At Paradise Gate - by Jane Smiley (Paperback)

About the Book

Elegantly repackaged and reissued to coincide with the release of Smiley's latest novel, "At Paradise Gate" is a brilliant novel that delves into the domestic drama of an ordinary American family. While Ike Robinson lays dying, his wife is forced to defend their marriage against an ill-considered, albeit loving invasion by their three middle-aged daughters.

Book Synopsis

In this brilliant novel, Pulitzer Prize-winning and bestselling author Jane Smiley delves into the domestic drama of the Robison family. While seventy-seven-year-old Ike Robison is dying in his bedroom upstairs, his wife defends the citadel of their marriage against an ill-considered, albeit loving, invasion by their three middle-aged daughters and their twenty-three-year-old granddaughter. Amply fulfilling the expectations raised by Smiley's other celebrated works, "At Paradise Gate" is a compelling, gracefully wrought portrait of intergenerational strife and family survival.

Review Quotes

Kirkus Reviews Complex domestic tensions...honest, moving, quietly splendid.

Library Journal Studded with sensuous descriptive passages and marked with slivers of insight -- a treat for senses and intellect alike. For Smiley, another quite remarkable effort.

The Des Moines Register A wise and wonderful book, shot through with rare insight.

The Fresno Bee Smiley's sharp insight, the homely use of details of family life, and the mysteries of marriage set this book apart....One to re-read with appreciation and pleasure.

About the Author

Jane Smiley was born in Los Angeles, grew up in St. Louis, and studied at Vassar and the University of Iowa, where she received her Ph.D. She is
the author of eight other works of fiction. She lives in central California.