5/27/2022

Sommer Im Paradies by Karen Swan

Not sure if I want to read another summer novel by the author. All I know so far is that I am disappointed by The Secret Path. I expected way more than the novel delivered. The plot itself is solid and works its way around topics like climate change, and preserving the rainforest and shows that it needs a lot of money to do that. It´s sad, that it was wrapped up in a novel like this….

Sommer Im Paradies*

by Karen Swan
Translation Gertrud Wittich
Original Title The Secret Path
Publisher Goldmann on April 18, 2022
Genre Novel
Pages 507
Format Paperback
Source Goldmann
Goodreads
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Golden sandy beaches, bright blue skies, and the lush green of the rainforest: For the London pediatrician Tara, Costa Rica is paradise on earth. But she hasn´t been there for ten years -since her childhood sweetheart Alex broke her heart. Only a big family celebration makes Tara return to the land of her dreams. But instead of relaxing on the beach, she must venture deep into the jungle to save a seriously ill boy. The only one who can help her is Alex of all people the man she tries in vain to forget… (Personal translation by © Vi at Inkvotary).

Story

Tara swore to herself that she would never ever be so stupid again and make the same mistake twice. Her job as a pediatrician is stressful and she likes the relationship she´s having with Rory. Not the heart-pounding passion she knows does exist but better than nothing. A trip to Costa Rica is all she needs to get some extra time with him. But then Alex, the man who betrayed her, is back in her life and she knows nothing will be the same anymore.

Style

The novel is divided into two parts. Ten years lie between the plots and after just a few lines at the beginning of the second part, it becomes clear to the reader that Tara's life has not developed as the author indicated in the first part. The writing style is easy to read, and clear, and the author has a lovely way of describing the rainforest and the feelings of the main character. This works very well in many places if you ignore the few repetitions of words. Unfortunately, as the story progressed, there were unnecessary mistakes in the story that added up and spoiled the joy of reading a bit.

During the last chapters, the story takes a turn for the worse, and the author takes a complete turn. The novel becomes a crime novel. And the author conjured up an explanation on the pages that really surprised me as a reader. Less would have been more here.

Characters

As far as the creation of her characters is concerned, the author has reached deep into the stereotypical box. At first, it was still quite amusing to read, but as the story progressed, it became more and more disconcerting.

Tara has learned over the course of her young life that it is better to deny her family´s true wealth. Yes, they have money, but not everyone needs to know the real extent right away. Let alone see. Tara wants to live as normally as possible. This also means that she wants to learn and work in a real job. Not because she must, but because she just wants to. Her friend Holly doesn´t really understand Tara´s attitude. Their conversations are often the same, and when the friends get into a bit of argument, Tara´s world is turned upside down.

Conclusion

The end of the novel disappointed me. Yes, I was quite entertained for a while. But then, in the second part, the tone changed, there were some logical errors and the story developed more into a contemporary novel than a novel about the love between two people. I like her winter novels much better so far. Too bad. Would have liked to have given the story a better rating.

Happy reading

*This book was kindly provided to me by Goldmann in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Thank you. Therefore, the cover of the German edition is shown first in this review.

Deutsche Rezension

Stil

Der Roman ist in zwei Teile gegliedert. Zehn Jahre liegen handlungsmäßig dazwischen, und es wird schon nach wenigen Zeilen zu Beginn des zweiten Parts für den Leser klar, dass sich für Tara das Leben nicht so entwickelt hat, wie von der Autorin im ersten Teil angedeutet. Der Schreibstil ist einfach zu lesen, klar und die Autorin hat eine schöne Art, den Regenwald und die Gefühle der Hauptfigur zu beschreiben. Das funktioniert an vielen Stellen sehr gut, wenn man die paar Wortwiederholungen mal außer Acht lässt. Leider kamen im weiteren Handlungsverlauf dann unnötige Fehler in der Geschichte vor, die sich summierten und die Lesefreude etwas trübten.

Während der letzten Kapitel überschlägt sich die Geschichte dann leider auch noch, und die Autorin legt eine komplette Wendung hin. Da wird aus dem Roman ein Krimi. Und von der Autorin eine Erklärung dazu auf die Seiten gezaubert, dass es mich als Leserin wirklich gewundert hat. Weniger wäre hier mehr gewesen.

Charaktere

Was die Erschaffung ihrer Figuren angeht, hat die Autorin sehr tief in die stereotype Kiste gegriffen. Anfangs las sich das noch recht amüsant, aber je weiter die Handlung fortschritt, umso befremdlicher wurde es.

Tara hat im Laufe ihres jungen Lebens gelernt, dass es besser ist, den wahren Reichtum ihrer Familie zu verleugnen. Ja, sie haben Geld, aber das wirkliche Ausmaß muss nicht jeder gleich wissen. Geschweige denn sehen. Tara möchte so normal wie möglich leben. Was auch heißt, sie will einen richtigen Beruf erlernen und arbeiten. Nicht weil sie muss, sondern weil sie es einfach will. Ihre Freundin Holly versteht Taras Einstellung nicht wirklich. Entsprechend sind oft ihre Gespräche, und als es zum großen Streit zwischen den Freundinnen kommt, steht Taras Welt Kopf.

Resultat

Mich hat der Roman am Ende enttäuscht. Ja, ich wurde eine Weile ganz gut unterhalten. Dann aber, im zweiten Teil, veränderte sich der Tonfall, es gab einige Logikfehler und die Geschichte entwickelte sich eher zu einem Contemporary Roman als einem Roman über die Liebe zwischen zwei Menschen. Da gefallen mir ihre Winterromane bislang deutlich besser. Schade. Hätte der Geschichte gerne eine bessere Bewertung gegeben.

*The book was published in the English language by Pan MacMillan on May 3, 2021.

Karen Swan

Karen Swan has long worked as a fashion journalist for magazines such as Vogue, Tatler, and YOU. She lives in Sussex, England, with her husband and three children. If the children let her, she writes novels in her treehouse.

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