| Title | : | Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel: the perfect uplifting holiday read from the author of The Keeper of Lost Things |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 247 |
| Publication | : | First published February 7, 2019 |
| Awards | : | Romantic Novel of the Year (RoNa's) Award The Fantasy Romantic Novel Award (2020) |
Tilly was a bright, outgoing little girl who liked playing with ghosts and matches. She loved fizzy drinks, swear words, fish fingers and Catholic churches, but most of all she loved living in Brighton in Queenie Malone's Magnificent Paradise Hotel with its endearing and loving family of misfits - staff and guests alike.
But Tilly's childhood was shattered when her mother sent her away from the only home she'd ever loved to boarding school with little explanation and no warning. Now, Tilda has grown into an independent woman still damaged by her mother's unaccountable cruelty. Wary of people, her only friend is her dog, Eli. But when her mother dies, Tilda goes back to Brighton and with the help of her beloved Queenie sets about unraveling the mystery of her exile from The Paradise Hotel and discovers that her mother was not the woman she thought she knew at all ... Mothers and daughters ... their story can be complicated ... it can also turn out to have a happy ending.
Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel: the perfect uplifting holiday read from the author of The Keeper of Lost Things Reviews
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I’m screaming at top of my lungs friends: Please read this book to feel good, completed, joyful, for melting your heart and refreshing your soul!
I didn’t expect to enjoy this so much but I loved the authors’ previous works so this is not a big surprise for me to like the writing style by separating the POVS with a person’s childhood self and adult self. Because as soon as you start to learn about Tilly (younger version) and Tilda (exhausted and broken adult version, 39, just lost her mother) you realize they are not the same person. The compelling years, traumatic relationship with her mother and working on with the hand life dealt her changed Tilda completely.
Young Tilda a.k.a Tilly is still hopeful, innocent, energetic, funny, smart ( her comments about the people around her and descriptions about her life are so witty, enjoyable, I wanted to give her so many virtual hugs, the kid version of character is amazing!) But a mother is real enigma, keeping so many secrets, reserved and cold.
After Tilly lost her father, she moved to Queenie’s Hotel with her mother and these parts are the happiest times of her life. She met new people, eccentric, interesting characters, formed so many friendships. But her happiness doesn’t last because her mother dearest decided to send her to the boarding school without any explanation that shatters her heart in pieces.
But now she is 39, orphaned, visiting mother’s house to gather her things, looking reserved, unhappy and asocial woman. Till she meets with Daniel and connecting with his friends which change her completely and help her face the truth behind her past and her unhealthy relationship with her mother by reading the diaries she left behind.
I confess I loved Tilly’s parts most but finally seeing Tilly’s childhood joy and innocence gather with adult Tilda’s lifetime experiences and chasing her second chances by making peace with her past and her relationship with her mother to move on her life was the best resolution of the story.
This is heartfelt, emotional, witty, feel-good reading that we need these days!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishers/William Morrow Paperback for sharing this emotional ARC in exchange my honest review -
This is Ruth Hogan's wonderful 3rd novel, and like her previous books, there are two storylines but unlike the others, here we are given the perspective of young Tilly, whose life is shaped by her close relationship to dad, Stevie, which comes to an abrupt end when he is killed, and then splintered irrevocably apart when for some inexplicable reason, her mother sends her to boarding school. This was despite the brief period of greatest happiness that Tilly had ever experienced living at Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel in Brighton and her close relationship with the eccentric and loving misfits that worked or stayed at the hotel. Tilly's mum, Grace, is not the mother she wanted, she is no washing powder mother but scares Tilly with the kraken inside. Queenie Malone filled that huge mother shaped hole in her, the type of mother she was so desperate for, loving the young girl unconditionally, but Queenie had no more idea than Tilly as to why she was sent away.
The other perspective in the narrative is that of Tilda, the now older Tilly, living with the dead and ghosts, protected by the dog, Eli, a lonely woman defined by her inability to connect with others or to trust, and her ingrained OCD behaviours, the charms and rituals that are essential for her to feel safe. Her mother, Grace has recently died and Tilda is clearing her flat when she finds a box containing her mother's diaries, which her mother obviously meant her to read. At long last Tilda will find out why she was so cruelly sent away from everything and everyone she loved. However, is Tilda strong enough for the truth? It is not easy for Tilda to work her way through her mother's diaries, and she is confounded to learn that all that she thought as certain turns out to collapse as secrets emerge into the light of day. Grace's neighbour, Penelope Dane, talks of Tilly being the love of Grace's life, this is not a mother that makes any sense to Tilda. The older Tilda finds herself drawn to Daniel, but having felt unloved and unwanted for most of her life, can she risk exposing herself and her vulnerabilities to another human being?
Ruth Hogan writes of family, mother and daughter relationships and the capacity of friendships to knit hearts back together. She writes of the difficulties and challenges of marriage, being ostracised by judgemental families, and covers mental health issues with compassion and insightful observations. There is charm and humour in the manner in which the young delightful Tilly misunderstands so much around her, from a God that sends sinners to Bermondsey to her perception of perverts, not to mention the utter joy she finds in dancing. Hogan is skilled in and excels in the enticing and damaged characters she creates, so compelling, with their bittersweet life experiences. Hogan weaves in finding the potential for hope after the experience of fraught lives whilst blending in the fantastical with aplomb, where the dead permeate the lives of the living. This proved to be a novel that was a pure joy to read, emotionally heartwrenching, of grief, loss, love and a childhood in a world where adults struggle to cope. Highly recommended. Many thanks to John Murray Press for an ARC. -
2020 F.A.B. Bookclub pick # I.❤️. F.A.B.
Queenie Malone and her hotel don’t have a lot to do with this story. Considering the title I expected Queenie to play a much larger role. 🤔 With that aside, I actually enjoyed this mysterious story. It follows Tilly at 7 and Tilda (same person) as an adult. Her quirks and mishaps as a child are very ‘Amelia Bedila-esc’. There are some lol moments for sure! 😂🤣 I don’t wanna give away the spooky aspects 😱 but it’s a good little twist on this story. -
I am now definitely a
Ruth Hogan fan. I have enjoyed all her books so far and this one probably most of all.
Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel is only a small part of the whole book but it was a paradise for our main character, Tilly, when she was a child. And what an adorable, precocious child she was. There is a lot of humour in the way she interprets the things she hears and a lot of sadness too when adults try to keep things from her and she totally misunderstands situations.
The grown up Tilly, now called Tilda, is the product of her confusing upbringing, plus she has a tendency towards OCD behaviours, and she sees dead people and at least one dead dog called Eli. She feels herself to be unlovable and sets out, after her mother's death, to try and discover what went wrong in her family and what happened to her father.
All of this is written in
Ruth Hogan's beautiful style with not a word wasted. I loved every minute of it. -
This gem languished on my kindle for far too long and I could kick myself! I loved it! This is the story of Tilly as a child and Tilda as an adult and her fractured relationship with her mother Grace. After her mother’s death Tilda learns the truth about why her mother acted as she did. This wonderful story is told by Tilly\Tilda in alternate timelines.
Tilly as a child is just delightful. She’s innocent, so so funny and her childhood is beautifully captured. Some of her comments had me rolling around with delighted laughter. She’s just brilliant and I think there should be a Tilly mould created!! Tilly loves her dad dearly but her relationship with her mother is a puzzle. After her father’s death, Grace takes Tilly to live at Queenie’s hotel in Brighton and it’s here that Tilly is at her happiest. There she meets the most colourful characters, the brightest of which is Queenie herself although all the characters in the book are fantastic, so richly depicted they are easy to picture.
Tilda is very different to her childhood self. She’s solitary, she hides away, she likes ritual and order and has no social life. This changes dramatically after her mother’s death when she moves into Grace’s apartment in Brighton. There she meets some wonderful people, including Daniel. With the help of Daniel and the nurturing of Brighton friends she comes alive again and learns the truth about her past and that of her mother.
This book is full of lovely surprises. It’s so well written, it’s lively, colourful and a joy to read and it’s fair to say I loved every single word of it!! Fabulous. Just fabulous. I was already a fan of Ruth Hogan but I’m an even bigger fan now 😂!!! -
The first two thirds of this book? Eh.
The last third? BROKE me.
Another enchanting and tear-jerking effort from Ruth Hogan!
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 for an incredible ending!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ -
This book is about Tilly childhood and adult life and her fractured relationship with her mother Grace. I have to say I did not love or hate this book. I felt it was just ok. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel is a book that not all kinds of readers will relate to. You either love it or hate it. And me, well, I really wish I loved it.
