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    Even in Paradise
    Even in Paradise
    Even in Paradise
    Audiobook9 hours

    Even in Paradise

    Written by Elizabeth Nunez

    Narrated by Corey Allen

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Peter Ducksworth, a Trinidadian widower of English ancestry, retires to Barbados, believing he will find an earthly paradise there. He decides to divide his land among his three daughters while he is alive, his intention not unlike that of King Lear's who hoped, "That future strife / May be prevented now." But Lear made the fatal mistake of confusing flattery with love, and so does Ducksworth. Feeling snubbed by his youngest daughter, Ducksworth decides that only after he dies will she receive her portion of the land. In the meantime, he gives his two older daughters their portions, ironically setting in motion the very strife he hoped to prevent. Beautifully written in elegant prose, this is a novel about greed, resentment, jealousy, betrayal, and romantic love, through which Nunez weaves themes of racism and classism in the postcolonial world of the Caribbean, giving us a diverse cast of characters of African, Indian, Chinese, Syrian/Lebanese, and English ancestry.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateApr 5, 2016
    ISBN9781501916038
    Author

    Elizabeth Nunez

    Elizabeth Nunez is the award-winning author of eight novels. Both Boundaries and Anna In-Between were New York Times Editors' Choices and Anna In-Between won the 2010 PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Award and the 2011 Writers for Writers Award from Poets & Writers and Barnes & Noble. Nunez also received a NALIS Lifetime Literary Award from the Trinidad & Tobago National Library. She is a Distinguished Professor at Hunter College, CUNY, where she teaches fiction writing.

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    Reviews for Even in Paradise

