The Lonely Hearts Hotel: the Bailey's Prize longlisted novel

initially i picked this up from my local library but after loving it so much i had to pick up my own copy so i can reread it! you have to read this book it is amazing and so underhyped!!

It started off so amazingly well - light, sweet,brilliant turn of phrase. It was genuinely different and beautiful. Two orphans with a dark and tragic background, a Night Circus meets Romeo and Juliet. But it quickly turned incredibly sexual and dark. I am not a prude in the slightest, but about 40-50% into the book it felt to me like a higher brow "Fifty Shades" (which I've not read, but perhaps you understand the parallel). I have no problem with sex, but after a while you just wanted the story to progress but couldn't for all the bedroom action. I gave up at 70% through it. It had so much potential and the use of language is beautiful, but just not worth the hype.

Fantastic story, it had me hooked on page one. I like that you never get bored of a perspective as it switches from Rose to Pierrot and back. There was a lot of vivid imagery and wonderful descriptions. I liked that it was both a love story and not!

Started great for me it ran out of steam

Beautiful writing. I had to keep having breaks so I wouldn't finish it too quickly.

The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill - well, what can I say? I liked it..........but I didn't love it. I wanted to - I can see why it was longlisted for the Bailey's Prize, - but to be honest, it's just not my thing. It was too dark, too twisty, and really, just too much I thought. It had moments of dark beauty, some lovely descriptive prose, but some of the content was upsetting. Love, in all its forms - light and dark - and the outcomes of this love, presents a somewhat disturbing picture, and I found it uncomfortable. I couldn't say that this was an enjoyable read for me, however I do recognise Heather O'Neills' talent in writing this novel, her writing is brilliant, but maybe it was just too clever for me.

Worth its being longlisted for the Bailey's, really enjoyable book. 4-5 starsEnjoyed this one. Would read more by this author. Recommended.

I'm reviewing The Lonely Hearts Hotel: the Bailey's Prize longlisted novelby Heather O'Neill. Here are my thoughts:^^ Young Rose and Pierrot first meet at an orphanage where they're cruelly treated. Despite this, they grow very close, and realise they've something special between them; a bond so intuitive they can practically live together in a world of their own. Between them, their imaginations are a world away from the cruel one they live in.^^ Seeing their closeness, the wicked nuns at the orphanage force Rose and Pierrot apart. When they meet again, older and wiser, their lives have been riddled with so much tragedy, you just know it's never going to end well. Or does it? Only you can be the judge of that.^^ This is a strange, magical story set in the roaring twenties, which I found disturbingly haunting. I will not forget in a hurry, I can tell you!^^ It's not all doom and gloom though, there are moments where this whimsical story will have you smiling. However, be warned, it also holds a darkness which will surprise and maybe shock you. Much of what you read on the surface cuts much deeper, proving that beneath the shadows of tragedy, love can still flourish.^^ It's a magical story of love and heartbreak, which holds a great deal of pain and misfortune within. It's not the happiest of reads, but it is beautifully written and very clever. At times, I did find the subject matter a bit off-putting, but this is clearly the author's intention. The more I thought about it, the more I admired the author's bravery, and of course, writing skills.^^ Although it's not a roller-coaster of a novel in an action packed sense, I found it addictive. I needed to know how it ended. I haven't read anything so grim, yet so intriguing, in ages.Overall: The Lonely Hearts hotel read very much like a Grimm fairy-tale, where subjects tackled are often gruesome and out of many people's comfort zone, yet cleverly disguised as a child's fairytale, where a happy ending is no longer obligatory.