Rushing to Paradise [Hardcover]

J. G. Ballard (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Flamingo; First Edition edition (1994)
• ISBN-10: 000224134X
• ISBN-13: 978-0002241342
• ASIN: B002C0VNPC
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,320,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Shanghai in 1930, J. G. BALLARD is the author of sixteen novels, including "Empire of the Sun," "The Drowned World," and "Crash." He lived in London until his death in April 2009.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rushing to purgatory, June 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rushing to Paradise: A Novel (Paperback)

In Rushing to Paradise, J.G. Ballard paints a memorable and disturbing picture of idealism run amok within the paradise of a Pacific atoll. It is a book that glitters with dark ironies; from the opening paragraphs, with deranged femme-fatale Dr. Rafferty bullhorning slogans to the deserted beaches of Saint-Esprit, to her commune's timely rescue from this obsessed woman by the hated French military. Rushing to Paradise is likely to outrage some with its dry send-ups of environmentalism and feminism. Nonetheless, it is worthy book; strange, vivid, unpredictable, and at times...wonderful. I recommend buying two copies in the event one is lost.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ballard bites off a big chunk with this one, January 18, 2001

By 

Dan Seitz "cinnatusc" (Somerville, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rushing to Paradise: A Novel (Paperback)

And I'm glad to say it was easy for him to chew. This is a perceptive and actually pretty nasty take on the more extreme ends of enviromentalism and feminism, the points where the former becomes psychosis and the latter becomes sexism of a virulent and violent sort.

What I love most about Ballard is his willingness to probe the darker corners of the human psyche. It's a rare gift to want to explore these places, let alone use them to comment on our society. This is an excellent book and worth your cash!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your average book, August 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rushing to Paradise: A Novel (Paperback)

I really liked Rushing to Paradise and I don't see how it generated such negative reviews; except to say that it IS a "politically incorrect" book. Author Ballard has strange, almost hallucinatory descriptive powers which he delivers in cool, matter of fact language. Above all, the book resonates with a twilight of the gods atmosphere. Maybe not for everyone, but this doesn't make it a bad book. Quite the contrary.