Paradise (The Paradise series Book 1)

I used to wonder why women read romance novels. Many years later, after reading a few, I figured it out. It's the men, the male characters. These tall, dark, handsome and rich guys (in their 30s, yet) do not exist in real life. That said, no other writer understands men and portrays men as well as Judith McNaught. I have concluded that most of the romance books are not well written and not worth the paper they are printed on. McNaught is the standout - the best! That is why I was willing to re-read some of her books when they finally came out in digital format. (Her fans have been asking for e-books for years. Wonder what that fight was about?) McNaught has one flaw: too many guys have dark hair and grey eyes, and almost all of them are 6'3" tall. We'll forgive her for that. She is the best and Paradise is one of her best.

Although this book was first published in 1991, I only recently purchased it and read it. I stayed all night and a good part of the early hours of the morning reading Paradise and it was a paradise reading..I did not feel the time as I kept turing page after page. This is a keeper.

Having read this book several times, I can honestly say this book is one of the best romance novels written by an author, every so often I would pick it up and read it as though it's the first time.

The story begins with Matt and Meredith meeting when she was a young rich debutante and he was the poor laborer. Their beginning story and all that transpired during that time was bittersweet, there relationship ending on very bad terms and you are left rooting for them both and anxious to see what will happen next.

It picks up ten years later, Matt is now a sought after billionaire and Meredith is now trying too become President of her father's floundering company. Their reunion is classic and there after the fireworks begin. Their is humor, drama and suspense, you are taken on a wonderful journey you do not want to end. If possible I would give this book a 10. It has a place in my permanent library. Definite buy and keep. I would also recommend two other excellent books by Mcnaught: PERFECT and DOUBLE STANDARDS.

I have once again found a author that has captured my interest. While reading this book I found myself anxiously waiting for the next encounter with Mr. Farrell. I have and will read more of Judith McNaught novels 5 stars material Thank You Patricia Pollard

The issue I have with the McNaught books is probably why some love them. The negatives and the problems between the characters and each character are extreme. I have trouble even reading some of it. Granted, I have a "thing" against injustice and I do react, but some of the events are extreme. I have to skip chapters and move on. Having said that, Judith McNaught has some of the very best endings to her books so I always feel good once I'm done. They are intense for me and I cannot read two in a row. I have to add a Carolyn Brown (or similar) book in between.

The issue I have with the McNaught books is probably why some love them. The negatives and the problems between the characters and each character are extreme. I have trouble even reading some of it. Granted, I have a "thing" against injustice and I do react, but some of the events are extreme. I have to skip chapters and move on. Having said that, Judith McNaught has some of the very best endings to her books so I always feel good once I'm done. They are intense for me and I cannot read two in a row. I have to add a Carolyn Brown (or similar) book in between.

I love all the characters in this story, especially Matt and Meredith. I've read this story so many times since it was originally published and it never gets old. Judith McNaught continues to be my favorite author. I don't know why she stopped writing new stories, I wish she'd publish more, I miss reading them.

I have read over 2000 novels, maybe even more but I can't even properly describe this book cos saying it's the best romantic novel ever written feels like am doing it an injustice. Thank you Judith MacNaught for writing this timeless piece. I really really really love this book. I have read this book from cover to cover 8times and I will be reading it more and more as the years go by. It's been 3months since I last reread it, I will be picking it up to reread again once am done with this review.
Go buy this book and I promise you, you won't regret it.

Love this book even though it's totally dated.

The only thing that keeps me from giving 5 stars: the blatant SEXISM here.

The story starts with an unplanned pregnancy and EVERYONE , INCLUDING THE PREGNANT WOMAN, blames HER for it. They say she was "careless," "irresponsible"...the pregnancy is ALL her fault for not taking precautions with birth control. Never mind that the guy involved didn't ask a SINGLE question about birth control when they had sex. He didn't even mention condoms or STI's (and I was alive in the 80's, we were taught about disease prevention in school, believe me. It was a THING. Not like the oblivious 1960's. There was AIDS, etc. They practically THREW condoms at us in h.s.)

But in the book, all anyone said about HIM is that he was such a stand-up guy for marrying her and never disparaging her because of her MISTAKE in getting pregnant. What a guy. ?

Very dated and sexist.
I know this book was written in the 1980's and there's no cell phones in the story... But even then, people wouldn't have said things like this. Unless she was having some private happy time with a vial of sperm, there were TWO PEOPLE involved in this pregnancy.
To blame the woman for the situation and absolve the man of all responsibility, is abhorrent to me.

Serious turn off. Had to ignore those comments to get to the rest of the story.
Other than that, and some unnecessary wordiness in describing business practices, I like the story and the characters.

She really should rewrite those scenes. For real.

Judith McNaught is a great writer. Paradise contains so much excitment page to page you just can't stop. There is actually a plot with folds of development instead of a mere love story. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

My first contemporary by Judith McNaught gave me some of her fun emotional connection and a good amount of eye glazing department and corporate talk. Our leads had an instant connection when they met and I really enjoyed their back and forth tinged with sexual chemistry and sass. Unfortunately, Matt and Meredith don't spend a lot of time together. Their first go at it has them together for a whirlwind six days and then its not until the 60% mark that they get to spend any real time together.

There was way too much corporate world talk for me and caused me to put off grabbing this back up to read. For having a bit older of a publishing date, this still held up pretty well. There was some high drama, with a lot of it coming from Meredith when she was upset, she was portrayed a pretty dramatic; it seemed to be feeding into this time period's love of overstating the thought that women are high strung emotional beings.

I would have liked the corporate talk 80% slashed, Matt and Meredith spending more time together, and less of a rushed ending.

This is officially my favorite Judith McNaught novel! Paradise is a roller coaster ride of emotions that will keep you riveted from beginning to end. This story of two people who fight against all odds because they belong together kept me reading until the wee hours of the night. All Meredith Bancroft has wanted is to become president of Bancroft & Company, her family's department store for many generations. A woman has never been the president of the company and Phillip, her father, is determined to keep things that way. He is also determined to control her life and keep her away from former steel miller turned multi-million dollar tycoon Matthew Farrell. Phillip had succeeded in parting them eleven years ago, back when all Matthew had in his name was the dream, ambition and drive to make it big one day, but will he succeed once more after Matthew and Meredith meet again? An eleven-year-old misunderstanding keep them cautiously at bay and there will be obstacles to overcome once they begin to break the ice. There are many twists throughout the novel.

As said earlier, I felt so many things while reading this novel. I felt sadness, irritation, frustration, joy and was emotionally exhausted once I finished with the book. The 708 pages just flew by! Matthew Farrell is McNaught's most endearing hero. He has over ranked Royce Westmoreland (A Kingdom of Dreams) in being the author's perfect romantic hero. He is the signature McNaught alpha male and is adorably love struck and sensual to boot. His love for Meredith, even while angry with her, felt so real it was almost tangible. He is such an amazing character and for once the male lead got more sympathy points from me than the heroine did. Meredith is also wonderful -- a savvy, strong and determined businesswoman who fights for her rights to be respected as such. However, the fact that she had a difficult time trusting Matthew, even after their affairs are in order, frustrated me because he was as much a victim as she was of her father. He does and says some things while he is angry, but his feelings are perfectly understandable throughout the novel. And, as said earlier, I never doubted that he loved Meredith, even when he tried to lie to himself regarding his feelings for her. Well... those are few of the many feelings I felt when reading this novel. The story is intricate and beautifully romantic. The one flaw I find in this novel is that there is too much corporate jargon as well as boardroom meetings and office politics. I know the aforementioned things are an integral part of the story, but there was just too much of them. As for the characters, they are fun, at times flawed and very three-dimensional. I loved Joe, Lisa, Parker and even Phillip. They are such well-developed characters! I read about the protagonists and Joe in Perfect and Every Breath You Take, but I wish I'd read this novel before reading those other ones. Ah, well. Paradise is one of the most beautiful romances I've ever read and this book will have a special place in my library -- on my to reread pile. I cannot gush about this book enough and I urge anyone who hasn't read it to give this gem a whirl!

