What do readers think of The Last Good Paradise by Tatjana Soli? Write your own review.

This book appears to be confirming the old principle "no matter where you go YOU are always there". Ann is a successful lawyer who doesn't want to be one but is supporting her husband Richard who longs to be a celebrity chef but needs his unscrupulous friend as a front man. When that friend brings everything down around their heads, Ann and Richard flee to an isolated atoll in Tahiti where a French artist has done a Gauguin-like escape and is drunkenly managing an exclusive eco-tourist resort. There they meet a somewhat washed up rock and roll star and his current young girl friend. All of them apparently looking for something - possibly themselves. Adding to the plot is a local couple who are actually doing the work at the resort although Cooked dreams of avenging the damages done to his people with the atomic testing. There is a lot of good - and occasionally funny - stuff in this book as everyone struggles with attempting to disconnect from the world and is constantly dragged back into electronic contact but for at least the first half they just keep making such bad decisions that I found it frustrating.

I almost liked this book at the beginning where it dealt with a unfulfilling career but it seemed that as soon as we were in "paradise" I found the book dragging on and the storyline became more unbelievable as the book progressed. I wanted to finish it to give it a proper review but it was a struggle especially towards the end where it veers off and the characters become even more unbelievable. Sorry - I did not enjoy this book.

I struggled with this book for all 300 pages. The characters stories were so drawn out through the book that not a single one developed into someone I cared about. Felt like the author tried to take on too much instead of focusing on just an issue or two to develop - and they were all important issues that would have benefited from being singled out.

I absolutely loved Tatjana's Soli's previous books -- The Lotus Eaters and The Forgetting Tree. Both were haunting and I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. Here, Ms. Soli seems to have traded poignancy and insights for slapstick entertainment (think: Gilligan's Island instead of Lord of the Flies, for example). Although the writing remains strong and the more comic approach may appeal to a different audience, I found myself increasingly not connecting to the characters. Of course, my opinion is subjective and others may like it more.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. Admittedly, there are good pieces; some of the writing is gorgeous, the food descriptions are mouth watering, though few and far between. I was looking forward to a book filled with quirky characters. What I found were selfish, self indulgent, whinny people. Do I stay or go; do I love or hate, do I stand up for the right or stand back and do nothing. ugh. Sometimes it made my head spin. Not one character was likable. I also questioned the inclusion of the ill effects of nuclear testing, especially by the French. It seemed like an after thought and not really the best forum. If the author's intention was to inspire outrage in nuclear testing, in my opinion, she fell short and it just underlined the fickleness of her characters. I am not really sure who this book will appeal to, perhaps Tatjana Soli fans.