The Paper Palace
Ratings37
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings37
Average rating3.9
REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 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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2,516 booksWhen you think back on every book you've ever read, what are some of your favorites? These can be from any time of your life – books that resonated with you as a kid, ones that shaped your personal...
Reviews with the most likes.
“That woman is so unpleasant. Every time I see her I feel like shitting on her shoes”
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I came into this story with no expectations and it immediately drew me in. The raw emotions and decades of life embedded into the pages was captivating.
The book is about an affair, so the main character is a trash human being but at the same time it's beautifully written so I couldn't help but like it anyway.
“Flip a coin, Eleanor. If the answer you get disappoints you, do the opposite.”We already know the right answer, even when we think we don´t.”
I liked it a lot! It made me feel a lot of things, many of which I am still digesting and ruminating.
I finished and immediatly wanted to find someone to discuss the story and its ending.
Ultimately, I feel this is a book about the beautiful and the ugly of life, family and love. About the long lasting impacts of choices and forgiveness.