The book flows in two parallel timelines: Tilda in the present and little Tilly in her childhood. Tilda has a broken relationship with her mother, who killed her dad. After her mum dies, Tilda goes to a place called Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel, to find the truth of what happened in the past.
The writing style of when Tilda is little was hard for me to connect to. If felt as if the grown up version was talking in both timelines. The book is very slow, with no major plot twist, which made it boring. We had the whole ending dumped in the last chapters, with no anticipation. She is a girl that clearly has a troubled past, and she has with her a sense of mystery, as she is able to see what other people can’t. She is very attached to her father, even though he was absent most of her life, and she spent her childhood and teenage years holding a grudge against her mother.
And yet, I didn’t care about her.
In fact, I didn’t care about anyone in this book, and by the end, I just wished for the story to finish. I am sad that I couldn’t relate to this book, and I wish I liked it. But I didn’t. Moving on. A shame though, it has such a beautiful cover.If the synopsis seems interesting to you,
I would still encourage you to give it a go and let me know what you thought. You opinion is also valid.
Thank you to Netgalley and John Murray Press, for sending me an ebook, in exchange for an honest review.
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I was at the library picking some books I had on hold when I spotted this book prominently displayed. I felt compelled to grab it, as I adored The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes.
I love the worlds and characters that Ruth Hogan creates. Her writing is infused with beautiful descriptions, complex characters with rich inner worlds. Throw in a bit of whimsy and a dusting of magical realism and we've got ourselves a charming novel.
Told in two alternate timelines, one of Tilly a seven-year-old girl and Tilda, the adult who'd just buried her mother, Queenie Malon's Paradise Hotel is a slow, nostalgia-filled novel that dwells on how little we know those closest to us and how easy it is even for good people to do bad things that have negative consequences for those they love.
Upon discovering her mother's diaries, Tilda rediscovers herself and her mother, and she can begin to put together the puzzle of her life.
Coincidences and the right people in the right place at the right time move this story along.
I don't think this is as well realised as The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes - with which is tied-in in certain ways- but it was nevertheless still a very enjoyable read.
I'm looking forward to reading Ruth Hogan's fourth novel. -
It took me a long time to get into this book. I definitely think it was me, I was more in the mood for serial killers than kids. But the library had other ideas. There are moments of humor, especially Tilly’s understanding of the Christian religion. But overall, it’s a pretty depressing story.
The story is told from the perspective of Tilly, the young girl and Tilda, the adult she grows into. Tilda’s mother has died and she returns to clear out her house. She had never been close to her mother. But she finds her mother’s diary, which explains the differences between Tilly’s understanding of events and reality and brings her a new appreciation of her mother.
I struggled to really care about Tilda at either age. She should be a sympathetic character - she has lost her father, whom she adored, at an early age. She has lots of strange behaviors, including an addiction to lighting matches at both ages. She has relationships with the dead, including her dog.
The problem is that the book plods along and there aren’t enough dramatic events. It’s a totally character driven story. And if a book is all about characters, then you need to bond with at least one of them. And I never did.
Themes include parental abandonment across the generations, religion and what we sacrifice for our beliefs, finding our true selves when we don’t conform to the norm.
I listened to this. Jane Collingwood was the narrator. She falls into the trap of making Tilly’s voice sound whiny in an attempt to sound young. -
Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan. (2019).
Tilly was a bright, out-going little girl who liked playing with ghosts and matches. She loved living in Queenie Malone's magnificent Paradise Hotel in Brighton with it's family of misfits and never forgave her mother for sending her away.
Now Tilda is a grown woman but still hurt by her mother's actions. Her only friend is her dog. But after her mother dies, Tilda goes back to Brighton and with the help of Queenie unravels the mystery of her exile and the true history of her mother.
This novel features an eccentric main character in Tilda. Half of the narrative is Tilda's current timeline, the other half is Tilda when she was a young child (helpfully made obvious by the child chapters being titled 'Tilly' and the adult ones 'Tilda'). Tilly the child was quite interesting and quirky, Tilda the adult had obsessive tendencies and a whole lot of emotional damage. In all honesty, I didn't really warm to Tilda much and preferred the Tilly chapters. The hotel and the local pier was described beautifully and sounded really appealing to me. After learning Tilda's mother's backstory I really felt for her, and I did like the addition of some sections from her diary which gave her a voice.
Overall: a pleasant enough quirky book but just didn't really get going for me to really enjoy it. I wanted to love it but just didn't. With majority really positive reviews, I'd recommend giving it a go. -
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Emotionally rich, contains all the good feels!
