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Paradise
The lives and fortunes of two generations of the Parre family of Puritan New England; a first-rate historical romance culminating in the terrifying Indian outbreak of King Philip's War.
- GenresHistorical Fiction
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1937
About the author
Esther Forbes
48 books617 followersEsther Forbes was born in Westboro, Massachusetts in 1891, as the youngest of five children. Her family roots can be traced back to 1600s America; one of her great-uncles was the great historical figure and leader of the Sons of Liberty, Sam Adams. Her father was a probate judge in Worcester and her mother, a writer of New England reference books. Both her parents were historical enthusiasts.
Even as a little child, Forbes displayed an affinity for writing. Her academic work, however, was not spectacular, except for a few writing classes. After finishing high school, she took classes at the Worcester Art Museum and Boston University, and later, Bradford Academy, a junior college. She then followed her sister to the University of Wisconsin where Forbes wrote extensively for the Wisconsin Literary Magazine. After developing her writing skills, she returned to Massachusetts where she began working for Boston's Houghton Mifflin. As a reader of manuscripts, Forbes used this experience to advance her own writing career. Her first novel, O Genteel Lady! was published in 1926 to critical praise. With its selection by the newly formed Book-of-the-Month Club, the novel gained popular appeal as well. That year, Forbes also married Albert L. Hoskins, Jr., a Harvard Law School student.
As Forbes continued to write and gain notoriety, her marriage suffered because her husband disapproved of her career. They divorced in 1933. After several other novels, Forbes began her research of Paul Revere with her mother, who was then in her mid-eighties. When the historical biography, Paul Revere and the World He Lived In won the Pulitzer Prize in History, Forbes recognized her mother's immense contributions. During the process of researching Paul Revere, Forbes became fascinated with the large role young apprentices played in the war. Thus, she wrote Johnny Tremain, a historical novel of a young boy growing up in the time of the Revolutionary War. With poignant character development and a keen sense of history, it contained the elements for lasting popularity. It was published as "A Novel for Old and Young." In 1944, it won the Newberry Award, the top award for children's literature and became an instant children's classic. Forbes continued to turn out award winning books, most notably, The Running of the Tide, which was commissioned as a movie but never filmed. While working on a book about witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts, she died in 1967 of rheumatic heart disease.
Forbes literary achievements, awards, and recognition speak for themselves in regards her place in letters. Johnny Tremain is still read widely in schools and its popularity makes it one of the few lasting classics of American children literature.
Even as a little child, Forbes displayed an affinity for writing. Her academic work, however, was not spectacular, except for a few writing classes. After finishing high school, she took classes at the Worcester Art Museum and Boston University, and later, Bradford Academy, a junior college. She then followed her sister to the University of Wisconsin where Forbes wrote extensively for the Wisconsin Literary Magazine. After developing her writing skills, she returned to Massachusetts where she began working for Boston's Houghton Mifflin. As a reader of manuscripts, Forbes used this experience to advance her own writing career. Her first novel, O Genteel Lady! was published in 1926 to critical praise. With its selection by the newly formed Book-of-the-Month Club, the novel gained popular appeal as well. That year, Forbes also married Albert L. Hoskins, Jr., a Harvard Law School student.
As Forbes continued to write and gain notoriety, her marriage suffered because her husband disapproved of her career. They divorced in 1933. After several other novels, Forbes began her research of Paul Revere with her mother, who was then in her mid-eighties. When the historical biography, Paul Revere and the World He Lived In won the Pulitzer Prize in History, Forbes recognized her mother's immense contributions. During the process of researching Paul Revere, Forbes became fascinated with the large role young apprentices played in the war. Thus, she wrote Johnny Tremain, a historical novel of a young boy growing up in the time of the Revolutionary War. With poignant character development and a keen sense of history, it contained the elements for lasting popularity. It was published as "A Novel for Old and Young." In 1944, it won the Newberry Award, the top award for children's literature and became an instant children's classic. Forbes continued to turn out award winning books, most notably, The Running of the Tide, which was commissioned as a movie but never filmed. While working on a book about witchcraft in seventeenth-century Massachusetts, she died in 1967 of rheumatic heart disease.
Forbes literary achievements, awards, and recognition speak for themselves in regards her place in letters. Johnny Tremain is still read widely in schools and its popularity makes it one of the few lasting classics of American children literature.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 25, 2022
Before I started it, a friend who had read Paradise said that Forbes loves antiheroes of the attractive but genuinely bad variety, and dislikes adult women. She wasn’t wrong. A lot of Forbes’ favorite tropes are here in crude and straightforward forms. But it’s a very entertaining book. The prose is singularly lovely, vivid and flowing, and the detail of the setting gives an excellent sense of place. Pervasive views on religion and occasional ones on medicine lean toward the then-current hippy-dippyness and slavish trust in doctors, respectively, but overall the setting is deeply immersive in all of it’s characters’ varied states of life and shows great depth and care of research. Forbes generally hits the balance, so necessary in historical fiction, of both obvious love for her chosen time and place, and clear-eyed depiction of its particular flaws and idiosyncrasies.
The characters are colorful, engaging, and carry the meandering plot inherent to the family saga well, though some tend toward being blank slates (Jazan) or changing as the plot demands (Bathsheba). It’s difficult to discern whether the narrative voice is fond toward some characters and acerbic toward others based on oblivious preference, as the author does come across as genuinely enamored of the viciously selfish Fenton, or if it’s simply an honest depiction of the inherent advantage of charisma over actual virtue. Probably some of both. Despite its significant weaknesses upon reflection, (Jazan’s actual marriage is particularly poorly fleshed out), Paradise is very enjoyable and definitely recommended.
The characters are colorful, engaging, and carry the meandering plot inherent to the family saga well, though some tend toward being blank slates (Jazan) or changing as the plot demands (Bathsheba). It’s difficult to discern whether the narrative voice is fond toward some characters and acerbic toward others based on oblivious preference, as the author does come across as genuinely enamored of the viciously selfish Fenton, or if it’s simply an honest depiction of the inherent advantage of charisma over actual virtue. Probably some of both. Despite its significant weaknesses upon reflection, (Jazan’s actual marriage is particularly poorly fleshed out), Paradise is very enjoyable and definitely recommended.
January 20, 2010
This is the story of the Parre family in Massachusetts Bay Colony. The are fairly well off and own a house and lots of land; they name their “estate” Paradise, a play on their name. Jazan is the young daughter in the family and the story centers around her, but there are many other people who are important in the story as well. Jazan’s older half-brothers and their wives provide interesting characterizations, as does the Rev. Forethought Fearing. The story ends with King Philip’s war and the effect it has on their lives.
April 4, 2013
Follows the main family in a fifteenth century family in colonial America through wars with the native Americans and the changes in those relationships as well as the personal relationships in the community and between the main character through most of the book - Jazan.
The story and characters kept my interest but it did seem to go on overlong towards the end. I was angry at Jazan for her first marriage which never made sense to me. But the characters were diverse and well crafted. Very well researched. Believeble and interesting read.
The story and characters kept my interest but it did seem to go on overlong towards the end. I was angry at Jazan for her first marriage which never made sense to me. But the characters were diverse and well crafted. Very well researched. Believeble and interesting read.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews