Reviews for Babe in Paradise were quite strong, with “What I Saw from Where I Stood” being singled out as one of the best stories. Jonathan Yardley, in his review in the Washington Post determines that the setting is the “most interesting and rewarding” aspect of these stories: “The private dramas confronted by Silver’s mostly rather luckless men and women are often noteworthy and occasionally revealing, but it’s the sense of entering an unknown world that gives [the collection] its strongest appeal.” He also applauds Silver’s characterizations, concluding that “The compassion and sympathy Silver feels for these people are given deeper meaning by the good-humored affection with which she regards them” and that “she resists the temptation to take cheap shots at the oddities of life there. She understands that like...