A Funny Kind Of Paradise

A Funny Kind Of Paradise
Jo Owens
RRP:
NZ$ 35.00
Our Price:
NZ$ 28.00
Trade Paperback
h228 x 152mm - 224pg
11 Mar 2021 US
International import eta 7-19 days
9780735278820
Out Of Stock
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When her husband left her with a baby, a toddler and a fledgling business, Francesca managed-she wasn' t always gentle or patient, but the business thrived and Chris and Angelina had food to eat. At nearly 70, she feels she' s earned a peaceful retirement. But when a massive stroke leaves her voiceless, partially paralyzed and wholly reliant on the staff of an extended care facility, it seems her freedom is lost. However, Francesca is still clear-headed and sharp, and she knows one thing- she wants to live. She savours her view of a majestic chestnut tree through the hospital window, and speaks in her mind to her beloved friend Anna, dead for two years. The daily tasks and dramas of the rotating crew of care aides tether her to the world- Young Lily, eager to fall in love and regularly falling apart when things don' t work out; Michiko, with her spiky hair and tattoos and wicked sense of humour; Molly, endlessly kind and skilled in her work; Blaire, cold and enigmatic.
Like pulling rabbits from a hat, Jo Owens manages the magic of reaching into the most abject places of the human heart--and other parts of the anatomy--and finding joy, humour and redemption. She gifts the reader a story told with elegant wit and irreverent humour, and characters brought to life with love, often of the tough variety . . . and there is nothing more tender. I love this book. --Ann-Marie MacDonald "Jo Owens' achievement is astonishing. She has created a heroine whose zest for life is as unstoppable as her curiosity about the caregivers and patients in her long-term facility, and whose capacity for change is sometimes painful and frequently funny. What a delight to be privy to Francesca' s blunt, ribald, exasperated and tender reactions to a life she never planned. " --Katherine Ashenburg, author of Sofie & Cecilia and Her Turn "A Funny Kind of Paradise is a gorgeous and original novel that explores a reality too often looked away from. A deeply compassionate examination of human life and its immeasurable value. " --Kevin Patterson, author of News From the Red Desert "[An] affecting debut . . . Owens' s believable, touching portrait of Frannie and the loving care of her aides is loaded with moments of beauty amid the swirl of regret and nostalgia. . . . These powerful final reflections of an irascible, regretful patient illustrate the unremarkable yet profound experience of nearing death. " --Publishers Weekly
JO OWENS lives in Victoria and has worked as a health care aide for twenty years. A Funny Kind of Paradise is her first novel.
Status: Indent title, imported to order
ISBN-13: 9780735278820
Published: 11 Mar 2021
Published In: United States
Imprint: Prentice Hall Press
Publisher: Prentice Hall Press
Format: Trade Paperback
Height: 228mm
Width: 152mm
Pages: 224

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