A Treacherous Paradise
Written by Henning Mankell
Narrated by Sean Barrett
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
A Treacherous Paradise sees Henning Mankell turn his talents for writing gripping thrillers to a world where power and powerlessness meet and passion is a dangerous commodity.
Hanna Lundmark escapes the brutal poverty of rural Sweden for a job as a cook onboard a steamship headed for Australia. Jumping ship at the African port of Lourenço Marques, Hanna decides to begin her life afresh.
Stumbling across what she believes to be a down-at-heel hotel, Hanna becomes embroiled in a sequence of events that lead to her inheriting the most successful brothel in town.
Uncomfortable with the attitudes of the white settlers, Hanna is determined to befriend the prostitutes working for her, and change life in the town for the better, but the distrust between blacks and whites, and the shadow of colonialism, lead to tragedy and murder.
©2011 Henning Mankell 2011, English translation copyright © Laurie Thompson 2013 (P)2013 Isis Publishing Ltd, Random House Audiobooks
More audiobooks from Henning Mankell
Italian Shoes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Depths: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eye of the Leopard: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDaniel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shadow Girls Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Kennedy's Brain: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to A Treacherous Paradise
Related audiobooks
Fate of Fenella Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Black Goat Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRupert of Hentzau Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Malefactor Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Murder in the Mill-Race: A Devon Mystery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Trent's Last Case Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the Mountains of Madness: The Life, Death, and Extraordinary Afterlife of H.P. Lovecraft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret Countess Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thirteen Guests Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Demon of Dakar: A Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Angela's Ashes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prisoner of Zenda Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Three Short Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsShame Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hannah's Rakehell Duke Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Return of Martin Guerre Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Theft Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Long Shadow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sands of Dune: Novellas from the Worlds of Dune Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Doppelganger's Dance Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFlesh and Blood: A Frank Clemons Mystery Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Princess of Denmark Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOur Spoons Came from Woolworths Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Corpse in the Waxworks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lyon's Bride: The Chattan Curse Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dream Weavers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sad Story of a Vampire Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Kiss from a Rogue Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Penny's Secret Mission: Women and War Book 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Biographical/AutoFiction For You
Becoming Mrs. Lewis: The Improbable Love Story of Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Green Valley: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Million Little Pieces Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Beneath a Scarlet Sky: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My Enemy's Tears: The Witch of Northampton Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mr. Dickens and His Carol: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Smallest Man Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crow Mary: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When We Cease to Understand the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silver Star: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Once Upon a Wardrobe Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Postcards from the Edge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Caroline: Little House, Revisited Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Magician: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Duchess: A Novel of Consuelo Vanderbilt Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Imperial Woman: The Story of the Last Empress of China Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tiffany Girls: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Accidental Empress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Brightest Star: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I Never Promised You a Rose Garden Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Postcard Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Auschwitz Lullaby: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Man in White Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The East Indian: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Camp Echo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Teacher of Warsaw Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for A Treacherous Paradise
108 ratings10 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Well written, but at the end a disappointment.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5For those of us who love the Wallander mysteries it's always great to see a new Henning Mankell novel. This story is very different from the mysteries, however. It's the story of a young Swedish woman, Hannah, who in 1904 who sails as a crew member on a voyage to Australia and marries the third mate. He dies and is buried at sea. She leaves the ship in Portuguese East Africa, now Mozambique. Eventually, after a miscarriage and a long convalescence in what she believes is a hotel, but turns out to be a brothel, she marries the owner. When he dies she finds herself a wealthy woman and the owner of the brothel. The story is about her search for her identity as she learns to navigate a very treacherous world where everyone lies. The book explores how racism and colonialism affect the white colonists and the Africans. In fact, the only person Hannah can trust is Carlos, a chimpanzee working at the brothel who becomes her only true friend. Mankell, who divides his time between Sweden and Mozambique, says it is based on tax records of that time that show a Swedish woman was the largest tax payer in town and the owner of a brothel. Everything else is imagined. I listened to it as an audiobook. It sounds almost like a fable. This is an amazing story that I recommend highly.
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5I wasn't really impressed with Mankell's writing or this story. His historical references felt off the cuff and unresearched, and he seemed to lean to heavily on modern political points of view. Also, his writing style was incredibly staccato, and I felt like it totally prevented the story from flowing--which didn't help its readability (or lack thereof). Too bad, the premise was quite promising and I was excited for this one.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This takes place just after 1900. A poor Swedish girl from the north is sent to a coast city by her mother when famine arrives. She signs onto a boat as a cook, marries, her husband dies and she gets off the boat in Mozambique, ends up head of a brothel, tries to find herself.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5My main familiarity with Mankell is as the man who brought eloquence to the basic thriller,through the telling of his stories, with beautifully his flawed, human characters. For that reason, I picked this book off the shelf. For the mystery and glimpse into a different world that the jacket blurb promised, I decided to read it.Set in Portuguese Africa (Mozambique) in the early 1900's, Mankell's novel is based on one true fact he had learned: a Swedish woman was once the owner of one of the largest brothels in Maputo. She was also one of the largest tax-payers. Then, just as suddenly as she appeared in the records, she disappeared. Mankell has taken that fact and woven a life for a woman born in Sweden, last seen in Mozambique, around it.To me, it was extra-poignant to read this story, with so much racial tension inherent in it, as the fiftieth anniversary of Civil Rights March on Washington approaches. I was a child, living in the DC area at the time, and I remember the impact vividly, even though I didn't get to the event, itself. Looking back, I am amazed how far we have come, and how much farther we have to go. The book was excellent punctuation to my own internal dialogue.Don't look for Wallander in this book. You won't find him. But you will find an interesting tale that is written in more than black and white.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5I'm a huge fan of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander mysteries as well as his stand alones so when I saw he had a new novel I rushed out to get it. The premise sounded really interesting. A young Swedish woman, Hanna Renstrom, leaves Sweden for Australia in 1904 as a ship's cook. While on the voyage she marries and then is quickly widowed. At the port of Lourenco Marques (Portuguese East Africa, now Mozambique) she deserts the ship and checks into what she thinks is a local hotel but is actually a brothel. Within a very short time she marries again, inherits the brothel, and becomes a significantly wealthy woman.
