This beautifully written novel takes place in Utah in the 1950s. The town of Paradox has just built an authentic looking town to try to lure the big movie studios to film their Westerns there. They are successful and the small town becomes a Mecca for films and tourists. This book is about the life of one of the residents -Corin.

As the novel begins, Corin's mother has just died and her father has sent her from their home in NYC to a small ranch outside of Paradox to live with an aunt that she has never met. Corin decides right from the beginning that she is going to hate Paradox and her aunt. When the studios start filming and she sees movie stars, Paradox begins to look better. Once she makes new friends and is popular in school she begins to really enjoy her life and starts working hard to make the ranch a success and get it out of the red. After dating a boy from school who is now a deputy, she meets and is immediately enthralled with Ark - a young man from England who always wanted to see where the Westerns were filmed. He is also a very intelligent astronomer. The town isn't real sure about him at first but they gradually accept him. Add to the mix, a Navajo who escaped from a prison work crew and you have everything you need for a fantastic character driven novel.

This novel ties a lot of threads together - growing up in a small Amazon village with missionary parents (Ark), growing up with a father who was a veterinarian (Corin), the pitfalls of cattle ranching, the gossip in a small town and how the town changes once the movies start filming, along with the racism and sexism of this time period. Everything is tied together and the novel has a sad but perfect ending. This book was full of fantastic characters as well as beautiful descriptions of the Utah desert. I hated to see it end and to say goodbye to characters that I'd come to know so well.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of In a Town Called Paradox by Miriam Murcutt and Richard Starks.

What a beautiful and unique book.  I love a good "story-telling story."  This is one of those books that you should really hunker in for.  Just get cozy and read a good story about Corin and her life in Paradox.

Corin has been sent away by her dad to live with her bible thumping aunt.  She's interested in boys, friends, and the constant revolving door of movie stars who come to her town to shoot movies.  But life changes dramatically when she meets a total outsider from England.  But can their deep devotion to each other be enough to grant them the happiness that they deserve after everything they go through?

I genuinely enjoyed this, and like I said, it's simply a great story.  Everytime I thought that we were climbing a climactic moment, the story flowed a different way, and we were right back to story mode.  It was a refreshing change from the endless dramas and thrillers that are out there.  The characters were very nuanced, and the book also did a good job shining a light on an interesting, albeit ugly part of our history.

Corin is a teenager who is sent to Paradox, Utah, to live with her aunt after her mother dies.  Although she is angry at her situation, she is intrigued by the Hollywood stars who come to town to film movies, and eventually by Paradox itself.  Corin's coming of age story is well done, but there are a lot of other subplots and the book moved slowly for me at times.

I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley.  My review is voluntary.

I picked up this book not knowing much at all about its contents except that it had a catchy title. It is a coming of age story by Corin, the main character. There were times that I thought this really couldn't be happening to the people in Paradox, but it does. Set in Utah in the 1950 and 60's, these characters are drawn to Hollywood as a near by town of Eldorado is the film set of many iconic Western films. The writers take you into what it is like when the film companies come to town with the first line of meeting Marilyn. No last names needed. i didn't really care for the lengthy accounts of religion, astrology or Indian rights but they were right for the book. It's an interesting insight of growing up in rural Utah in the 60's.

I was attracted to the meeting of Marilyn Monroe. I was attracted to the setting...Utah, red cliffs and soil.  I was attracted to to the premise of it being a movie making mecca in the town called Paradox. I did have a connection. My mother and two friends met Marilyn Monroe, Shelly Winters, Alan Ladd and Robert Mitchell in 1953 in the Banff Springs Hotel. They sneaked up the service elevator. My mom said Marilyn was sweet, and Robert Mitchum was, well, exactly as portrayed in this novel.  But back to the story. There is a lot of story here and I definitely wanted to read on. There were a couple of false items that I noticed.  If you have a pedigreed Hereford bull that is so magnificent that ranchers around want his offspring, well, I don’t think the bull can be pedigreed Hereford if his mama is an Angus.  Also, there is mention of elk horns hanging in the sheriff’s office. Elk don’t have horns...they have antlers.  Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for ARC.

