Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - The Glass Hotel

I am so surprised with how much I enjoyed this. Primarily, Mandel's writing is phenomenal - which I had already known having read Station Eleven but I found it to be a bit more impactful in this one. Perhaps it is due to the more melancholy feel of the atmosphere, but her prose really shined. Readers are pulled back and forth over the course of 20 years, and while it can seem confusing at first, once you start to put the pieces together, the novel really comes together. There is a lot of discussions on loss, grief and opportunity and I feel like Mendel did a great job at demonstrating how each character experiences these things at different opportunities. The novel does have an underlying "mystery" and, while the "why" of it is explained at the end (which made me gasp), the characters' reactions to this event are kind of up to the readers interpretation. For me, the main theme of the novel touches on mental health and depression in particular (which is why Mendel's melancholic writing bodes well) and how it affects these really grandiose characters. The novel sets out to connect you with these complicated characters, so fair warning for plot driven readers. Even though the ponzi scheme forefront plot is interesting in and of itself, it is really the time spent with the characters that I enjoyed the most.

Content Warnings

ae_young's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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aseel_reads's review

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

emily writes in this really unique way that makes for such an interesting read. she interwinnes all these different stories/characters in such a seamless way. i really liked the plot, i have never read anything about a ponzi scheme.

my only real issue was the incorrect use of mental illness - you don't OCD if you want to film in 5 minute increments...

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alexhaydon's review

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dark medium-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

3.0

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sarahndipity's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

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pollyflorence's review

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challenging dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I finished The Glass Hotel this morning—and while the subject matter (Ponzi schemes, the financial crisis of 2008, container shipping...) might not be the kind of thing I usually look for in a novel— Emily St. John Mandel creates such a vivid world and has a way of storytelling and weaving together various threads of a story that it made me feel invested in this story and the things the various characters experience. In many ways it’s a story of loss and grief and betrayal and looks at how we respond to these things.

I just adore how Mandel crafts her novels and reveals the story bit by bit in a way which makes the ending so satisfying and makes you want to start the book from the beginning again. I felt the exact same way about her previous novel— Station Eleven.

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rosebud_reading's review

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dark reflective sad slow-paced

Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really liked how the character lives slightly intermingled and how it left with this feeling that even slight encounters can leave big impacts.

Also I went in blind. Didn't even realize it was a contemporary with a slight speculative element. Now looking at the synopsis it seems to say way to much? Glad i went in blind. Even tho this isnt the type of story I would normally go for.

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