Book
Stranger In Paradise.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780451205773
- ISBN: 0451205774
- Physical Description: 422 ; cm.
- Publisher: United States of America : Signet, 2002.
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| Subject: | Adult Fiction. |
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Available copies
- 2 of 2 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
- 1 of 1 copy available at Salmo Public Library.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 2 total copies.
Other Formats and Editions
| Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Holdable? | Status | Due Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salmo Public Library | PBK FIC GOU (Text) | SPL20600 | Paperback Fiction | Volume hold | Available | - |
- Booklist Reviews : Booklist Monthly Selections - #1 June 2001
Carson Springs, California, is a town draped in bougainvillea and nestled in rolling green hills, but enjoying the breathtaking scenery is not the only diversion the townspeople enjoy. Fresh gossip is always a welcome addition to a predictable day, and Sam Kiley provides just that when she falls in love with a much younger man. Sam is caught in a whirlwind of her true feelings, the expectations of two grown daughters, and fear of a town that might not forgive her indiscretions. Things become even more interesting when Sam's daughter takes in a willowy teenage runaway with a mysterious demeanor and a tight lid on her past. When the mangled body of a transient turns up in the hills, speculation as to who could be capable of such a murder has everyone's nerves on edge. Goudge's first installment in the Carson Springs trilogy is tinged with just the right blend of humanity, romance, and suspense to produce an intelligent page-turning read with a storyline that is enticingly unpredictable. ((Reviewed June 1 & 15, 2001)) Copyright 2001 Booklist Reviews - BookPage Reviews : BookPage Reviews 2001 June
Eileen Goudge first broke into publishing when she was asked to launch the Sweet Valley High series, which turned into a phenomenally successful line of teen romances. Later, she branched out on her own and wound up writing seven best-selling mainstream novels, including One Last Dance and Garden of Lies. Now the popular women's fiction writer returns with Stranger in Paradise, another fast-paced tale that mixes a bit of romance with a contemporary family crisis.Nestled in a peaceful valley outside Santa Barbara is the little town of Carson Springs. An idyllic community with sun-kissed hills and lush orange groves, it has a magical appeal to residents and tourists alike. It's in this glorious setting that Goudge launches the first in a new trilogy of Carson Springs novels.
The story centers on Samantha Kiley and her adult daughters, Alice and Laura. Each woman is facing a turning point in life, and the interaction between the trio is typical mother-daughter antagonism.
Laura, the eldest daughter and a recent divorcÄe, helps her mother run the family's gift shop. Alice, a television producer, has just married her over-50 boss, and finds herself questioning the wisdom of marrying an older man, as well as their mutual decision not to have children. Meanwhile the daughters are grousing over their mother Samantha's not-so secret affair with a younger man. When Sam gets pregnant, the story really gets interesting as her condition sparks the disapproval of the small town.
And what's a good romance without a little suspense to add some spice? This paradise has its very own malevolent murderer on the loose, and the tranquil little village can't quite rest until the culprit is caught.
Goudge's merry mix of secondary characters completes the package. Sam's best friend and former nun Gerry Fitzgerald, good-looking ranch hand Hector and the colorful residents of Carson Springs add plenty of additional flavor. Add the bevy of nuns at the Our Lady of The Wayside convent, and their Blessed Bee honey business, and you have enough craziness to keep the Hail Mary's coming.
Stranger in Paradise is a page-turning drama that delivers a little something for everyone - romance, intrigue, humor, all brought together in a thoroughly engaging story. Just right for that perfect summer day's read. Copyright 2001 BookPage Reviews
- Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2001 May #1
A widow falls in love with a much younger man, then decides to bear his child in a paradise implausibly haunted by an avenging serial killer.As usual, Goudge (The Second Silence, 2000, etc.) adds a touch of suspense to a tale of a woman finding her strength. This time, the first of a projected trilogy set in Carson Springs, a California Shangri-la with Spanish architecture and flowers everywhere, begins with a runaway and a wedding. Goudge then energetically goes on to make the connections, some strained, that will corral everyone together for the wrap-up. Finch, a teenaged runaway who has witnessed a murder, flees New York and finds herself part of the wedding as Samantha Kiley's younger daughter, Alice, marries much older media tycoon Wes Carpenter. Tenderhearted Laura, the eldest Kiley daughter, takes Finch home to her small ranch to join the other strays, including octogenarian Maude and countless animals. Meanwhile, Samantha talks to Wes's 31-year-old son, Ian, an artist who invites the beautiful 48-year-old widow out on a date. Deeply attracted to each other, the two are soon passionately in love. The affair shocks Alice, a TV producer, and Laura, divorced and unable to bear children of her own, both of whom idolized their dead father. They are further appalled and angry when Samantha announces she's pregnant and has decided to keep the baby, even though she eventually breaks with Ian because of the age difference. Two people are discovered brutally killed, and Finch, who has finally found a home with Laura, fears the police may suspect her. When tracked down by the NYPD, she runs away to a nearby convent, where she sees the killer setting out and alerts the nuns, just as Samantha alone faces the murder-bent intruder.An agreeable page-turner despite the creaky plot and clunky prose. Copyright Kirkus 2001 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2001 February #2
Goudge launches a new trilogy set in lush Carson Springs, CA, with the story of a woman's passion for a much younger man and the havoc it wreaks. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information. - Publishers Weekly Reviews : PW Reviews 2001 May #1
"A woman alone is no good to anyone" could be the rallying cry for bestselling author Goudge's kickoff to a new series, the Carson Springs trilogy (following One Last Dance). Situated east of Santa Barbara, Calif., Carson Springs and its Spanish-style architecture and orange groves provide the scenic backdrop for a tale about second chances, focusing on 48-year-old Samantha "Sam" Kiley and her daughters, Alice and Laura. As the story opens, Alice is about to marry Wes Carpenter, a Ted Turneresque entertainment mogul nearly 30 years her senior. Then Wes's son, Ian, takes a shine to Sam and the two become romantically involved, alarming Sam's daughters and setting the gossipy town abuzz. Laura, divorced because she couldn't bear children, and given to taking in strays, gets a new lease on life when she provides shelter for 16-year-old female runaway Finch, introduced to the reader in the prologue as being on the lam following a violent incident in Brooklyn. Goudge's fictional test of one of society's great inconsistencies that it's okay for a man to be with a much younger woman, but not the reverse is interesting, but the supposed scandal caused when Sam reveals she is pregnant is dated, given how increasingly common it is for older women to bear children. Despite Finch's dramatic appearance in the prologue, her story line is incidental, forgotten for long stretches of time and, when it is finally wrapped up, like everything else in this Fiction Lite territory, it's in a too-neat package. Agent, Susan Ginsburg of Writers House. (June 25) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
