The Other Side of Paradise

by Noel Barber

When pioneering doctor Kit Masters is forced to flee England, he makes a new start on the South Sea island of Koraloona. Enchanted by the island and its people, Kit falls in love with the daughter of the island princess, and dreams of building a hospital. But all is under threat as war approaches.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Historical, Historical Romance, War

672 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Noel Barber was a British novelist and journalist. Many of his novels, set in exotic countries, are about his experiences as leading foreign correspondent for the Daily Mail. He was the son of John Barber and his Danish wife, Musse, and had two brothers: Kenneth, a banker, and Anthony Barber, Baron Barber.
Most notably he reported from Morocco, where he was stabbed five times. In October 1956, Barber survived a gunshot wound to the head by a Soviet sentry in Hungary during the Hungarian revolution. A car crash ended his career as journalist. He then began writing novels: he became a best-selling novelist in his seventies with his first novel, Tanamera.

Reviews

[Aileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat disappointing trip down memory lane. Another book I read way back when, probably shortly after it was originally published. I recalled really enjoying it, so when I saw it on charity shop bookshelf, grabbed it with delight.

The storyline itself is OK - young doctor is ‘banished’ to South Seas island. Meets lots of interesting characters, gets to apply his theories on treating polio, experiences WW2, blah blah blah. However the writing is quite old-fashioned and formulaic. The romantic scenes are pretty painful, between Kit and Aleena especially. The whole book could also have done with a more critical editing re: length, losing about 20% without too much impact on storyline.

It’s enjoyable enough, but I wouldn’t seek it, or others by the author, out again.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just arrived from USA through BM.

This book is a sequence of several different events, starting from an alternative for polio treatment, kidnapping, World War II, plague disease and a volcano eruption.

A British doctor, Kit Masters is forced to leave his country and have a chance to demonstrate a new treatment for polio disease in the island of Koraloona (Marshall Islands).

He falls in love with Aleena, the princess of the island, who happens to be the daughter of Paul Gauguin while he was living in the South Pacific.

I would say this is a book of adventure and romance rather than historical fiction.

A TV series The Other Side of Paradise (TV 1992) was made based on this book.

[Rita Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is three stories rolled into one! I love Noel Barber's writing and The Other Side of Paradise, set on a South Pacific island, encapsulates love, fear, island life, war and human relationships. A must-read.

[neil ferrans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overkill, the Author takes in too broad a scope for this story, making me think that he had several stories in mind than decided to wrap several up in one drawn out story .

The theme is plausible, the expat characters and habits are well illustrated, the characterisation of the Polynesians is vague and not very convincing.The love affair is a work of Fantasy, as is the Japanese brutality.
Frankly I had the urge for the book to end, especially when the volcano erupts and the subsequent devastation drags on, page after page.
Not as good read as his book on Singapore and Malaysia,

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book

[Chase · Rating 1 out of 5]

Patronising, mysogonistic and quite a bit racist.

I have read several of Noel Barber's books and loved them, but that was a long time ago.

Written in the mid 1980s this book had aged horribly.

The story of a doctor who moves to a Polynesian island in the wake of a scandal should be an enjoyable romp but instead is a cringe worthy nightmare.

The descriptions of non Caucasian characters are very caricatured. The woman have barely formed personalities and are mostly simpering drips. The men preen and strut. The sex scenes are woeful. And if I have to read about the main character going 'I cried' I'm going to yeet this piece of rubbish out the window.

[Elaine Hargrave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book twice with some years in between. The fabulous opportunity if leaving England for a unknown south seas island was really on the cards for Dr Kit Masters. It was his impulsive behaviour in defending a elderly Jewish man being physically attacked in the street by 3 Black Shirts one of which he killed accidentally as he fell and hit his head on the pavement, although cleared in court the medical council at the hospital he worked in found he could no longer work for them. It was one of these board members who offered the job working for a mission hospital on Kooraloona. Kit never looked back marrying and raising a family he had everything he needed.

[Andrew Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Whilst not as fast paced as other books that I read, it held my interest right to the end. The storyline encompasses many different scenarios ie, breakthrough polio treatment, WW2 atrocities, cholera epidemic, nuclear testing. I thought that the book could have been published as a number of different novels, each relating to one of the above scenarios. Anyway, a good read, I am now looking for more of his novels

[Paola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bella la storia, ma in certi punti troppo sdolcinata per i miei gusti.
Non è il mio genere, comunque.

[Chris Austen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book! Although it is fiction, much of it is based upon an actual island in the South Pacific, and what happened there, which provides added poignancy.

[Carl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. I now want to read all his other books

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kit Masters is a promising young doctor in England during the 1930’s. However, he is involved in an incident which the hospital board of governors see as an embarrassment to the hospital so is denied the opportunity to practice medicine in England. Due to his strong interest in polio victims and the latest methods of treatment, he is advised to take a position in a mission hospital in Koraloona, an island in the South Pacific, which has a high incidence of polio. Kit enjoys the island, its people and his work. World War II was viewed as a European war but the bombing of Pearl Harbour and other South Pacific islands brought war closer to the island. When the American military base was situated on Koraloona, it brought positive and negative changes. After the war, Kit and his wife, Aleena, played an important role in building a better equipped hospital on the island. In 1947, the detonation of two atom bombs by the Americans in the South Pacific may have precipitated a volcanic eruption on the island. All these happenings show the other side of life in paradise. It was an interesting novel and an opportunity to travel back to some of the history of the 1930’s and 1940’s.

[Connor Brooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The story evolved quickly and was gripped from early on. It kept me up at night because I didn't want to put it down.

I found myself invested in each character and some parts really pulled on the heartstrings.

A couple dry chapters towards the end which could've been shortened but as someone who doesn't read too often this is one of my favourites so far. An easy read.

[Tawfiq elBastaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this during my honeymoon on board of Carnival Cruise. It is so special to me.