In A Town Called Paradox, by Miriam Murcutt and Richard Starks, was promising, but it just got to be too much for me.  I felt confused at times and then found myself skimming some parts. I'm sure many will enjoy this story. 

Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.

This was not the book for me.  I tried to get to at least 100 pages and I struggled to do just that.  I couldn't connect.  I found it boring, and there wasn't anything in it that I wanted to know more about.  

2/5 Stars

I enjoyed this book and read it in one day. It's the story of a young girl, Corin, who is sent from the East Coast to rural Utah to live with her Aunt Jessie after her mother dies. Grieving and angry, she struggles to settle in there, but by the time she is a teen, she's found her place in the town of Paradox, where Hollywood stars and production companies come to make cowboy movies, party, and enrich the town with their money. Through the 1950s and 60s, Corin grows up, falls in love, and explores what it means to be a woman in that time and place.

There are a lot of subplots and other characters; maybe a few too many for such a short book, but each one was interesting. The son of missionaries trying to convert the indigenous people of the Amazon is sent to boarding school in England, pursues astronomy, and eventually ends up in Paradox. A Navajo man escapes from prison and is pursued by the local racist cops. A Marilyn Monroe wannabe spends her teens and early 20s trying to make it as a star by taking bit parts in movies filmed in Paradox. Three generations of corrupt cops rule Paradox. All of these threads eventually come together in the breathless final chapters of the story. I read several reviewers that said they found the ending disappointing or too abrupt, so I was expecting that, but for me, it was satisfying. I closed the book at 3:30 am feeling like it was well worth my late night.

I will say it was rather an unusual mix of longish didactic sections on a variety of subjects (eg., animal husbandry, astronomy, the Yanomami people of the Amazon basin, the criminal treatment of Indigenous Americans by white people) and plot-driven fiction. It worked for me, because I find most of those topics of interest, but I haven't read many other books like that. Usually when fiction authors want to introduce a topic you might not know much about, they intersperse the information throughout in small bits, usually from the mouths of the characters. This author used larger chunks and often as intros to chapters, which has the benefit of allowing you to skim topics that don't interest you and get back to the plot. Like, it's enough to know that Ark is into stars in a big way without having to read every word about all the constellations.

Overall, I'd recommend this book. I liked the focus on what that era was like for women. TW: There is a gang rape scene. I don't like those, but I could see it coming a mile off and just skipped past it. If the author writes another novel, I'm likely to pick it up.

I received this ARC from NetGalley.

Due to her mother’s untimely death, Corin is uprooted as a young teenager from Yonkers where she had an idyllic life as the daughter of a zoo veterinarian to live with her aunt in the red-dirt desert town of Paradox, Utah.  Resentful and sad, life takes a turn to the positive for Corin when Paradox becomes a haven for Hollywood studios and their westerns and she blossoms into her own woman in the late fifties and sixties.  

Noah, nicknamed, Ark, is the son of British missionaries who send him back to Britain for schooling.  He is fascinated by the stars and American westerns.  After his parents are killed and he finishes school, he has an opportunity to travel to Paradox where he meets Corin.  

There is so much more to this novel than just a depiction of life in the west or a girl meets boy story. There is racism, sexism, free will, human rights, a broad range and depth of human emotions, the organization of the cosmos.

Well written, with vivid descriptive language and character development, there is much to think about here.   There may be times when some readers feel that some of the side stories (collecting semen from a bull!) bogs you down, but stay with it, the story is well worth it.  As a side note, as someone who as lived in both the east and Utah, I really related to the descriptions of Utah’s dust and its effects; the authors captured it perfectly.

My husband also read the book. Initially, he was wary of the book; he thought it started slow and was just another static story of coming of age in the west.  As different characters and dimensions were added, he really, really liked the book.

