Paradise (Second Opportunities #1) by Judith McNaught
Published July 1st 2003 by Pocket Books (first published 1991)
Corporate raider Matthew Farrell had come a long way from the poor, scruffy kid of Indiana's steel mills. A long way from the country club where, feeling like an outsider, he had dared to fall in love with a beautiful blonde named Meredith Bancroft, and known a once-in-a-lifetime passion and betrayal that sill haunted his memory... Now world leaders courted him, the media watched his every move, and he was ready to move in on the Bancroft empire.
A cool, poised executive in her family's legendary department store chain, Meredith had once defied her father for the sexually magnetic, intense Matt Farrell -- and their brief, ill=fated marriage was the disastrous outcome. Now, as the Bancroft firm is threatened by a hostile takeover, Meredith is forced to confront Matt. As tensions build between them, bittersweet memories rise to the surface, leaving them suspicious, restless, and uncertain. Will they be able to believe in each other -- and grasp the tender miracle that is before them?
My Thoughts
Originally read: September 2009Paradise, by Judith McNaught, is a great contemporary novel that’s filled with love, corporate intrigue, humor, deception and friendship. The main characters, Matt Farrell and Meredith Bancroft, are immediately weaved into the novel with plenty of back story to give you a full picture of their journey when they meet, go their separate ways, and later reunite. I thought the book was captivating and for the most part fast paced and intriguing.
The story is about two strong willed people, Meredith Bancroft and Matt Farrell, who fall in love at a young age and get married. After a brief time together, they find themselves separated by a devastating event, which was exacerbated by lies and deceit on the part of Meredith’s father who stopped at nothing to keep them apart. Eleven years later, they encounter each other and realize their hostility for one another was unwarranted and based on a series of misunderstandings, thus giving them a second chance at love, but not without a fair share of forces determined to keep them apart.
I am taking one star away for a couple of reasons. First, the novel is filled with quite a bit of overwhelming detail on places, events, and people. I did skim over some of the deep dive on the descriptions and corporate happenings, which by the way were very well researched, but there just seemed to be an overabundance of detail that wasn’t really necessary for the storyline. Second, there were two secondary characters I didn’t care for at all, which included Phillip, Meredith’s father, and Lisa, her best friend. I was bothered by how Meredith allowed her father to get away with his lies and deceit which affected her relationship with Matt. It just felt like he was able to easily walk right over her. In addition, I couldn’t believe that Meredith easily accepted her best friend moving in on her ex-fiancé. That was just odd and unrealistic.
Regardless of those minor flaws, this is a great novel that will keep you engaged and rooting for the main characters the whole way through. I enjoyed the journey and will definitely read other novels by this author. Great read!
5 Suns
Great review, Arlene! I have not read a book by this author in years. I used to love her books, but have never read this one. It sounds really good!
ReplyDeleteOh I hope you give it a try. It's one of my favorites by McNaught. :)
Delete