I have enjoyed every Ruth Hogan book I've read so far, so had big hopes for this latest novel. And, joy of joys, it was another good 'un!
Tilda returns to her mother's house after she dies, and is awash with emotion - it's clear from the start that their relationship was fractious. Through the dual perspectives of Tilda as a grown-up and her younger self (Tilly) we realise that her father is absent and that her mother is hiding a whole lot of emotion behind a mask of disinterest and disapproval.
Along the way, we're taken to the Paradise Hotel - a place where finally, Tilly and her mother seem to find some sort of peace; mainly thanks to the larger-than-life Queenie Malone and the other guests.
Unlike Ruth Hogan's other books, there are no major reveals or twists in this book (though there are a few minor ones); instead, the focus is very much upon emotions. It's evident that mental health is a theme in this book, and it's explored sensitively and honestly.
In fact, this is one of the things I appreciate most about this author; she has a frank, unfussy narrative style that gets to the heart of the matter. Nothing is dressed up in fancy prose or waffling description; instead, she strips all that nonsense out and works on just telling the story as it really is. I LIKE this a lot.
The characters are also gloriously full of life and verve; with their quirks and foibles. Sometimes they're perhaps a little kinder than people would be in real life - but I don't have a problem with this. The slightly rose-tinted spectacles worked for me.
Overall, a very enjoyable, immersive read with all the nice feels attached. -
Two and a half stars.
After her mother dies, Tilda goes back to Brighton and the home she loved before her mother packed her off to boarding school. Tilda seeks to find some answers as to why she was exiled and why she had such a strained relationship with her mother. At The Paradise Hotel Queenie helps her with the aid of her mother’s diaries to learn more about her mother and her life. The story is told from Tilly‘s point of view as a child, Tilda’s point of view as an adult and with the words of her mother from the diaries.
As a child Tilly only manages to get some things wright and hears a lot of things wrong especially when it comes to Sunday school and church. Some of these are really amusing. Others not so much. Initially I was interested in this book, but the problem was I never really connected with Tilly or Tilda or any of the characters particularly. Since this is a character driven story rather than one of a lot of action, I became bored after a while and felt it was taking too long to get anywhere. However I persisted even though I wasn’t particularly enjoying it. With ghosts, including one of the canine variety called Eli, and a host of quirky characters this book will appeal to a lot of people. But again it was one of those books that never captured my imagination. Just an okay read as far as I was concerned but I know others have loved it. So one to try and make up your own mind. -
Needed this for a challenge- book that started with the letter "Q" and this was adorable on audio.
I've listened to many of Hogan's books, and categorize them as sorta light with magical realism elements and some darker themes bubbling under the surface and this one was no different.
Tille/Tilda comes back to clean out her mother's flat after her death, and is going through her memories as a little girl, while reading her mom's diaries trying to piece together the moments of her childhood and how they didn't always match what her mom was going through. They eventually live in Queenie's hotel and it is a delight. Tillie is adorable and adventurous and seems to have a gift to see the dead. Her pup Eli is my most favorite character of all time I think. Interesting to see how her relationship with religion is a major theme throughout and loved all the then/now realizations about her mom and dad. -
QUEENIE MALONE'S PARADISE HOTEL
BY: RUTH HOGAN
Her eyes they shone like
the diamonds,
You'd think she was the queen
of the land,
And her hair hung over
her shoulders
Tied up with a black
velvet band.
Mothers and daughter's sometimes have tumultuous relationships. Daughter's love their father's and father's love their daughter's right back. Sometimes when a very young girl is at her most impressionable and she believes her mother had something to do with the father leaving the home and not coming back, a rift can form between mother and daughter. This is the case with Tilly/Tilda.
But as is often in life things are not always as they appear.
My mother killed my father when I was seven years old. Now thirty-nine years later, she is dead
too, and I am an orphan.
When I initially requested this title and I am so glad that I did because I love Ruth Hogan's lyrical writing style. It wasn't until the book was on my Net Galley shelf that I had realized that I had never before read any of Ruth Hogan's novels. She has definitely made a fan out of me. Now I look forward to being able to read her two former books already published. I had mistakenly mixed up the name Ruth Hogan with Nancy Horan's novel called, "Loving Frank." I loved that book of historical fiction about the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The two Author's names are similar but distinct enough for me to make such an embarassing blunder. It turned out for the best for me because I never would have discovered how lovely and charming Ruth Hogan's prose and storytelling are. This book meant so much to me for personal reasons.
This wonderful narrative is told in two alternating voices and timelines as far as ages go. We begin with Tilda going to her mother's seaside flat to sort through her mother's things after her mother has died. Tilda's memory of her mother is that for some inexplicable reason her mother sent her away to boarding school while she was just beginning to love her life again after losing her father when she experienced her most profound grief.
Tilly's story mostly takes place when she is a young child around six years old. Tilly loves her daddy. Tilly loves going for iced cream cones. Tilly loves her Aunt Wendy and her cousin, Karen. Tilly loves going to church with Mrs. O'Flaherty whether it be watching her say her prayers with her rosary beads or participating in Christmas Eve Mass celebrating the birth of Baby Jesus. Everything in this neighborhood is bucolic and a scene out of the 1950's or 1960's. A simpler, gentler time than today. Ruth Hogan paints us a vivid scenery bursting with vibrant color schemes. Tilly also gets uprooted when one day a taxi cab drives her and her mother to the seaside town of Brighton where Tilly thinks she is going on holiday.
Tilly and her mother stay at Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel. There she finds in Queenie Malone the soap suds commercial happy version of what the mother she has always dreamed of having. Mother and daughter settle in and live there after Grace tells Tilly that they can stay on and live in the grand hotel because Queenie has offered Grace a job. The only difference is that instead of sitting and eating meals in the grand dining room for guest's, they are to instead have their meals with the cook and the rest of the band of lovable misfits that also work there to keep the hotel running smooth. They live in bliss for two years until Tilly is again uprooted and sent off to boarding school leaving the second home she loves.
This causes a life long estrangement between Tilly/Tilda and her mother. When she goes to her mother's home to sort out what inherited items she wishes to keep she eventually finds her mother's diaries. This book explores many themes such as family bonds, mental illness, and whether telling lies are ever right or wrong. Personally, I don't think lying can ever be justified when dealing with family issues. It really can complicate matters in a family and if Tilly was told the truth in the first place then this would be an entirely different novel. Brighton is brought alive by the fabulous Ruth Hogan. It is a beautifully, touching, sad but ultimately uplifting story. This is another all time favorite for me and I am so grateful for discovering the superbly talented Ruth Hogan.
Thank you to Net Galley, Ruth Hogan and HarperCollins Publishing for generously providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. The pleasure was all mine.
Publication Date: April 14, 2020
#QueenieMalone'sParadiseHotel #RuthHogan #HarperCollinsPublishing #NetGalley
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Wonderful story about familial love, acceptance and mental health.
This is the third book I have read by Ruth Hogan and she writes very touching stories. I will definitely be buying anything else she releases. -
I was looking for a light, uplifting read and I really enjoyed The Keeper of Lost Things, so on a whim requested this title via Netgalley.
It's an entertaining read, a dual narrative of Tilly (a child) and Tilda (her grownup self), one attempting to fill in the gaps of the other, so we spend half the novel not quite knowing what happened to Tilly, her Father, her mother, why they had to move, and who Queenie was.
Eventually the mysteries are resolved and there is also a love interest.
I found it hard to be as drawn into this novel as her previous work due to the child narrator, there was something too naive about her that made her too much of a construct and less of an authentic character.
I liked the premise of the story, and the exploration of a character that is herself afraid of showing her authentic self to people because of her differences. It made me wonder how many people really do go through life like this, having experiences outside of normal while they are young, whether it's hearing voices, seeing things others don't, or just possessing knowledgeable beyond their years, and how it stunts their growth to have that denied or suppressed, told it's wrong, or worse medicated or locked up for it.
Thought provoking and well intended, even if it didn't quite reach the same level of satisfaction for me as her earlier work. -
So, this is my third review, my cyber stalkers erased the original. Thugs who are only keyboard warriors with nothing worthwhile to do with their unimaginative brains...so sad.
