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Mermaids In Paradise (2014)

by Lydia Millet(Favorite Author)

3.16 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0393245624 (ISBN13: 9780393245622)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

W. W. Norton & Company

review 1: I found the narrator annoying and profoundly unlikeable, but discovered that I cared what happened to her friends and the mermaids, and why things were happening. At the end, I still somewhat disliked the narrator, but felt that she did the best she could and grew a little. I consider that a plus. This novel is not quite as smart and funny as the author seems to think it is. Still, I think in a lot of ways, Millet got human nature and how ordinary people might react to an extraordinary discovery right. It will never be a favorite, but I'm glad I read it.
review 2: I picked this up to read because it was on so many of the "must read" lists when it first came out. I should have stopped reading this when the character of Gina was introduced but I wanted to see wh... moreere the mermaids fit in so I kept reading. I question how an editor would allow the word irony and all its many forms to be used in such excess. The author is billed as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize with a previous work and the ad nauseam use of the word was sad. The plot itself was okay. Chip and Deb are newlyweds on their honeymoon to the British Virgin Islands. Chip befriends marine biologist, Nancy, who discovers mermaids while on a dive to study the coral reefs. There is the inevitable swooping in of the corporate suits to commercialize the whole venture. It is up to Deb, Chip and their band of rebels to save the mermaids from exploitation. I have not read any of Lydia Millet's previous works so I was not quite sure what to expect. I got that it was supposed to be a work of satire and social commentary with a touch of environmentalism. What I didn't get was the meanness and stereotyping of the heartland and Midwest being full of obese, hard line over zealous Christians while Californians are vastly superior. I did feel she did an excellent job of showing how quickly the situation was able to get out of hand due to living in the constant information society with Facebook, Twitter, etc. I was not surprised with the resolution of Nancy. The very end seemed a little out of sync with the rest of the story. Obviously, this wasn't the book for me. less

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