Paradise Jazz

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A tragic, comic tale - Rated
This book is one of the funniest most heart-warming stories I've read. It's literary but isn't heavy going. There's a huge amount of laugh-out-loud moments but also some really tragic ones. Paradise Jazz is a fast-paced rollercoaster ride about two women searching for their place in the world, discovering a secret past and trying to work out what to do about it. It deals with identity, race, family and history and once you've picked it up you can't put it down. The characterisation and dialogue are superb and it is all played out to a cool bluesy/jazz soundtrack which gives the book a great style. It is one of my favourite books of all time an excellent read and Kat Pomfret is a great new talent.
Get this book - it will make you laugh and cry and will leave you with a smile on your face.

A tragic, comic tale - Rated
This book is one of the funniest most heart-warming stories I've read. It's literary but isn't heavy going. There's a huge amount of laugh-out-loud moments but also some really tragic. Paradise Jazz is a fast-paced rollercoaster ride about two women searching for their place in the world, discovering a secret past and trying to work out what to do about it. It deals with identity, race, family and history and once you've picked it up you can't put it down. The characterisation and dialogue are superb and it is all played out to a cool bluesy/jazz soundtrack which gives the book a great style. It is one of my favourite books of all time an excellent read and Kat Pomfret is a great new talent.
Get this book - it will make you laugh and cry and will leave you with a smile on your face.

A colourful debut from a talented author - Rated
Paradise Jazz is a story of secrets, the past, the future and the nature of self as seen through the eyes of two girls, Georgetown and Helena. Each is searching for something - Georgetown is seeking her father, and Helena is seeking her self - and the book interweaves their stories, and the stories of other peripheral characters, with skill.

Kat Pomfret has a deceptive style; her smooth, flowing narrative and whimsical literary flourishes conceal astute observations on the nature of relationships and the impact upon them of secrets and lies. The subject matter of much of this book has the potential to be very weighty, but the lightness of tone of the prose prevents the book from ever becoming maudlin.

The dialogue sparkles and the characterisation is highly accomplished; only the hardest-hearted individual would not feel some kind of sympathy for the characters as they learn various damaging truths and cope with the tribulations that Pomfret sends their way.

It is not without its faults - there are superfluous lyrics scattered throughout, certain cultural references anchor it very firmly to Britain and this era and may limit its appeal beyond the UK, and I felt that it lost some steam about 3/4 of the way through - but such criticism is minor
and hardly detracts from the book, and even with it in mind it is still a striking debut from a clearly talented young author. I look forward to her second.

Beautiful and poetic - Rated
I really wanted to take my time reading Paradise Jazz and savour the beautiful and poetic desciptions that are throughout the book. However the characters and storylines are so compelling that once I had started I ended up reading straight through. Characters, whether they played a small or large role in the story, were all equally thought out and even the ones you wanted to dislike you ended up falling in love with.

Unfortunately the descriptions about food are so good they always made me terribly hungry - not good if you are on a diet!

I want to know when we can read the next book from Kat Pomfret!

Gutsy, sassy, colourful, original - Rated
Paradise Jazz is a gutsy book with a well-developed sense of the comedy and tragedy of life. There is a clash of cultures(provincial English town housing a colourful Black American family), a stormy mother/daughter relationship, a competitive brother/sister relationship, and a background of sundry relatives who all cause problems in their own characteristic ways. Every page hums with striking descriptions, sassy similes, wise and original observations, and a rhythm that carries the reader forward.
Yes, there is jazz. And a search for identity. But ultimately, this novel concerns the heart and soul of relationships, the elements that matter and those that don't.