Review: When I first started reviewing books way back when (seriously, more than 2 years ago), I won a copy of another Ellen Sussman book: French Lessons. Well. That book made me fall in love with the author's writing style. I don't know what it was about that book that made me love it, but I did. One thing she did well was capture the essence of Paris in a really convincing and magical way. I feel that she did the same with Bali in The Paradise Guest House. But...that is pretty much where the similarities end for me. I didn't fall in love with this book the way I did with the other one. That's not to say it wasn't good, because it was written well, but...it's time to pull out the list again.Why The Paradise Guest House Didn't Wow Me:~Here's one you don't hear often: it was too short! At only 288 pages, it felt like the surface of the 2002 Bali Nightclub Bombings was barely scratched. I wanted more. It felt like we rushed through what happened and why, and I was missing that emotional connection to the topic because of the length. I think maybe 50 more pages could have been used to build a little more plot and depth into the country, the terrorism, and everything that happened before, AND the aftermath.~This kind of connects to the same point as above but with one difference. The characters. Again, I was missing that depth and I feel with a little more length to the narrative, I might have been able to care more. But...for such an emotional topic, it didn't really tug at my emotions. I've read some other reviews and it seemed to resonate with other readers so maybe it's just me, but I didn't even feel the slightest bit sad. And that's not good when there were characters in the book that had lost loved ones.~Also, about the characters? Where was the development? Why were they so flat? Why did I feel like the writing was constantly keeping me at a distance? I tried to get close to them and understand their plight, but the detached writing style wouldn't let me!What I Did Like About the Book:Obviously I liked it quite a bit or I wouldn't have rated it 3 stars. So where did it excel?~I think the storytelling was good. I think the author did a wonderful job of weaving past and present (though I liked the middle section a bit more than the beginning and end because it covered the bombings themselves), but I thought the story came together well and she was skilled at making it meld.~I do like her writing style. She writes like she is writing personally for me. It's a well-balanced combination of story, characters, and imagery designed to make you fall in love with the place she is writing about, which is great because Bali is definitely a character in this novel, and the only one I felt was properly developed. Bali has flaws, but it's a beautiful place full of happy smiling people, gorgeous scenery, and fascinating culture and traditions. I don't know if I would recommend this one because I felt it was lacking in a lot of areas. But I do think the author has a lot of talent, so I am conflicted. I am glad I read it, but nothing wowed me. I am on the fence. I can say I will read this author again, I was just disappointed by this particular book. It was still a good read though. It just wasn't all that memorable for me and I know I will forget it in a few days.
