Rate this book

Birds Of Paradise (2011)

by Diana Abu-Jaber(Favorite Author)

3.32 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0393064611 (ISBN13: 9780393064612)

languge

English

genre

Young Adult Fiction

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: They seemed like the perfect family. Avis was a baker, Brian was a lawyer, and their two kids, Stanley and Felice were doing well. But when Felice ran away at age 13, everything started to unravel. Five years later, they have all drifted into separate lives, trying to bury their grief in their work, but things are about to change. Portland author Abu-Jaber tells this story from four different viewpoints and gives us a vivid picture of life in Florida around the time of Hurricane Katrina. It’s almost like four books in one. Avis takes us into the world of artisanal pastries and then leads us into her exploration of the Haitian culture. Brian is a corporate lawyer for a development firm that is bent on transforming all of the old neighborhoods into moneymaking condos. Stan... moreley, now grown, owns a natural foods market which is about to go under. Meanwhile, Felice is living on the streets. It’s a fascinating story, well told.
review 2: In this book about a teenage girl who runs away from her wealthy Miami family at the age of 13 and her parents' attempts to cope with their grief and regret over her decision, there are moments of rich description (I dare you to get through the descriptions of the baker mother's elaborate, fragile pastries without running out to buy cookies), but, like the wafers described in the opening scene, the richness seems to dissolve on your tongue by the end, leaving you feeling not much different when you did when you began. less

Download links for: Birds of Paradise

Advertising