Scan barcode
clarapaquerette's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Grief and Sexual violence
leynagrace's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Sexual content, and Rape
cubon's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
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,” ???
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,” ???
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Sexism, Pedophilia, Misogyny, Rape, Trafficking, Toxic relationship, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Drug use, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Death of parent, Adult/minor relationship, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Death, Classism, Child death, Child abuse, Addiction, Abortion, and Abandonment
Moderate: Abandonment
ella_mai_46's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, and Violence
bookjunkie1975's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Pedophilia, Miscarriage, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
emiliegilless's review against another edition
dark
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Child abuse, and Child death
thebacklistborrower's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
paperbackstacks's review against another edition
0.25
If it were possible to give half star reviews on Goodreads, I would because this book doesn’t even deserve a full star in my opinion.
Full disclosure, I did not finish this book. I got around 55% of the way through before I couldn’t take it anymore and gave up. I’d hoped that I would have been able to drag myself all the way through so that I could fully articulate my thoughts on why this book ended up being so absurdly awful. However, halfway marked the point where I had to yell uncle.
To me this book felt like an unedited VERY rough first draft that had somehow managed to get published. Honestly, where was the editor on this? Who gave this the green light?
If you see yourself as somehow interested in picking this book up, strong content/trigger warnings for; child molestation, incest, sexual assault, child abuse (physical and emotional), and drug abuse.
This book entertains some difficult and heavy topics starting from the very first page. One of the issues I had with this book however, was HOW these topics were handled, or rather not handled.
Overall, the story didn’t feel like it had much substance (something I’ll touch on in a moment). To me it seemed as though O’Neill threw these subjects into her story as a way to try and make it feel profound or deep when there was nothing else in place to support those attributes.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to favor books that exhibit detailed writing, flowery imagery, and what some would call “purple prose.” However, I’m not opposed to simplistic prose if the poetry or the punch comes from somewhere else; subject matter, dialogue, imagery...SOMETHING. The prose in The Broken Hearts Hotel was so simplistic to the point where I felt like I was bored to tears and wanted to rip my hair out. There was no attempt at any sort of imagery, the sentences were so short it felt like the flow of the narrative was on a continual stop start motion. The metaphors felt like they were wild ideas O’Neill flung up against a wall to see if any would stick. None of them did. The writing was downright awful.
As far as the characters in the story go, oh lord, where do I start? To me it seemed as though O’Neill was trying to go for a whimsical, but slightly off-kilter vibe for her characters and storyline. What it ended up being was purely absurd, and most of the time, nonsensical.
The two main characters, Rose and Peridot, grow up in the same orphanage together and have a stent of performing in rich peoples homes to raise money for their orphanage. They supposedly “fall in love“, but end up being separated in the early teens and lose contact with each other.
Now, I feel like it’s a huge red flag when I’m reading a story and any piece of dialogue can be said by any one of the characters. There was absolutely no differentiation in tone, motivation, or thought process of ANY of the characters.
Second, there needs to be a balance of the narrator telling the reader something about the character and having the character’s actions follow through/support what was being said about them. There was none of that, simply a never ending list of facts about the character that felt unbelievable or unwarranted.
The characters all felt interchangeable, bland, and unbelievable.
The main characters in this book are aggravatingly absurd, the plot is helter skelter, and the setting is completely forgettable. If you’re going to set your story in a different time at least DO something with it. I think the story would have benefited from a dose of magical realism. O’Neill toes the line on that once or twice but never manages to cross it. Magical realism could’ve made her characters feel more plausible, aided in her attempt to impart a whimsical and eccentric atmosphere, and overall made her book far more enjoyable than what it was.
I didn’t manage to get to the part in the book where Rose and Peridot are reunited. They are supposedly in love with each other from the time they spent together growing up, yet every instance where one is thinking of the other after being separated is in regards how they want to bone each other. If O’Neill was attempting to portray love between these two, it was done poorly.
Now, I will say that one of the characters who was repeatedly molested in the orphanage does develop a sense of hypersexuality as a result, and wrestles with guilt and shame revolving around their childhood trauma. That aspect of the story felt like an accurate portrayal of how childhood sexual abuse can manifest for someone as they grow up. Yet there really wasn’t any sort of exploration of how this might have shaped the character. The only “thoughts“ we get on it are scenes where the character engages in sex with numerous people and then the only described thought they have afterwards is just “[character’s name] felt guilty.” And that’s it, nothing more.
