I tried very hard to like this book but I just couldn't. A cast of unlikeable characters doing unpleasant things. I know it has been hugely popular but not for me.

An intense, emotive and compelling read which begins as Elle embarks on an affair with her childhood friend. The story swirls and hops around through time, reflecting the maelstrom of emotions as Elle evaluates everything that has brought her to this point and tries to work out what to do now.

A number of sensitive subjects are covered including abuse, rape and incest. The author deals with these well and also creates a cast of fully formed and believable, if not always likeable, characters.

This is my first read by this author and I will definitely look out for more.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, Penguin Books and Miranda Cowley Heller for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this book in parts as I found it quite slow. It tackles a lot of issues and is not a light read and although I was glad I persevered, I felt it still lacked something I cannot put my finger on. Perhaps not liking Elle very much spoilt it for me.

The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller spans the twenty-four hours immediately after Elle has started up an affair with her childhood friend as she looks back on the decades of her life which led her to that moment. So begins a complex, devastating examination of family secrets, love and lies which has unfolded across a span of over fifty years and led Elle to make some life changing decisions.

This book is full of difficult characters and shattering incidents which have had had decades long impact on each character in this story. There were a string of abusive incidents which were not dealt with and simply brushed under the carpet which led to strained relationships and characters desperate to escape their pasts. Much of this book is set in The Paper Palace, a series of crumbling cabins out in the woods where the family spends their summer each year, and the descriptions of this place and the nature surrounding it are so vivid and beautiful, I really felt transported there. I had a difficult time with the characters overall, I didn’t particularly like any of them and found their actions to be hard to accept, what I felt most of the characters was pity in some form or other, even the monstrous ones I found pitiful. From the mother who didn’t protect her own children from being abused at the hands of their grotesque stepfather, to the mother who put her relationships with men before the relationships with her children, there was a pattern of maternal indifference throughout the generations. It was an interesting read as an insight into a dysfunctional family and all secrets which they have tried to bury but which have had more profound effects on their lives than they cared to admit. Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Viking for a digital copy for review.

An intense slow burner full of anticipation. I felt the switching in timelines was slightly confusing at times and would have preferred the different view points of Jonas and Peter in the relationships too. Most of the characters were pretty unlikable but the secrets and lies were big enough to hold the story together. The descriptions of the pond and the paper palace were beautifully written and I could imagine the hummingbirds and storms in such a remote place.

The Paper Palace centers around Elle who is visiting her family’s camp at Cape Cod as she has done for many years. Now aged 50 Elle is thinking of the events of the night before, a long family dinner followed by sex at the side of the house while her husband was inside. We learn about Elle’s tragic childhood; her parents marriage breakdown and subsequent relationships that have had a devastating effect on her life. There is a lot to be aware of in this book, abuse, incest, rape, violence and trauma. Miranda Cowley certainly does not shy away from difficult topics.
The Paper Palace is a riveting read, I felt like Cowley plotted it perfectly. It was so hard to stop reading at the end of each chapter and Cowley balanced this suspense by providing real depth to her cast of characters. They are all fully formed and believable, some are highly unlikeable but they all come together to create a story of love, destruction and hope. It is very difficult to review this book without giving too much away but I would urge you to read it. The writing is powerful and emotive and Elle’s story will stay with me for a long time.

I think this one is like marmite and I am definately in the dislike camp. I really couldnt get into this book and it just left me feeling cold.

DNF @ chapter 10 (about 25% in). NOTE: I couldn't publish the review on here unless I gave it a star rating. I would usually not rate a dnf, but for the sake of publishing the review I gave it what I felt.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc. All opinions remain 100% my own.

Despite owning an e-copy, I opted to listen to the audiobook available on Borrowbox.

Details:
Read by: Laurel Lefkow
Unabridged

The narrator
Something about this voice just didn't appeal to me. It felt a bit too robotic, I think. I definitely got used to it after a couple of chapters but it still wasn't my favourite.

The story
I've heard a bit of praise for this one, but despite this, I went in a little wary as it's not my usual type of novel.
There are quite a lot of unexpected shocking scenes with creepy men. I should have learned my lesson the first time, playing this at work!
There were some scenes that made me laugh out loud from the sheer audacity of it all.

Reasons I DNF'd
-I didn't care for the story.
-Didn't like or connect with any of the characters. Sometimes having a connection can make me enjoy a story I otherwise have little interest in, but it wasn't the case here.
-Wasn't a fan of the narrator.
-The back and fourth of timeline was confusing at worse and annoying at best.

Unfortunately, this just wasn't the one for me, and that's okay because I'm happy I gave it a shot!

This was an incredibly interesting read, with a beautiful cover, and I would recommend it to readers looking for an introspective read.

There's just something about this book that keeps you reading. Its a slow read and the characters are enough to keep you intrigued you sort of need to know what happens. A nice escapism.

Wow, did I enjoy this book. The heart-wrenching pain of "what if" and what could've been threatens to destroy two families. Lifelong friends, complicated parent-child relationships, traumatic abusive childhoods, secrets, lies... this book has everything. Parts of this book are heart-breakingly sad and disturbing and the unapologetic blunt way they are explained adds to the shock and disgust. I would guess that there are quite a lot of triggers in this book that may put some readers off but ultimately it's a story of family and love. It shows just how complicated and painful it can be when your head and heart are in polar opposite places.
I rounded my score up to 5 for this review but for me it was really a 4.75 ... I couldn't help but be frustrated with that ending. I realise the idea behind it but I'm someone who likes things wrapped up nicely and explained so I know what happened to our characters.
It's a really good book. Painfully honest and devastatingly sad in moments but don't let it put you off if you can read past the potential triggers.
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Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Miranda Cowley Heller for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Heavy themes, so hard to read in places; especially dealing with loss. Really absorbing characters; very-well written. Would definitely recommend for fans of A Little Life.

Difficult to read in places (due to the heavy nature of the themes included), but what a brilliant book.

Character driven and deep, I think this up there with one of my favourite books of the year.

I know lots of other people have loved this one too, so definitely worth a read.

I was very much looking forward to reading this book as I had heard good things about it but unfortunately I found the book quite depressing which is not something I look for.
The writing was very good though but issues covered was not for me.

There are a lot of difficult subjects in this book. It is primarily about different losses, so it’s a poignant story. This isn’t the type of story you should read if you are feeling down. It’s reflective and covers several taboo or difficult points.

The Paper Palace is an amazing novel that moves between different years and a 24 hour period to tell of a tragic situation that changes the course of two lives. Elle is married to Peter and has two children but was unfaithful the evening before with her lifelong friend Jonas. As Ellle thinks back on key times in her life, we discover how her friendship with Jonas could have been so much more had it not been for one other person in her childhood, how she met her English husband and how her absent and inept father caused her untold pain.
This book took a lot of concentration on my part to follow the switching time periods, but it was absolutely worth it. It was beautifully written and revealed Elle’s heartbreaking story in such an honest and authentic way it was almost too much to bear. Highly recommend.

I enjoyed the book and was written well there was unfortunate incidents in this book that were unpleasant but the author did it well.

A family has been coming to this cabin in the woods which is made of paper by an ancestor it is their place of paradise. Eleanor meets Jonas when he is 8 here when he was lost and we see the friendship over the years what happens to them.

It was an interesting read.

The characters were fabulous and the book built them up nicely in layers, revealing more of their back stories through time. Well done for a lovely read.

A brilliant debut book and I look forward to reading more by this author. A real page turner. I could not put this one down.

I sort of enjoyed this book as it was beautifully written, but it left me feeling empty and fairly depressed, which is not what I want from a read.