Lucy Foley delights us with Tilly's story of being lost and found as a young girl, when her beloved father leaves for a temporary job and never returns. At first the details are sketchy knowing that her father is abroad and she writes him frequently though he never responds, which is puzzling. She soon attaches herself to a religious neighbor, whom she follows to church and Tilly finds great comfort (although her friends think she is a bit twee for doing so). After several months, her mother confesses that there was an accident and Tilly's father has passed. When her great grief causes her to be gossiped about and them to be ostracized (except by the neighbor mom), her mother abruptly moves them to Brighton. We later learn that her mother couldn't cope with t Tilly's "adoptive mother" in this neighbor, a mother to seven, one of which is Tilly's best friend (because she had hoped for Tilly to redirect her love of her father onto her). When Tilly's great grief causes her to be gossiped about and ostracized, her mother abruptly moves them to Brighton and begins working at Queenie's hotel.
Queenie is beloved by many in the community, and apparently a close friend of the mother. They live in residence as part of her mother's compensation for being a cleaner. Tilly jumps in when an extra hand is needed and creates very entertaining situations that she is oblivious of (some were laugh out loud funny). The other staff become a surrogate family to Tilly. Upon her mother's death, she finds diaries which she never knew existed.
The diaries become the solid foundation Tilly had always sought. She knew that there were gaps in her early years but soon she discovers that the financial situation had been so unstable, that her father took the temporary work under threat of the family leaving. Her mother misrepresented many situations and was actually quite jealous of Tilly's adoration of her father and its shift to the neighbor woman, who was so patient with Tilly.
The diaries become the solid foundation Tilly had always sought. She knew that there were gaps in her early years but soon she discovers that the financial situation had been so unstable that her father took the temporary work under threat of the family leaving. Her mother misrepresented many situations and was actually quite jealous of her love.
There are many other secrets that gradually are uncovered and those who supported these secrets also had their own to hide. All those in the hotel were misfits in societies eyes but yet, they had valuable lessons to teach Tilly, most important of these was that she deserved the love she sought. In addition, that her love for others was significant too. In essence, the story is a journey of self-acceptance of herself and breaking out beyond her fear of being unlovable and abandoned. When she accepts these truths, she is now free to live without her coping mechanisms to keep her world safe. -
This is the third book by
Ruth Hogan that I have read and I am a firm fan!
In this book the story centres on Tilda, as an adult who is packing up her mothers belongings after her death and trying to deal with her emotions. She did not have a close relationship with her mother but with the discovery of her mother's diaries will her perception of her childhood be turned upside-down.
In a parallel story we follow 7 year old Tilly (Tilda as a child) and the events of her young life when she finds out her father had died and she comes to live with Queenie in her hotel. Tilly is a lovely child who has a delightful outlook on life and the people who come and go around her.
As with other books by this author there is a hint of the paranormal as Tilly is a child who can see ghosts and interact with them. There are quite a few twists in this story but they just add to the quirkiness that I have come to associate with
Ruth Hogan and her writing.
A dramatic, funny and heartbreaking tale of love and friendship. Highly recommended. -
I recommend this book!
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When I requested the galley for this book, I was taking a chance. I do love good historical fiction, but I seldom enjoy a cozy mystery, and this story is but a whisker away from being one. I was afraid the story might be cutesy instead of quirky, cloying instead of life affirming. And how delightful it is to be wrong! I received my copy free and early, thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins. It’s for sale now.
The premise is that Tilda has returned to the town where she and her mother lived after her parents separated. She was an only child, and her mother is dead, and so it falls to Tilda to tie up the loose ends of her mother’s small estate. And at this point, my snark is already peeking its beady eyes out, saying Oh geez, another story that starts with an only child cleaning up the estate. Lots of those lately! And a mean mother? That’s got to be my number one eye-roller right now! And I tell you these things, reader, because it underscores what a job Hogan had ahead of her in order to break down my resistance; and yet, she did.
The narrative is divided into two points of view which alternate. The first is young Tilly, the little girl that doesn’t understand what is happening between her parents, and is devastated when her father moves out. The second is the adult Tilda, whose capacity for trust in other people is limited.
The first part of the book is a hard read in places, because Tilly is in so much pain, and it feels drawn out, although one could argue that time passes more slowly when we are young. Tilly’s parents are always quarreling; then her daddy moves out, and Tilly, who was a daddy’s girl, takes out all of her hurt and rage on her mother. Her mother is brittle and not very stable, and she’s at wit’s end. First they move from the house where the family had lived to the hotel in the title; then, against her wishes, Tilly is sent off to boarding school. Tilly had loved living at the hotel and didn’t understand why she was exiled.
Tilda learns what her mother was thinking when she finds and reads the journals that her mother had left for her, and again, it’s not exactly an original device on the author’s part, but it’s done so well that it doesn’t matter. Tilda also finds one of her mother’s old friends, and she learns some things that way as well. There are some genuine surprises that are also believable and fit the characters and setting. It’s artfully done.
