Postcards from Paradise: Romancing Key West [Paperback]

June Keith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1997

Gathered from the author's 20-year romance with America's southernmost city, here is a collection of 60 essays and 65 photos that show Key West's brimming treasure chest of fascinating lore. The essays in this book are both hilarious and poignant parables that delve into the history of a place where the sun shines every day. 65 photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The best way to appreciate this book of 60 essays and accompanying photographs is to kick off your shoes, find the nearest wicker chair, and place your favorite refreshment close at hand. The miles between you and Keith's Key West will melt away as her words transport you to her "paradise" island. Keith writes a regular column on Key West for the Miami Herald; collected here, the columns, as the title indicates, do have the feel of a series of well-written, thought-provoking postcards. There truly is a love affair between Keith and the citizenry and quirky culture that make Key West such a magical place. Where else can you get superb cafe con leche at a laundromat? There is much to make the heart soar here, but there is also a great deal of sadness. Can this really be a book about paradise if it has an index with more references to AIDS than to the Seven Mile Bridge? Highlights include thoughts on the joys of waitressing and a piece about an encounter between the bikers (as in leather and motorcycles) and the "fairies." Reading through these essays is like spending a short time in Key West: with the dawn of each new day, you have the anticipation of a new adventure. Randall Enos --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Columns and essays based on Key West living offer colorful armchair traveller pursuit as they reveal the legends and personalities of the region. This is a hilarious and involving collection of vignettes which will delight a wide audience as well as any with a special affection for and knowledge of the area. -- Midwest Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Palm Island Press; 2 edition (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0964343487
• ISBN-13: 978-0964343481
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,698,800 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hemingway, Hersey and Keith, July 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Postcards from Paradise: Romancing Key West (Paperback)

Customer Comments Al Mosier ([e-mail]), rating=10: Just returned from a sojourn in the Keys. Seems that everywhere I turned I met June Keith. I purchased her book at Margaritaville on Duval, but saw it everywhere. If you haven't already met June, it's time. June lives, works and writes in Key West. She spends her time waitressing at the Lighthouse Cafe on Duval. She also does a column for the Miami Herald. This book is a compilation of those columns. The title is apt. These are postcards; short sketches about the people and places June has come to know as a nineteen year resident of the southernmost city. She writes about real people; their lives, their loves and their problems. It is a real picture of the town the way it was through the 80's and early 90's. You can't see this town anymore --trust me, I'm just back. The only way to visit what once was KW is through the pages of June's book. Her style is easy and readable. I passed my copy around amongst friends and we all enjoyed her breezy way with words. Be prepared to laugh a littl and cry a lot. The death toll is high. If you really want to see KW as it was before it became a Disneyfied parody of itself, you can do no better than read POSTCARDS.Hemingway, Hersey and Keith. Interesting combination of writers, no?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Postcards From Paradise, Romancing Key West, March 14, 2000

By 

Christine S. Gressick "Steeny of WaterColor E... (delavan, wisconsin USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Postcards from Paradise: Romancing Key West (Paperback)

The book consists of many vignettes on real people who live, or have lived in Key West.

Each story touched my heart, made me laugh and sometimes cry.

June Keith is a powerful writer on the human condition. Simple, truthful, and to the point. Each story makes you think and reflect.

I also read More Postcards From Paradise, in anticipation of my trip to Key West. The book, made me feel comfortable in a place I've never been before.

June Keith feels like an old friend, even though We've never met.

I half expected to meet her, and the many people she wrote about so eloquently in these two fine books. The photographs really made the stories come alive for me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and involving, July 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Postcards from Paradise: Romancing Key West (Paperback)

Midwest Book Review: Columns and essays based on Key West living offer colorful armchair traveller pursuit as they reveal the legends and personalities of the region. This is a hilarious and involving collection of vignettes which will delight a wide audience as well as any with a special affection for and knowledge of the area.