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chalkletters's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
3.75
The Glass Hotel was a gift from Rebecca (I’d previously given her Station Eleven, also by Emily St. John Mandel, so I must’ve done something right). She promised an atmosphere I would ‘just sink into’ and I read it solely on the strength of her recommendation, because otherwise the interwoven stories of a bartender, financier and shipping executive didn’t sound like a thrilling read. To be fair, the blurb on the paper copy I have is a lot more intriguing, which goes to show I shouldn’t rely on The StoryGraph for everything.
For readers going in without reading the blurb, The Glass Hotel takes a little while to get underway. Paul and Vincent are interesting enough characters, with interesting enough things going on in their lives, but it all feels a bit scattershot until it becomes clear that Jonathan Alkaitis’s story is going to give the plot its driving force. Once that clicks into place, The Glass Hoteljust keeps getting better and better, leading to an ending that both wraps things up and leaves a lot of open questions.
Emily St. John Mandel handles the mysteries of The Glass Hotel with an extremely deft hand. In particular, the question of the graffiti — who painted it? why? why those words? — is paid off in stages which each build on the last until they form a complete and completely satisfying picture. There are also element in the endings of Jonathan, Vincent and Paul’s stories which echo things from the very beginning, which suggests The Glass Hotel would be a satisfying reread!
The Glass Hotel certainly delivers on atmosphere. The tension, once you’ve worked out what’s going to happen, carries you along so well that it’s a shame the beginning doesn’t quite feel connected.
Overall, an extremely good book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug use, and Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse, Terminal illness, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Cancer, and Dementia
erikamtini's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I enjoy how Mandel slowly unfurls the mystery. But, I felt like it got a little slow/tedious in the middle. The pacing could have been better? It may be that I'm comparing this book too much to the Sea of Tranquility, which I really loved.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug use, Addiction, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Death, and Physical abuse
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