Scan barcode
cemoses's review
3.0
might have given this book four stars but it reminded me too much of a A Man Called Ove which came out before this book. Both books are about middle aged men who feel disappointed in their lives and want to commit suicide. In both books, the men don't want their suicide to inconvenience anyone.
If the above were the only resemblance between the two books I might have given it four stars. I found Jonas the protagonist in this book a character I could more closely relate to than Ov and I liked the parts of the book about the problems he faced.
However, I did not like the second half of the book where Jonas visits the war-torn country. Like Ove, Jonas becomes useful to other people by being good with his hands. This similarity bothered me because both of its resemblance to A Man Named Ove and I found it unconvincing that Jonas would be so good at repairs.
In the book A Man Called Ove, Ov is not well educated, gruff and very "blue collar" which contributes to people not seeing some of his good qualities. His mechanical skills which he uses to help people, has also made some people think he simple.
In contrast, Jonas is a very white collar, executive, and intellectual type. I found it hard to believe that he ever handled a screw driver. Maybe if he helped people in the unknown war torn country by managing a construction project, I might have believed it. However, I did not seem him as doing much physical labor or someone who liked getting his hands literally dirty.
His emotional transformation in this war-torn country I also found unconvincing.
.
I confess that some of the attraction of this book was that it reminded me of the book A Man Named Ov (even though I was not that enthusiastic about that book). I felt the book Hotel Silence had potential to be a very good book if it did not seem so derivative.
I recevied a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
If the above were the only resemblance between the two books I might have given it four stars. I found Jonas the protagonist in this book a character I could more closely relate to than Ov and I liked the parts of the book about the problems he faced.
However, I did not like the second half of the book where Jonas visits the war-torn country. Like Ove, Jonas becomes useful to other people by being good with his hands. This similarity bothered me because both of its resemblance to A Man Named Ove and I found it unconvincing that Jonas would be so good at repairs.
In the book A Man Called Ove, Ov is not well educated, gruff and very "blue collar" which contributes to people not seeing some of his good qualities. His mechanical skills which he uses to help people, has also made some people think he simple.
In contrast, Jonas is a very white collar, executive, and intellectual type. I found it hard to believe that he ever handled a screw driver. Maybe if he helped people in the unknown war torn country by managing a construction project, I might have believed it. However, I did not seem him as doing much physical labor or someone who liked getting his hands literally dirty.
His emotional transformation in this war-torn country I also found unconvincing.
.
I confess that some of the attraction of this book was that it reminded me of the book A Man Named Ov (even though I was not that enthusiastic about that book). I felt the book Hotel Silence had potential to be a very good book if it did not seem so derivative.
I recevied a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
liammenzies's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Super disappointed, and borderline annoyed at how this turned out.
There is such a good concept here - A Man Called Otto meets The Bear if Carmie was into DIY and not fine dining - but it goes absolutely nowhere.
I know not every story has to have likable characters but when the focus of your story is a suicidal man, being able to empathise seems like a necessity, no? Such an air of pretentiousness that fortunately starts to dissipate in the last 30 pages: conveniently enough, the point at which I was actually starting to enjoy it a bit!
On the one hand, Hotel Silence should be a lot longer as both its story and characters desperately need fleshing out. Yet on the other, even at a meagre 174 pages, reading this often felt like walking through treacle.
Not for me I’m afraid.
There is such a good concept here - A Man Called Otto meets The Bear if Carmie was into DIY and not fine dining - but it goes absolutely nowhere.
I know not every story has to have likable characters but when the focus of your story is a suicidal man, being able to empathise seems like a necessity, no? Such an air of pretentiousness that fortunately starts to dissipate in the last 30 pages: conveniently enough, the point at which I was actually starting to enjoy it a bit!
On the one hand, Hotel Silence should be a lot longer as both its story and characters desperately need fleshing out. Yet on the other, even at a meagre 174 pages, reading this often felt like walking through treacle.
Not for me I’m afraid.
eli_bug's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
irissuurmond's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
angeliqueazul's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
lamom77's review
5.0
Wow, this was one of those rare gems that you accidentally stumble across. I was attracted to the cover as it sat on the "new books" shelf at the library. It started very depressing but became quite an inspiring book. Part of me would have liked more details - where is this supposed to be, what happened to the characters, what happens next - but the important part was Jonas's journey and it was very well done.
baterbook's review against another edition
4.0
3.75
Ciężko było mi się wgryść w tę książkę i w sposób pisania autora ale gdy przebrnęłam przez pierwsze 40 stron nie mogłam się oderwać. Ta pozycja poruszyła coś we mnie ale nie potrafię dojść co dokładnie, niestety mimo to mam wrażenie że nie zostanie ona ze mną zbyt długo.
Ciężko było mi się wgryść w tę książkę i w sposób pisania autora ale gdy przebrnęłam przez pierwsze 40 stron nie mogłam się oderwać. Ta pozycja poruszyła coś we mnie ale nie potrafię dojść co dokładnie, niestety mimo to mam wrażenie że nie zostanie ona ze mną zbyt długo.
diana_acc's review
3.0
Es un libro bastante ligero, es el primero que leo de la autora y no estuvo mal.
Nos cuenta la historia de Jonas, un hombre cuarentón y divorciado, sin ganas de vivir, su mujer al pedirle el divorcio también le informó que la hija que crío como suya no es su hija biológica, y pensé ¡que perra!, pero aunque no terminaran de la mejor manera, si mantienen una relación.
El protagonista decide que no quiere que su familia sea la que descubra su cadáver, asi que decide escoger un lugar que está pasando por una guerra y dónde tal vez no sea necesario el suicidio, pero se encuentra con personas que necesitan su apoyo.
Creo que en el fondo necesitaba que alguien quisiera pasar tiempo con él, que se interesara por algo más que su dinerl, quería ser útil.
Nos cuenta la historia de Jonas, un hombre cuarentón y divorciado, sin ganas de vivir, su mujer al pedirle el divorcio también le informó que la hija que crío como suya no es su hija biológica, y pensé ¡que perra!, pero aunque no terminaran de la mejor manera, si mantienen una relación.
El protagonista decide que no quiere que su familia sea la que descubra su cadáver, asi que decide escoger un lugar que está pasando por una guerra y dónde tal vez no sea necesario el suicidio, pero se encuentra con personas que necesitan su apoyo.
Creo que en el fondo necesitaba que alguien quisiera pasar tiempo con él, que se interesara por algo más que su dinerl, quería ser útil.
mjtess's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.0