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A Stairway to Paradise: Text Classics

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( 279 ratings, 37 reviews)
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
A Stairway to Paradise: Text Classics by Madeleine St John takes you into the lives of three individuals navigating personal quests for happiness and fulfillment in urban Sydney. The novel intricately weaves their stories against the backdrop of everyday situations, exploring themes of love, friendship, and the pursuit of contentment. With keen insight and wit, St John paints a vivid picture of human connections and the desire for a better life.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$1799
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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?

This book may appeal to you if you enjoy witty and perceptive storytelling set in the everyday lives of intriguing and relatable characters. It's perfect for readers who appreciate a blend of humour and insight into the complexities of contemporary relationships and life in general. The engaging narrative offers a glimpse into human emotions and interactions with a subtle, yet deeply reflective touch.

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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

From the author of the bestselling Women in Black, an extraordinary novel about ordinary people.

Alex and Andrew are friends. And Barbara ... Barbara is a goddess. Here is the eternal triangle, the story of three people in an unhappy tangle of emotions, none able to articulate the precise quality of their longing and dissatisfaction.

Are any of them truly interested in reaching the paradise they claim to be seeking, or are they actually trying to avoid it?

In St. John's hands, what is commonplace is transformed and transcendent. This is the work of an extraordinary writer.

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?

A Stairway to Paradise by Madeleine St John is praised for its keen observation of human folly and the darker aspects of the spirit. The novel is recognised for its comedic, humane insights and the author's skill in depicting the intricate communication between lovers.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781925773095

Publisher: Text Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 October 2018

Country: Australia

Imprint: The Text Publishing Company

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 15.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 158g

Pages: 256

About the Author

MADELEINE ST JOHN was born in Sydney in 1941. Her father, Edward, was a barrister and Liberal politician. Her mother, Sylvette, committed suicide in 1954, when Madeleine was twelve. Her death, she later said, β€˜obviously changed everything’.

St John studied Arts at Sydney University, where her contemporaries included Bruce Beresford, Germaine Greer, Clive James and Robert Hughes. In 1965 she married Chris Tillam, a fellow student, and they moved to the United States where they first attended Stanford and later Cambridge.

From Cambridge, St John relocated to London in 1968 with the hope that Chris would follow. The couple did not reunite and the marriage ended. St John settled in Notting Hill. She worked at a series of odd jobs, and then, in 1993, published her first novel, The Women in Black, the only book she set in Australia. When her third novel, The Essence of the Thing (1997), was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, she became the first Australian woman to receive this honour.

St John died in 2006. She had been so incensed after seeing errors in a French edition of one of her novels that she stipulated in her will that there were to be no more translations of her work.

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