There was a LOT to digest in this book that I'm not quite sure was well conveyed within the description.  The matter of fact and forthright style to the dialog felt a bit detached with some of the storylines... though it kept pace and the story kept my interest.  I felt the lack of anger, rage, outbursts and/or an ass kicking or two,  and I think some more emotion could have served the heavy matter being unpacked well. There was a lot of description allotted to minor players and I found myself skimming a bit.  But all in all, I like the whole way around and back through Paradox that this author brings you and I enjoyed a lot of the characters.  I would definitely read more from this author and I'm grateful for having been given the opportunity to read it in advance and share my thoughts.

This story centers around Corin Dunbar who after her mother's death is sent from her New York home to a little town in the middle of nowhere - Paradox, Utah.  After movies start being made in the beautiful area just outside of town everything changes.   I loved how there were several references to Marilyn Monroe, Rock Hudson, Paul Newman and even newcomer Robert Redford!    Corin meets Ark who was raised by missionary parents and is fascinated by stars and the universe.   Their life seems perfect until a devastating accident.   We learn about friendship, small town quirks, morals and doing everything for someone you love.

I really liked this one a lot. I want to describe it as satisfying, because it was, but that doesn't really do it justice. Set in 1950's Utah, the town of Paradox is a small town that has the unique distinction of being an ideal place for Hollywood to make movie westerns, but Paradox is really just the setting, the main focus is on one of its residents, Corin Dunbar. 
Corin is just a young girl when she comes to live with her Aunt Jess on her cattle ranch in Paradox. She hates it at first but adjusts to life there, she grows up in town, tries her hand at the movies but in the end decides to help her aunt with the ranch.
Of course that's not all that happens to Corin you'll have to read the book to find that out, but I highly suggest you do!
The writing is great, the story is enjoyable and the sprinkling of 1950's Hollywood is fun.

I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

In a Town Called Paradox was a pretty interesting book with some confusing bits and pieces. I'm not going to lie.. it felt like everyone was dealing or struggling with something. Whether they had the weight of the world on their shoulders.. or they just simply wanted to go away (forever). It was a lot for my brain to process, which didn't help when things went down confusing and dark alleyways.

I will say that the characters will make you think and feel things that you normally wouldn't while reading. Mostly because of all the struggles. They will also get you to laugh from time to time but you do get a lot of sadness and anger.

Towards the end, I feel like the book kind of lost track of what it was about. The reason why is because so much happened in this book. It just dove into a lot of topics and then kind of seemed rushed towards the last few chapters. I'm still trying to understand the big betrayal that happened because it just seemed odd (like most of this book).

It was an interesting read though.

There was a lot to like in this short story. The growing up and the friendship story of Dottie and Corin is adorable and I love their friendship and Dottie's marriage gift. I liked the love story between Corin and her stargazer and I enjoyed their beginning meeting and courting. I even enjoyed the story about the farm, growing up with Jessie and then, even later, as Corin became an adult and her love for the farm and her want to make it survive.

However, the story got very confusing and messy at times. There was a lot about stars and space and sperm collection of farm animals (yuck). Then the story was suddenly about social injustice and corruption in the police force and the jail (and even the city officials). It was also a story about rape, about assisted suicide and religion. There was a lot packed in the last few 100 pages, probably too much to truly tackle any topic really well. And I really hated the betrayal at the end - just to burn some papers. All in all, it was okay but I didn't love it.

I enjoyed this book which told the story of Corin, who is sent to live with an aunt in Paradox, Utah after her mother dies.  Corin is thirteen, angry and heartbroken.  Her story will make you laugh, cry and cheer.  You will read about things you may not know.  The one scene I will never forget is when Aunt Jessie and Corin are taught how to use the prize bull they bought with the last of their money to make money using the bull as a stud.  
Some film companies started to use Paradox to film cowboy movies.  Corin’s worldly friend is determined to make herself known in films.  Paradox is a small town with all of the issues that come with small town life.  I did not want the story to end!

"In a Town Called Paradox" is an excellent, compelling, full of hope and dilemma, love, nature, movie glam and small town Utah. The characters were outstanding, and the tale taking place in the 1950's, was wonderful. Told in the voice of Corin, the main character, which grew up in NY then forced to moved to Paradox, Utah, following a family tragedy, facing a complete culture shock. Eldorado, next door, is a fake Westerner town, drawing famous Hollywood films to be staged, along with famous actors and crew. Corin falls in love with an unlikely man, and without giving too much away.. all I can say is "wow"! Thank you NetGalley, the author and publisher for the early copy. All opinions are my own.

I could not get into this book. I would not object to trying this author again but this one i could not get into it!

The life of Corin Dunbar changes drastically when she is sent as a child from her home in Yonkers, NY to live with her aunt Jessie in the small desert town of Paradox, Arizona.  Paradox becomes a film making mecca for Hollywood westerns of the 1950’s and’60’s.  

I really enjoyed the first half of this engrossing piece of 1950’s/60’s historical fiction.,  I was thinking this would be at least a 4 star or possibly a 5 star rating.   After the halfway point,  the story took a u-turn, with too much going on in different directions and I did not care for the path the plot took.  I ended up giving 3 stars on Goodreads.  For me, it was a disappointment. 

CW: sexual harassment, sexual assault, violence, assisted suicide 

Publication date: 2/3/2021 

Thank you to NetGalley and Prestwick Publishing for my e-arc in exchange for an honest review

I Got In a Town Called Paradox by Miriam Murcutt and Richard Starks, from NetGalley For A fair and honest review.


In A Town Called Paradox is a novel set in post World War 2 America, and the backdrop when westerns ruled the movie studios.

The story is mainly told through the eyes of Jess, a young girl who moves from New York state, when her mother dies and  her father thinks it is better for her to live with her Aunt Corin on her ranch in Utah.

The Ranch is running a struggling farm in the struggling town Paradox,  however around this time the mayor builds a film set.  The fake town is called Eldorado, which allows the movie studios to film westerns there. 

This allows the writers to show the glamorous side, while the novel through Jess and Corin and the other residents of Paradox are used to examine real life.

The Story is written through the eyes of Jess, with her Aunt Corin also having some chapters. In addition to this when new characters appear in the story some of them will have a chapter or so on their back story.

A town called paradox is an emotional ride of how people are affected by social convention, which means they are limited by the opportunities that are open to them.

In addition to this it shows how the actions that people take, can have a profound effect on their lives as well as those that are close to them. With their background and belief system  having profound ramifications on the events  outcomes.


Who should read? In A Town Called Paradox. This is a novel that is a story about romance not only for love but the idea or  a dream.of a better life. In addition it also shows how everything that shines is not always golden.

If you like this kind of novel then you should Read In A Town Called Paradox

“I wasn’t looking for Marilyn Monroe when I bumped into her, even though I knew she was in town filming River of No Return…” 

From the first sentence I knew I would like this book. I find old Hollywood fascinating, especially the era of westerns. Having recently moved to Utah, I was equally intrigued by the setting. This is the story of Corin, from her troubled beginning of losing her parents and being sent to a new town, to her adulthood filled with love, loss, and misogyny. In between you get a glimmer of Hollywood in its glory days, with the biggest stars of the 40s, 50s, and 60s making appearances as some of the greatest films of all time are being made. 

What this story does best is set the scene. The setting details were so vivid and really painted a picture of where we were. I also appreciated the relatively quick pace of the story. It didn't linger on one part of Corin's life too long. Additionally, as a main character, Corin is wholly likeable. She's resilient, fiercely loyal, and ambitious!

What I didn't love as much were the different character perspectives. It felt like everyone with a speaking role got a chapter or two to tell their back story. Normally I don't mind multiple POVs but in this case, I felt like it took away from the flow of the story. To me it would have been far more interesting to have Corin discover their backgrounds naturally, such as through conversation. In general I really liked the scenery description, but at some points it did feel more like a history lesson than being a natural part of the story. I also probably could have gone my whole life without the play-by-play of how to get sperm from a bull. I realize that's part of living on a farm, but those details were a bit much for me. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in stories set during the era of western films! 

Thank you to the author, Independent Book Publishers Association, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title. An eBook copy of In a Town Called Paradox was the only compensation received in exchange for this review.