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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
A delightful read. You may think it’s a bit predictable, but there are still surprises stored in this tale.
All the food mentioned in the story made me really hungry. 😄
All the food mentioned in the story made me really hungry. 😄
Visit the locations in the novelTravel to Elba with the Literary Travel Agency
A stunning summer read that has everything you want from a gripping beach read – it’s partly set on a beach, so you have to! Oh it’s a love story and the discovery of a lie, a new life, a new past- so many secrets on such a tiny island! Elba might be known for Napoleon but it has a lot more history and dark secrets than you could ever imagine! Emylia Hall evokes an island of magic and dark shadows…
Emylia Hall evokes settings with style and this is no different. I was right there on Elba, on a location so associated with history and intrigue, imprisonment and exile so where better for a story like this to unfold? I don’t know if this was the author’s intention but it more than adds to the intrigue and flavour to the book. It’s what we expect to see coupled with the secrets we definately don’t.
The character of Kit is well drawn and I loved arriving on the island with her and meeting Valentinos and his son Oliviero from the hotel. Getting to know them at the same time as Kit was a nice idea and the story just evolves, the twists and surprises rocking the small island community.
The island of Elba is not somewhere I’ve read many books about – unless Napoleon has been in them – so this was a lovely way to explore the island via its geography, history, culture and more. There was so much to captivate me here and that location is really outstanding for the role in plays in the story and not just the background.
And please can someone build the Thousand Lights Hotel? I would be there in a heartbeat. Even the cover of the book looks gorgeous so if the real place is anything like it, I may never leave. Emylia Hall, you have pulled me in to your world once again and created a captivating read.
slow-paced
the writing really captivated me with its wonderful descriptions of food and the country, italy. i stayed for the characters and their stories and the buried secrets in the plot because this novel had a lot more depth than i expected it to. overall so so beautiful and deep
Dette er en av de mest bemerkelsesverdige bøkene jeg har lest i år. Nydelig skrevet med troverdige karakterer. Jeg ble sittende å lese selv om det nesten var for mørkt til å se sidene, og gikk til og med rundt med boken når jeg skulle på badet slik at jeg ikke gikk glipp av muligheten til å lese bare litt til!
Bought this book thinking it would be just a light read, and in the beginning it was, but theoughout the book the depth of the characters showed much more and the plot thickened. Pleasantly surprised with the curveballs it threw
This story brought me back to Italy in all the best ways. The descriptions of the food and the island and the amazing hotel made me long to go back! The story was interesting the I loved how different and realistic the characters were. They all had tragedies they had faced in their lives and they all seemed stronger for it. I just wish there had been an epilogue of what happened next for Kit.
The Thousand Lights Hotel was my first holiday read (at Butlins, nowhere near as exotic as Italy!) and this was certainly the perfect holiday escapism. However escapism is not to be confused with a light-hearted easy read as it opens with Kit losing her mother to a long battle with cancer and discovering that her father isn’t actually dead as she’d been led to believe for the past 30 years.
Understandably Kit is devastated by the loss of her mother however her world has also been turned upside down, finding out about the existence of her father and his name – this is a secret that Rosa has kept for 30 years so Kit has very little to go on. Fortunately, her father has an unusual name so tracks him to the Mille Luci – the Thousand Lights Hotel on the island of Elba off the Italian coast. Kit, consumed by her grief and in need of answers, heads off to the island under the guise of investigating a local legend in her role as a travel writer.
What ensues is Kit getting to know her father without him knowing who she is. The book starts off gently in pace, articulating how Kit is trying to gather her thoughts and emotions as well as how she is going to tackle the subject with her Father, Valentino. Then there is also Oliviero whose head she has turned but refers to Valentino as Papa – Kit is obviously reluctant to get to know Oliviero as she doesn’t want to give off signals when she cannot explain the truth!
As well as Kit, we also learn a lot about Valentino, he is a man with a past that haunts him and when he finds out who Kit is, it all comes flooding back. I adored Valentino, he is a true gent who’s aim in life is to provide the perfect holiday for his guests that lasts with them long after leaving the Mille Luci. His relationship with Oliviero is heart-warming and amusing!
The Thousand Lights Hotel is a wonderful read, Hall’s writing is exquisite; each sentence is carefully thought out and adds to the story, it takes the reader to Elba as the descriptions of the island are stunning – Elba and the Mille Luci sound like fabulous holiday destinations! The flow of the writing is seamless and the differing perspectives bringing together the story are brilliant. The emotions in this book are in bucket loads and Hall’s writing really brings to life the highs and lows that the characters are experiencing – sometimes through not writing too much narrative, letting the reader truly feel what the characters are feeling.
I highly recommend The Thousand Lights Hotel – it is the perfect holiday read, just don’t be too disappointed that you are not experiencing the Elba summer for yourself!
Understandably Kit is devastated by the loss of her mother however her world has also been turned upside down, finding out about the existence of her father and his name – this is a secret that Rosa has kept for 30 years so Kit has very little to go on. Fortunately, her father has an unusual name so tracks him to the Mille Luci – the Thousand Lights Hotel on the island of Elba off the Italian coast. Kit, consumed by her grief and in need of answers, heads off to the island under the guise of investigating a local legend in her role as a travel writer.
What ensues is Kit getting to know her father without him knowing who she is. The book starts off gently in pace, articulating how Kit is trying to gather her thoughts and emotions as well as how she is going to tackle the subject with her Father, Valentino. Then there is also Oliviero whose head she has turned but refers to Valentino as Papa – Kit is obviously reluctant to get to know Oliviero as she doesn’t want to give off signals when she cannot explain the truth!
As well as Kit, we also learn a lot about Valentino, he is a man with a past that haunts him and when he finds out who Kit is, it all comes flooding back. I adored Valentino, he is a true gent who’s aim in life is to provide the perfect holiday for his guests that lasts with them long after leaving the Mille Luci. His relationship with Oliviero is heart-warming and amusing!
The Thousand Lights Hotel is a wonderful read, Hall’s writing is exquisite; each sentence is carefully thought out and adds to the story, it takes the reader to Elba as the descriptions of the island are stunning – Elba and the Mille Luci sound like fabulous holiday destinations! The flow of the writing is seamless and the differing perspectives bringing together the story are brilliant. The emotions in this book are in bucket loads and Hall’s writing really brings to life the highs and lows that the characters are experiencing – sometimes through not writing too much narrative, letting the reader truly feel what the characters are feeling.
I highly recommend The Thousand Lights Hotel – it is the perfect holiday read, just don’t be too disappointed that you are not experiencing the Elba summer for yourself!
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes