Reviews with content warning for Death - The Glass Hotel

Emily St. John Mandel is a genius of storytelling. Despite wildly different subject matter to Station Eleven the story still ropes you in in the same way, and dances expertly through time to weave intriguing tales around a wide cast of characters. However, I feel the subject matter means you always feel a bit let down by the mysteries as they're woven, and there are a few too many complex threads to follow easily. The audiobook version is well read and gripping throughout.

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talislibrary's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Emily St. John Mandel is just a fabulous writer. I cannot think of another author who can world build quite like she can, which is thoroughly impressive as she writes in a non-linear, multi-perspective way. I feel her books are better experienced with no knowledge beforehand, so just pick this up and give it a try.

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azrah786's review against another edition

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3.5

**I was provided with a copy of the book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

CW: death, death of a parent, cancer, suicide (off page), substance abuse, addiction, grief

Picking up this book came down to how much I enjoyed Station Eleven and I’d say there are two things that The Glass Hotel has in common with that book - Mandel’s storytelling and captivating writing style and a story about people that will have you thinking about it many days after you’ve finished it. Otherwise the two books are nothing alike.

I feel like I remember upon first reading the synopsis of this book that I couldn’t make much sense of it and let me tell you after reading it I couldn’t tell you what exactly it is about either.

It has a winding non-chronological narrative that leaps between a handful of complex characters and various timelines in their intersecting lives, each of them connected by two things – a hotel located in British Colombia and the man who owns it, Jonathan Alkaitis. Vincent, a young woman whose life we see snippets of from adolescence through adulthood, feels very much like the lead but every character has a very individual storyline and Mandel’s way with words just draws you into them all.

At its core it is a story about people and human connection through which Mandel scrutinises the themes of wealth and class, morality and culpability in a skilful and clever way.

I don’t want to be much more specific because it’s a strange one that’ll have you confused on what the hell is actually happening throughout, but the spiralling and atmospheric way that all the information is uncovered will have you hooked. It’s written like a mystery story but isn’t exactly one...? Definitely one of those books best experienced without too much prior knowledge of the details.
Final Rating - 3.5/5 Stars

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georgiesutton's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I simply love Emily St John Mandel’s writing. I loved the crossovers with Station Eleven. It ticks so many boxes for me with the flip flopping timeline, seemingly unrelated characters being linked, it was partly set in Vancouver Island... I didn’t find the actual plot surrounding the Ponzi scheme very engaging but I still enjoyed it and the storylines that surround the overarching plot.

One annoying thing is that the blurb described events that take place very late in the book which is a pet peeve of mine because then you’re waiting for that to happen and expecting it.

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pollyflorence's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I finished The Glass Hotel this morning—and while the subject matter (Ponzi schemes, the financial crisis of 2008, container shipping...) might not be the kind of thing I usually look for in a novel— Emily St. John Mandel creates such a vivid world and has a way of storytelling and weaving together various threads of a story that it made me feel invested in this story and the things the various characters experience. In many ways it’s a story of loss and grief and betrayal and looks at how we respond to these things.

I just adore how Mandel crafts her novels and reveals the story bit by bit in a way which makes the ending so satisfying and makes you want to start the book from the beginning again. I felt the exact same way about her previous novel— Station Eleven.

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sorcha's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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