| Plot Summary of Paradise |
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"Larry McMurtry is on a voyage aboard the freighter Aranui carrying American and European passengers around French Polynesia, specifically the Marquesas Islands. He has left his elderly and dying mother back in Wichita Falls, Texas to write about the life of his parents, his own family, and his trip to the islands. For the first 50 pages he writes of their struggles, disappointments, failures and eventual separation after 40+ years, while adding gratuitous facts about the life of Paul Gauguin in Tahiti, his penchant for young native girls, sexually transmitted diseases, and morphine. Married during the Great Depression, the McMurtry's never ventured far from the land his father worked, fretting about the things needing to be done. His mother was a chronic worrier constantly thinking the worst in any situation would occur.
After the initial discourse on his parents and Gauguin, McMurtry weaves a new narrative about the journey to Tahiti and the neighboring islands into a disjointed work, You may wonder where the author is going as eventually the book evolves into an autobiographical journey of its author seeking paradise for himself and the other passengers who have quested for a place far from the struggles of ordinary life. Periodically, he adds information about famous voyagers who have found refuge in the embrace of the placid winds and bright blue waters of the South Pacific: Michener, Stevenson, London, Maugham, Cook, Melville, Heyerdahl, and Suggs. "
David Fletcher, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Paradise |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
job/profession:
- writer
Job/profession/poverty story
Yes
Period of greatest activity?
- 1950+
Subject of Biography
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 60's-90's
Biography of famous person?
Yes
Ethnicity
- White
Nationality
- American (!)
How sensitive is this person?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other people
Physique
- average physique
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 10 (a tremendous amount)
United States
Yes
The US:
- Texas
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Pacific Islands
City?
Yes
City:
- Los Angeles
Century:
- 1980's-Present
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Book makes you feel?
- thoughtful
Is book humorous?
Yes
If humorous, kind of humor
- eccentric personalities
Commentary on society?
Yes
Commentary on
- decency
- capitalism
- wicked rich people
Unusual Style:
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Writer's slant towards subject:
- somewhat unfavorable
Story of entire life, or part?
- story of set of events during life
Is this a biography of several people?
Yes
Autobiography?
Yes
How much dialogue in bio?
- little dialog
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