As to the quirky bits, they are what makes the story unique and successful. For starters, Tilly (and Tilda) see ghosts, not just now and then, but in some cases regularly. Let’s take, for example, the little dog named Eli. Not everyone can see Eli; Tilly can, and some others can as well, but most cannot. And our suspicion that Eli is not a corporeal critter is affirmed by the fact that decades later, this woman still has exactly the same dog, and he is as spry as ever.
Then—and I have saved the best for last—there’s the child’s narrative. Tilly explains things to us in the language, and with the frame of reference, of a small child of six or seven years. She is a bright girl, but she’s a child, and so her explanations for things are often a bit twisted, and her conclusions are often far-fetched ones that are based on the limited amount that the girl understands. My favorite bits are the mondegreens, and there are many. (A mondegreen is the word or phrase that results from someone that hears words that aren’t in her vocabulary, and thus replaces them with words she does know; one well known example is the American Pledge of Allegiance, starting with “I led the pigeons to the flag.”) My favorite of Tilly’s mondegreens is when she attends church and sings “The Old Rubber Cross.” And the thing I love most about Tilly’s mondegreens is that Hogan doesn’t explain them or beat them to death; she drops them in and then moves on as if nothing unusual has occurred.
I started reading this book using the review copy provided me, but because I was running behind, I checked out the audio version at Seattle Bibliocommons when I was a short way in, and I alternated versions. I especially want to give a shout out to Jane Collingwood, who reads the audio version. I can think of no more challenging narration than that of a child. Collingwood had to sound like a little girl half the time, but nobody wants to hear an actor’s version of baby talk at all, and surely not for half of a novel, so she has to walk a very fine line, not sounding like an adult, but also not sounding inane. On top of that, she must also voice the adult version, sounding like the same child, except grown up. It’s a tricky assignment and she carries it off perfectly; I tip my hat to her.
The ending is optimistic, yet credible. Those in need of a feel-good story—and there are an awful lot of us that do, right now—could do a whole lot worse. Recommended to those that enjoy quirky novels and historical fiction. -
I had really high hopes for this book. I loved The Keeper of Lost Things and this title and description sounded right up my alley. Instead I was massively dissapointed and wish I hadn't even finished this book. First, the person. Who wrote the description should be fired. This book actually spends so little time at the paradise hotel (it's not even introduced until 50% in!) and the cast of characters as described are so confusing. There are so many characters that are barely introduced and then surprise! they might change names on you. Most of the time I had no idea what was going on. Tilly and her moth both clearly has issues that were barely explained and the somewhat supernatural component seemed like a big part of the story but really wasn't? People just accept that she sees ghosts?
Overall, this book was a very confusing, convoluted letdown. -
It took me absolutely ages to finish this book, as I kept picking up others that interested me more. It was hard going for me and I was very disappointed in the ending. So I can't recommend it to my Goodreads friends: let me save you the time and effort.
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I think I can confidently say that Ruth Hogan is now my favorite author. This is her third book and with each one I find some kind of affinity with her characters and I am endeared throughout the read. The writing in her books is casual and familiar, as if you are being told a tale by an old friend, and the stories contain characters with such uniqueness that they are hard to forget. The stories are deeply emotional and deeply memorable. This particular book is no different. I am better for having read it. Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy and provide my opinion.
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I adore this author's whimsical stories with all her eclectic characters. Yup, I said adore. They make me happy. The end.
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I really wanted to love this book but it had a very ‘Disney’ fairytale feel to it. There are important themes of family, secrets, childhood and a more serious mental health undertone but this is a case of too many adjectives and too many metaphors. There is really not a sentence without one or both. A quick, character-driven read.
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This is an enjoyable, sweet and poignant read, addressing the importance of family, mental health and childhood.
If you’re into plot-driven novels then perhaps this isn’t for you, as it very much focuses on characters - namely Tilly and her mother, plus the colourful characters in their lives as Tilly grows up. It’s moves along at a fairly slow but definitely enjoyable pace, flicking between the present day, with Tilly as an adult having just lost her mum, and Tilly as a child, growing up with a struggling mother and absent father. We also see some of her mother’s thoughts, told through her diary which Tilly reads, and this adds another voice and perspective to the story.
