613 reviews for:

Hotel du Lac

Anita Brookner

3.54 AVERAGE

irenemlec's review against another edition

3.0

dark lighthearted reflective slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

funktious's review against another edition

3.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I should really learn not to read books from the 80s, they always make me angry. Most of the women writing back then really didn’t seem to like women very much, and Brookner is no exception. 

For all her internalised misogyny I did quite like Edith, and I would have much preferred this if it had ended with her kicking Mr Neville in the nuts.

The setting was lovely, I quite liked the slow pace and hotels are always good for character work, but the writing was very overwrought.

Back to Oxfam it goes.

garleighc's review against another edition

2.25

mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

mindthebook's review against another edition

5.0

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Det var läsmiljön, ett 'hôtel du lac' fast vid Zürichsjön förra veckan, som bidrog till att skapa den här läsupplevelsen. Det och Brookners språk med väldigt brittiska formuleringar som "remarkably bloomsburian" eller allmänmänskliga observationer som "the melancholy of exile" eller "They sat islanded in their foreignness".

En av karaktärerna på det där sommarhotellet påminner mycket om 'ennui' i Inside Out 2, som just är aktuell. Tänkte mycket på kvinnors olika roller under läsningen.

Författaren var först konsthistoriker och romandebuterade vid 53, tror jag. När ser läser titlarna i hennes bibliografi tänker jag att jag vill läsa mer. Påminner om Anne Tylers eller Penelope Fitzgeralds världar.

Blev BBC-serie några år efter utgivningen. Ska leta upp den nu.

keavac's review against another edition

3.25

funny mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I enjoyed this book, as an interesting look into what it might be to be a woman who had not chosen marriage or kids in an earlier era. But it was also sad, and had the character trapped in two, somewhat undesirable options (in my opinion). But maybe that was accurate for the time.

fates_fables_golem's review against another edition

3.0

informative reflective relaxing slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

thursday_nxt's review against another edition

3.5

dark emotional funny mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

elinordashwood05's review against another edition

3.75

mysterious reflective relaxing sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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This was the perfect book to read when I was trapped in a stifling hot, chaotic and noisy airport for a day. It’s so cool, calm and collected. It’s also a bit weird in a good way. I found it difficult to work out when it was set and had to google it to find out (early 1980’s). It seemed like a story set in the 30’s or 50’s. I didn’t really like the main character’s story but I loved the other characters and the descriptions of the hotel and the lake. 

bookbuyingaddict's review against another edition

4.5

adventurous hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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What a sweet little read this is I did pick it up and put it back down again in June when I had a lot going on , it is a slow burn of a beginning with Edith hope romantic novelist making her observations of fellow guests at the hotel du lac . We know she’s “done something “ back at home to cause “embarrassment “ to friends ,she has no family to speak of ,and at 39 is written off as a spinster . Oh how times have changed what’s wrong with being a spinster 🤣 I’d say in modern life now 99% of women dream of more me time , and time alone and an awful lot prefer life without the complications of marriage . But this is the 20s & social norms were very different & women were judged and demonised for very small misdemeanours, or just simply for being different . Anyway without any spoilers we as the reader learn towards the end of the book what she did and why and now in the times
We live friends would stick by her . I’d also class Penelope her neighbour and so called friend a frenemy (this great word came about in the 1950s) . This was
A Booker prize winner in the 80s and I can see why it is a genius little book and im very surprised by the low ratings ,
Looking at some
Of the more reason book prize winners and nominations this year it beats them hands down .

penguinspam's review against another edition

5.0

reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes