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Children of Paradise

Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023
By Camilla Grudova
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova is a gripping tale set against the backdrop of a crumbling cinema, exploring the lives of its employees and their shared struggles. The narrative captures the surreal and sometimes eerie dynamics that unfold as personal and collective aspirations intertwine. With vivid character portrayals, it delves into themes of ambition, community, and the transformative power of art amidst chaos.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$2300
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are drawn to immersive, atmospheric narratives that blend the eerie with the everyday. Set against the backdrop of a quirky cinema, it explores themes of community and isolation with a touch of the surreal. Fans of unconventional storytelling with intricate, character-driven plots will likely find it captivating.

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Children of Paradise

Following Grudova's critically acclaimed collection The Doll's Alphabet, this surreal, discomforting debut novel charts the fates of a ragtag group of cinema workers who are spat out by corporate takeover.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Longlisted for the 2023 Women's Prize for Fiction

When Holly applies for a job at the Paradise—one of the city's oldest cinemas, squashed into the ground floor of a block of flats—she thinks it will be like any other shift work. She cleans toilets, sweeps popcorn, avoids the belligerent old owner, Iris, and is ignored by her aloof but tight-knit colleagues who seem as much a part of the building as its fraying carpets and endless dirt.

Dreadful, lonely weeks pass while she longs for their approval, a silent voyeur. So when she finally gains the trust of this cryptic band of oddballs, Holly transforms from silent drudge to rebellious insider and gradually she too becomes part of the Paradise—unearthing its secrets, learning its history and haunting its corridors after hours with the other ushers.

It is no surprise when violence strikes, tempers change, and the group, eyes still affixed to the screen, starts to rapidly go awry...

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova is praised for its eerie and glorious style, serving as an allegory for lost stories, youth, and time. It offers a striking commentary on work hierarchies and the nature of zero-hours contracts, expressed through a gothic and carnivalesque narrative set in a dilapidated cinema. Critics highlight Grudova's unique, spiky commentary on cinema culture and labour exploitation, with a blend of vivid language that evokes a bygone era and showcases her talent for creating memorable and haunting prose.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781838956349

Publisher: Atlantic Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 04 May 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Atlantic Books

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 183g

Pages: 208

Collections

Arts & Culture Camilla Grudova Fiction General Fiction Horror & Supernatural Literary Fiction Romance Sci-Fi & Fantasy

About the Author

Camilla Grudova lives in Edinburgh where she works as an usherette. She holds a degree in Art History and German from McGill University, Montreal. Her fiction has appeared in The White Review and Granta. Her critically acclaimed debut collection, The Doll's Alphabet, was published in 2017. This is her first novel.

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