Paradise Once: A Novel

by Olive Senior

A historical novel that brings to life the resiliency of the indigenous Taíno people in the Caribbean whose culture was virtually destroyed within two generations of their “discovery” by Christopher Columbus in 1492


Paradise Once is a sweeping historical novel that brings to life the resiliency of the indigenous Taíno people of the Caribbean, whose culture was virtually destroyed within two generations of their “discovery” by Christopher Columbus in 1492.


In 1513 in Cuba, an entire village is wiped out by Spanish forces for no discernible reason. Had the villagers offended their spiritual guides—the cemíes—as one faction claimed, by incorporating foreign practices?


Four youthful survivors escape the massacre—three indigenous and one African runaway. They start off on separate perilous paths, not knowing they have been chosen by the cemíes to carry out a sacred mission—to ensure the survival of a Sacred Bundle that will enable a Taíno revival in future generations. But first, an epic spiritual battle must be played out.


In this love song to the Caribbean, Olive Senior authentically evokes the physical and spiritual worlds of its First Peoples and the survivors—indigenous and African—who will become the resistance fighters known in history as Cimarrones or Maroons.

Genres: Historical Fiction

340 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2025

About the author

Olive Senior was born and brought up in Jamaica in 1941 and educated in Jamaica and Canada. She is a graduate of Montego Bay High School and Carleton University, Ottawa.

She is one of Canada's most internationally recognized and acclaimed writers having left Jamaica in 1989, spending some years in Europe and since 1993 being based in Toronto.

Among her many awards and honours she has won the Commonwealth Writers Prize and F.G. Bressani Literary Prize, was nominated for a Governor-General’s Literary Award, and was runner up for the Casa de Las Americas Prize and the Pat Lowther Award. In 2003, she received the Norman Washington Manley Foundation Award for Excellence (preservation of cultural heritage – Jamaica). Her body of published work includes four books of poetry, three collections of short stories and several award-winning non-fiction works on Caribbean culture.

Reviews

[BookOfCinz · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a journey... I did not want it to end!

Olive Senior's latest release brings to life the Taino culture and history and I am here for all of it. Set during the of the massacre by Spanish forces of the fictional Maima village in Cuba in 1513. We are taken to the village and the book is told from the perspective of four persons and how they are dealing with the aftermath.

I loved everything about this book especially how Senior wrote the language and culture during that time. An brilliant read.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a pleasure to read. I just love these types of stories where the native peoples live in nature and we learn the old ways of how they had lived. It's both an adventure story with action and danger but it's also about a time of much turmoil. Things are changing. It's very similar to the "People of" series by the Gears or the books by Sue Harrison except this is set in Cuba.

In this well written novel the village of Maima faces destruction from the Spanish. I have never read a book set in Cuba about their natives (or not that I remember). There are many unique words from the Taino language in here and I did a great job of remembering what these words meant as I was reading. The book does have a glossary at the back with all the words. I only had to look up each word once as for whatever reason they just stuck in my head.

I was surprised by some of the events in here, like how a simple European common bird caused so much turmoil in the village near the beginning of the book... The book points out how beliefs can affect people in a major way. In a way that bird was a harbinger instead of the gift it was meant to be, but they already had problems brewing in their society. It does an excellent job of pointing out how different beliefs can clash, sometimes in the most innocent of ways. That is, the individual who had brought the bird over had never meant any harm at all... I think that is a big problem today: people don't understand each other.

The story and the various characters just captured my imagination. What was going to happen to Flint, Night Orchard, Heart of Palms and the others? Is Candlewood correct when he talks about the bird? And I absolutely hated that Shark Tooth!! And there are plenty of nail biting scenes in here with danger. A few of them even surprised me. And these scenes are not limited to the Spanish attacking at all. Often these are environment related or from other natives. It's a fast moving, action packed tale.

The entire story is from the viewpoint of the natives so I am left just as confused as they are as to why the Spanish did what they did. I certainly can guess as to the reasons (because we live in modern days and we know why similar things were done to the native American tribes) but the book doesn't really say - the characters don't understand it. But they are strong. Very strong.

Another part of the plot shows society decaying. It's very sad.

I liked the magic in here. And all of the wonderful descriptions of the environment around them, as it's the environment that brings the story to life. It definitely brought something special to the book.

I added this one to my Favorites list.

[Sasha (bahareads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paradise Once is the first historical fiction book I've read that covers the Taino people. It showcases four mainpoints of view from characters of different race and social backgrounds. It highlights the massacre by Spanish forces of the Maima village in Cuba in 1513.

Senior examines Taino mythology and langauge in her work. It was fascinating. I've been reading Fray Ramon Pane's An account of the antiquities of the Indians which pairs well with this work. The ending culminates into the survivors of the massacre becoming maroons, which I really enjoyed. I love how Senior seeks to keep to the spirit and authenticity of the Taino people alive in the work. You can feel the care she had in crafting the story.

