Paradise Park
by Allegra Goodman
On This Page
Description
Allegra Goodman has delighted readers with her critically acclaimed collections Total Immersion and The Family Markowitz, and her celebrated first novel, Kaaterskill Falls, which was a national bestseller and a National Book Award finalist. Abandoned by her folk-dancing partner, Gary, in a Honolulu hotel room, Sharon realizes she could return to Boston--and her estranged family--or listen to that little voice inside herself. The voice that asks: "How come Gary got to pursue his causes, while show more all I got to pursue was him?" Thus, with an open heart, a soul on fire, and her meager possessions (a guitar, two Indian gauze skirts, a macramé bikini, and her grandfather's silver watch) Sharon begins her own spiritual quest. Ever the optimist, she is sure at each stage that she has struck it rich "spiritually speaking"--until she comes up empty. Then, in a karmic convergence of events, Sharon starts on the path home to Judaism. Still, even as she embraces her tradition, Sharon's irrepressible self tugs at her sleeve. Especially when she meets Mikhail, falls truly in love at last, and discovers what even she could not imagine--her destiny. show lessTags
Recommendations
Member Reviews
This is the second novel by Allegra Goodman I have read. The first was Intuition - which I loved so I had very high expectations for this novel.
I was somewhat disappointed. I found that the right around the halfway mark the book became so slow and bogged down. It was hard for me at points to motivate myself to pick it up and continue.
I was so conflicted in my feelings about Sharon (the main character) I am not sure if we were supposed to take her quirkiness as just that and enjoy the ride - but several times I worried about whether she was suffering from untreated mental illness. It was an uncomfortable sort of read for me at those points.
I did enjoy reading about some of her religious exploration but it was a little drawn out for me. show more I wish that the last 1/3 of the book or so was a lot tighter - though - I will say that I enjoyed the ending. show less
I was somewhat disappointed. I found that the right around the halfway mark the book became so slow and bogged down. It was hard for me at points to motivate myself to pick it up and continue.
I was so conflicted in my feelings about Sharon (the main character) I am not sure if we were supposed to take her quirkiness as just that and enjoy the ride - but several times I worried about whether she was suffering from untreated mental illness. It was an uncomfortable sort of read for me at those points.
I did enjoy reading about some of her religious exploration but it was a little drawn out for me. show more I wish that the last 1/3 of the book or so was a lot tighter - though - I will say that I enjoyed the ending. show less
This book's heroine is the most mixed up, ditzy girl ... despite aging from 20's to 40's, she never stops being dizzy. The writing is alternately lyrical and plodding. The topics of religion and spirituality were often way too detailed for me. Nevertheless, it was a charming book ... in its own odd way.
Clueless, self-absorbed Sharon bumbles towards maturity. It's often funny, but not quite often enough.
Awful. Embarrassing protagonist who unconvincingly finds herself. For a while.
Loved it!
Ratings
Members
- Recently Added By
Author Information
15+ Works 6,314 Members
Allegra Goodman lives with her family in Cambridge, Massachusetts. (Publisher Provided) Allegra Goodman was born in Brooklyn New York in 1967, but grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii. She received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1989 and a PhD in English literature from Stanford University in 1997. Her first story, Variant Text, was show more accepted by Commentary magazine in 1985. While at Harvard University, she continued to publish short stories in Commentary and her first book, a collection of stories, was published the day she graduated. She wrote her second book, The Family Markowitz, while at Stanford University. Her other works include Intuition, Kaaterskill Falls, Paradise Park, and The Other Side of the Island. She teaches a writing workshop in the graduate program in Creative Writing at Boston University. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Work Relationships
Has as a supplement
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 274
- Popularity
- 117,780
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.35)
- Languages
- English, Italian
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 1