I really liked the simple way that Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel is written, but with the addition of the dual narratives it makes for an interesting read. The characters are likable and fun - and very nice, there’s not really anyone I properly disliked in this book - and the story is sweet and emotional. Definitely one to enjoy when you fancy something lovely and heartfelt.
Many thanks to John Murray Press for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review. -
— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —
𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Ruth Hogan
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Contemporary
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 7th February 2019
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: 4/5
"It was a mystery, like a clue in a Famous Five story, but Tilly had a horrible feeling that this one was not going to end up with smiles all round, a slap-up tea, and a biscuit for Timmy.
This is my first Ruth Hogan novel, and it won't be my last. She enticed me with her opening line alone:"My mother killed my father when I was seven years old. Now, thirty-nine years later, she is dead too, and I am an orphan."
Her way with words is as magical as a fairy godmother, the pages are her spells, and the reader receives what magic has been cast when reading her words.
In terms of plot, there's really not much of one. Instead the author explores the relationship between Tilly and her mother, with a strong theme of mental health alongside. The reader is taken on the journey of Tilly's childhood, Tilda's adulthood and the reasons why her upbringing went so awry. It wasn't exciting, but it was emotional. In fact, one scene in this book was described as "emotional armageddon" and I think that's a perfect description for the entire novel.
I found each character complex and moving, with a huge dollop of sparkling individuality. Although, I did find it a little difficult to find my footing when I first began reading this book, it was unclear to me if the character was relevant and how they connected to the story, because each character was so original and beautifully described that it seemed such a red flag for the author to put in so much effort into the creation of each of these fictional beings, and not have them in a bigger, main role within the story. Admittedly, I was having to dip in and out of the novel at first because of real life responsibilities, which, by the way, I wouldn't recommend - setting down this novel or indulging in obligatory duties."He nods and smiles and chats to his customers as he glides easily through the intricate patterns woven by social interactions, balancing plates and cups and saucers like a circus juggling act on ice skates. I'm more like the clown with too-big shoes, who gets squirted in the fact with water from the fake flower."
As each perception alternated, so did the prose. The author decided to write Tilda's point of view in first person, whereas have Tilly in mostly third, but sometimes first. This gave me readers whiplash. And made me uneasy. Which is why this wasn't a five star for me. Although the writing was poignant, resoundful, and utterly soulful, I couldn't seem to settle in.
However; thankfully I did find that it started to come together at the halfway mark. I realised that the first half is clearly just to engage with the reader whilst the second half guides the readers into gingerly exploring a fraught relationship between mother and daughter. So after rubbing my whiplashed neck, I began to see a storyline emerging. The storyline I saw emerging wasn't the 'big picture', though; with the allusions to Daniel, I thought the writing would take a more romantic approach, similar to
Truths and Triumps of Grace Atherton, instead it leaned more towards
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, but it also stood out on it's own merit with an impressive sheer originality. Even though the story didn't take the romance route, there's enough adorable intimacy within the writing to make me want to melt into the novel myself."He grabs me by both arms and kisses me passionately on the lips. It's not exactly Love Actually, but it's a start. Of course, if this was a film, there would have been a spontaneous round of applause from the customers in the cafe at this point, but in real life, there's a rather embarrassed and very English hush, followed by one of the old ladies remarking, 'That's all very well, but when's he going to take our order?'"
In fact, the talent Ruth Hogan has for writing makes me want to bawl my eyes out, it's so instantly compelling and has such a whimsical quality to it, as well as a depth that could challenge an onion with the amount of layers it holds.
I also have to applaud the delicate recurring theme of mental illness that held a sturdy place in the story. I found it extremely moving and I think that the author approached a difficult subject in a respectful way. Letting the mental health issues grow important whilst describing such inner anguish in a plaintive and graceful way."They have put me in the asylum. Stevie and that bloody doctor. I'm not myself, apparently. Well, I pity the poor sod that I am. I'm so tired. I'm too tired to be anyone, let alone myself."
I found this book to be an incredible emotional roller coaster, I'm not sure I knew what was going on at every height and drop, but I enjoyed the ride.
Thank you to the publisher Two Roads and Net Galley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
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This book , whilst covering some serious mental health issue topics, felt light a light read. It is the story of Tilly and her Mother, told in two threads, one as the child Tilly and one as the adult Tilda. There isn’t much of a plot, it is much more of a character driven novel ,and there are some very entertaining characters! An enjoyable book.
