Road to Paradise: A Novel
Written by Paullina Simons
Narrated by Em Eldridge
3.5/5
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About this audiobook
Love, passion, and friendship collide on the road trip of a lifetime in this breathtaking novel from Paullina Simons, internationally bestselling author of The Bronze Horseman and Tully.
There’s no telling where a journey will lead you…
Shelby Sloane has big plans for the summer of 1981. She’ll drive cross country in her graduation present—a classic yellow Mustang. In California, she hopes to find the mother who left her behind long ago, and then return East in time to start college. Her childhood friend Gina is desperate to reunite with her boyfriend in Bakersfield and has convinced Shelby to bring her along.
With Gina on board, Shelby’s carefully mapped-out itinerary is quickly abandoned. Soon, so is their “no hitchhikers” rule when Shelby picks up a mysterious girl named Candy Cane, who sets them all on a new and dangerous course. Streetwise beyond her years and decked out with tattoos, piercings, and spiky hair, Candy is on the run from a past darker than anything the two suburban girls have ever known. Candy draws Shelby and Gina into her terrifying world, where life as they know it is turned upside down and there is no place left to hide.
Paullina Simons
Paullina Simons was born in Leningrad in 1963. As a child she emigrated to Queens, New York, and attended colleges in Long Island. Then she moved to England and attended Essex University, before returning to America. She lives in New York with her husband and children.
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Reviews for Road to Paradise
16 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This series is just a whole lotta diminishing returns. Now we're catching up with a middle-aged Michael O'Sullivan Jr, deep into an unremarkable period of his life.
And, shockingly, the story turns to revenge.
What continues to bother me is Collins' penchant for tell tell tell. I think he's so used to working with artists that show that he's either lost--or never really had--the ability to show. I don't know, I haven't read anything else he's written and, after this second of two prose novels in the series, I won't be.
What specifically bothered me about this one is that Collins seemed to completely forget the character of Pat (is that Michael's wife's name? She left so little an impression, less than 24 hours after reading it, I can't remember). In the previous novel, she was a vivacious, headstrong, and tough character. Here, she's a pill-popping desperate housewife that garners no sympathy whatsoever. And, because Collins even had Michael briefly considering an extra-marital affair, I kinda didn't care what happened to either of them.
Collins lost the plot here.
One more book to go. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Most times we say that the book was better than the movie, but every once in a while the movie is better than the book. "Jaws" sticks in my mind in this regard; the book is nothing compared to the movie. Although only the first of the Perdition Series has been filmed so far, I can assure you that the films will be better."Road to Perdition", the first in the series, began as a graphic novel which was made into a movie and a full-length novel, so perhaps we can consider the novel to be tie in, and those are usually pretty poor. Really, though, I think the problem is that the creative requirements for a graphic novel are different from those needed for a text novel and creating in one medium does not automatically qualify you for the other.The Perdition Series is what I have referred to in other reviews as a "story boarded" novel, just as a graphic novel is storyboarded. First comes this frame, then the next and then the next till you get to the end of the story. Mr. Collins is used to doing this for his graphic work and really, this kind of writing is easy to do. Writing an emotionally charged, empathetic, character-driven novel is something else entirely. Mr. Collins' stories flow along and really, if you like this kind of writing you will enjoy the series. I, though, want something more than a graphic novel presented in words.I received a review copy of "Road to Paradise: The Perdition Series 3" by Max Allan Collins (Brash) directly from the publisher.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is the conclusion to the Road to Perdition series, which started as a graphic novel that was then made in to a movie starring Tom Hanks. I have to admit: this is not my usual genre, and I don’t go out of my way to watch mob movies or TV series either. However, I try to keep an open mind about fiction, the blurb for Early Reviewers was intriguing, and I did read The Godfather decades ago, so I thought: why not?This book was a slow start (as another reviewer mentioned) but really grew on me as I kept reading. The author obviously knows his main character Michael deeply. Descriptions about the various fashions and geographical details fell flat as I 1) did not grow up in that era 2) am not a fan of mob movies 3) have never been to anywhere the book is set. Despite that, characters are detailed and well-rounded, the action flows along very smoothly and I particularly enjoyed Michael’s internal dialogue and his deepening relationship with his daughter Anna.I didn’t feel that I suffered unduly starting this late in the series, but if you’re spoiler sensitive then you might want to start with book 1. Conclusion? An utterly enjoyable palate cleanser for someone who doesn’t read crime fiction. Will I read some more? Maybe, but I won’t go out of my way for it.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If you love The Godfather movies and have watched them dozens of times, you'll love this book. It is as good as it gets when it comes to a mobster- oriented story. I have not read the first two books in this series, but just a few pages into this, I downloaded both. Collins is one of my favorite crime writers, but he really outdid himself this time. Taking place in 1973, this novel has Michael O' Sullivan ensconced at the Lake Tahoe resort casino the mob controls. He's a Medal of Honor recipient and the calm business face of the casino business, busy raising a family, a son serving in Vietnam, a daughter getting ready for senior prom. Then, the wheels come off and Michael's past returns and he has to do battle with the mob's deadliest monsters in a war that takes no prisoners. Expertly crafted with a plot that just builds and builds, it's everything you could want from a crime fiction novel and more. Many thanks to Brash Books for providing a copy for review.