throatsprockets's review against another edition
5.0
Experiencing grief while travelling alone in a foreign country. The slow death and mental degradation of a parent. Academic treatises on horror movies. Obviously this book was always going to resonate with me.
bush42's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
numb, bleak, surreal. confident enough to exist as it is and move on. loved this one. the whole concept of the Travel Self has haunted me since the day i read it.
georgina_bawden's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this up after enjoying the author's short story collection. This... Felt flabby to me, and like it could have been better and sharper as a short story. It's a short novel about grief, mostly, with a fantastical element. It's very Kafkaesque. I nearly dnf'd halfway through but in the end it was intriguing enough and the writing evocative enough for me to finish. I didn't feel like it was very evenly paced which is why I struggled. It reminded me a lot of Idra Novey's Ways To Disappear - it had that "American using Latin American nation as metaphor for inner disorder, but make it slightly knowing" vibe.
misterintensity's review against another edition
3.0
Clare's film critic husband Richard has recently died. She goes to Cuba for a horror film festival in his place. While there she sees her late husband and wonders what is he doing there. While the blurb for the book may lead some readers to believe that this book is a thriller, it really is more an examination of how one handles grief and how we feel about our love ones. As such The Third Hotel spends a lot of time in Clare's head. Some readers may find Clare hard to relate to but keep in mind she believes that she just saw her supposedly dead husband alive. However there are points where the characters act too much like characters in a book. Also, the characters could be non-confrontational to the point you want to tell the characters "do something." Those moments could take the reader out of the story. The Third Hotel would have been more effective if Clare acted in a more believable manner.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader's copy.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader's copy.
avnaerrdy's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed reading it. The end did leave me a tiny bit unsatisfied though.
jasmineting's review against another edition
3.25
An objectively well-written book, I feel like this would absolutely hit if you were in the right mood, which unfortunately I was not for most of this (but still enjoyed the writing regardless)