Book Synopsis:
Singapore, 1949
When Miranda moves to the Alexandra Quarter with her husband Gerry, she hopes it will bring the fresh start they need.
Though their life in ex-pat society is full of luxury, Miranda can’t help feeling like an outsider, and her relationship with Gerry becomes increasingly distant.
When doctor Nick Wythenshaw encourages Miranda to work within the local community, she finds new purpose away from her protected world that opens her eyes to a new way of life.
But as riots erupt across the region and danger draws close to home, Miranda must make an impossible choice.
Will she sacrifice everything she holds dear to find happiness?
Journey To Paradise is available in ebook now and will be published in paperback on the 30th December 2021. You can get your copy using the link below.
My Review:
Journey to Paradise is a beautifully written, absorbing journey through Singapore which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Firstly I think the thing that most stood out for me about this book was the wonderful descriptions that made me feel I was actually there visiting the country alongside the characters. The author has cleverly written the book so that the reader experiences the country as the characters do so we get access to all of the sights and sounds of the city which was just glorious to read about. I felt like I could smell the food and hear the busy city as I read which helped me get lost in the book for hours.
I didn’t know much about Singapore’s history before reading this book so I found it interesting to learn about the political unrest there and to find out more about the reasons behind it. There is a lot of tension and divides in the country which helped create a bit of an uncertain atmosphere in the book as I wasn’t sure when it was all going to spill over.
I really liked the main character Miranda and felt a lot if sympathy for her . I can imagine how difficult it must be to move to a foreign country, not know anyone and to have a quite distant husband as your only companion. I enjoyed going on the journey with her and found myself reading faster as the story continued as I really cared about what happened.
Overall I really enjoyed this immersive read and can’t wait to read more from this author. I found myself trying to make the last few pages last as I didn’t want the book to end as I didn’t want to leave Singapore behind. It’s definitely a country I’d love to visit in the future.
Huge thanks to Isabelle Ralph for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Arrow publishing for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Paula has lived in various places, including Singapore, where she was based for three years. It was while living in Singapore that the first seeds of her debut novel, Journey to Paradise developed. The crumbling buildings and the modern high-rises popping up almost overnight seemed to be a metaphor for the social diversity and change in Singapore at that time. However, as a young mother living there, she wondered what it must have been like as a post-war colonial wife living miles away from the familiarity of home. Despite the gloss and glamour of colonial living, women were frequently stuck in unhappy marriages, often unable to follow careers or have the independence to divorce if things went wrong – which they inevitably did.
Her writing, although set against exotic backgrounds, is set on the cusp of change – the shift from colonial dominance to independence. She likes to dig into a variety of issues, and her main protagonist is, in many ways, a metaphor for the events surrounding her at that time. It isn’t always an easy journey, but in the end, success comes her way.
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