The Only Way to Paradise [Paperback]

G.G. Vandagriff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 6, 2011

What causes picture-perfect suburban Oakwood residents, MacKenzie, Roxie, Sara, and Georgia to desert their therapist and fly off to Florence? Answer: A romantic Italian movie that prompts Roxie to ask: "If Italy is so healing and therapeutic what are we doing in Ohio?"
Even Sara, the most duty-bound of the group, finally joins the pact they dub "The Crazy Ladies of Oakwood," and only a week later, they find themselves in Florence. Embraced by the entire province of Tuscany, each woman becomes entangled in experiences she could never have foretold. Not only do they find the fascinating Italian men that Georgia promised, but new sides to themselves and each other.
Against the glittering background of Florence, their dramas play out:
MacKenzie returns to her student days as an art historian, discarding her identity as the controlling Oakwood charity patron and society hostess. Renewing her acquaintance with the David, she vows to let herself be sculpted rather than trying to sculpt others. MacKenzie finds not only a new talent, but a new man who appreciates it, just as her husband decides to re-enter her life.
Roxie, who has always approached life as a circus, is drawn unwillingly into a passionate romance with a gorgeous Italian professor, Stefano. Her physical response to Stefano taps into lost memories, causing her to literally run from him. Roxie, a quirky and colorful Cubana, senses danger in visions and smells that resurface of a rotting summerhouse behind her Florida home. With his nurturing and passionate love, Stefano helps her to face the "broken piece" inside her.
Sara unveils part of her that no one but her instructors know. She is an extraordinarily talented concert violinist. Normally trapped in the demanding life of an ob-gyn (scripted for her by her Vietnamese immigrant parents), she is temporarily freed. She performs for others for the first time, and experiences unprecedented joy. However, the coping mechanism she used to handle the pressure of her job threatens to destroy her new life.
Georgia, a grieving widow, processes her life without Ben and without her violin career that ended early because of arthritis. Looking for a new passion in life, she finds that satisfaction comes to her in "giving back" to those around her the lessons and knowledge she has learned through her successes and mistakes in La Dolce Vita. Just as her perspective is changing, she reunites with her first love, Arturo, and must make a decision about the direction of her future life.
Though ages have passed since the rebirth called the Renaissance, Florence still inspires change by breathing out its creative mix of energy, beauty, and courage. Where Michelangelo "set free" the David by sculpting a block of marble, each "crazy lady" finds her exterior "Oakwood" self burnished away by new experiences, revealing a new self. This burnishing is not a gentle process, but exuberant Italians help them through it with their all-embracing agape, or unconditional love. Though they do not know it, each of them hungers for agape's healing power. They discover in it a balm that binds them together and puts them on the road to recovery, the road that is "The Only Way to Paradise."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Unforgettable

"What is that hard to define quality that makes a book memorable? Is it complex and interesting characters? Is it a captivating plot with unexpected twists and turns? Maybe it's the setting and the "feel" of the book. Or, perhaps, it's the ability to connect with the story, tap into that magical "relatability" factor that lingers long after the last page has been read.
Any one of these elements is vital to a story, but rarely do we find books that have all of these qualities. However, The Only Way to Paradise is such a book."-Michele Bell, Best-Selling Romance Author. (Five Stars)

From the Author

A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
 
            In this novel, four women find refuge in the little heaven that is called Residenza Betta in Florence. Though they are figments of my imagination, the Residenza is not.  Elisabetta, her son Cosimo, and his lovely Adriana are all very real and very dear to me.  They are my second family, and I miss them when we are apart.
"Betta" insists on mothering me, though I am the age of her own mother. An act that typifies her is when she picked up an opera ticket for me on her motorscooter in the rain when I could have gotten it for myself. She feeds me, she scolds me, and she surveys all my purchases to make certain I haven't been cheated.
Cosimo is now in another hotel, learning his trade, even though he could make much more money as a gorgeous Italian actor. I tell Adriana, his fiancée, to keep him away from Hollywood.
The lovely Adriana is a 21st century incarnation of Renaissance artist Fra. Fillipo Lippi's atypical Madonna model.  She is tall and slender, fair with beautiful brown eyes.  My son took one look at her and said, "If things don't work out with Cosimo, I'm your man."  Adriana and I tell each other our secrets and giggle together like sisters.
Milano 25 is a real taxi and you can read about its amazing driver on the Internet.  Lastly, I did fall on the concrete pavement, and was treated just as gently by a much younger version of Roberto.  I believe agape is a genetic component of all Italians.
I write this in this happy house that has given me so much pleasure in Florence.
G.G. Vandagriff
February, 2011

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: O.W. Press (June 6, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 098362321X
• ISBN-13: 978-0983623212
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #978,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I realize that I am one of those rare people in the world who gets to live a life full of passion, romance, suspense, angst, fulfillment, humor, and mystery. I am a writer. Every day when I sit down at my computer, I enter into a world of my own making. I am in the head of a panoply of characters ranging from a nineteen-year-old Austrian debutante (The Last Waltz) to a raging psychopath (The Arthurian Omen) and four women at once in The Only Way to Paradise. Then there are the feisty heroines of my Regency romances . . .

