Reviews

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel

erinfoose's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

danap_reads's review against another edition

2.0

Before this year, I would have said I never met an Emily St. John Mandel book I didn't like. Enter, the Glass Hotel. To be fair, I'm more than half convinced that this is just a case of not being a good fit rather than it not being a good book (as evidenced by many good reviews). Unlike Mandel's other novels, I had trouble connecting with or even liking any of the characters. There was very little character development throughout the story. Mandel again explores the interconnectedness of humanity by tracing the effects of a corporate investor who defrauds his clients of millions in an elaborate Ponzi scheme. Through the story of 2-3 major characters and a cast of other minor recurring characters, the reader is led to understand how we came to the opening scene of Vincent plunging into the sea, which is ultimately the climax of the story. While, I couldn't get behind the story itself, neither the subject matter nor the characters, it does feature Mandel's trademark writing style, which never disappoints.

alittlebean's review against another edition

4.0

After reading Sea of Tranquility, I couldn't wait to dive into more of Mandells work, and this book didn't let me down. I really enjoy how Mandel gives us glimpses into different characters' lives and then ties it all together so beautifully. I did wish for a bit more depth in character development sometimes. Still, I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something different and engaging to read!

reoptic's review against another edition

emotional tense medium-paced

3.0

laurhudson_'s review against another edition

2.0

underwhelmed at best!! don't think i would have sought this out had it not received so much hype last year. ultimately, there was just too much going on in too few pages for me, which resulted in a story that felt tenuously connected and underdeveloped. that was a lot of plot for not a lot of payoff.

njkori's review against another edition

4.0

The first part of the book was slow for me, but I was glad I stuck with it.

chelseatheting's review against another edition

3.0

I had high hopes for this one since Station Eleven is one that I constantly think about. It’s was neither good nor bad, and I could take it or leave it.

jfjordan's review against another edition

2.0

Why was this book written? Is there even a plot? I couldn't find one. The story relies heavily on what a Madoff-like Ponzi scheme did to people when the fraud was revealed, but other than that....

My recommendation for this book is, "Don't waste your time."

sshb's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective 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? Yes

4.75

angela_doolin's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.5