Beethoven in Paradise

by Barbara O'Connor

Set in a trailer park called Paradise

"You're just wasting your God-given talents if you don't get yourself something besides a little ole harmonica to play." Wylene made it sound so easy. Martin had always like music -- liked to listen to it, liked to make up tunes in his head. But all he had to do was say the word "piano" to his father and all hell would break loose. His father thought music was for sissies, and was always mad at Martin for not being good at baseball. But with a lot of help from his friends Wylene and Sybil and his grandmother, Hazeline, Martin learns that, although he can't change his father, he can learn to stick up for himself. With humor, pathos, and a colorful cast of offbeat characters, Barbara O'Connor shows that there's room for genius wherever there's a place for compassion-- even in Paradise.

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade

160 pages, Hardcover

First published April 2, 1997

About the author

Barbara O'Connor's awards include the Parents Choice Gold and Silver Award, American Library Association Notable Books, IRA Notable Books for a Global Society, School Library Journal Best Books, and Kirkus Best Books. Her books have been nominated for children's choice awards in 38 states and voted as a state favorite by children in South Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, and South Dakota.

Barbara was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina. She draws on her Southern roots to write award-winning books for children in grades 3 to 6.

She currently lives in Asheville, NC. Her latest book is Wish, a middle grade novel published by FSG.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/barbar...

Reviews

[Hemavathy DM Suppiah-Devi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why do we try so hard to make the people who don't like us happy? They'll never be happy, and we'll lose ourselves in the process. Find what you like to do, and stand up for yourself.

[Brady Geary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book because it concentrated on music. I didn't like how the main charactor's feud with his dad never got better, even though that happens in real life. My favorite part of the whole book was how the Main Charactor ended up playing the Saxaphone, an instrument I play.

[Ariel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara O’Connor is so talented. She brings us into the world of a trailer park down South where a boy with great musical talent is being humiliated and tormented by his troubled father. This is a brilliant evocation of toxic masculinity and its effects though the author would not be caught dead using such high falutin’ terms. She shows us, not tells us, what it means to be an ally to a boy in that situation and what it takes for him to learn to stand up for himself and to be himself. I especially love his shy elderly female neighbor in the trailer park who shares his pleasure in all kinds of music. Really a great book!

[Hope Alden · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is actually a pretty dark children’s book. The MCs father is basically abusive toward MC and extremely homophobic. I do believe this is a good real life example of how you can choose to pursue your dreams outside of your parents wishes and stand up for yourself, but it’s also just very sad. Also not always feasible when your parents basically control your world. While the message is good it can also be a bad choice for kids to go against their parents when they are abusive and pose a risk to the child’s personal safety.

[Mary E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

baseball or music; follow your heart or your father

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been following Barbara O'Connor's writing since Fame And Glory in Freedom, Georgia. I think I've read everything that she's written since Fame And Glory, but I haven't read everything she's written before it. Beethoven in Paradise is her first novel.

One of the things I've always like about O'Connor's writing is her quirky, well-developed characters. I wondered if her characters were always quirky or if she developed that as her writing style. This book answered that question: Her characters were quirky right from the start. As in the other books she's written, the setting is as much of a character and an influence as the people.

Again, as in other books, I love how she resisted the urge to tie up the story in a tidy, happy bow. The story ends on a positive note, but not all the problems have been solved.

[Jan Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Barbara O'Connor's first fiction book for kids, written in the late 1990's. Like most of her books, it's set in the south. The main character, Martin, is struggling with getting his father to like him and pursuing his real talent, music. O'Connor's characters are always believable as are their struggles.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Martin's father doesn't want him to play music and would rather he be a baseball player. Martin hates baseball and hears concertos in his head all day long. This book takes a look at that age-old struggle. It's a sobering portrayal of how things are more often than we would like them to be.