The Last Paradise

The night her life shattered, Grace knew it was the final straw. Her marriage was over; the man she wondered if she’d ever loved was cold, cynical and cruel – but charming to everyone else. As Grace struggled to get her life back on track, she and daughter Daisy stayed with Grace’s mum, Tina. She couldn’t have asked for a better support network than Tina and Grace’s best friend Melanie. When she finally went back to work, the position she was offered was too good to refuse. It made her excited again; the assignment was right up her alley and with it being on the beautiful island of Bali, she knew she had to make it work.

Gradually it all fell into place; her visions for the new luxury hotel were accepted, the people connected were helpful, generous and enthusiastic. And as Grace learned more about K’tut Tantri, the Scottish American woman who’d adopted Bali as her own many years prior, she found a strength she hadn’t known she had. But was Lawrence going to allow this to happen? His need to see Daisy – or was it something more sinister? – hung over Grace constantly. What was his plan? He was devious, that she knew…

The Last Paradise by Aussie author Di Morrissey is an intriguing and beautifully written novel which I thoroughly enjoyed. Set in both Sydney and Bali, I found myself cheering Grace on; telling her not to trust Lawrence; wishing some not so nice things for him! Morrissey’s writing is exceptional – I felt I was right there by Grace’s side while she worked, explored the island and K’tut’s memories. Such an excellent read, and one I highly recommend.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to finally sample one of Australia’s most successful novelists, Di Morrissey. Her latest, The Last Paradise, is set mostly in Bali - and captures the great fascination Australia has with Bali (Australians account for more than a quarter of tourists in Bali). There is absolutely loads of information and it’s well worth the read.

Yet there are more threads to this tale apart from a love of all things Bali. Di examines tourism over the years in Bali, investigates the breakdown of a marriage for the lead character and also recounts the history of K’tut Tantri from the 1930s - who left her life in the U.S to forge new one in the tropical paradise of Bali.

‘... as she stepped back from the embrace and saw the emotionless look on her husband’s face she wondered, had she traded genuine unconditional love for security? Was it too late to do something about it?’

Out of these three threads, I enjoyed learning about all about Bali - past and present - the most. At times there were a few too many information dumps for my liking, however, it was interesting to learn of the steps in developing a luxury hotel in Kuta. The main character, Grace and her journey of independence from her controlling husband, swung from naivety to empowering with a sprinkle of repetitiveness. Still, it was worthwhile to take the journey with her as she stood up to the challenge and regained her independence. Interspersed throughout were excerpts of the life of K’Tut and her experiences especially during Japanese occupation during the War. This is tied in with Grace’s story in terms of being strong in difficult circumstances.

‘I’m not sure what it is about it that’s got me so intrigued–K’tut herself, or the times, or how different old Bali was from the one we know today.’

The Last Paradise is a dedicated tribute to Bali - past, present and future. If you are at all interested in this exotic location, then this is a definite must read. With a spotlight on tourism woven around the tale of one woman’s journey to regain and remould her life’s destiny.

‘The whole place is like a movie set, a dream job in a location you can’t imagine. I feel as if I’m in the last paradise on the planet.’





This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

What a fabulous story! Set in Sydney and Bali this story is an inspiring story of the journey of a young mother, Grace, whose marriage disintegrates and she finds herself having stand up for herself and her young daughter, Daisy whose father, Lawrence emerges as not the person Grace thought he was. Grace gains strength from her mother, Tina but also a close friend Melanie.

Having to seek more work to support herself and her daughter, Grace takes on an assignment to promote a special resort in Bali. Here she learns about K’tut Tantri, a Scottish American who adopts Indonesia but lives through some of the most difficult periods in Indonesian history and shows incredible strength and endurance. Having read about her, Grace is inspired by this woman “who’d been brave and strong, and gutsy, despite everything that had happened to her.”
Grace was a wonderful character who you felt so close to that you too wanted to give her advice of what actions to take in dealing with her to-be-soon ex-husband who was being incredibly manipulative and underhand in all his actions.

I also found the historical aspects of the story to be fascinating especially some of the history of Bali and its emergence as the Indonesian tourist destination with the consequences for its society and culture.

Di Morrissey is a wonderful writer with an incredible ability to tell a captivating story.

Highly recommended read.


Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Pan Macmillan Australia for a copy to read and review.