Paradise is a contemporary novel and the fourth book of Judith Mcnaught that I have read. After reading the glowing reviews here, not to mention my delight with A Kingdom of Dreams, Something Wonderful and Once & Always, I was eager to read more of her work and find out why this book is the highest rated of all her novels, and now I understand why...

Meredith Bancroft was born with a silver spoon in her mouth. As the daughter of Phillip Bancroft, the president of the most exclusive department store in Chicago, she has everything that a girl could want, at least everything that money could buy - for Meredith is insecure with her looks, hardly has any friends and lives a pretty sheltered life under the watchful eye of her manipulative and overbearing father. But four years later and the 'ugly duckling' turn into a swan. Those who have treated her as if she were invisible are now eager to befriend her. Yet, her father still expects her to do his bidding and follow his orders. But everything will change when she finally defies him.

Matthew Farrell comes from the lower class town of Edmunton, Indiana. He works in a steel mill five days a week, as a mechanic for the remaining two, and lives with his sister and alcoholic father. But Matthew has a burning ambition to succeed. Thus, after accepting a job in Venezuela that will see him with a large sum of money after two years, he finds himself at a party in Chicago one night where he meets Meredith, and where he dared to reach for the moon. And so begins a romance that will result in a decade of hate, deceit, doubts and misunderstandings.

When that chance meeting see them married a few weeks later, they make a pact to get to know each other and make their marriage work. Yet Phillip Bancroft never gave them the chance, for as soon as Matt left for Venezuela, he did everything in his power to drive them apart and so their ill-fated marriage ended up in divorce.

Fast forward to eleven years and Matt is now an industrial tycoon, with women throwing themselves at his feet, while Meredith is an executive at Bancroft and Company and engaged to Parker Reynolds, the man she adored as a child. When their paths cross once again, they find themselves dealing with suppressed pains caused by each other's 'betrayal'.

If there ever was a couple that you would most like to find everlasting happiness - Matt and Meredith would be them. Theirs is a story that's guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings. You can truly feel the love they have for each other and the agony that they have gone through during the years they've been apart. There are so many twists and turns in the story, that just when you think that things are finally working out, another obstacle will drive them apart. The author's talents shine in this book. She brings life to the characters that they almost jump out of the page. I laughed and cried, and in the end, I didn't want the story to end at all.

Don't let the length of the novel put you off - this book is fast paced and will hold your interest from the very start. Reading about Meredith's childhood will make you appreciate her more. And even though I wish that the same emphasis were done with Matt's childhood, I didn't think that the lack of it detracted from this book at all.

This truly is a special story and one that I will read over and over again. I can't wait to read Perfect, as I know that Matt and Meredith make their appearance in it.

There isn't anything else to say except this book is pure magic. By far and away my favorite book in this genre, and that's literally hundreds if not thousands of books!

Meredith Bancroft is a wonderful girl growing up with a very tyranical father who accuses her of being a whore like her mother whom he left for cheating on him. In a moment of betrayal and anger, she decides to sleep with Matt Farrel, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. When Matt does the right thing by marrying her, Meredith's father goes crazy and stops at nothing to separate them and he succeeds by lying and betraying both of them. Flash forward 11 years, Matt and Meredith are both wealthy and successful people who find themselves in the same social circle, which is very difficult since they both hate each other based on lies. Meredith is planning on marrying the childhood crush she's always wanted, but as they're preparing for the wedding, they uncover Meredith's divorce from Matt wasn't legal. Forced together to resolve the situation, Meredith and Matt slowly uncover what her father did to them all that time ago, and rediscover their short stint of magic during their short time together wasn't a fluke.

This book is funny, sad, poignant, witty and intelligent and the secondary characters are also strong and help develop the story well. McNaught hit pure gold with this one and I enjoy reading it over and over.