Reviews

The Glass Hotel, by Emily St. John Mandel

tainoprince's review against another edition

4.0

This feels like one of those sci-fi classics that you grow into after years of dormancy because it’s ahead of its time.

anikaas's review against another edition

3.0

2.6 stars

Oh man, what a disappointment. I LOVED Station Eleven. What a best of all time kind of book. This was not that. At all. It meandered between people, a drug addict, a guy running a Ponzi scheme. It was disjointed and hard to follow or, frankly, care.

nessia89's review against another edition

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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

chick's review against another edition

medium-paced

2.0

“The Glass Hotel” by Emily St. John Mandel should’ve been my second DNFed book for 2023. But. It wasn’t because the easy writing crept up on me. This book did not make sense. The characters had no meaning. It was frustrating and served no purpose. 
Do not waste your time. D-

emilaaarw's review against another edition

mysterious reflective slow-paced

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

2.0

bieni2503's review against another edition

mysterious reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

zosiablue's review against another edition

4.0

(4.5) Well, I loved this. I don’t want to say too much but there was a part where a boss brings pizza to an employee he doesn’t know well & chooses ham and pineapple instead of more popular toppings and that small description of self-absorption is everything. This is not Station Eleven even remotely (which I liked) (but this I loved).

conklings's review against another edition

3.0

Weird book, I liked the first 2/3 of the book much better than the last 1/3.

outofthegates's review against another edition

3.0

"Begin at the end:" This is how Emily St. John Mandel starts the final chapter of The Glass Hotel, and it's a good way to describe how she approaches the overall story. She gives away the end of most of the narrative threads at the same time she introduces them, making the successive chapters feel like a joyless filling in of the blanks. Nothing is particularly surprising, and the stakes feel very low.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the rest of her books, but this one falls flat.

lauralikesbooks's review

mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0