Paradise

This is as gripping and, at times, harrowing as any of Morrison's books and has been acclaimed by many as among her best. It concerns the stormy history of Ruby, an Oklahoma town set up by African-Americans for African-Americans, whose citizens are committed to the twin virtues of religion and self-help. The book's focal point is a brutal vigilante attack on a group of women who live in a former convent on the outskirts of the town. We then hear the individual stories of each of the women, and some of the townspeople. The women's stories especially make compelling reading: Seneca, abandoned as a child; Connie, a Portuguese street-child rescued by missionary nuns; Mavis, wrongly accused of murdering her twin babies; Gigi, in love with soft drugs and good times. Compassionate, violent and magical - this is essential reading. Shortlisted for the 1999 Orange Prize. (Kirkus UK)