Reviews with content warning for Drug use - Lonely Hearts Hotel

I wonder why only the minority mentions the perverted parts of this book. Yes obv this book is also part about rape, but tell me then - why are the rape scenes written more beautiful than the actual consensual acts??? Also the mention of his dick size several times gave me such alpha male author vibes. I loved the writing style in the beginning because it reminded me of the little princess book, but this one got worse with time. almost screams murakami I can’t believe a woman wrote this.

Pierrot and Rose have no chemistry as well. They seem like twins(?) almost. I tried to find anything were we could see an actual connection and mutual understanding that wasn’t written direct and painfully obvious. I mean cmon „You are my Napoleon,” ???

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isobel_rose's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

5.0

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shannaism's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

**Update: Cutting half a star so it can be truly indifferent.**
Like other reviews mention the writing is laden with similies but I wasn't bothered by it. Really, I find it can be rather illustrative. Ultimately, what garnered the 3stars was the fact that the storytelling doesn't allow you to become invested in the characters and by the finish you feel very little satisfaction at its ending. I found that I didn't care much about anything; not the supposed tragedy, or the whimsy. Nothing seems to strike a chord or fill you with as much wonderment as it promised. And my 3 I think is generous because at least it wasn't a terrible book.

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charlotteadshead's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was not at all what I was expecting. Having seen it compared to The Night Circus (one of my favourite books) I had high expectations which were unfortunately not met. I could see only the barest of reflections of Celia and Marco in Rose and Pierrot but that was where the similarities ended. I did find this book utterly absorbing and when I sat down to read it I flew through it however the big issue for me here was the pacing of the story. Had the entire book been written in the same vein as the final 150 pages then this book could have been utterly fantastic however it took far too long to get to this point. Our two main characters were apart for too large a percentage of the story for me to become totally invested in their love story and while I appreciate that this part of the story provided important background for later events, I feel that this could have been done in a more concise manner. I was drawn into this book by the promise of a dazzling circus show and unfortunately this was glossed over far too quickly as the majority of the plot was squeezed into the final 150 pages.

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thebacklistborrower's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was a CBC Canada Reads longlist book, and I read it while waiting for one of the shortlists to show up. I had read Lullabies for Little Criminals years ago (also a Canada Reads pick), and it has stuck with me ever since.

There are a lot of similarities between the two books: both broadly about children whose childhoods were stolen from them. The Lonely Hearts Hotel is about two children born in a home for unwed pregnant girls. Rose and Pierrot connect young with their ability to entertain: Pierrot a savant at the piano, and Rose as a clown and dancer. Originally punished for this, the nuns running the orphanage eventually realize they can exploit these talents in the homes of the rich to get more money until Pierrot is adopted and Rose is sent to work as a nanny, and they lose touch, living lives where they did what they could to scrape by, run from trauma, make ends meet, and try to get by. When they do find each other, a plan is hatched to make it so big they don’t struggle again.

This book might not have been the escape many would have wanted. There is abuse, violence, and drugs as these two teenagers-- still children-- try to get by in a world that doesn't care about them. I don’t hesitate to say it was sad throughout. In this book, O’Neill plants sadness, and tends to it, until it grows into something new and transformed. Even at the end, when Rose and Pierrot are reunited and happy, the sadness is there. It grows through their happy facade and eventually breaks it apart.

All that being said, it is a beautifully written book, and if you are in the mood for something melancholic and beautiful in its own way, I’d recommend this book to read. Just know what is lying ahead.

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