Reviews with content warning for Cursing - Der Papierpalast

I feel really mixed about this. Maybe this is more of a 2.75 than a 3…

Let’s start with the positives: the descriptions are truly beautiful, and that honestly was a whole star in my rrating system. I could see The Paper Palace and it’s surrounding, it was a very sensory experience.
For some reason (and I don’t really know why), I got more into this in the second half than the first, and I’m wondering whether it was because I settled into the banter of the family. Possibly because it reminded me slightly of my own…

I do have some issues with it though. Firstly I don’t think it helped that the Audible narrator sounded like the female US Siri which made some of it come across as very cold. But I think even looking past that, some parts really lacked emotion, and almost came across as harsh. I found this particularly hard to swallow when it come to the really disturbing parts, so much so I had to skip forward sometimes.

I also found the storyline lacked purpose. I think with the beginning it set it up to be a completely different book to what it turned out to be, and I was left slightly disappointed by that. There just didn’t seem to be any clear direction, regardless of the varying time lines.

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jade_0222's review against another edition

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challenging emotional sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.75

I discovered this book at my local library, attracted by its summery cover and knowing very little about its plot (I intentionally avoid reading synopses for 90% of the books I read so that I can approach them with an unbiased attitude). I anticipated a light, possibly romantic, summertime read, but I was completely mistaken. The novel centers around a family's vacation home called the "Paper Palace," which serves as a retreat during summer and holidays. Numerous events, ranging from heartbreaking to heartwarming, are interwoven throughout the vacation getaway. While I found some of the nature writing to be beautiful and immersive, the writing that focused on the main character was occasionally jarring and perplexing. The story takes place over 24 hours with flashbacks to the main character's childhood and young adulthood, I found these to be distracting. The characters in the book are difficult to like, and I struggled to relate to the main character. <**SPOILERS**The story follows Elle as she visits her family's summer home with her spouse and children. While there, she reconnects with her childhood friend, Jonas, who she has been in love with since she was younger. They have a brief fling, which causes Elle to question the "What ifs" she has always had about Jonas. The plot revolves around her struggle to choose between staying in her happy marriage or pursuing a new life with Jonas, along with traumatic experiences she endured in her youth and how that affects her currently. Despite Elle's infidelity, the book could be considered a lighthearted romance if you can overlook that fact. It is implied that she chooses Jonas over her husband, but the ending is not entirely clear. However, the heavy trauma that has affected both Elle and Jonas's relationship makes the book an emotionally heavy read. Jonas is the most interesting character in the story, but even he seems somewhat one-dimensional. Overall, it's challenging to find a character to truly like in this book. **SPOILERS**>

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jayjm94's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

It’s a beautifully written, emotional novel about love, marriage, family, violence and a very old beach home. I read it in about 24 hours, I couldn’t put it down from the first line. With that said the plot is winding, tense, and brutal at times. I never felt like the upsetting scenes were overwrought though. The main character is flawed and makes a series of choices throughout the novel that ultimately come to make perfect sense. The ending is ambiguous, but I enjoyed it and felt it was earned. To read this book in a beach house or even on a lake would be divine.

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