The story takes place over about two years and I was surprised at how much Hanna changes in that short time. She sees how brutally the African population is treated and sees herself becoming just as bigoted and cruel. She is appalled at the colonial justice system which is so unfair to both Africans and women. Hanna tries to help an African woman accused of killing her husband as a way to alleviate the guilt she becomes obsessed with. Hanna seems to be driven mad by the racism and hypocrisy of the county.
I have to say I just didn't enjoy the book that much. I thought it was a very slow start, the characters were not very interesting and I didn't really like Hanna. I did like Senhor Vaz, as well as Carlos, a tame chimpanzee who wears a white coat and serves tea. I did enjoy the last third of the book and was intrigued and appalled by the descriptions of colonial Africa. I think there are some great novels out there about Africa but I'm afraid I can't include this one. - Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A bit of a torturous read about treachery and not much paradise included. As I often say, not disappointed to have read and finished it. However, believe you must be a Mankell afficionado to get the most from this novel. I've watched his Wallender series and enjoyed it. This is the first of his books I've read. Certainly some interesting concepts, but much about young Hanna seemed implausible and "stretched". The sequences in her history were unique and interesting, however. Had to work a bit to finish it, and then the ending was . . . . . . .
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53.5 rounded to a 4. One of Mankell's stand-alone novels. Setting in 1904 Sweden and Portuguese East Africa [Mozambique]. Interesting premise, based on a snippet Mankell had read and from which he imagined and based a whole story: a Swedish woman came out of nowhere, ran a brothel, then just as suddenly as she came, disappeared into obscurity.Fascinating how Mankell created a whole persona for this woman he calls Hanna and a life for her. Then he gives her motivation for finally leaving: apartheid and the whole imbalanced social order, and how useless is her fight against a whole society to save a black woman from death. I'd call this novel one of the author's polemics against injustice, but couched in soft terms. The novel was thought-provoking and I will not forget it soon.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5In the opening chapters of A Treacherous Paradise, by Henning Mankell, a young woman leaves a life of desperate poverty in rural Sweden in 1904 to seek her fortune aboard a sailing ship set for Australia. The beginning took me back to my own grandmother’s flight from Sweden a few years later, in 1908. After reading this book, I felt more strongly the hardships and dislocation she must have faced, sent out as a servant at the age of twelve and then boarding a ship for a strange land at the age of 18. While my grandmother ended up in America, Hanna, the heroine of this novel, embarks on a picaresque adventure that drops her serendipitously in a hot and segregated town on the coast of Portuguese East Africa, where she becomes the owner of a bordello. The story of Hanna’s time in East Africa reminded me of Gulliver’s Travels--and indeed Mankell refers to this work in the novel. His heroine sees many sights that amaze her, from a long tapeworm that inhabits a human body, to a magical potion that allows the owner to fly away unseen, to a chimpanzee that acts like a human. Mankell returns here to a favorite theme in his novels: the injustices of colonialism and the effects of racism on society. The author’s use of symbolism is at times heavy-handed: for example, the white dogs bred to attack black bodies. Hanna herself plays the role of an unwitting observer of the racism and injustice around her and seems as trapped by her circumstances as the African prostitutes in the bordello. The motives behind her decisions remain opaque, leading from one lucky or unlucky result to another and leaving the reader bemused. And Hanna, whose name changes several times in the course of the novel, like a butterfly in metamorphosis, seems equally bemused by the motives of those around her. In this hothouse of a colonial past, the behavior of Africans and of European colonists is itself the mystery, one that I suspect even Detective Wallander could not unravel.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5When poverty forces Hannah Lundmark to leave Sweden in 1904, she ends up in Mozambique where she finds refuge in a brothel. Hannah’s story is one of rags to riches as she ends up marrying the owner of the brothel and inherits his wealth when he dies. The storyline is interesting as her life unfolds, but what makes this book powerful is Hannah’s introduction to segregation and how Europeans looked at the natives of Africa. She finds herself fighting bigotry and constantly examining her motives as she interacts with people on Portuguese East Africa. Mankell is able bring vivid imagery to his writing. His afterword about what brought him to write this story is a must read after reading the story.