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Crossing the Paradise Line
A holiday in the sun with your family - just what you want, or the last thing you need? For single parent Tessa, it's going to be a perfect time for some much-needed mother-daughter bonding. And you never know, she might even get a holiday romance out of it. Yeah, right. For Felicity, glamorous career woman, absentee mother
- GenresChick Lit
416 pages, Paperback
First published July 3, 2003
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43 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
February 3, 2015
This book is enjoyable and funny. If you're not in the mood for something intense and taxing, if you just want something with a good story that's easy to follow, then this is for you. The issues raised in the story are all relevant and interesting. I liked it!
May 12, 2017
It was a perfect book for what it was...a holiday read. No amazing wisdom or big idea, just a solid, hearty summer beach book. Fun!
August 28, 2018
The problem with this book is that only one of the characters is likeable. It paints a very bleak - but accurate - picture of modern Britain, which doesn't necessarily translate that well into its genre. I found it quite a depressing read, but one I stuck with nonetheless. It didn't compare in any way to the awesome Defrosting of Charlotte Small, which is probably why I was disappointed. The writing is still impeccable, just wasn't a fan of the plot or the characters.
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December 22, 2024I seem to have selected this from a bookcrossing VBB almost ten years ago - to say I don't remember why I chose this is an understatement.
I expect among other things, it's a bit dated.
As another reader commented, none of the characters are particularly appealing (I guess, to be precise, the comment was that too many were annoying). For me, reading about pathetic people is not very funny or even entertaining.
Win some, lose some.
I expect among other things, it's a bit dated.
As another reader commented, none of the characters are particularly appealing (I guess, to be precise, the comment was that too many were annoying). For me, reading about pathetic people is not very funny or even entertaining.
Win some, lose some.
September 19, 2020
Sort of feel good factor read about a group of holiday makers who get stuck in a holiday village due to 3 deaths and the air traffic strike. They all discober new things about themselves and start to make changes.
July 11, 2017
This book was a bit of fun! I fancied something light for a change and this book give me the rest bite I needed! It's a simple funny holiday read with nothing to strenuous about it.
November 3, 2015
Having never read any of Annabel Giles work and having been given this by a friend I decided to give it a go. The front cover is typical of a Chick Lit type book and I was looking forward to somebody I hadn't read before.
Tessa is a newly divorced mum of tennage daughter Sammy. Her ex-husband Jeremy is now shacked up with his new woman and kids and Tessa find she is unable to let go and is constantly dreaming of him. When her ex-husband suggests that Tessa and Sammy go on a nice two week holiday she jumps at the chance to spend some quality time with her daughter. What she doesn't count on is her daughter being more independant that she has ever managed and Tessa being left to fend for herself.
Felicity is a typical glamorous career woman with a little boy named Spike. She decides that a holiday with her husband Cliff, mother-in-law Gina, and Cliff's daughter Christabelle from his previous relationship is in order. Felicity doesn't spend much time with her family at home so when they are all piled in together it doesn't work out as well as expected.
Fabio is Cliff's younger brother and he is running the holiday resort that everybody is going to. Between running the resort he tries to find time to keep his current woman occupied as well as spending time with his mum Gina who is suffering following the death of her husband.
When disaster strikes the whole resort is up in arms. Initially the thought of being stuck in the resort is great, but as time goes on everybody realises it's not as great as they first thought. Felicity and Tessa strike up a friendship which takes them both by surprise as they are polar opposites. Fabio spends his whole time trying to get rid of his current girlfriend whilst keeping the resort running whilst the crisis is happening. It ends up being one disaster after another and as things get worse, so do the people that are staying there.
Initially I enjoyed the book but by chapter 5 or 6 I was feeling a little bit frustrated. For starters the author never states where everybody is apart from the fact that it's an island. I also found that no sooner had I got into a storyline with two people and felt their characters development it all sort of went to pot. Then a chapter or so later it would pick up again. I am so torn with my opinion on this book. I enjoyed it and disliked it in equal measures. It almost felt like the author would get into her stride and then lose the pace, followe dby another pick up in pace. The whole book had this recurrent theme throughout. The characters weren't all that likeable and I ended up feeling irritated by all of them. The storyline didn't flow that well either and felt very patchy in places. Despite all this I still finished the book and found it to be 'just okay'. I think my best bet would be to try another book by this author to make a better decision whether it's the author or storyline I wasn't keen on, as I don't currently have any comparison with other works she has done. In comparison to other Chick Lit writes Annabel Giles is leaps and bounds behind them in my opinion and I feel that this wouldn't even come close to some of the better writers such as Marian Keyes, Susan Lewis and Carole Matthews.
Tessa is a newly divorced mum of tennage daughter Sammy. Her ex-husband Jeremy is now shacked up with his new woman and kids and Tessa find she is unable to let go and is constantly dreaming of him. When her ex-husband suggests that Tessa and Sammy go on a nice two week holiday she jumps at the chance to spend some quality time with her daughter. What she doesn't count on is her daughter being more independant that she has ever managed and Tessa being left to fend for herself.
Felicity is a typical glamorous career woman with a little boy named Spike. She decides that a holiday with her husband Cliff, mother-in-law Gina, and Cliff's daughter Christabelle from his previous relationship is in order. Felicity doesn't spend much time with her family at home so when they are all piled in together it doesn't work out as well as expected.
Fabio is Cliff's younger brother and he is running the holiday resort that everybody is going to. Between running the resort he tries to find time to keep his current woman occupied as well as spending time with his mum Gina who is suffering following the death of her husband.
When disaster strikes the whole resort is up in arms. Initially the thought of being stuck in the resort is great, but as time goes on everybody realises it's not as great as they first thought. Felicity and Tessa strike up a friendship which takes them both by surprise as they are polar opposites. Fabio spends his whole time trying to get rid of his current girlfriend whilst keeping the resort running whilst the crisis is happening. It ends up being one disaster after another and as things get worse, so do the people that are staying there.
Initially I enjoyed the book but by chapter 5 or 6 I was feeling a little bit frustrated. For starters the author never states where everybody is apart from the fact that it's an island. I also found that no sooner had I got into a storyline with two people and felt their characters development it all sort of went to pot. Then a chapter or so later it would pick up again. I am so torn with my opinion on this book. I enjoyed it and disliked it in equal measures. It almost felt like the author would get into her stride and then lose the pace, followe dby another pick up in pace. The whole book had this recurrent theme throughout. The characters weren't all that likeable and I ended up feeling irritated by all of them. The storyline didn't flow that well either and felt very patchy in places. Despite all this I still finished the book and found it to be 'just okay'. I think my best bet would be to try another book by this author to make a better decision whether it's the author or storyline I wasn't keen on, as I don't currently have any comparison with other works she has done. In comparison to other Chick Lit writes Annabel Giles is leaps and bounds behind them in my opinion and I feel that this wouldn't even come close to some of the better writers such as Marian Keyes, Susan Lewis and Carole Matthews.
January 2, 2012
Paradise turns nasty thanks to an airport closure and a mysterious epidemic which leaves people quarantined in a holiday camp that was no great shakes to start with. And what people! Plenty of stereotypical middle-class nasties to scoff at. it's clear from the start that the person still in love with her ex and the fat, unhappy, ignored child hiding her body will end up happy; but there are others who don't seem to deserve redemption who get it anyway. I suppose that was one way in which this book wasn't completely clichéd. Fun, but not quite sure if it was hoping to make some serious points at the same time. If so, they were ones that have been made many times before.
August 9, 2011
I remember enjoying Birthday Girls, which I read a few years ago, so I read this based upon that. But what a load of tosh it was. I only carried on til the end coz I was ill and didn't have the energy to go downstairs and find another one! The characters are hard to relate to, one dimentional and I had a 'who cares' attitude to every storyline. Still, if you want a quick, easy read for the beach (or if you're ill in bed!) this will pass a few hours.
November 19, 2008
Funny book. Quirky way of writing so was a little lost when reading the book. Sexual connotations in certain pages. Book recommended if you're really really bored.
It's good to read widely! =D
It's good to read widely! =D
September 24, 2010
Not the best..passed it on n think it was a bit of a waste of my time in all honesty..
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September 12, 2013One of the worst books I've ever read. Don't know why I wasted my time on it!
Want to read
January 15, 2012Did not enjoy this book at all. Would not recommend it to anyone
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews