The Paper Palace
- Downloads：9923
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-03-24 00:52:48
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Miranda Cowley Heller
- ISBN：0241990459
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Ellie Knoll
，
Really enjoyed this book。 I fully felt Elle’s emotions throughout the entire story， but feel like she made the right choice in the end。 Even though it confused me at first， I ended up loving the way the time periods changed throughout the book to give you many glimpses of the past。
Monica
，
I couldn't finish it。 I found ALL of the characters so unlikable。 I am frankly shocked by the positive reviews。 I should have read more reviews before selecting this disturby tale riddled with child sexual abuse， infidelity， and no admirable characters to be found。 I couldn't finish it。 I found ALL of the characters so unlikable。 I am frankly shocked by the positive reviews。 I should have read more reviews before selecting this disturby tale riddled with child sexual abuse， infidelity， and no admirable characters to be found。 。。。more
PIp
，
Very powerful book， sometimes quite overwhelming
Jamie den Dunnen
，
ending was disappointing
Jen CE
，
Whew。 This book was a lot of dysfunction to take in。。。 tons of generational trauma and various kinds of abuse。 I thought the family history was adequately explained， and seemed to read almost like a biography。。。 all-too-real characters， and circumstances。 I really didn't find one likeable character or relationship in the book。 Anna came closest。 But everyone else was mean-spirited， weak， haughty， selfish， or all of the above。Sorts spoilers ahead。I'm saddened by the way I think the story conclude Whew。 This book was a lot of dysfunction to take in。。。 tons of generational trauma and various kinds of abuse。 I thought the family history was adequately explained， and seemed to read almost like a biography。。。 all-too-real characters， and circumstances。 I really didn't find one likeable character or relationship in the book。 Anna came closest。 But everyone else was mean-spirited， weak， haughty， selfish， or all of the above。Sorts spoilers ahead。I'm saddened by the way I think the story concludes， because I loathe cheaters and don't believe they deserve happiness， especially at the expense of their innocent partners or families。 Boo to Elle and her shitty decisions。 One can only hope that her children somehow overcome and break the toxic cycle。 。。。more
Trigger Warning Database
，
Trigger & Content WarningsInfidelityRapeCancerNear-drowning
Mietta Yans
，
I really enjoyed reading this book but it’s been bumped from a 4 to a 3 because of the final page。 Fuck。 That。
Christiane Fischer
，
Kennt ihr das auch？ Ihr schleicht um ein Buch herum， weil ihr es einfach nicht zu Ende lesen wollt？ Es ist so spannend， dass der Körper kribbelt， ja， wie elektrisiert ist？Der PapierpalastMiranda Cowley HellerAus dem Englischen von Susanne HöbelTriggerwarnung: Sexuelle Gewalt an Minderjährigen， Tod， Vernachlässigung von Kindern。。。lässt mich aufgewühlt zurück。 Warum hat das Buch nur 448 Seiten？ Da fehlen ja mindestens 200！Der Schreibstil ist wunderbar und ja， der ganze Buchaufbau ist so interessan Kennt ihr das auch？ Ihr schleicht um ein Buch herum， weil ihr es einfach nicht zu Ende lesen wollt？ Es ist so spannend， dass der Körper kribbelt， ja， wie elektrisiert ist？Der PapierpalastMiranda Cowley HellerAus dem Englischen von Susanne HöbelTriggerwarnung: Sexuelle Gewalt an Minderjährigen， Tod， Vernachlässigung von Kindern。。。lässt mich aufgewühlt zurück。 Warum hat das Buch nur 448 Seiten？ Da fehlen ja mindestens 200！Der Schreibstil ist wunderbar und ja， der ganze Buchaufbau ist so interessant und speziell und einfach GEIL！ （Ups， darf ich das hier schreiben？ Nein？ Also Entschuldigung）。 Ich bin von dem Buch einfach gefangen und gefesselt und das seit der 2。 Seite:Elle Bishop， 50 Jahre alt， glücklich verheiratet mit drei gemeinsamen Kindern， ist alles andere als „wohlbehütet" aufgewachsen。 Für Ihre Eltern ist das Wort Scheidung nur ein Wort: „Ausdruck einer Haltung wie "Mir reicht’s" oder „schiefgegangen。" Ihre Eltern haben dreimal geheiratet。“ （S。 68） Dementsprechend hatten sie nie Zeit für ihre Mädchen， waren immer nur mit sich selbst oder mit ihren jeweiligen Liebschaften beschäftigt。 Und so ging auch einiges an ihnen vorbei， etwas， was Kindern eigentlich nicht passieren darf， wovor man sie beschützen sollte…Doch ihr bester Freund Jonas stand ihr damals zur Seite。 Kennengelernt haben sie sich an dem See in Black Woods， dem Sommerdomizil ihrer Familie， der auch Papierpalast genannt wird。 Jeden Sommer verbringen die Familien hier ihre Ferien in den Ferienhäusern， wie auch in diesem Jahr， doch gestern ist etwas geschehen， was ein ganzes Leben verändern könnte。。。Lesehighlight: 6 / 5 SternenGroße Leseempfehlung für alle， die den "Gesang der Flusskrebse" und "Die Überlebenden" mochten！ 。。。more
Sheila
，
It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great eitherI found it predictable and slow
Allyssa
，
I wanted to like this book so much more than I did。 While I loved the setting and writing style， there were many parts of the book that did not do it for me。 Lots of dislikable characters， as well as traumatic circumstances in the book that should DEFINITELY come with trigger warnings。
Jayna Locke
，
Loved this book。 It shows a life at an inflection point， but with a full cast of characters and beautifully-told scenes that create a complete world in which that moment takes place。 It's a very full and rich story。 Loved this book。 It shows a life at an inflection point， but with a full cast of characters and beautifully-told scenes that create a complete world in which that moment takes place。 It's a very full and rich story。 。。。more
Denise
，
Incredible book。 There were several moments while reading where I would just laugh out loud as the commentary was so relatable and so funny。 The story was RAW and felt so real that I honestly thought I was reading a memoir until I approached the Acknowledgements at the end of the book。 （#whoops）。 Strongly recommend this book to anyone looking a page-turning and hard-to-put-down type of book！
Kim
，
Nearly quit a half dozen times。 Iffy topics， unnecessarily wordy- what are you trying to prove by using a dozen words to describe a pond？！- and a bit too obsessed with vaginas and other unmentionables。 I really should have passed on this one。
Brooke Freiheit
，
Probably will be thinking of this one for awhile。 5/5。 Multiple timelines but all told from one perspective。 A little long in the beginning but I couldn’t put it down last 60%。 A story of long lost love and deep secrets。 Beautiful。 TW: SA。
Ashley Mezyk
，
Heavy！！！ Needed an epilogue to get 5 ⭐️ 😆
Samantha Grenier
，
3。5-⭐️: Stellar debut！ While I’m not a fan of plots revolving around infidelity， this story is well crafted， and has some incredible characters。 Elle’s mom， whom I found insufferable at first， evolved to be my favorite！ She had the bast dialogue。 TW: cheating， rape， mugging， bullying， animal death， and small moments of violence。
Christy Howell
，
Loved this book。 Been trying to read from Reese Witherspoon's list as much as I can。 The story is completely different， but the mood and environment reminds me so much of Where The Crawdads Sing。 Loved this book。 Been trying to read from Reese Witherspoon's list as much as I can。 The story is completely different， but the mood and environment reminds me so much of Where The Crawdads Sing。 。。。more
Karen Chadwick
，
This book moved too slow for me， and I also did not find it compelling。
Melissa Renell
，
I don’t even know how to rate this book but I feel traumatized。
Gretchen
，
I loved this book！ The characters were mostly awful and so many parts made me want to throw up and also throw out the book， but it was such an enthralling story from the beginning to the last page。 There were so many weird family dynamics going on and you really got a good sense of all that Elle and her sister went through in their life。 Plus， the scenes at the Paper Palace just make me want to visit the Cape one day。。sounds like the most perfect way to spend a childhood。 I also really like the I loved this book！ The characters were mostly awful and so many parts made me want to throw up and also throw out the book， but it was such an enthralling story from the beginning to the last page。 There were so many weird family dynamics going on and you really got a good sense of all that Elle and her sister went through in their life。 Plus， the scenes at the Paper Palace just make me want to visit the Cape one day。。sounds like the most perfect way to spend a childhood。 I also really like the narrative style of switching timeline from present to past， and thought it worked really well in this context。 Overall， another great pick for my book club and I KNOW this will be a divisive one。 。。。more
Chimene Bateman
，
From the Women’s Prize longlist。 A fast-paced， readable book that I read in one go。 Lovely descriptions of Cape Cod， and some amusingly convincing scenes of family life， but on the whole I found this rather slight。 Essentially it’s the story of a 50-year-old woman deciding which of two incredibly hot men she should have sex with: her perfect husband or her childhood flame。 Also， she is supposed to be an academic teaching literature at NYU， but in no way does this detail seem believable。 （The car From the Women’s Prize longlist。 A fast-paced， readable book that I read in one go。 Lovely descriptions of Cape Cod， and some amusingly convincing scenes of family life， but on the whole I found this rather slight。 Essentially it’s the story of a 50-year-old woman deciding which of two incredibly hot men she should have sex with: her perfect husband or her childhood flame。 Also， she is supposed to be an academic teaching literature at NYU， but in no way does this detail seem believable。 （The career of her artist lover is not very developed either， but at least he turns up now and again with paint on his clothes。） What does come across quite powerfully in the book， however， is how grimly selfish the older generation of rich East Coast Americans can be; the heroine’s parents both pursued their love lives first and looked after their children second， and the costs of this to their children were quite high。 。。。more
