Reviews

The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel

tyserena's review against another edition

mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

kpitsker's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

fkshg8465's review

5.0

I devoured this in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. Book zigs and zags, and for a good chunk of the book, I wasn't sure where we were going or why. That was part of the fun. But the meandering all gets tied together and I found it clever enough. Vincent is a chameleon. She's the kind of person you think you know until you realize you have no idea who she is, and then you wonder if she even knows who she is. On my reread shelf too.

janmcmiller's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

4.75

lifewithmisskate's review against another edition

challenging emotional mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

roujxe's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

melissadelongcox's review against another edition

3.0

So, Station Eleven was a MAJOR hit and I was meh about it. I kind of felt blah heading in to this story just assuming it would be the same, but I actually liked this one *a lot* more! I love the way these characters were woven together, and

Spoiler

I love that we do eventually find out if Paul was seeing his sister as a ghost.

Overall, solid 3.5!

gspelvin's review against another edition

4.0

This is the first book I've read by [a:Emily St. John Mandel|2786093|Emily St. John Mandel|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1576606299p2/2786093.jpg], and it's definitely made me excited to read more. I loved the way she shifted perspective between a handful of unique, endearing characters. The careful construction of the narrative beats complemented the author's elegant writing style, all while she adeptly addressed themes including memory and autonomy.

There are more than a handful of beautiful quotes, but the one that sticks out to me the most comes from a fairly minor character who draws the perspective in what might be my favorite chapter. A retiree who was a victim of the scam recollects his decision not to have children, saying that he didn't want to be encumbered. He continues to think "but an encumbrance might also be thought of as an anchor, and what he'd found himself thinking lately was that he wouldn't mind being more anchored to this earth.”

This is one of my favorites of the year so far, and I will be reading more Mandel soon!

vynexareads's review against another edition

slow-paced

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

3.0

How had she become so dependent on another person? Of course the answer was depressingly obvious: she had slipped into dependency because dependency was easier.

Truly hate to say this, friends, but this book is pretty boring. Not in the way I enjoy, but honestly boring.

There were moments I enjoyed, like the way that side characters or even main characters intertwine into every POV we follow regardless of the year we are in. Also, Vincent was my favorite storyline to follow. But even then, I couldn't have cared less about this book.

I finished it and pulled through, but at what cost???

Station Eleven is also boring, but in an engaging way. I wish this one would've been like that or better. I'm still going to read Sea of Tranquility (because I own it) and am still keeping my expectations semi-high.

kevindillon's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny fast-paced

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

4.5

Loved it. Felt the pace of the story, the jumping back and forth between timelines was easy. I also loved the connections with her other novels.