The Last Paradise by Di Morrissey

 A brave heroine, an exotic setting, and a strange mystery? What could be better? This intriguing novel by Di Morrissey involves Grace, who realises how controlling and irritating her husband is after their house burns down. Anxious to start a new life, she enlists the help of her best friend, and her mother, and decides to start a new life with her daughter Daisy. When she talks to her solicitor, however, she realises that she is going to have quite a fight on her hands with her husband, Lawrence.

Luckily, she gets the chance to run an advertising campaign in Bali for a luxurious hotel with owners who want to promote Balinese culture and history.  Di Morrisey is at her best when she describes the idyllic setting of Bali. The hotel is set away from the touristy area full of drunks, and yobbos apparently, and Grace's mother also tells stories of how Bali used to be in the '70s. Here, Grace becomes interested in the true story of K'Tut Tantri, a courageous American heroine who ran a five-star hotel, helped the cause for Indonesian independence, and may have even had a love affair with a prince. I enjoyed this part of the book the most.

As Grace digs deeper into Lawrence's story, she discovers that his background is extremely mysterious. You cheer her on as she manages to fight back to obtain a divorce, brilliantly handles her advertising campaign, and makes new friends in Bali. Could she even have a new romance?

I am not really interested in going to Bali, although Di Morrisey certainly makes it sound good, so the setting didn't appeal to me that much. I would like to read K'Tut Tantri's book, however, and the book about her by Timothy Lindsay. Di Morrissey's books are perfect 'comfort' or 'holiday' reading, although I am not all that keen on her writing, and I can take them, or leave them. I do like her inclusion of old books, and forgotten histories in them, though.

I read this for Rose City Reader's 23 Books for '23.