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A review by katie_king
The Paradise Engine by Rebecca Campbell
3.0
First novel by a promising author. Locals will enjoy the blend of BC history (the province populated by weirdos since 1857) and scenery. My favourite parts are not the intertwined stories of post-WWI angst and pre-apocalyptic Vancouver, but the relationship between the protagonist and her father.
Much better than either After Alice or Extensions (see below), but utimately unsatisfying.
From my review of Extensions:
This is one of four new releases from NeWest Press that I won in a silent auction. This book, like two others (After Alice and The Paradise Engine), is a first novel by a woman writer based in and about BC.
It seems like all three authors went to the same how-to-write-a-novel workshop, which included the ideas of a multigenerational family, dark secrets revealed by archival material, and a female protagonist with a highly distinctive name. And the latter because it's the only way to distinguish her from the other, somewhat one-dimensional characters.
Much better than either After Alice or Extensions (see below), but utimately unsatisfying.
From my review of Extensions:
This is one of four new releases from NeWest Press that I won in a silent auction. This book, like two others (After Alice and The Paradise Engine), is a first novel by a woman writer based in and about BC.
It seems like all three authors went to the same how-to-write-a-novel workshop, which included the ideas of a multigenerational family, dark secrets revealed by archival material, and a female protagonist with a highly distinctive name. And the latter because it's the only way to distinguish her from the other, somewhat one-dimensional characters.