    4/5

    29 ratings10 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is a retelling of Shakespeare’s King Lear set in the Caribbean. Peter Duckworth is a Trinidadian and proud of it, but after his wife dies he decides to move to Barbados where he builds a magnificent house, high on a hill, surrounded by considerable property and with stunning views of the sea. His youngest daughter, Corrine, continues to live with him, while his older daughters are at university and about to be married. What a wonderful character study! Nunez had me on the edge of my seat a few times, even though I knew the basic story line already. I liked how she wove in current issues of race and class and history of colonialism (and slavery) in the Caribbean. Her narrator is Emile, the son of a prominent black doctor who once saved Peter Duckworth’s life. He first meets Duckworth and Corrine at the racetrack stables in Trinidad, when Corrine is just a child, 9 or 10 years old. He later reconnects with the family when they’ve moved to Barbados and he is a university student. His best friend, Albert Glazal, has fallen in love with Glynnis and he’s invited Emile to come along when he’s to meet Mr Duckworth for the first time. The tragic event is shrouded in further mystery, and I’m glad that Nunez leaves so much to the imagination. What IS clear is the motivation of Glynnis. Poor Albert. But I’m reminded of the parable of the little girl who picks up a half-dead rattlesnake …. He knew what he was getting into.
    • 2/5
      Hugely disappointing. "King Lear" is one of the most majestic and challenging works ever penned, plumbing the depths of human cruelty and depravity, precariously balancing against those forces our capacity for love, loyalty, and forgiveness, doing so in language that pushes the very limits of what words can express. What's the point of writing a contemporary novel based on such a tragic monument if you're not going to at least take a stab at some of that? Elizabeth Nunez's "Even in Paradise" settles for just cribbing its plot and its character list (going so far as to have the narrator comment on the parallels several times, even grad-studentsplaining them to other characters), in language that barely ever rises above the pedestrian. Even where the novel does something interesting and original — transposing the story to modern-day Trinidad, Barbados, and Jamaica, with their varied and troubling legacies of colonial exploitation and the persistence of white privilege — it doesn't so much explore those themes as tentatively allude to them, then back away to focus more on the soap-opera of the plot's domestic conflicts. That plot unfolds so ploddingly that it never gains momentum (in contrast with its source, which plunges us into the disastrous division of Lear's estate, his rejection of Cordelia, and the machinations of Goneril, Regan, and Edmund within the first scene, the novel doesn't get around to that plot point till about 2/3 of the way through), and caps it off with a meek little plot twist that you can spot a mile away. I sure hope I'll be more impressed by Edward St. Aubyn's and Preti Taneja's takes on the material.
    • 4/5
      This book does a great job with naturally and meaningfully introducing issues of race, land use, colonial legacy, and national identity in its lushly developed Caribbean setting. In contrast, most of the characters were very flat, with little understandable motivation beyond their actions. The plot felt plodding, and in the end the climax left me wanting and also left some hefty loose ends in what otherwise seemed to be a standalone novel. The dialogue felt sometimes overly formal. I do wish Nunez had spent more time on the conflicts arising from race, identity, and colonial legacy and less on the evil sisters/inheritance Lear plot, because her writing was at its most compelling and engaging when addressing those, and she had powerful things to say. An enjoyable read in a well-developed setting that taught me a lot about the Caribbean, Even in Paradise falls a little flat in its characters and the actions driving the plot.
    • 3/5
      I think Even in Paradise found a good way to bring King Lear into a modern setting while keeping the spirit of the play. I also liked the setting. I have not read much (if anything) set in the Caribbean and it was interesting to see these popular vacation destinations from the point of view of the people who live there and have to deal with the fact that it is not always paradise. It deals with the divide between races, classes and religions. It did draw me in and make me want to know what was going to happen. I got invested in the story. I just wish that King Lear had not been referenced in the story directly. The play is embedded in the story so well that the name of the play never had to come up. I wish I was left to make those connections myself.
    • 4/5
      The story revolves around a rich Trinidadian man of British descent who retires to Barbados and becomes the owner of some beautiful beachfront property. While he is still living, he decides to gift his property to his daughters - - the two married/almost married daughter will receive their land immediately; the younger unmarried daughter will receive the house and the land it is built on after he dies. But, even though the father thought he was doing the right thing, the two oldest daughters felt they had not been treated fairly and their greed consumed them. In my opinion, this rang true to life. I have witnessed first hand how an expected inheritance and the entitlement mentality that some children have can tear a family apart.An underlying theme of the story revolved around the complex race relations and the cultural divides between the haves and the have-nots. To me, this was an even more important part of the story, showing how deep prejudices lie even in these modern times.
    • 5/5
      Set in Trinidad, Barbados and Jamaica, this novel is not only a retelling of [King Lear], but also a view of the complexities of the Caribbean societies that result from slavery and colonialism. Èmile Baxter, the narrator, is a black Trinidadian. His best friend, Albert Glazal is Trinidadian of Lebanese descent. When Albert becomes engaged to Glynis Duckworth, we are introduced to another group of Trinidadians, those of British descent. As in [Lear] there are three sisters, but theirs wasn't the most compelling story.As the story progresses, we see how slavery and colonialism still affect society in the islands. The Syrian-Lebanese community usually marries within itself, and whites and blacks don't date. Glynis voices the unspoken rule when she says that Èmile is an unsuitable boyfriend for her sister Corinne because he is black. Whites are privileged, while blacks live in poor, underserved neighborhoods like the Tivoli Gardens.Èmile, who aspires to be a poet, becomes involved in the literary scene, and we see the importance of art to a culture: "Stories, poems connect with people emotionally, make them feel. It's the heart, not the head that causes people to take to the streets, that sets off revolutions when you feel other people's pain -- and stories and poetry make you feel other people's pain -- you can't just sit back and do nothing. You have to demand change."And perhaps this also speaks to the enduring power of the story of [King Lear]. Art allows people to express themselves: no matter the race, class or ethnicity.Nunez has written a wonderful, thoughtful novel, that makes us look at how the past influences our lives today. This is my first novel by her, but it won't be the last.
    • 4/5
      I won this through a librarything giveaway and was very happy to have the chance to read and review it. This story takes place in present day Barbados, Trinidad, and Jamaica and is a modern retelling of King Lear. It follows the play to a degree, but I was surprised and delighted by the deviations it took from the plot. Ducksworth, a rich white man, and his three daughters live on Barbados. The story is about the relationship of the daughters with their father. It is told from Emile's pov. He is a poet from Trinidad and he falls for Corrine, the youngest of Ducksworth daughters. The story deals with cultural divides, prejudices, and the lingering effects of colonialism. The conflict results from Ducksworth fighting to hold onto his power and the struggle to divide his land between his three daughters as well as the respective relationships his three daughter encounter with their soon to be husbands. Overall an interesting read. I especially enjoyed the evocation of the island through the luscious details given in the prose.
    • 4/5
      This was the first book I read by this highly regarded author and I look forward to reading more of her work. I loved the comfortable and engaging writing style that pulled one into this story of greed, racism, classicism, Islamophobia, family disfunction and, yes, love and its of it. This is the King Lear drama played out in the paradise that is the Caribbean islands, with their beauty, history of oppression and slavery, multiculturalism and social issues. The island people, their culture and their history are as strongly and clearly presented as are the main characters, their backdrops and their strength and weaknesses. Really enjoyed this book.
    • 5/5
      4+. King Lear, three daughters, greed and manipulation, and a mentally disintegrating father. Nunez takes this to the Caribbean, Trinidad and Barbados and uses a family named Duckworth, a widower with three daughters to tell her story. Moving from Barbados from Trinidad, Mr. Duckworth has a beautiful house on some gorgeous land, land his two, elder daughters desperately want. They are also jealous of the youngest, Corinne who is apple of her Father's eye. Into this mix is Emilie, the black son of Duckworth's physician and his friend Alfred, who is of Lebanese descent and becomes engaged to the eldest Duckworth daughter.Amazing writing, absolutely gorgeous, very addicting story told very well. The manipulations and greed of the two eldest sisters plays out against a backdrop of racial discrimination and a politically charged time in Trinidad. The Tivoli Garden massacre is part of a young activist's poem and Tivoli Gardens itself will be used to construct the attempted downfall of the youngest sister. But greed is I believe is the unifying theme, greed of country rulers and the greed within a family. Well played out juxtaposition. First book by this author for me, but it will not be my last. ARC from publisher.
    • 4/5
      When giving Elizabeth Nunez's novel "Even In Paradise" a star rating, I hovered between the 3 and 4 stars. I liked this novel. It was a pleasant read and I agree with the blurbs on the cover, the cadence of the story was Caribbean in nature. The characters kept me engaged. My hesitation was simply that I tend to enjoy more emotional tales....or perhaps "deeper" language used to tell such tales. To say this story isn't deep would be not fair either. Ms Nunez gives voice to an area of the world many see as a vacation paradise, when indeed the Caribbean has a much richer history. This book is a difficult review for me as a reader, as a former book seller I can honestly say that there are many readers who I could recommend this book to, especially those interested in discussion. I applaud Ms. Nunez on her success in bringing to life her corner of the world.....I am richer for having read this book.