Birds of Paradise
A Novel
Reviews
"This Jordanian American author writes about food so enticingly that her books should be published on sheets of phyllo dough. Birds of Paradise contains her most mouthwatering writing ever, but it’s no light after-dinner treat. This is a full-course meal, a rich, complex and memorable story that will leave you lingering gratefully at her table."
—Ron Charles, The Washington Post
"The Muirs' absorbing story builds to a thoroughly satisfying climax."
—Sue Corbett, People Magazine
"The novel itself swells with life and style, with the stark contrast of the delicacy of fancy pastries and the down and dirty life on the beach."
—Alan Cheuse, NPR's All Things Considered
"Diana Abu-Jaber’s gorgeous novel explores the ways a modern family can break down and be reborn. She writes with a precise, almost poetic distillation of feeling, heightened in contrast to the ripe, exuberant landscape and the unsettled feelings of a family in limbo."
—Amy Driscoll, Miami Herald
"With Birds of Paradise, Abu-Jaber has made an amazing, gigantic leap into rare air, that hazy stratosphere we jokingly call The Big Time. Her novel is that worthy, and that beautiful."
—Christine Selk, The Oregonian
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