As a reader you can feel a bit lost at times, with all the foreign words being thrown at you. I wanted to keep flipping back and forth between the glossary and the main text. However I enjoy a book you have to wrestle with, every once in a while.

[Diana Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been curious about the Taino people since I started travelling to the Caribbean more frequently in the past few years and I was so excited to read this book when I saw it was published. This story brings the Taino people to life in a mystical way that kept me intrigued and made my heart hurt at the same time. Loved this story!

[Miranda Summerset · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 STARS! I am so blessed to have received an arc copy of this. This book is a tale of the indigenous people of Cuba before & after the Spanish conquest of their islands. It's beautifully & vivadly written, with characters that feel real & a setting you can feel. Very well researched, this felt like reading a chapter in history. It's riveting, with descriptive writing that entrances you & makes you a part of the culture & magic of the Taino. An absolute must read!

[El Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel was beautiful and inspiring! I am not well versed in Taíno history, so some parts of this book were a little hard to understand without background information. I also feel like I might have missed out on some references that were made, since I don't know the mythology of the cemíes.
I also don't know any Taíno words, so at the beginning, it was pretty hard to follow the plot since the Taíno language was used pretty frequently. I feel like a footnote translation would have fit better, since it became tedious flipping back to the translation index. The action of having to do that never fails to pull me out of a story, so I don't like having to do it.

The writing was excellent, especially when showcasing personality. The point of view changes were done very well, and I could clearly see each character's personality shining through the way they were written. That is NOT an easy task, so I'm very impressed with this author characterization!

I wasn't expecting so many "magical" elements, which was an interesting surprise. I enjoyed having the Taíno religion so prominent in the novel, but there were a lot of completely unrealistic occurrences. I would have like if there was some kind of mention of magical cemí interference, since it really threw me off and confused me when it was first mentioned.

I had a fun time reading this, and I definitely recommend picking this up, especially if you want to learn more about the Taíno people and their culture!

[Marilyn Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical novel by Olive Senior. She brings you far back into Jamaican history to the time of the many tribes that populated the islands, and to the beginnings of the Spanish invasion. The Jamaica we know today is far different. Senior researches well, and the cultural aspect is fascinating.
Senior's writing is clear, clear, clear, and takes you into the setting completely. In this case, she uses the Taino language (providing a glossary, as well) without in-text explanation, which helps immerse the reader in the culture of the time. Also, the use of short pithy chapters helps us keep focused on each of the characters and their interactions. Her clarity of language and excellent pacing would make this work for Young Adult fiction, as well as adult.

Many thanks to Akashic Books and LibraryThing for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel is definitely a Keeper. Based on the true story of the complete destruction of a Taino village in the Caribbean in 1513, during the Spanish Conquest of the New World, and what happened to the few survivors of that atrocity. I especially liked the interweaving of Taino culture and civilization. Most of the research was most probably from the writings of the priest Bartolome de las Casas, sympathetic to the Indians of the Caribbean, and from what the author, born and bred in that area, imbibed from childhood on. More like 4.5 stars. Thank you, LibraryThing for an ARC.

[Alma · Rating 5 out of 5]

The language, customs, and culture of the Taíno are infused throughout, giving readers a feel for a people long thought to be extinct. As a proud Puerto Rican and descendant of the Taíno, I say we are not extinct. The Taíno live on through us, their descendants. Read more on my blog: https://shouldireaditornot.wordpress....

[Gail Nyoka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paradise Once shines a light on one of the original peoples of the Caribbean, set in the time where the culture and lives of the Taino are under threat. Olive Senior brings us well-drawn characters in a story that held my interest to the end. I liked the use of words from the Taino language, which helped to bring authenticity.

[Tya C. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting read! I’ve never read anything about the Taino people before, so it was really interesting getting a glimpse into their lives and culture! I especially enjoyed seeing their culture before colonialism. It was so heartbreaking seeing the effects of colonialism on the characters. Although, the story concentrated on colonialism, it still felt so hopeful. Especially at the end. The story was seamless and the characters were developed really well.

However, I feel like either the book should’ve been shorter or the plot should’ve included more to fill the book. There were never any pace changes. I found myself skimming through certain parts because I was waiting on something more to happen.

But, overall, I’d recommend this book to people who want to experience pre-colonial Caribbean culture and love character driven stories and don’t mind there being less plot!

CW: mentions of genocide, sexual assault, and incest

[Karla Strand · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Catherine]

DNF

[Rol-J Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

An important read but my reliance on the Audiobook did it great injustice and disservice.

[BernieMck · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars