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pussypilot's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
fionab_16's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
medium-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
5.0
Pierrot and Rose’s tragic love story might just end up being one of my favourites ever.
Heather O’Neill’s writing is beautiful she can describe the most mundane, everyday things in such a way to make them seem magical.
I have seen marketing comparing this novel to The Night Circus, I think if you go into this story expecting another Night Circus you will be disappointed. This story is much grittier. Whereas the Night Circus is Fantasy, The Lonely Hearts Hotel is Magical Realism. The circus created here is not conjured up by magic but by hard work sacrifice and financed by organised crime. This story won’t be for everyone and there are a lot of trigger warnings.
Heather O’Neill’s writing is beautiful she can describe the most mundane, everyday things in such a way to make them seem magical.
I have seen marketing comparing this novel to The Night Circus, I think if you go into this story expecting another Night Circus you will be disappointed. This story is much grittier. Whereas the Night Circus is Fantasy, The Lonely Hearts Hotel is Magical Realism. The circus created here is not conjured up by magic but by hard work sacrifice and financed by organised crime. This story won’t be for everyone and there are a lot of trigger warnings.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Drug use, Miscarriage, and Abandonment
christinasbookcorner's review against another edition
Adding to list 12 year old gets raped
bayleigh5013's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
monica_heim's review against another edition
3.5
Someone will write a terrible novel about me.
This was such a unique reading experience and while it is a historical fiction it read more like contemporary. This is an extremely dark book, so be warned.
This was such a unique reading experience and while it is a historical fiction it read more like contemporary. This is an extremely dark book, so be warned.
erinnleah's review against another edition
3.0
Just finished The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill, a Canadian author. This book is set in Montreal during the great depression and is filled with the world's most beautiful quotes and the world's most perverse and bittersweet moments. This wouldn't be a book for everyone: it is riddled with ideas about love and melancholy and desire and all the terrible things that go along with it ( rape and prostitution and drug abuse and abject poverty) But it is also about men and women's...especially women's... creativity and agency and fight to be free. I could have picked out a billion quotes because literally, every line was a line of poetry. Highly recommend!
lilylalibraire's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0