De levens van vier mensen worden onlosmakelijk met elkaar verbonden door één onvergeeflijke daad

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An entertaining 2-star read if you don't think about it too much. The characters are fairly well drawn, if a little stock. Many of the scenes are deftly drawn. The whole thing comes together like an IKEA table: easy to live with for a while, and strong enough to do the job, but don't take it apart or expect it to last very long. One weird and unforgivable choice for me was that a man commits an act of what I define as rape in the first chapter, and then, not only does his victim forgive him, but he even goes on to be the redeemed hero in the end, all his demons slain.. ( )

The one thing I hate about waiting for a while to write a review about a book is that my impression of the novel changes. When I first read this novel, I was blown away. I thought it was fantastic and unique and I only had good things to say about it. In hindsight, I still maintain that it was a good novel. But it wasn't spectacular. At first, the weaving of the different characters and stories is interesting. But when you reread the story or reflect on them again, they don't seem all that great. It's still done very nicely, and you can definitely see how one's life can affect so many others' without ever realizing it... but it's not some crazy interaction that blows your mind away. All in all, it's a good realistic fiction and the author does a good job in creating unique personalities for the 4 main characters and intertwining their lives. ( )

Four very diverse individuals who live in London become linked in unexpected ways.
This book light reading, but very engrossing. The characters and situations seemed very true to life, in fact I thought I could detect some aspects of real individuals put together into a composite. Particularly apposite as two of the characters in the book are caught up in a sexual harassment situation - and these are at the forefront of the news at the moment. Think Harvey Weinstein and Domenique Strass-Khan. Having said that, the book was not sleazy or prurient, and very upbeat. I enjoyed it. ( )

What a superb book! I have had a few disappointments over the last couple of years, with books that I had eagerly awaited turning out to be far less enjoyable than I had hoped. This, however, represented the other side of the coin. I hadn't come across Elizabeth Day before, but took a punt on the basis of a very favourable review in The Guardian, and found myself smitten by one of the most engaging books I have read for a long time. I found 'Paradise City' reminiscent of both John Lanchester's marvellous 'Capital' (one of my all-time favourites) and Sebastian Faulks's 'A Week in December', though Ms Day brings her own twist to the interlaced narrative format.

The book takes the form of four separate narratives, each focusing on a separate character. It is readily apparent how three of them relate to each other, though the fourth appears wholly discrete from the others. Sir Howard Pink is a self-made millionaire who appears to have everything, though his life has been blighted ever since, eleven years ago, his nineteen-year-old daughter disappeared. As the novel opens he is checking in to a luxurious Mayfair hotel as part of a recurring ritual in which he briefly withdraws from his hectic life to ponder over his loss. During this retreat, he has a dramatic encounter with Beatrice, the focal character of one of the other narratives.

Beatrice is a political refugee, seeking sanctuary from her former life in Uganda where, for reasons that gradually emerge, her life is endangered. As the book starts she is bemoaning the poverty of her life in London which is exacerbated by her work as a chambermaid in the luxurious but curiously impersonal hotel. She is lumbered with unsociable hours and frequently demeaning work, and is scarcely ever noticed by the hotel's guests as she scurries from room to room fulfilling her role. Sir Howard does notice her, however, and their encounter will come to be a pivotal moment in her life.

Esme is a journalist, working on the scurrilous Sunday Tribune, and has just penned a story about business tycoons, including Sir Howard. Though grateful for the free publicity that her article offers, Sir Howard was upset by the paper's use of an old photograph of him. Esme is despatched to take him for an expensive lunch at another top hotel by way of apology, and scents the possibility of a future article. Still relatively new to London, she is plagued by her constant sense of having fallen woefully short of her mother's high expectations for her.

The fourth prop of the story is Carol, a recently-widowed woman in her sixties who lives in a flat in West London. Still slightly shell-shocked by her bereavement, Carol is frequently slightly disengaged from the world around her. The reader is left beguiled, trying to work out how she will fit into the plot.

Elizabeth Day captures the tone of her four principal protagonists with great precision. All of them are beautifully drawn. Sir Howard is at times a perfectly dreadful man, who behaves abominably, yet it is difficult not to feel sorry for him. Indeed, I found it difficult to suppress the odd inappropriate snigger at some of his more appalling political rants! I know that Day is herself a journalist, and her portrayal of Esme's daily grind at the Sunday Tribune resonates with plausibility.

The storylines are well-defined and cohere seamlessly, resulting in a very enjoyable and rewarding book. ( )