Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Paper Palace

Please check trigger warnings on this book, so you are more prepared than I was. Stories with these themes and traumas deserve to be told, but I was completely unprepared and the writing’s explicit nature caused me to step away from this book for a little. I don’t understand why the characters like each other. I don’t understand why Jonas loves Elle. Were told it, over and over, but I can’t retain and emotion from these scenes. The main catalyst for this story, Elle’s and Jonas’ big decision, does not have the emotional weight that we were told of the whole book. There’s no depth to the relationships between Elle and Peter and Jonas. The timeline jumps around so quickly we lose the character’s emotions and weight of their actions because we’re suddenly back in the far past or future-past. I was fine putting up with the writing style the first third of the book, but the turn the story takes in Elle’s traumatic childhood completely caught me off guard. I decided to power through the book around page 250, and I skimmed the last 30 pages. I liked the complexity of Wallace and the sisters’ relationship, but I didn’t care for much else. The dialogue felt so stiff, especially when they were all children. I had forgotten who Peter was when part three came around.

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lin_purcell's review against another edition

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velma's review against another edition

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Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

While the book was gripping and had me constantly turning the next page, the sexual violence against minors was vulgar and sexualized children more than anything.

Hated the ending, the love triangle, and the support of cheating and lying.

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zee23020's review against another edition

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dark sad

3.0

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strawberrymivvy's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Early one morning on Cape Cod Elle heads out for a swim, passing the detritus of last night's dinner as she passes the table, setting in motion a recollection of a 50 year love story, recalled over a 24 hour period.

We learn about decades of family lies and secrets, love, friendship and more as Elle works towards a decision on the one that got away, what might have been.

Beautiful prose, little tidbits of information dropped in that were at times joyful or heartbreaking, hard to believe this was a first novel.

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saoreads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It's amusing how the journey went from initially disliking the main character to gradually rooting for her, but not really (picky on some parts). There are reasons behind every action and the subsequent consequences, regardless of how positive or dire they may be. If it's not you fulfilling something in that life, something is bound to happen. The subtleties throughout the book, along with metaphors leading up to the years portrayed, shed light on generational patterns. Ultimately, it's her choice, and the outcome remains uncertain. The ending brings about new beginnings—whether good or bad, it could be either or even both.

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mstrypie5's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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