I dont love that thought. What more could you ask?--" Parade, "Best Beach Reads" "The gorgeous scenery of Back Woods (a stand-in for Wellfleet, Mass.) }}(document,'script','twitter-wjs'); Thank you for sharing this - it gave me peace. And their bond has those invisible threads which tie them together. So they met when she was 11 and he was 8 and hes held a candle out for her for 40 some years and he decides a quickie behind the cabin from behind is the ticket. The Paper Palace is a group of cabins in Cape Cod's Back Woods, which are filled with kettle ponds. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. It was very important for Elle not to be 'directed' by me but to live out the process organically.. "This house, this place, knows all my secrets.". if(!d.getElementById(id)) And yet, as she explains at the novels end, the summer retreat where she and Jonas met is in my bones. Then at 6:30 she wakes Peter again and asks him to come with her for her swim. As, I read other posts I am now wondering if she does drown because of her guilt. If you are a person who is impressed by overwritten slush, stop reading here and walk away. I just finished The Paper Palace and am really looking to discuss the book! He loves her, is witty, is loved by his mother and gave her 3 amazing kids. I'm not talking about the style of writing, development of characters, etc. *What it could be*. Like you, I also re read it, just the 24 hour present. In a feature with Penguin UK, the author tells surprisingly: I didnt have any idea who Elle would choose. Elle's relationship with Jonas,Elle suggests, as she has done throughout, is far more than some adolescent summer fling. She stands at the door and looks out to a figure standing on the other side. So many of those scenes were just so unnecessary to the story. I, like Elle, wish she could be like a hummingbird and go back to choose Jonas before making THIS choice which will hurt all of the people she loves the most. Riverhead, $27 (400p) ISBN 978--593-32982-5. I was rooting for him the whole time Cant wait to see what other stories we get from this author, if they are as compelling as this were in for a treat. Crisp, Heller continues. Like her mother said, she wont know unless she tries or takes that swim. It definitely left me wanting more, not only about Elle's next step but also more about Anna's life in California, Wallace's life as a whole, and even Wallace's mother's story! Instead of swimming to Jonas, she takes off her old wedding ring & "presses it into her life line" as a symbol of a new beginning. Let's look at what happened and what she decided. I thought Elle made a decision to stay with her husband the previous night but then she takes off her wedding ring before she goes to the pond where she can Jonas waiting. I believe when she says she takes the swim that the author means the swim is the life with Jonas. The Paper Palace is about Elle, who is faced with the choice of choosing between her oldest friend and her husband. Early on, Elle tells the reader the best lesson my mother ever taught me: there are two things in life you never regret a baby and a swim. In the novels closing pages, Wallace gives her some serious advice: There are some swims you do regret, Eleanor. When asked about the lesson of regret, Heller says its something that she heard growing up on the Cape in the summers, something the grandmother of a friend had once said, and its always stuck with me., Because for me, life always felt so messy and disorganised, and I love the idea of something that makes life feel so clear. Ive been wondering why I cant get into this, your review sums up for me!! She tried to show Peter but she realized only Jonas would understand. Weve some hacks to help with that. Would really love a sequel to see where all the characters are now. Would you like to see your new novel or your favorite book reviewed on The Fiction Addiction? This writing is lovely but everyone in this book is such a terrible person. I am missing these characters already. So Elle goes down to the pond alone, finds a feather, and she sees Jonas standing, waiting across the pond. And yet, Elles mother is the only person who seems to understand her predicament. She cuddles her kids, makes love to Peter and wraps herself in him and his scent, body. This book was going to get two stars for me but then I looked back and saw that I gave two stars to where the crawdad sing which I hated but at least that had some redeemable characters this however did not. What wasnt clear was whether taking her own life was an option based on them bringing up her step grandfather possibly drowning intentionally due to his fear to make the choice to be with his lover over his wife. The Beach Path An Ambiguous Ending. Peter is a man we meet in the pelting rain of a London winter, someone who flies across a blizzard-strewn Atlantic to meet Elles family. Like buying a new suit of clothes. When she takes off her wedding ring I squeeze it tight against my life line one final time before leaving it behind me on the step and heading down the path to take my swim is Elle protecting it from loss, or walking away from her marriage? I thought Elle made a decision to stay with her husband the previous night but then she takes off her wedding ring before she goes to the pond where she can Jonas waiting. Heller followed her grandfathers advice: throughout the novel, the pond remains a tether for Elle, for her family and her lovers. Be prepared for a story that is heart-breaking, one that will shock and sadden as truths are slowly revealed. js.id=id; "I have given up Jonas. Want to connect more deeply with your reading this year? Didnt even make it to chapter 3. End this." We just dont know which she chooses. Elle's relationship with Jonas, Elle suggests, as she has done throughout, is far more than some adolescent summer fling. The Paper Palace paints a vivid picture of family secrets and tensions, against the backdrop of a sun-soaked summer. Paper Girls' ending explained. Peter is a man we meet in the pelting rain of a London winter, someone who flies across a blizzard-strewn Atlantic to meet Elles family. Completely agree, super disappointed by the ending I wanted to know what happened! She squeezes "it tight against my life line one final time before leaving it behind me on the top step and heading down the path to take my swim." The final scene is a nice callback to her mothers advice that you never regret a baby or a swim, but I felt like Id been reading an introspective novel, sifting through Elles thoughts and contemplations, before an ending that felt like a TikTok but LOL what can you do? video. Besides the white dots, nothing special happens when you achieve all the endings. Thank you for this. The Paper Palace. She took off her ring and the end of the penultimate paragraph says this is the end of a long story. It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a 50-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at "The Paper Palace" --- the . It is a perfect August morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at "The Paper Palace . It was very important for Elle not to be 'directed' by me but to live out the process organically.. Independent. Then they go to bed and make love, but Elle is thinking of Jonas while they do. KELLY: The Paper Palace as it gently decays in the salty air all around them - so, Elle, your heroine, your protagonist, who is - and the whole book is in her voice. Reese Witherspoon chose The Paper Palace for her July 2021 book club read and we think it's the perfect pick for your reading group too. Her children will (sadly and likely) have some kind of similar life experience, as it seems to be a pattern. There are clues, and potential red herrings, woven throughout The Paper Palace. The newest game in the Paper Mario series, Paper Mario: The Origami King, comes with multiple different endings based on a player's choices and rewards players for finding Collectibles with an unlockable secret, happier ending.Upon facing King Olly, the Origami King, As players explore the 2D JRPG world, they will come across trophies, collectibles, Non-Bottomless Holes, Hidden Toads, and much . Heller says the ending is clear if you know where to look: I would refer you to the penultimate paragraph of the novel. Perhaps what The Paper Palaces ending shows us is that, when we really connect with a books characters, its not always easy for us to accept the decisions they make. But I am glad she chose Jonas. And if she leaves Peter, despite him saying something critical once about Gina, I could see them getting together. Longlisted for the Women's Prize 2022. The sex, the emotional abuse, the parental abuse that goes on is one thing, the physical abuse of children and the lack of parental love is a completely different thing. I grabbed the audio based on the cover, knowing nothing about it. The problem is, you never know until you take them." It is a perfect July morning, and Elle, a fifty-year-old happily married mother of three, awakens at "The Paper Palace"the family summer place which she has visited every summer of her life. The other is the multiple timelines. She thinks of the Paper Palace and how it is like her - strong, and able to stand difficulties. So, understanding how she got to this impossible crossroads over the course of 50 years, and then seeing how her decision unfolds and unravels was definitely an idea that steered me. The Back Woods are in her bones, Jonas is in her bones. Kappy wrote a first impressions when the drama started airing in August and since I was following the series, I wanted to see your opinion on the finale last night. And in that penultimate paragraph - Before she goes into the pond she takes off her wedding ring, holds it in her palm, feeling its weight, shape. But as I gave it a second go in listening, I am grateful that I did the audio. What it all could have been. The Paper Palace of the name is the place where Elle and Jonas and their families go to every Summer and have done since they met as children. Near the end, she has clearly chosen Peter. You had to be clued into Elle. A story of summer, secrets, love, and lies: in the course of a singular day on Cape Cod, one woman must make a life-changing decision that has been brewing for decades. In the hours after her infidelity, Elle treads a fine balance between craving the safety of the shallows (what Peter offers) and her love of the fear, the catch of breath in my throat (which Jonas provides). After all, that night, they were on the couch when they went outside. Or in your preferred, I needed some time to figure out how to review this book. I could listen to him, my eyes closed, feel his breath and his words wash over me, time and time and time again. She is determined to find a way to prove it. And there were loads of red flags, Jonas is awful to his wife, not just in the affair, but in treating her as less than a person. The Paper Palace is an excellent character study of a woman who is at a crossroads of her life and examines how seemingly small decisions can have huge repercussions. 11 Thrilling Mystery Novels (Not by Agatha Christie), 11 LGBTQ+ Bedtime Stories to Read to Your Children. They can fly backward and forward at equal speed." Those readers who really didnt want The Paper Palace to finish may have continued into these final pages and flipped right back to the beginning. I'm weird. The book starts with the present, Elle describing what she had done the night before while taking an early morning swim in the pond. Published in July of 2021, The Paper Palace is a Reese's Book Club book. Elle goes back and gets in bed with the sleeping Peter. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families. I think you are right. If anyone has any recommendations of similar books to check out, please let me know! Was meant to be a bit ambiguous although the author says the penultimate paragraph points you to the decision she has made. Tender yet devastating, The Paper Palace considers the tensions between desire and dignity, the legacies of abuse, and the crimes and misdemeanors of families. ISBN: 978-1-5420-2560-7. It's interesting how the men are catalysts for the women's actions, yet we see nothing of them except for what Elle sees. This was like a bad rash. A thrilling summertime listen for fans of Where the Crawdads Sing and Little Fires Everywhere. Her marriage to Leo, ended on a tragic note. Thank you!!! . Peter was a great father and good husband and Elle loved him for that, but the passion she felt for Jonas that grew over the years could not be denied. I kind of half expected a suicide in the end to be honest. I think through her Mother's advice about the swim with the forgiveness and a place for sorrow she gave her daughter + the birds ability to fly backwa. An enthralling book that is beautifully written and fantastically narrated! Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd ISBN: 9780241470718 Number of pages: 400 Weight: 629 g Dimensions: 240 x 162 x 36 mm MEDIA REVIEWS What Heller leaves us with, after all, is a delicious ambiguity: does our heroine Elle leave her husband Peter a man she loves, the adoring father of her children for Jonas, her childhood sweetheart, or not? "It felt as if I read The Paper Palace in one go. Book reviews and book reactions. Elle's relationship with Jonas,Elle suggests, as she has done throughout, is far more than some adolescent summer fling. Thanks to your advice on rereading just the present day sections, I did the same and came to your conclusion as well. , as she has done throughout, is loved by his mother and gave her 3 kids... I grabbed the audio based on the other side everyone in this is! Expected a suicide in the novels closing pages, Wallace gives her some advice! Mother is the end of the penultimate paragraph of the novel, the Paper is. 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