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Search - Paradise Park
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Paradise Park Author: |
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Book Information
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Other Versions of this Book: Hardcover
Book 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 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.
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 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.
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Top Member Book Reviews
Valerie L. (
1 member(s) found this review helpful.
I loved this book! The protagonist, Sharon Speigelman, is a culturally Jewish-American woman with no religious experience, who from age 20 to her early forties, seeks spirituality in Hawaii, Jerusalem, Washington, Brooklyn and finally in Boston.
Told in the first-person, Sharon is articulate and intelligent, sensual and sexy, and also a bit ditsy. While she is serious about knowing God, she doesn't take herself too seriously. She acknowledges her mistakes and shortcomings, but never apologizes for making the choices she makes.
Goodman has a good feel for describing both Jews and Gentiles, including the Hasidic Jewish Orthodox communities in Mea Shearim in Isreal and in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She clearly yet lovingly depicts all of the characters in Paradise Park with sensitivity and affection. There are no villains in this book, although all the characters, including Sharon, are fallible and make mistakes that hurt her. Like Sharon, I forgive them all their foibles.
Told in the first-person, Sharon is articulate and intelligent, sensual and sexy, and also a bit ditsy. While she is serious about knowing God, she doesn't take herself too seriously. She acknowledges her mistakes and shortcomings, but never apologizes for making the choices she makes.
Goodman has a good feel for describing both Jews and Gentiles, including the Hasidic Jewish Orthodox communities in Mea Shearim in Isreal and in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. She clearly yet lovingly depicts all of the characters in Paradise Park with sensitivity and affection. There are no villains in this book, although all the characters, including Sharon, are fallible and make mistakes that hurt her. Like Sharon, I forgive them all their foibles.
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I read this book for a class, and loved it! Sharon, the main character, is searching for G-d and for religious truth. The book is accessible to both Jews and non-Jews, as the words and terms are all explained or translated by Goodman. The book is also well-written and thought-provoking. I'd recommend this book to anyone who has had a religious journey, or simply wants to read about one.
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