The Custodian of Paradise

I think it would have been better to have read [b:The Colony of Unrequited Dreams|95230|The Colony of Unrequited Dreams|Wayne Johnston|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320470124s/95230.jpg|235533] before reading this novel. Apparently readers were introduced to the main character, Sheilagh Feilding, in that book and were left wanting to learn more about her. As a stand alone character I found her to be a character who was so difficult to like, hard to sympathize with and even harder to truly understand. She is so self-destructive and pushes away everyone who likes and/or tries to help or befriend her. She is brilliant but a physical oddity and life is cruel to her. She faces her challenges with cutting wit, using words to fight back show more against those who hurt her. Life never gives her a break, but she wouldn't have recognized one or taken anyways.

There is a huge mystery looming over this story and it is compelling, but I felt it just took too long to unravel. In the end it was rather anti-climatic for me. The settings are all wonderfully described, the writing is good, but I just felt that the pace was too slow for me, the pay-off just not there. show less

In Fielding, Johnston has created an exasperating character, a very real character. He insists that the reader see that Fielding has had a hard life but refuses to allow that to absolve her from what her life ultimately becomes. Johnston trusts his readers to manage the cognitive dissonance of a character who is cruel, selfish, vulnerable, out of control, irresponsible and powerless, smart enough to know better and flawed enough to be immobile in the face of that knowledge.

(Read the full review on Fourth-Rate Reader.)

A fine read, especially if you've read and loved Colony of Unrequited Dreams, but not entirely satisfying. Colony is Johnston at his best, and I have very warm memories of devouring that book over a quiet vacation a few years ago. Custodian has many of the same positive qualities - the Newfoundland and New York setting, excellent prose, the delightful wit and humor and especially the personality of Shielagh Fielding. But like The Navigator of New York, it suffers a bit from improbable plot elements (something along the lines of a Victorian sensation novel), a bit of meandering when it shouldn't and an ending that is too abrupt and slightly inappropriate. Improbable plot elements don't necessarily put me off, but as in Navigator, I show more thought certain bits went a bit too far (fallen nuns and priests, intricate and secretive pursuit my mysterious characters, etc.). And I really didn't know what to make of the ending, which was abrupt and not the sort of observation I would have expected from the likes of Shielagh. Colony had some historical events to keep it in line and it had a better structured narrative. That said, Custodian is well worth the time and there is much pleasure in reading it. As with all of Johnson's novels there is great humor, something to choke you up and a fine sense of adventure. I'd start with Colony, savour that for a while, then pick up Custodian. And don't forget Navigator - an imperfect work, but still a very fine read. show less

Sheilagh Fielding grew up without her mother and her father insisted he wasn't really her father. As a teenager, she became pregnant and gave up her twin children. As she got older, she received letters from someone who called himself her “Provider”. He seemed to know all her secrets.

It was ok, but in my opinion, the author has much better books. I really wasn't all that interested in Sheilagh (though I was mildly curious about this “Provider”), and I really didn't like her all that much, either. Much of the book is told in diary form or letters as she thinks back on her life. Normally, that doesn't bother me much, but for some reason, I tended to skim through the letters and such more than the “regular” text of the book.

This is the story of Sheilagh Fielding, who, during the last months of WWII, lives on the desserted island of Loreburn, off the coast of New Foundland. Fielding was first introduced by Johnston in "The Colony of Unrequited Dreams." In this story, she retells some of the main themes from the previous story from her point of view and uncovers the identity of her father. Although Fielding's wit and depth of character comes through again, this is not the powerhouse that "Colony" is. The ending is a real disappointment but the telling of her life in the tuberculosis sanitarium, time in New York City and life in the section shack where she survived a snowstorm are excellent. There is very little about her relationship with Joey Smallwood, show more which dominated the first book. That was hard to swallow. Also, the continued storyline regarding her children was not believable at all. The lengthy section about her "provider" dragged out and didn't make much sense, but Johnston's writing style came through throughout and made the book enjoyable. show less

Johnston is a master storyteller, and The Custodian of Paradise is no exception. This novel focuses on Sheilagh Fielding's odd life (readers of The Colony of Unrequited Dreams will remember her from that novel). Long, but worthwhile. This novel may be challenging for young readers - it may be difficult for them to believe how damaging something as commonplace as divorce was a century ago, how scandalous it was for a woman to smoke and drink, how an illegitimate birth could ruin not only her life but also her family's, how much secrecy lay at the heart of the families who made up 'the quality.' It is, therefore, an important book not only for its literary value but also for its contribution to social history.

This is a 4 star read. I enjoyed the central character Sheilagh Fielding - she is witty and outrageous and continues to astound me from page to page. I am surprised I got through the 500 page book with only a minor stall near the middle. I will now go back to read the other book with the same character in it - the "Colony of Unrequited Dreams". Wayne Johnston is a wonderful storyteller.