Book Reviews
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The Lonely Hearts Hotel
Title: The Lonely Hearts Hotel
Author: Heather O’Neill
Genre: Literary Fiction/Historical Fiction
Published: 2017
Obtained: Target
Two Montreal orphans find comfort in each other during their childhood in the early 1900’s. Pierrot and Rose, both raised in a dark and corrupt orphanage, begin to explore their natural talents for entertainment. They begin performing all over the city—putting on cheerful acts of whimsy. Soon, however, they are pulled in two opposite directions as they come of age during the Great Depression. Both individuals find themselves wading in the city’s underworld of drugs, music, prostitution and gangsters. As they are reunited, their old dreams of performing their own imaginative show begin to flourish in front of them. There is, however, a different life perspective imbedded in the two lovers. Will their love and childhood dream be enough for the both of them?
The Lonely Hearts Hotel contains some of the best writing I have ever had the pleasure to read. Heather O’Neill has an intriguing and beautifully descriptive way with words. It is definitely one of the most unusual books I have read, which has made it difficult for me to review. While her writing was lovely, the story itself was gritty and dark. Personally, I enjoyed the contrast, but I acknowledge that this is not for everyone.
The story centers around two main characters—Pierrot and Rose. They were both raised in the same orphanage in Montreal during the early 1900’s. While they had vastly different experiences in their youth, both of their upbringings were extremely grim. As someone who works directly with kids, these were particularly difficult scenes to swallow. It was striking, as a reader, how these two children still manage to keep their extraordinary hopefulness throughout their youth and even into their young adulthood. Things do not get brighter for Pierrot and Rose through the years, but somehow they manage to see beauty in the murkiest of situations. I found this fitting with O’Neill’s style of writing—her gloomy story is told with such hopeful and alluring phrases, metaphors and descriptions.
As a woman, I love Rose’s character. She does what she needs to in order to survive—she tries her best to stay away from the alluring whirlwind of drugs despite not being able to avoid being a mistress to a businessman/thug. She struggles through these demeaning and downright terrible situations, but she never loses her passion. She refuses to conform to the docile expectations of women during that time, which also drew me in as a reader. As she’s living through these experiences, she’s also blossoming as a woman and discovering herself—giving her character incredible depth. Pierrot is also a well-rounded character full of sensitivity and passion, though arguably slightly less intriguing. Where Rose stands apart from the crowd, Pierrot sinks into addiction and other illegal avenues. Pierrot’s experiences lead him down a vastly different path than his friend. I am always pulled into stories because of the characters. O’Neill has created people in her novel that are so relatable and realistic—even if they do things that you can’t wrap your mind around, you manage to find ways to relate to them and empathize (or, in some cases, detest completely). O’Neill takes the reader on a journey across the entire span of human emotion.
Not wanting to spoil any part of the literary journey, let me just say that there are some incredibly explicit and graphic scenes in this book. There is rape, prostitution, heroin usage, gangsters and scenes that are tough to process due to the mindset of certain male characters bound to put the females in their place. But, there is also an innocence that can only come from the viewpoint of children; there is whimsy, imagination and pure love. As the reader, you follow the hopeless, dim journeys of these two characters but you’re also hit with a fantastical approach of hope and light. While I agree this book is not for everyone, I highly recommend giving it a try. If you can manage to get past the darkness of the story then the words, humor, stamina and sheer determination of the characters will fill you up completely. I have read countless books in my life thus far and not one of them has been anything like The Lonely Hearts Hotel; I am not sure what higher compliment I can give to the author. I gave this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars—it has been a very long time since an author has forced me to stop and re-read phrases and sentences simply because they are so beautifully written. On the other hand, there were a couple parts of the story that seemed to drag on unnecessarily. Quite frankly, there were times when my husband had to remind me to close my mouth because I was so engulfed in the shocking bits that I had no control over my facial expressions.
As far as wine, I have to recommend something on the sweet side. There are so many negative parts of the story—so many mean-spirited, selfish characters and acts that are almost balanced out with scenes of love and compassion. I recommend something light and fruity to wash down the heavy parts of this book. I recommend Stella Rosa Moscato D’Asti, which I thoroughly enjoyed sipping as I read this novel. It’s a semi-sparkling, semi-sweet wine (about as sweet as I typically prefer to go) with apricot and peach tones. While it’s not a particularly strong wine, it’s delightfully light and refreshing when chilled making it a perfect match for The Lonely Hearts Hotel.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Wine: Stella Rosa Moscato D’Asti
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The Woman in Cabin 10
Title: The Woman in Cabin 10
Author: Ruth Ware
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2016
Obtained: Target
After a traumatizing event, Lauren Blacklock, or Lo, embarks on a potential career-changing opportunity aboard a new luxury liner called the Aurora. She boards this lavish, but cramped, ship with the intention to network and craft a stellar piece for her magazine, Velocity. Things do not go as planned when Lo hears a loud splash and what appears to be a woman’s body sinking below the surface of the Black Sea. Lo begins to investigate and interrogate those around her while questioning her own memory of the events. There are only so many people aboard the small yacht and Lo knows for certain that one of them is a murderer…but who?