Barbara Koefod
，
Powerful novel， encompassing vast but palpable threads of loss， connection， abuse， passion and love。 There are so many complex but believable characters compressed in this chronicle。 Heller's prose is exquisite。 Her ability to capture a moment in time is amazing， describing beautifully the distance between all we long for and and the acceptance of and love for what is possible。If forthright descriptions of sexual encounters aren't your thing， you might want to pass。 But these scenes add to the v Powerful novel， encompassing vast but palpable threads of loss， connection， abuse， passion and love。 There are so many complex but believable characters compressed in this chronicle。 Heller's prose is exquisite。 Her ability to capture a moment in time is amazing， describing beautifully the distance between all we long for and and the acceptance of and love for what is possible。If forthright descriptions of sexual encounters aren't your thing， you might want to pass。 But these scenes add to the veracity of people and events and are not gratuitous。 。。。more
Monica Fernandez
，
Ahh life is messy。 This left me conflicted。
Paige Gordon
，
HATED this book。 I am so disappointed in how it turned out。 Lost all faith in humanity。
Brianne Hm
，
I didn’t enjoy this book。 I went into it thinking it would be an accessible read about regrets and possibilities， about the dialectics of relationships。 However， it read to me as a book about trauma。 You’d think I would have been into it， but I really wasn’t。 Maybe it was the fact that I am on a week-long vacation from my job as a psychologist， but I think it was more that I just didn’t like the characters。 They were crass， bitter， and often nasty。 I hated the way they spoke to each other and ju I didn’t enjoy this book。 I went into it thinking it would be an accessible read about regrets and possibilities， about the dialectics of relationships。 However， it read to me as a book about trauma。 You’d think I would have been into it， but I really wasn’t。 Maybe it was the fact that I am on a week-long vacation from my job as a psychologist， but I think it was more that I just didn’t like the characters。 They were crass， bitter， and often nasty。 I hated the way they spoke to each other and judged one another。 Glad to be done with this one。 I’m interested to hear from others what you loved about it as it is currently a popular read！ 。。。more
Rebekah
，
I probably would have rated higher， but I just can't do the nonchalance of the child sexual abuse。 I probably would have rated higher， but I just can't do the nonchalance of the child sexual abuse。 。。。more
Amy Blackett
，
A friend reviewed this one and said it was full of "narrative whiplash" and omg that's the perfect way to describe the format of this book。 A lot of back and forth throughout many years in the past， while the present story essentially spanned 2 days。 Elle is haunted by various traumas and decisions from her childhood。 Seemingly happily married in the present with 3 children， she's forced to decide if she'd rather be with her longest， oldest love， Jonas， after they sleep together and old feelings A friend reviewed this one and said it was full of "narrative whiplash" and omg that's the perfect way to describe the format of this book。 A lot of back and forth throughout many years in the past， while the present story essentially spanned 2 days。 Elle is haunted by various traumas and decisions from her childhood。 Seemingly happily married in the present with 3 children， she's forced to decide if she'd rather be with her longest， oldest love， Jonas， after they sleep together and old feelings are reignited。 The whole book ties to the Paper Palace -- an area of summer cabins in the backwoods of Cape Cod， which is like a character in and of itself。 The ending was interesting and caused me to run down a reddit rabbit hole！ *Content warning re: sexual abuse。* 。。。more
Lynne
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Audiobook review。 I rarely rate books I don’t/can’t finish but this one is both vile and annoying。 The author skips back and forth in time， so I had to really REALLY concentrate （annoying）。 All adults are vile， and the author spikes flowery prose with abuse， infidelity， crude language and inappropriate behaviour。 Not suitable for me
Karen Cameron
，
Too many characters to keep track of - Ending is very， very disappointing。 The themes of childhood abuse and trauma are depressing。
Samantha Porterfield
，
Couldn’t really get into this one。 Though I liked the writing style and the way the story was told overtime， I wasn’t a fan of the characters or the ending。 There were also just a few too many secrets kept and unrealistic choices made。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Paper Palace
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Paper Palace&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Paper Palace&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0