A review by katiegilley
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller

5.0

I'd checked this book out from the library a while back ago because I loved the cover and the title. I read the plot when I got home and decided it wasn't for me and returned it to the library unread. The plot sounded so... absurd. But I decided to actually try it after it made the Women's Prize long list this year (mostly because my library doesn't have many of the books on the list and I want to read as many as I can). Once I started the book, I was hooked. Couldn't put it down. The author beautifully told the multi-generational history of the family's run-down shabby camp, lovingly and ironically dubbed The Paper Palace. It also showed us how young love sinks its hooks into you and, sometimes, just won't let you go. I loved this author's writing: it was sharp, poetic, and page-turning; I can't believe it's her first novel! And the ending. I'd love to chat about it when you get there!

Moral of the story: Always judge a book by its cover, not the plot.