I am a traditionally published,award-winning, best-selling writer who has recently gone Indie. I enjoy genre-hopping, having published a genealogical mystery series, two women's fiction novels, an historical epic, two suspense novels, four Regency romances, and a couple of non-fiction offerings.

With a BA from Stanford and an MA from George Washington University in International Relations, I somehow stumbled into finance. But, once my husband was through law school, I never wanted to do anything but write and raise kids. Now the kids are gone, but (even better) there are four grandchildren who provide my rewards for finishing a manuscript.

Aside from the grandchildren, my favorite things include: Florence, Italy; snow storms; Oreos; real hot chocolate; sweaters; Sundance Resort; lilacs; and dachshunds.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable! June 16, 2011

By Michele Bell

Format:Paperback

What is that hard to define quality that makes a book memorable? Is it complex and interesting characters? Is it a captivating plot with unexpected twists and turns? Maybe it's the setting and the "feel" of the book. Or, perhaps, it's the ability to connect with the story, tap into that magical "relatability" factor that lingers long after the last page has been read.

Any one of these elements is vital to a story, but rarely do we find books that have all of these qualities. However, The Way to Paradise is such a book.

Four women: Georgia, Roxie, MacKenzie and Sara meet in a therapy group. Each woman is dealing with issues in her life that have finally pushed her to the point where she seeks help to come to terms with it. Their sessions allow small fragments of deeply rooted problems to surface, giving the reader glimpses into each woman's past and current struggle. The more we learn them, the more attached we become.

After watching the movie Enchanted April, Roxie throws out the comment that they should all be in Florence, Italy. Georgia, who takes on the role of matriarch, jumps on the idea, admitting that she too had thought that the women should go to Florence, Italy together since Florence is a place where they would be able to grow and heal and renew themselves. As the idea is batted around between the four women, it takes wings, and the next thing they know, they are walking away from their complicated lives and flying to Florence.

For those who have traveled to this timeless and breathtaking city, you will feel like you have returned. For those who have never been there, you will feel like you are seeing it with your own eyes. Vandagriff has done an extraordinary job of bringing the city to life in her story. It's as much of a character as the living, breathing ones are.

It is here, in Florence that each woman comes face to face with her greatest challenge and fear. But, with the support, help and unconditional friendship they share, these women have the strength they need to power through their struggles. The highest highs and the lowest lows are experienced and in the end, the four women emerge strong, happy and whole. Not perfect, by any means, but definitely hopeful and able to take charge of their own lives.

Each secondary character adds to the mix, much like the vital herbs and seasonings to the richest sauces on one of the lovely Italian dishes. Even though the journey was emotional, intense and draining at times, the beauty and splendor of the setting, as well as the growth and ultimate confrontations each woman faces, culminate in a glorious and rewarding ending.

I was held captive throughout this book and many times had to slow myself down to absorb and digest the many facets of the story. This will be the book you share with all of your friends and family. Perfect for summer reading and a great way to escape to your own mini-vacation.

Destined to become a fan favorite, The Only Way to Paradise, will deliver everything you want in a book, and more.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Would love to be in Paradise June 14, 2011

By Alana L. Tompkins

Format:Paperback

I have had the opportunity to read several of GG Vandagriff's novels and I have to admit I have never been disappointed. Her versatility in her genres leave the reader wanting more.
The "Only Way to Paradise" touches every woman in one way or another. Each of her characters seem to be in all of us, their attitudes, their wants and desires, their capabilities, their dreams and hopes. There will be the few exceptions who might find some of the material difficult to read through, touching a nerve that some would rather have left alone, but the outcome is not unrealistic in all four of these women's lives. There is love in paradise as well as awakenings of who they are. Without giving away the plot, I would only say that I wish I were on the trip with these women to Italy and to find the peace of mind and soul through their opportunities in the gorgeous settings in Italy. I look forward to any sequels she might have in store for us surrounding each of these women. I want to know where they went from Italy, how their lives have been altered once they return home. I want to know who remains in love, who follows their dreams, who faces their demons and overcomes them. GG has done a wonderful job in bringing to life four very different women who find they have more in common than they think.
I highly recommend this book to all who want to find a different kind of adventure between the covers of their book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Superb Read June 14, 2011

By Anne Bradshaw

Format:Kindle Edition

The setting for "The Only Way to Paradise" is Florence, Italy. The characters spring to life within a few pages, drawing the reader in and touching the soul. The story weaves a powerful message around the different forms of love needed to bridge emotional hang-ups and deep-seated traumas for each of the four women. Everything comes together in one great read - dazzling scenery, smells, sounds, feelings - all rendered in perfect cadence and with splendid Italian ambiance. A superb read. ~ Anne Bradshaw, author, "True Miracles with Genealogy."