First, let me say that I struggled to put this book down each night! The structure of the novel was a steady build of suspense and tension. I picked this up after I heard it had compared to the style of Agatha Christie and I definitely understand the comparison. The Woman in Cabin 10 has a classic claustrophobic who-dunnit feel. As the conflict builds, I began to question the reliability of the protagonist–had she really witnessed something violent or was she simply psychologically spiraling out of control due to paranoia? The tension and the mystery continue to build with each scene and I kept turning the page because I wanted to learn the truth.
The character development was the weak point of the novel, for me. I had a hard time keeping track of the characters aboard the Aurora. They all seemed to blend slightly together and my visualization of them (based upon the descriptions) were blurry and unfocused. Even Lo, the main character, seemed lacking at first. She was borderline unlikable, but I had a twinge of sympathy for her that kept me attached as I read. I could relate to Lo’s anxiety and her honesty regarding the fact that there wasn’t a traumatic event in her childhood that caused her to feel anxious. I have anxiety and I often find that I have feelings of guilt because I convince myself that I have no good reason to feel the way I do. I can even relate to her unnecessary coldness towards her boyfriend prior to her departure; my anxiety can lead to irritability on occasion. But I often had to fight the urge to yell at her through the pages as she ran her big mouth to everyone on the ship. I wanted more from some of the characters–I wanted more depth. Character development is the glue for me as a reader and writer; if I’m not super invested in the characters then I have a difficult time engaging in the story. I felt like Lo developed slowly over the pages and by the end I was invested in her character’s future.
Ruth Ware did a phenomenal job with keeping the story concise and flowing. There wasn’t a lot of unnecessary descriptions or backstories. The story may have started out a bit slow, but it picks up aboard the Aurora and that’s when I found myself unable to put it down. Ware included a couple of twists that built more conflict and suspense. I also really appreciate her ability to show the final twist rather than tell it to the reader. As a writer, I find that my natural tendency is to do all the work and tell the reader what I want them to know rather than showing it; The Woman in Cabin 10 really had some excellent moments of this. Normally, I would love to share the examples, but as I don’t want to spoil anything, I will leave it at that!
Overall, I enjoyed this novel. There were spots where I felt like it was lacking in terms of character development. I was excited to pick this book up after hearing so many positive reviews…but, somehow, I felt a little underwhelmed in the end and I think it was due to a lack of connection to the characters. While it didn’t have a moment at the end where all the ends are neatly tied together, it was well written, well-crafted and didn’t leave me with too many unanswered questions. I just felt like it was missing a little of the magic that should be present in a thriller. I would give it 4/5 stars. The setting truly sucked me in to the point where I had to glance up and remind myself that I wasn’t stuck on that confined yacht. Ware really built the suspense nicely through the last two thirds of the novel. If you are looking for a fun, suspenseful story then I highly recommend The Woman in Cabin 10.
Wine Pairing: So, I have been on a rosé kick lately, but it just didn’t cut it with this book. Quite frankly, there were several times I had the urge to reach for the hard liquor (especially with the main character going to town on the mini-bar). I recommend a red zinfandel–they are usually quite strong with bold and oaky flavors (an “oaky-afterbirth” as Michael Scott would say). If you’re feeling fancy, try 1000 Stories Bourbon Barrel Aged Zinfandel (2016). It has just over a 15% alcohol content, but it matches well with the murkiness and mystery of The Woman in Cabin 10 with its smoky and full-flavors–not to mention it will keep your heart rate up as you follow the twists and turns with the story. I found the wine for about $16; if you’re on a bit of a budget or just not into spending that much on wine then try Apothic Red Blend. It goes for around $12.99 and it’s another red zin option that will hit the spot with a good thriller!
Overall Book Rating: ⅘ stars
Wine Pairing: Red Zinfandel (1000 Stories Bourban Barrel Aged Zinfandel and Apothic Red Blend)
