A Better View of Paradise

by Randy Sue Coburn

A deeply satisfying novel that explores the tender bond between fathers and daughters, and celebrates the redemptive power of forgiveness and love-sometimes found in the most unexpected places... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0345490363
• ISBN13: 9780345490360
• Release Date: July 2009
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 354 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Homerun in Hawaii!

Randy Sue is a great writer, and she didn't let us down with this one! I loved it!

Grab this novel quick!

This is a well crafted blend of Hawaiian culture and the power of the Goddess Pele with the true grit of the human relationship roller coaster. I loved the fine writing in Coburn's two other novels and the journey I took through reading them. So I rushed right out to buy "Paradise." Run, don't walk, to your nearest Indie book seller and do the same.

Don't miss this book!

This is more than a beach read: it's a smart, tender, often funny portrait of a woman coming to terms with herself and her relationships, primarily in the beautifully described tropic lushness of Hawaii. As the plot unfolds, you see the sureness of Coburn's pacing, and her storytelling skills. These are characters that are fully-developed--people you want to spend time with...plus, a scruffy pup adds a bright dimension. I've read all of Coburn's novels, and after reading a Better View of Paradise, I'm excited to see what she writes next!

A wonderful book

This is a lovely book, wonderfully constructed, strongly paced with terrific color and dialogue. The storyline is true and strong and the writing is polished, steady and spirited. "A Better View of Paradise" finds Randy Sue Coburn nearly dancing with the powers of her writing gifts. You will do very well to buy and enjoy this book. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking for a good story well told. Enjoying this, you will be looking forward eagerly for more from this graceful author who knows how to get to the reader's heart and mind.

Fully realized characters deliver a heart-felt story

Landscape architect Stevie Pollack reels from two major failures, professional and personal--her beau dumps her and her Chicago project goes south. Who can't relate to big dreams derailed or a sense of loneliness that seems to defy relationships? I'm sympathetic to both, but what made me empathize with Stevie and read late into the night was her difficult relationship with her dying father, a father much like mine was, and the mystical power of Kauai, my favorite Hawaiian island. I also loved this novel because the story is like life--big-hearted, emotional, messy and real. Coburn not only writes gorgeously, she sets a large, engrossing stage and puts her characters on it like John Irving and Pat Conroy do. I cheered for a full-blown, fully realized romance between Stevie and the quiet, handsome veterinarian Japhy. But I also wanted that querulous father to wake up to his daughter and show a little love as she desperately desires to connect with him before he dies. Stevie tries everything to keep her father alive longer--from bringing the Cubs games to her dad via the internet to dealing positively with a branch of family that was kept secret from her. As she tries to keep her emotions in check to care for her dying father, she also struggles to overcome her failures and win her father's approval and love. Being home on Kauai brings back memories and draws forth Pele, the island's fiery goddess, who torches Stevie's imagination, bringing her home in a metaphysical way. When a homeless puppy appears, Stevie decides--even though it's hard enough caring for her father--to take on the responsibility because the puppy just might keep her father alive longer. Many things converge to help Stevie, but ultimately she learns that "what's no longer needed are . . . ways of being that have walled off hearts, choked imaginations, paralyzed energy." And the surprising way this happens feels like a fresh Hawaiian breeze and salt water swim, delivering a fully realized story with the power to heal.