A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner – Audio
ARC from PRHaudio, Berkley Pub and Netgalley for an honest review.
Book Blurb:
With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.
Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?
As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke.
My Review: 3.5 stars
A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner is a story that takes place during the 1950s when actors and actresses were being called into question or blacklisted having any communist ties. McCarthyism was in full swing, and three women all seem to find themselves wrapped into unfortunate circumstances.
The three main characters that would never have found themselves as friends, end up doing just that. Melanie is suspected of communism due to her boyfriend and lives in a beautiful Malibu property. Eva is a Polish displaced immigrant that cleans houses, Melanie’s included. June is the agoraphobic neighbor’s sister who is tending to him while he’s ill. Obviously, they all hold secrets that wildly affect them in different ways.
I’m not sure the title had anything to do with the story, but it was a fine story either way.
Quotes I liked:
How did a person know how strong they were if their strength was never tested?”
