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Rating: 
Summary: A Great Trip to Paradise!
Review: After becoming a devoted fan of Eileen Goudge with her first novel Garden of Lies. I could not wait to get started with her latest. Stranger in Paradise was a joy to read from beginning to end. I cannot wait for the 2nd book in this trilogy to come out. She took me to a place called Carson Springs and into the lives of Samantha Kiley and her two daughters. On the day of her daughter Alice's marriage to Wes, none are aware how much each of their lives will be changed by this event. Widowed for 2 years Sam finds love where she least expects and upsets both the community where she lives and the relationship she has with both her daughters. This leads them all down the path to growth and understanding. This story has it all. From family conflict, love and mysetry it grips from the beginning to the end in hopes that it all will come together and the end is no disappointment.
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Summary: Goudge At Her Best!
Review: Carson Springs is the pictue-perfect setting for the cast of characters in this small-town story. Fourty-eight year old Samantha and her somewhat quirky, but likeable daughters will keep readers comfortably ensconsed in this book until the very end, where they will not be disappointed. Ms. Goudge creates unforgettable characters and images without going into a lot of unnecessary detail. This "summer read" will be wonderful all year long!
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Summary: Vintage Goudge
Review: Eileen Goudge never disappoints her readers. She delivers well-written, engrossing books about characters you come to feel are friends. STRANGER IN PARADISE offers all this and something more--an inside look at small-town California life--which is very different from life in L.A. or San Francisco. I especially enjoyed the bee keeping nuns and the descriptions of the lush countryside. Thanks, Eileen, for another great read. Can't wait until the next book in this series.
Rating:
Summary: Vintage Goudge
Review: Eileen Goudge never disappoints her readers. She delivers well-written, engrossing books about characters you come to feel are friends. STRANGER IN PARADISE offers all this and something more--an inside look at small-town California life--which is very different from life in L.A. or San Francisco. I especially enjoyed the bee keeping nuns and the descriptions of the lush countryside. Thanks, Eileen, for another great read. Can't wait until the next book in this series.
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Summary: How Lucky Can A Girl Get?
Review: I was the lucky winner of a random drawing from Eileen's website, and my prize was an autographed copy of this book. I had it read before it was released for sale. Eileen did a great job of introducing all the characters, and bringing them to life. At times I was frustrated with one or more of them, then I was cheering them on. Stranger in Paradise has elements of romance, family conflict, familial love, mystery, and humor. I can't wait for the sequel. Great job, Eileen, and THANK YOU!!!
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Summary: delightful storyline
Review: In Carson Springs, California, change is everywhere for the Kiley females. Alice marries Wesley Carpenter, a kind person older than her mother. Alice's sister, recently divorced Laura, looks sad as the happy couple exchanges their vows. Following the church ceremony, the mother of the bride, a widow Samantha, needs a ride to the reception when her car fails to start. The son of the groom Ian provides a lift to the party hosted by Sam. Ian and Sam share a banter that leads to an attraction, dating, and a hot affair. Alice is mortified that her mom is stepping out on her deceased but idolized dad. Laura is stunned more when her mom becomes pregnant something that she wants but her body cannot accomplish. Instead, Laura brings into her home Brooklyn teenage runaway Finch. The goings-on of the Kiley women shock the residents of this coastal town. STRANGER IN PARADISE is an interesting look at third and fourth generation Californians. The story line consists of three subplots that tie together through the relationships of the Kiley trio. The lead women are fully developed while the key secondary players are refined enough to supplement the Kiley females. However, the effort to compare reactions to the younger woman-older man vs. the younger man-older woman theme seems obsolete in today's age of so many couples pairing with both types of backgrounds. Still Eileen Goudge is so talented that her tale will send her fans to reader's paradise because she provides another entertaining tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating: 
Summary: Not Even in the Soaps!
