lot of luck with her picks. The Paper Palace was no exception except, don’t let that pastel cover fool you. It opened in a kind of smutty way, for lack of a better word and then got pretty gritty. You should know, there are triggers in this story for anyone who suffered from sexual abuse in the past.
That said, this story held me captive. I thought I’d read a chapter here and there but I blew through it in a day. It’s complex. The characters are imperfect but their demons are real. It has secrets and moral dilemmas and gives you a lot to consider. I must say, the mother/daughter dynamics are very well-done here.
I can’t say I loved this book because the subject matter is tough but it’s a very good read and superbly written. Highly recommend.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
Layered and rich. This story grabs you and holds you.
The Rest of It:
Elle returns with her family to The Paper Palace. It’s the summer home of her youth that she has visited every summer of her life, but this particular summer morning, she wakes to the fact that the night before,
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after a few drinks and memories from her youth take hold, she hooked up with her childhood friend Jonas, while her family, innocently, gathered in another room.Elle is happily married to Peter. Truly. He is funny, and loving, and dependable and a good father to their children but the bond that she has with Jonas goes way back, way back to earlier summers where they both shared a secret that ultimately affected Elle’s entire life. The story is told in the past and present, alternating between young Elle and married Elle and as the secret comes to light, things get tense. How can you right a wrong so many years later?
I didn’t know anything about this story when I picked it up. It was a Reese Book Club pick and I went in blind. I have had a lot of luck with her picks. The Paper Palace was no exception except, don’t let that pastel cover fool you. It opened in a kind of smutty way, for lack of a better word and then got pretty gritty. You should know, there are triggers in this story for anyone who suffered from sexual abuse in the past.
That said, this story held me captive. I thought I’d read a chapter here and there but I blew through it in a day. It’s complex. The characters are imperfect but their demons are real. It has secrets and moral dilemmas and gives you a lot to consider. I must say, the mother/daughter dynamics are very well-done here.
I can’t say I loved this book because the subject matter is tough but it’s a very good read and superbly written. Highly recommend.
For more reviews, visit my blog: Book Chatter.
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LibraryThing member dawnlovesbooks
When I finished this book, I felt as if I needed to talk to a therapist. It gave me all the feels and whatever I say in my review will be inadequate. The novel is told from the point of view of Eleanor/Elle and it switches back and forth from the present to various haunting memories from her past.
As this complex and layered novel progresses, secrets from the past are uncovered. It is gritty, raw, and honest. It can be a little dark, but it also includes a little humor. It is dysfunctional family at its best. It explores how the smallest decisions can have the biggest effects on one’s life. It is powerful and lyrical and it will evoke so many emotions that when you get to the end of the book you will feel as if you have been through a trauma yourself.
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Elle and her family return every summer to their cabin in Cape Cod. This place is almost a character itself, because it is described so vividly and it has really shaped each of their lives in one way or another. As this complex and layered novel progresses, secrets from the past are uncovered. It is gritty, raw, and honest. It can be a little dark, but it also includes a little humor. It is dysfunctional family at its best. It explores how the smallest decisions can have the biggest effects on one’s life. It is powerful and lyrical and it will evoke so many emotions that when you get to the end of the book you will feel as if you have been through a trauma yourself.
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LibraryThing member froxgirl
Did I understand, when I finished this popular novel, why I was #260 on my library's waitlist for it? Yes. The setting, on Cape Cod, and the author's obvious love and devotion to its little hidden ponds and woods and abandoned Pilgrim graveyards, is a major character, beautifully rendered. The
Quote: “My mother doesn’t take on airs, she has them naturally.”
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coming of age of narrator Elle and her sister Anna and their friends and many step-brothers, step-sisters, and step-parents, is painful and a bit confusing due to the ever-expanding cast. Parents and grandparents divorce and remarry at an alarming rate. For two sides of a coin, there's a blunt sexual joy between adults that's refreshing and a chilling, horrendous instance of rape and abuse. So, all in all, it's a memorable story with Elle ultimately torn between her husband and her childhood friend. She's lucky that she is adored by two wonderful men, but unlucky as well.Quote: “My mother doesn’t take on airs, she has them naturally.”
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LibraryThing member critterbug
I was disappointed in this book after having seen it was a Heather’s pick and a Reese’s pick. There was a lot of characters and confusion at the beginning although it did pick up about half was through. The characters were not very likeable which made it more difficult to root for them. Even
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though it was a quick read I feel it will be soon forgotten. Show Less
LibraryThing member shazjhb
Excellent story. Lovely book. Great characters.
LibraryThing member TheLoisLevel
Well written but ultimately characters I don't care about.
LibraryThing member janismack
The paper chase is told over a 24 hours and across 50 years of family secrets and an unspeakable childhood incident that leads Elle to really decide what she wants her life to be.
LibraryThing member kr04bps
Seems inspired by Wuthering Heights.
LibraryThing member almin
quick read, it started good, got bogged down in the middle and the ending rushed along then stalled. The core of the story was handled well and presented the thought process of women in Eleanor's situation that I could understand completely. Very believable....nothing gratuitous. 3 stars because a
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lot of flowery descriptions, that I tended to skim. Show Less
LibraryThing member AngelaLam
Very well written with lush descriptions of New England and NYC, but I didn't care for the subject matter or the story's resolution.
LibraryThing member pegmcdaniel
I didn't know what to expect since this was my first novel by this author. I don't usually like to read reviews about novels I'm planning on reading because I don't want spoilers, but this novel is one where I should have read reviews. I doubt that I would have read this because there is constant
Ms. Heller described nearly every scene, setting, surrounding, etc., in such unnecessary detail, it became like debris. However, lots of description certainly makes the book longer if that's important to the publisher.
I did not like a single character, mostly they were underdeveloped, annoying, and there was no communication between the adults. With all the differences between them, wouldn't it be a normal thing for two adults to have an honest conversation? Not in this novel.
This is a book picked by Reese for her Book Club so I assumed it was worth reading. I was wrong. The constant flashbacks were all over the place. We would be in present time, then it would be the 1950's, then 1970's, present again, constantly jumping back and forth.
I should have stopped reading but with all the 4 and 5-Star reviews, I thought it was bound to improve. It didn't. If this is the type of book that is at the top of the best-seller lists, it speaks poorly of the reading habits of Americans. We can do so much better.
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reference to sexual abuse on children. This novel is fiction but we all know it happens in real life and how damaging it is in so many ways. To the author's credit, she did include the damage it causes as the novel proceeded. In addition to rape, there's adultery, incest, and child molestation which are heavy subjects for me. Ms. Heller described nearly every scene, setting, surrounding, etc., in such unnecessary detail, it became like debris. However, lots of description certainly makes the book longer if that's important to the publisher.
I did not like a single character, mostly they were underdeveloped, annoying, and there was no communication between the adults. With all the differences between them, wouldn't it be a normal thing for two adults to have an honest conversation? Not in this novel.
This is a book picked by Reese for her Book Club so I assumed it was worth reading. I was wrong. The constant flashbacks were all over the place. We would be in present time, then it would be the 1950's, then 1970's, present again, constantly jumping back and forth.
I should have stopped reading but with all the 4 and 5-Star reviews, I thought it was bound to improve. It didn't. If this is the type of book that is at the top of the best-seller lists, it speaks poorly of the reading habits of Americans. We can do so much better.
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LibraryThing member rmarcin
I am writing my review just a few hours after finishing this book and I think I may need a few days to process it.
This is the story of Elle and her family, her ancestors and her children, her husband, and her best friend, Jonas.
For years, Elle and her family would head to The Paper Palace, the
When Jonas and Elle finally consummate their relationship, Elle is torn. Does she give up her husband, Peter, and her 3 children, to be with Jonas, her oldest love?
Heartbreaking novel.
This is the story of Elle and her family, her ancestors and her children, her husband, and her best friend, Jonas.
For years, Elle and her family would head to The Paper Palace, the
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home her grandfather built in the back woods of Massachusetts. It was there that she met Jonas, 8 to her 11 years. Their friendship lasts over many years and is cemented, but tested, by something they did together one summer. When Jonas and Elle finally consummate their relationship, Elle is torn. Does she give up her husband, Peter, and her 3 children, to be with Jonas, her oldest love?
Heartbreaking novel.
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LibraryThing member emquixotic
Wow this was an atrocious book. For as much drama that occurred in this book it was probably one of the dullest books I've read in a long time. I don't mind characters that are unlikeable but give me a break with this book--flat, uninteresting characters who are terrible to each other (and don't
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forget, it's really just because of all the terrible things that happened to them) who never grow or learn or do anything but complain. Barf. Horribly written in my opinion--good as a beach read? I guess so. I'm guessing it will be adapted to a mini-series or a movie ASAP because it was written as if it were pandering to studios. Show Less
LibraryThing member techeditor
“A magnificent page turner“ THE PAPER PALACE is not, although the author of THE PLOT wrote that blurb that appears on the cover of THE PAPER PALACE. Consider the source, I guess.
I admit, though, many others have also reviewed this book favorably. So you may choose to believe them and not me.
I
I understood that the parts about the rest of Elle’s life are to explain her history with Jonas and what led to this day when they have sex. Yet all those parts are not only about her history with Jonas. So why are they there? It felt like padding.
Besides, too many awful things happened in Elle’s life story when she and her sister should have spoken up to their parents to let them know what was going on. But, even as children, they dealt with too much alone. I found myself wanting to scream at them to say something. It was so much frustration.
I admit, though, many others have also reviewed this book favorably. So you may choose to believe them and not me.
I
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found THE PAPER PALACE slow and drawn out. It is almost 400 pages of alternating parts of chapters examining, on the one hand, one day in which Elle has sex with her old friend Jonas and, on the other hand, the rest of her life, her background. The book could have been and should have been half as long.I understood that the parts about the rest of Elle’s life are to explain her history with Jonas and what led to this day when they have sex. Yet all those parts are not only about her history with Jonas. So why are they there? It felt like padding.
Besides, too many awful things happened in Elle’s life story when she and her sister should have spoken up to their parents to let them know what was going on. But, even as children, they dealt with too much alone. I found myself wanting to scream at them to say something. It was so much frustration.
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LibraryThing member WiserWisegirl
The setting and the hunt for family secrets will start you speed reading for answers. The layers of gratuitous sex and familial abuse skidded me to a halt, and I found it painful to continue. A historic family infidelity was flippantly regurgitated and it left me sickened. The big secret will make
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you ask yourself if you could have done the same thing. I questioned myself here, because this setup for revenge by inaction supplied me with a satisfaction for the timely appearance of a well deserved karma in spite of the tragic result. The ending threw a lot of people off, but I felt like I knew what happened. Be sure to heed the warnings that if you are an assault or abuse victim this is not recommended for you. Even if you are not you will be uncomfortable and consider not finishing, hence my 3 not 4 rating. Show Less
LibraryThing member WiserWisegirl
The setting and the hunt for family secrets will start you speed reading for answers. The layers of gratuitous sex and familial abuse skidded me to a halt, and I found it painful to continue. A historic family infidelity was flippantly regurgitated and it left me sickened. The big secret will make
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you ask yourself if you could have done the same thing. I questioned myself here, because this setup for revenge by inaction supplied me with a satisfaction for the timely appearance of a well deserved karma in spite of the tragic result. The ending threw a lot of people off, but I felt like I knew what happened. Be sure to heed the warnings that if you are an assault or abuse victim this is not recommended for you. Even if you are not you will be uncomfortable and consider not finishing, hence my 3 not 4 rating. Show Less
LibraryThing member lois1
I wasn't upset by this book. The themes are important. The happenings, including the ending, are hard and messy as they can be in life. Heller's writing engaged me and held it all together beautifully.
LibraryThing member Linyarai
This book was all over the place. It was happy, it was sad, it was traumatizing, and it didn't even have a solid conclusion. The timeline kept skipping all over the place in a way that was hard to follow, I couldn't keep the years straight and I'm not sure if including Wallace's abuse as a child
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was necessary to Elle's story. Overall I found it overly complicated and depressing. Show Less
LibraryThing member dara85
The books takes place over twenty-four hours. In between there are little glimpses into the lives of Elle or her mother from the past. Each of them seems to have to do with sex or sexual innuendo. Seemed totally unnecessary to me.
LibraryThing member nicole_a_davis
I enjoyed it while i was reading it, but then when I finished I just felt kind of meh. Maybe because the moral of the story was basically, life is hard and it is impossible to make good decisions.
And why were all the mothers in the book so terrible??
And why were all the mothers in the book so terrible??
LibraryThing member Hccpsk
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller is going to be a big hit this summer as it contains many things people look for in beach read — including romance, sex, intrigue, family drama. The writing actually rises above most books in this genre, as Heller has a fine touch with storytelling and
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humorous dialogue that manages to save the day when other aspects of the novel stumble. The clever structure follows Elle through one day at the Cape Cod beach camp her family has been coming to since she was a child, with flashbacks to specific moments of her 50 years that enlighten the reader to certain memories and slowly build to an understanding of what brought her to this point. At times the novel — and Elle, in particular — reads like a NA romance novel with some of the sex and innuendo feeling gratuitous and unnecessary, but that is a small piece of the puzzle. Overall, The Paper Palace has a lot going for it, and readers who enjoy contemporary family novels, or are looking for a beachy read that has a bit more weight to it than typical should add it to their summer TBR pile. (FYI--Definite trigger warning for rape and sexual abuse.) Show Less
LibraryThing member LynnB
I really liked this book. I liked the way the present covers a single day, hour by hour, while the backstories are told more traditionally. I thought the modern-day relationships were very well portrayed...this book felt very real to me.
This a story about family relationships and the effects of
This a story about family relationships and the effects of
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trauma. It is complex, like life. Sometimes love isn't enough. Choices are usually far less clear than right or wrong. Or they are both. Lots to think about. Show Less
Awards
Women's Prize for Fiction (Longlist — 2022)
NPR: Books We Love (2021)
Reese's Book Club (2021-07 — 2021)
Indie Next List (July 2021)