A Treacherous Paradise - Tapa blanda

"A fascinating new novel [with] unusual flavor. It often reads like a fable of folktale . . . Reminiscent of Latin American magic realism, transplanted to Africa . . . Carlos the chimp might have come out of a Garcia Marquez novel, and the richly colored details of brothel life could be from a sprawling Jorge Amado tale. . . . [A] sensuous, beguiling tapestry."
--William Boyd, "The New York Times Book Review"
"Mankell's narrative incorporates comments on racism, colonialism and the treatment of women, and his love of Africa has not blinded him to many abiding issues which he makes timelessly resonant, despite the period setting. . . . [But] Any polemical points are never foregrounded but are allowed to be grace notes in a saga of sex, race and the shifting balance of power."
--Barry Forshaw, "The Independent"
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"Mankell uses his deep knowledge of Mozambique's history and politics to great advantage in this unusual and riveting story."
--Kathy Stevenson, "The Daily Mail"
"Impressively deft . . . By the time it ends, readers might be surprised how far they have traveled . . . both literally and psychologically. It's a testament to how powerfully moving and nuanced Mankell's books can be, when he turns his attention away from corpses and world-weary detectives."
--Doug Childers, "Tampa Tribune"
"[An] engrossing tale of a woman cast adrift in an alien world. . . . How she confronts the loneliness and racism of her unique place spins out in Mankell's masterful prose. As always with Mankell, the characters are brilliantly conceived."
--Margaret Cannon, "The Globe and Mail"
"[An] intriguing tale . . . It keeps you guessing to the end."
--Tina Moran, "The Sunday Express"
"The story is well put together and never less than absorbing."
--Owen Richardson, "The Age"
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"The prose (translated by Laurie Thompson) is crisp and clear yet atmospheric as it conjures tensions that would simmer for decades then

In 1904, Hanna Renstrom boards a ship bound for Australia hoping to escape the cold and poverty that have dominated her life in Sweden. Her harrowing journey lands her in Portuguese East Africa, a world where colonialism and white colonists rule, where she becomes a peculiar outsider: she is on the outskirts of white society, because of her gender and profession as the owner of a bordello, and separated from the African prostitutes with whom she lives due to her skin color. As her life becomes increasingly intertwined with the brothel, Hanna moves inexorably toward the moment when one decision will defy all the expectations society has of her and, most important, those she has of herself.
 
Henning Mankell imbues this deeply moving story with all of the gripping drama, vividly drawn characters, and evocative details of place that fans of his acclaimed Kurt Wallander crime novels have come to love.