This is the only “heavy” topic that exists in this book that gets any kind of attention in regards to how it would affect the character’s growth and development. And that’s the level of exploration we get with the one that is brought up.
There was absolutely no exploration of the nuances of the heavier themes in this book other than that they simply existed. Which made them feel like plot devices that were attempting to impart weight and import into a story that already had no substance.
Full disclosure, I did not finish this book. I got around 55% of the way through before I couldn’t take it anymore and gave up. I’d hoped that I would have been able to drag myself all the way through so that I could fully articulate my thoughts on why this book ended up being so absurdly awful. However, halfway marked the point where I had to yell uncle.
To me this book felt like an unedited VERY rough first draft that had somehow managed to get published. Honestly, where was the editor on this? Who gave this the green light?
If you see yourself as somehow interested in picking this book up, strong content/trigger warnings for; child molestation, incest, sexual assault, child abuse (physical and emotional), and drug abuse.
This book entertains some difficult and heavy topics starting from the very first page. One of the issues I had with this book however, was HOW these topics were handled, or rather not handled.
Overall, the story didn’t feel like it had much substance (something I’ll touch on in a moment). To me it seemed as though O’Neill threw these subjects into her story as a way to try and make it feel profound or deep when there was nothing else in place to support those attributes.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to favor books that exhibit detailed writing, flowery imagery, and what some would call “purple prose.” However, I’m not opposed to simplistic prose if the poetry or the punch comes from somewhere else; subject matter, dialogue, imagery...SOMETHING. The prose in The Broken Hearts Hotel was so simplistic to the point where I felt like I was bored to tears and wanted to rip my hair out. There was no attempt at any sort of imagery, the sentences were so short it felt like the flow of the narrative was on a continual stop start motion. The metaphors felt like they were wild ideas O’Neill flung up against a wall to see if any would stick. None of them did. The writing was downright awful.
As far as the characters in the story go, oh lord, where do I start? To me it seemed as though O’Neill was trying to go for a whimsical, but slightly off-kilter vibe for her characters and storyline. What it ended up being was purely absurd, and most of the time, nonsensical.
The two main characters, Rose and Peridot, grow up in the same orphanage together and have a stent of performing in rich peoples homes to raise money for their orphanage. They supposedly “fall in love“, but end up being separated in the early teens and lose contact with each other.
Now, I feel like it’s a huge red flag when I’m reading a story and any piece of dialogue can be said by any one of the characters. There was absolutely no differentiation in tone, motivation, or thought process of ANY of the characters.
Second, there needs to be a balance of the narrator telling the reader something about the character and having the character’s actions follow through/support what was being said about them. There was none of that, simply a never ending list of facts about the character that felt unbelievable or unwarranted.
The characters all felt interchangeable, bland, and unbelievable.
The main characters in this book are aggravatingly absurd, the plot is helter skelter, and the setting is completely forgettable. If you’re going to set your story in a different time at least DO something with it. I think the story would have benefited from a dose of magical realism. O’Neill toes the line on that once or twice but never manages to cross it. Magical realism could’ve made her characters feel more plausible, aided in her attempt to impart a whimsical and eccentric atmosphere, and overall made her book far more enjoyable than what it was.
I didn’t manage to get to the part in the book where Rose and Peridot are reunited. They are supposedly in love with each other from the time they spent together growing up, yet every instance where one is thinking of the other after being separated is in regards how they want to bone each other. If O’Neill was attempting to portray love between these two, it was done poorly.
Now, I will say that one of the characters who was repeatedly molested in the orphanage does develop a sense of hypersexuality as a result, and wrestles with guilt and shame revolving around their childhood trauma. That aspect of the story felt like an accurate portrayal of how childhood sexual abuse can manifest for someone as they grow up. Yet there really wasn’t any sort of exploration of how this might have shaped the character. The only “thoughts“ we get on it are scenes where the character engages in sex with numerous people and then the only described thought they have afterwards is just “[character’s name] felt guilty.” And that’s it, nothing more.
This is the only “heavy” topic that exists in this book that gets any kind of attention in regards to how it would affect the character’s growth and development. And that’s the level of exploration we get with the one that is brought up.
There was absolutely no exploration of the nuances of the heavier themes in this book other than that they simply existed. Which made them feel like plot devices that were attempting to impart weight and import into a story that already had no substance.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
amanda9803's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Grief, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Sexual content
rbynski's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Child death, Miscarriage, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Animal death
More...