The Bingo Queens of Paradise

by June Park

In Oklahoma, where Kraft Macaroni & Cheese is a staple and Bob Barker is king, twenty-eight-year-old Darla Moon struggles to break free and pursue her dreams. A talented seamstress and designer, she is cursed with a semiretired hooker for a mother, a hypochondriac for a sister, a no-good loafer for a brother-in-law, a frog-collecting grandma, and Momma's British lesbian friends, Muff and Freda Bottrell--"Clairvoyants and Tea Leaf Readers Extraordinaire." To make matters worse, Darla lives in Paradise, a drought-ridden bend in the road that's spitting distance from Lamb of God Pentecostal Church and Big Bucks Bingo--a world away from where she wants to be, New York City. But Darla is blessed with the devotion of Elijah True, an elderly black man who nurtured her through childhood; the friendship of Brandy, the town's lonely beautician; and the unexpected love of the Reverend Spirit E. Jackson, a transplanted Australian who drives into town in an old white Cadillac and sweeps her off her feet. Sadly, as Darla formulates her plan to escape Paradise, turmoil erupts. Family once more stands between her and her suitcase. Momma runs off with a long-distance trucker, Darla's sister is hospitalized with cancer, her sister's two children are sick with worry, and brother-in-law Frank is thrown in jail--charged with impregnating a neighbor's sixteen-year-old daughter. Left unsupervised, Granny gets into trouble of her own, and Pearl, Darla's fourteen-year-old niece, can't cope with her world. Torn between her love for Spirit, her love for Elijah and young Jesse, her keen sense of duty, and the pursuit of a dream, Darla must, for the first time in her life, cast an unflinching eye on all the hard-to-accept truths regarding love, responsibility, and survival. The Bingo Queens of Paradise is a tour-de-force first novel that lyrically blends a powerful comic voice with a poignant tale of a woman who longs to escape her life and follow her dreams.

Genres: Fiction

280 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[Donna Arcara]

From my notes in 2002: "This first novel, about a young woman trying to leave her home town of Paradise, OK, was very harsh and raw, making it tough to enjoy initially. She had a miserable life surrounded by miserable people-- grew up in abject poverty and it made her sharply humorous, but with an underlying bitterness that was real and evident. Unexpectedly, about halfway through the book I began to like her; she took me along with her the rest of the story but the harshness kept finding its way through. I may have gotten used to the cynical tone, which was easier to tolerate at the end. I ended with the belief that June Park will be a very good writer."

[Ivy Murillo]

I absolutely loved this book. I don't give 5 stars easily but hands down this is the funniest fiction book I've ever read. I was laughing constantly (much to the dismay of my sleeping husband). All of the characters were so authentic. I wish I lived in this little town and Darla Moon was my best friend. We'd have a ball together.

[Tashinka Roz]

A deceiving title. It's sad, but a good read and I recommend it.

[Dawn]

This was a strange one and quite sad.

[QP]

i wish i didn't leave my copy in the rain

[Dyana]

From the title I thought this might be a fluff story about a women's bingo club, but it was anything but! - a gritty down to earth uneasy read. Darla Moon, a talented 28 year old seamstress and clothes designer, struggles to break free from her dysfunctional family, her past, and from stifling Paradise, Oklahoma. Her "non-nurturing" mother is a semiretired hooker, her sister is a hypochondriac with a mean-spirited husband, her grandmother had a lobotomy after birthing her only child and needs constantly looking after, her only friend is a lonely beautician, and she and her sister were virtually raised by an elderly gentle and spiritual black man named Elijah. As she makes plans to finally leave town, she unexpectedly falls in love with the Reverend Spirit E. Jackson, a transplanted Australian who is filling in at the Lamb of God Pentecostal Church. Tragedy also strikes when her sister is hospitalized with cancer, her brother-in-law is put in jail for raping a 16 year old, her mother disappears with a trucker, and she must take care of her niece and nephew. The book is written in 1st person, and the humor carries the story along as Darla describes her life - past and present or else how could she cope with her world??? A sad story.

[Jamie]

I'm in a quandry over this book. While there were parts I really liked it was an uncomfortable reading experience in that it was about a young woman whose biggest dream is being free of her hometown and her past but who feels tied there due to familial obligations. This poor thing not only grew up with a grandma who survived a lobotomy disaster but a mother who brought in "uncle" after "uncle" to make ends meet and a sister who goes from one pathetic and abusive relationship to another. Some of the scenes just horrified me as to what they were exposed to at very young ages. I know this happens in real life but I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the somewhat lighthanded approach the author takes when dealing with them.

[MBenzz]

Reading the back cover of this book, you don't realize fully what you're getting into. This is a very dark and depressing look at a poor family in Paradise, Oklahoma. I thought this was going to be another light southern fiction book that I'd love, but instead, I got a book filled with prostitution, sex, rape, murder, child and spousal abuse. I could only take this book in little doses, seeing as how it's such a downer.

It took me a while to finish, the story was interesting enough to make me want to know how it ended, but not enough for me to read it in one day. I don't know that I'd recommend this to anyone, it being such a dreary book and all...but if you're interested in reading it, it's not a bad story, I just wasn't expecting it.

[JanieceK]

I know real life examples where 2 people were raised together and turn out to be complete opposites. So, that part of the book was believable to me. Other parts weren't. It was a little coarse for me but, what kept me reading was the curiosity of what horrible thing was going to happen next. In that regard, I wasn't disappointed.

[Jessica]

Nothing profound here, just a fun read for the first weekend of summer.

[Rebecca]

I think everyone should wear tin foil on their heads!

[Angela]

Great entertaining, fast read!

[Jeanie]

Poor, Oklahoma dysfunctional family, humorous. The beginning was engaging but the ending was a mismash.

[Katherine]

Read in one day while sick with the flu which is about the attention this book is worth.

[Mich]

ehhhhh
my MAIN po was the damn font was so small i needed my glasses AND my cheaters!

[Melissa (Always Behind)]

Depressing, some good plot points but ultimately not enough meat. Another weak woman story.

[Courtney Reads Smut]

It was ok. Gave it 30 pgs & just didn't hold my interest.

[Dianna Shimizu]

I was a little disappointed in this book. I was expecting a Fannie Flagg type book, but this one was more depressing and sad than happy.

[Pam]

4.5/B+

[Ivy Pittman]

Funny, enlightning and hopeful.