Customer Reviews

Road to Paradise

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I LOVE Paullina Simons books. All of them. I can't say this is my favorite ( as Im sure anyone who read The Bronze Horseman will say as well) but this one was entertaining and I did find myself thinking about it long after the book was finished, as I do all of her books. I just really wanted another Tully or another Tatiana that stays with me for years and I didn't get it with Shelby. But, I'd recommend it and all of Paullina's books to anyone.

I've read all of Simons novels. Her early works (Tully, Red Leaves, Eleven Hours) are good but it's her more recent work (The Bronze Horseman, Tatiana and Alexander, The Summer Garden, and The Girl In Times Square) that is more absorbing and has real emotional resonance. I was looking forward to another Paullina Simons novel but The Road To Paradise left me feeling unfulfilled. Basically we have two teens on a road trip following high school graduation. Shelby is going to California to meet the mother who abandoned her, Gina is going to marry the boyfriend who may cheat on her if she doesn't get out there soon (why she'd want to marry him isn't really clear). Shelby and Gina used to be friends but a mysterious betrayal tore them apart. Most readers will be able to figure out the reason for their falling out long before it's revealed toward the end of the book. They pick up a hitchhiker named Candy along their way. As it turns out, Candy has a colorful past (featuring pornographers and monks) some nasty people after her. They're drawn into her world, her unconventional ideas about religion, discuss philosophy and lose all their money. We never really feel connected to any of them and are frustrated with some of the bad decisions they make on their journey (Shelby is supposed to be Harvard bound- something that's very hard to believe given the fact that she rarely says, does, or thinks anything intelligent). This could have been a story about Gina and Shelby rediscovering their friendship and putting the past behind them as they start toward their future. It could have been a story about how two sheltered, middle class girls leave their safe world behind and open themselves to trusting a stranger who could get them killed or could save their souls. Basically it had potential as a premise but it never goes anywhere. It's a shame because Simons is capable of so much more. Here's hoping her next book is a return to form.

In the beginning I was excited to read about Shelby's trip, but it ended up focusing too much on Candy. I know there was a point to that, but the character Candy confused me. She was seemingly young and uneducated early in the book, but then as we get to know more of her story, she is all of a sudden this wise -and quite religious!- young woman. Lost me a bit in the story!

Of the 5 Paullina Simons books I've read, this was the least enjoyable. However, it could be because it's about 3 teenage girls, and I'm a 60 year old. Also, I read it after having read Simons' trilogy about Tatiana and Alexander, which is an epic historical tale spanning 6 decades, whereas Road to Paradise is a contemporary story that spans about 2 weeks, so it was nothing like I expected. There's quite a bit of action, but a bit too much dialogue for my taste. I wouldn't say it wasn't worth reading, and perhaps if I had read it BEFORE reading the great trilogy, I would've appreciated it more. Simons is a wonderful writer, and I think she was experimenting with a different genre' with Road to Paradise.

Three young women, two of them high school friends, set out on a cross country trip from one side of America to the other, in a bright yellow Mustang. Various events deter them from making a straight run from New York to California and they end up zig zagging through many states. It's a very talky book but if you find the philosophizing of teen aged girls engrossing, you'll enjoy this read. For my taste, it was far too long and rambling and I kept thinking "Get on with it!" But then, if the reader is nearer the age of the characters, perhaps it will have more appeal.