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3.16 AVERAGE
3.16 AVERAGE
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I would like to immediately book a week at this newly opened hotel in the Italian Riviera! Set after WWI, during the hotel’s opening weeks the reader gets a lot of drama from an array of characters! This gave me The White Lotus vibes, with its many characters and backstories. I also got some Upstairs/Downstairs drama, and was then hit with a mystery a la Agatha Christie or Lucy Foley style. There was a bit too much going on here for me, but I did love the glamorous Claudine and hard working Constance. I wish all of the characters could have been developed more. I felt like my understanding of who they were and their motivations only scratched the surface.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for this arc.
Set in Italy after the Second World World, the story follows Bella Ainsworth, a wealthy English woman, who decided to move to Italy with her family and buy a hotel in the breathtaking Italian Riviera. Mrs. Ainworth does her best to make her rich clientele have a great stay while being blackmailed by people related to Mussolini's regime.
The book depicts PTSD, corruption, arranged marriage, art theft, romance, family drama, and for all that I can clearly see why it has become a PBS tv series. O’Connell’s writing is extremely detailed. But the pace of the story is so slow that this book ended up not working for me. There was nothing in this story that wowed me. I listened the audiobook, narrated by Esther Wane, who did a great job. Her narration was the only thing I did really enjoyed about this book.
Overall, good plot idea, descriptive writing, round characters, great narration, but Hotel Portofino ends up being shallow. There was nothing that kept me interested in this story that ends up abruptly. So I do not think I would recommend this book but I will probably watch the tv series and I might end up liking the series more than the book.
informative
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I had no idea what to expect when I started reading Hotel Portofino, but I was pleasantly surprised with the depth & complexities of these characters. A charming British family moves to the Italian Riviera & opens a hotel, for a “fresh start” in 1926 after losing their oldest son in World War 2, which may not sound exciting… but the dynamic between this family and their hotel guests is quite entertaining! It was a little slow paced at the beginning and I found the ending to be a little underwhelming. But I loved how so many important issues like: sexual identity, racism, feminism, PTSD/mental health, Fascism/dictatorship vs. Socialism, and even police brutality, were addressed in such a powerful way.
“Nonsense, my dear! It is the 1920s, you know.’ She squeezed Bella’s hand. ‘The
world is changing. For the better, I hope.”
Over 100 years later and this quote is still so relevant.
I was originally interested when I found out they’re filming a show based on this book that will be released next year on PBS. It’s being recommended to fans of The Crown, and Downton Abbey, but I would also recommend if you liked The Durrell’s in Corfu. I loved the overall Italian Great Gatsby feel, and can’t wait to see how this translates to the screen.
Thank you to J. P. O’Connell, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
“Nonsense, my dear! It is the 1920s, you know.’ She squeezed Bella’s hand. ‘The
world is changing. For the better, I hope.”
Over 100 years later and this quote is still so relevant.
I was originally interested when I found out they’re filming a show based on this book that will be released next year on PBS. It’s being recommended to fans of The Crown, and Downton Abbey, but I would also recommend if you liked The Durrell’s in Corfu. I loved the overall Italian Great Gatsby feel, and can’t wait to see how this translates to the screen.
Thank you to J. P. O’Connell, Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
With a vivid and beautiful setting, Hotel Portofino is a book that will whisk the reader away to 1920’s coastal Italy. Touted as “a very English hotel, on the Italian Riviera,” the hotel and surrounding beaches act as the main settings for an “Upstairs Downstairs” or “Downton Abbey” sort of drama. We encounter a marriage on the rocks with another being arranged, crooked political dealings, the mounting tension of impending war, secret romances, a cast of (mostly) snooty guests and servants with their own intrigues and ambitions, and a myriad of secrets that lurk behind every decision and conversation.
I found most of the book to be engaging, dramatic, and delightful as the secrets started to come out and threaten to overturn each of their lives. I loved some of the characters and despised a few others, which was no doubt intended by the author. There was ample character development, as well as a fun little Agatha Christie-ish homage of a mystery. I did feel like the ending came pretty abruptly and that there were several strands left unraveled, and I’m not sure that I liked the open-endedness of it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. The sensory language made me feel as if I could see the details in the hotel design, smell the salty ocean air, and taste the delectable kitchen creations. This feels like a book made to be dramatized in a screen adaptation!
Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this advanced readers copy of the book!
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Child death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Grief, Gaslighting, War
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
The lives of strangers and friends intertwine when they enter the Hotel Portofino. O’Connell skillfully maneuvers multiple storylines while maintaining entertaining prose and vibrant imagery. With so many characters the author takes the opportunity to shed light on topics relevant today (racism, classism, sexuality, domestic abuse, etc), and takes care to do so without it coming across as excessive tokenism. Most of the characters are distinguishable from each other and are well developed, allowing the reader to emotionally connect with their journeys in the plot.
This isn’t a story that I see myself rereading in the future, but would gladly recommend it to readers looking to entertain themselves with the convoluted lives of 1920s tourists and hoteliers on the Italian coast.
*I was gifted a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
This isn’t a story that I see myself rereading in the future, but would gladly recommend it to readers looking to entertain themselves with the convoluted lives of 1920s tourists and hoteliers on the Italian coast.
*I was gifted a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Content Warnings
Minor: Domestic abuse
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
A wealthy Englishwoman, Bella opens an upscale hotel with her family in 1920’s Portofino, Italy. Each is trying to make a fresh start. The loyal staff is treated more like family. Once the guests start arriving, the hotel is put to the test. The upperclass guests are complex and demanding. The head of the local facist party keeps showing up to remind Bella that the war isn’t completely over.