Review: Okay, this has got to be every bored suburban housewife's ultimate fantasy--hot young hunk falls inexpiicably in love with the most ordinary woman in the neighborhood! She's not particularly witty or charming or confident. She's never been anywhaere or done anything--so aside from a mother figure, what does sexy YOUNG Ian want with her? She likes to bake and sew and play bridge; she wants a man who'll curl up and watch Masterpiece Theater with her--wow! Sounds like Saturday nite at the retirement home! Toss in a bag of Depends and you have one sexy package. Her tastes in music, pastimes (honeymoon bridge, for crying out loud!), manner of speaking and attitudes all add up to OLD. I found myself wondering if she was 48 or 68! The author gives Samantha attributes that never come through in her character; she describes her as being high-spirited and humorous, but we the readers never SEE it. Ms. Goudge contradicts herself in many places. She says Samantha felt unlovedby her late husband, who made her feel like she was the only person in the world. Huh? Her sister can't imagine this earth mother sewing curtains. Huh? Samantha and Ian are supposed to be in love, she's insulted when other sugest it's ony about the sex--yet that's all they ever do when they're together. They spend less than one-fourth of the story together, and all he wnats to do is have sex with this gal who doens't seem to know which end is up in this regard, but they're madly in love. Huh? And ona final note...Ms. Goudge, an artist WOULD know the difference between peach and pink!!!
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Summary: Not Even in the Soaps!
Review: Stranger in Paradise is the endearing story of 48-year-old widow, Samantha Kiley, who has lived her entire life in Carson Springs - a town nestled in a valley surrounded by orange-groved hills and home to a convent of beekeeping nuns. Sam, as her friends call her, finds she falling deeply and, in her opinion, inappropriately in love with a much younger man - the son of her younger daughter's much older husband.
Ian Carpenter, a handsome artist, nearly 20 years Sam's junior, turns life in Carson Springs upside down and soon, complications arise, not least of which is Sam's unexpected pregnancy.
Sam's youngest daughter, Alice, feels Sam's involvement with any man, but especially Ian, betrays her father's honor, a man she idolized and who in her eyes could do no wrong. The older sister, Laura, is divorced and struggles with the knowledge she is barren, a fact that only makes the realization of her mother's late-in-life condition, all the more painful for her to accept. However, Laura creates her own makeshift family, which includes a runaway teen, an elderly woman whose cruel son has all but disowned her, and the hired hand, who has held a special place in Laura's heart since her teens.
A murderer on the lose in Carson Springs, provides the story with an added bit of suspense, as well as an unexpected twist which wraps up part one of this trilogy series.
I feel Stranger in Paradise effectively captures and maintains the reader's interest because the story moves along at an even pace and the scenes unfold and flow together nicely. I believe the main character, Sam, is certain to capture the hearts of all who read this novel because she's real - there is nothing phony about her. She's someone the reader would want for a best friend. One can relate, not only to her lifestyle, but also, the difficulties she has faced throughout her lifetime, including those that took place in her marriage. She stands firm in her beliefs and attacks her problems head-on, rarely backing down. She has her doubts, but this just makes her all the more believable as a character.
Some of Sam's conflicts in part one of the Carson Springs trilogy are: her unexpected pregnancy, being unmarried and with child (and, in a town which still, in this day and age, upholds tradition and high morals), her daughters' disapproval of her love interest, her own doubts as to whether or not Ian is ready for a commitment, let alone, a child, deciding whether or not to step down and hand over the family business to her oldest daughter and instead of a career, tackle raising an infant at a time in life, when she should be as free as a bird, to come and go as she pleases, and the only babies in her life, should be grandchildren.
The story, which is told in third person, takes place in the present era. The location for this story; it's lushness, lends an added dimension to the storyline. One can almost smell the orange blossoms, see the vivid sunsets and feel the coolness of the night air on their face.
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Summary: Another winner!
Review: Well, Eileen Goudge has done it again! She never fails to delight me with each new novel. I think this is the best yet (although the ever-so-famous "Garden of Lies" is hard to beat!). Her characters are so real, and you really care for them. Sometimes I wanted to ring the daughter's necks, but they had reason for their feelings - we could just see things more objectively than they could, which is so true to life. I am on pins and needles waiting for the sequel. I know it will take some time, as her skillfully written books are not ones that can be just churned out over night! We can always find books like that elsewhere if we so desire, but I personally would not want to. It will be well worth the wait, I'm sure!
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