Having not read any of St John Mandel's work previously, I was intrigued to read something from a new-to-me author, and The Glass Hotel had an intriguing synopsis and an enticing cover. The story is split between the 1990s and 2010s, and is about a Ponzi scheme and its impact on all of those involved. Initially, I thought I didn't know what a Ponzi scheme was, as it turns out, I did but just didn't know it by this name: it's an investment scam. The book weaves together several threads, with heavy focus on the schemer Jonathan's new partner, Vincent: female and many years his junior, as she is pulled into his life, or perhaps joins willingly.

At the start of the story, we meet Vincent's half-brother, Paul, who for me was not a particularly likeable character so I struggled to connect with the book to begin with. One real success of this book is how real the characters seem: I really felt like I knew them - even if I don't like them - and pretty swiftly too. My logical mindset leads me to struggle with the introduction of many characters, some of whom are fleeting, which does happen in this book, but I enjoyed the route it took all the same.

The Glass Hotel slowly but steadily pulls you in without you being aware of just how invested you've become, something I began to realise as I approached the end of the book whilst still wanting to know so much more about the enigmatic Jonathan, and his life both before and after the Ponzi scheme. Much of this is thanks to St John Mandel's writing, which makes me want to investigate her other works, most notably Station Eleven of which I've heard great things.

Well written and very descriptive but this was not really my kind of book. Nothing wrong with it but not my kind of thing.

The Glass Hotel

Emily St John Mandel

I wanted to read this book as I read “Station Eleven” when it came out and absolutely loved it. In fact, it is one of the books I reread
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Like “Station Eleven” “The Glass Hotel” is well-written, in a recognisably similar style, but I didn’t warm to any of the characters, unlike in “Station Eleven”. None of the characters seemed to be grounded in reality, and they seemed to pass through each other’s lives without connecting. I wanted to like Vincent, who I would describe as the main character, but in may ways she seems ephemeral.

It isn’t a bad book, and some of the writing is beautiful, but I don’t think it will become a reread.

I must start this review with a caveat: Station Eleven, also by Emily St. John Mandel, was one of my surprise reads of last year. I picked it up as I’d vaguely heard good things about it and it had a huge impact on me that I was not expecting. The writing, the story, the message – EVERYTHING – I just loved it. SO, when I saw that Emily St. John Mandel had a new book out this year, I was both eager and apprehensive to read it. Could it be as great as Station Eleven? Well… yes and no. For the reasons I just explained. Which is what I mean by caveat: my feeling towards The Glass Hotel are biased due to my love of Station Eleven.

So, the bar was perhaps unattainably high when I started reading, although certain elements I fell for straight away: the author’s lyrical tone of voice is here, as are her unique and beautifully executed characters. ALSO, I can’t tell you how happy it made me when there were DIRECT REFERENCES to Station Eleven. I love authors that cross reference their own work, especially in this circumstance.

This novel tells the story of a range of characters; Vincent and her half brother Paul work in the glass hotel (Hotel Caiette) of the title and it is there that the events that happen to them – and the people they meet – pivot their lives. There are multiple threads woven together in a sort of dreamy way, jumping timelines that don’t annoy but feel nicely retrospective; everything, very impressively, comes together in the end.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot of plot time dedicated to a financial Ponzi scheme scam that didn’t rivet me and I felt one of the most interesting characters, Paul, had a story we were only told about in passing. Personally, I’d liked to have discovered more about him and less about the money scam plot.

The ending though, was poetic, so I did finish reading it on a high – if slightly sad – note. The Glass Hotel is very evocative and drew me in with its beautiful writing. I guess I knew it was never going to be a Station Eleven for me, but that’s not to say it’s not a great read.

I’m so intrigued to know your thoughts on this one, especially if you’re also a fan of Station Eleven. Let me know below!

I had read Station Eleven by the same author and enjoyed the meandering flow of that story. However I didn’t quite get the same feel with this book. The book was written well and easy to read, although at times the mixed timeline and various characters didn’t help the story. The story was somewhat vague and was the real issue , in truth I felt there was no overlying story. It is more a collection of stories of different people who have been affected by their or someone else’s greed.

It’s hard to summarise the plot/story as it is a little de-combobulated. There is a hotel, in Canada, owned by a rich American (Jonathan Alkaitis), who sweeps the barmaid off her feet to be his pretend wife. He later gets found our for running a Ponzi scheme. The timeline jumps from 1999 through to 2029 and various dates between. There are a number of other characters stories, connected to the Jonathan’s and how his fraud effected them. Throw in some ghosts for a proper confusing book.

A different type of book from my usual read and not really my bag, maybe too clever for me, it left me feeling as though I had missed something. I received this copy free in exchange for this honest review. I rate this as 2.5/5. (Rounded down to a 2)

A story of greed and Charm and mystery. It’s well written. It’s my favourite type of book: lots of characters and plots. I absolutely loved this. Devoured in one sitting on Boxing Day!
5/5 on goodreads and Amazon

This is the first book I have read by this author, so I was looking forward to finding a new favourite. However, I got very confused with the timelines, they seemed to just jump randomly, I just couldn’t fathom what was going on, then it was the same with the characters, both victims and perpetrators. I always make notes as I am reading especially characters names, titles etc. But with this one I couldn’t keep track of my own notes. The story covers the years from the 1990’s to 2029.

The writing itself is great, with some good characters, and settings, the impending doom you feel, or know is coming. After all if you have a financial scam especially a Ponzi scheme eventually all will come crashing down around you. It’s the repercussions of this that hits the characters, this is one of those books you just need to keep reading just to find out what happens with each character.

Despite the story having some different subplots going on within it, the main theme is about a Ponzi scheme. Two of the main characters are Vincent (female) and Paul, I love the writer’s ability to make the characters feel so real even if they are only small parts within the story. But I couldn’t get lost in the actual story, I tried but for me personally no, however as reading is subjective others may feel different.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #Picador for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Another compelling literary novel by this very talented author.A book that goes back& forward in time compelling characters whose stories multi layered emotional unfold as the story is tod to us. Highly recommend this book and this author.#panmacmillan.#netgalley

"The smallness of the world never ceases to amaze me."

I don't know what I was thinking, but somehow I thought this was a sci-fi novel when I requested it on Netgally. I know, absurd! I guess it could be that I thought Station Eleven was sci-fi, so this must be sci-fi, too.

This book is written in a uniquely confusing way. The timeline seems jumbled at first, and there are a lot of characters to keep up with. They might seem random at first, even. But in the end, you'd get why all of them are connected.

In a way, this reminds me of Improvement. I feel like I need to clarify, I don't read a lot of literary fiction. On the rare occasions when I do, it's usually for work. So I might not be the best judge for this genre. But I did enjoy this one. I also loved the ending. It has the same phylosophy behinfd it as the ending of the TV series The Haunthing of the Hill House. It's fascinating, really.

That being said, I still prefer fast-paced novels than slow burn literary fiction. So whilst this was a nice read, I'm not keen on checking out more literary fiction right now.

I was very pleased to receive the ARC of this book as I had read and loved Station Eleven by Emily St.John Mandel. However I did not find this current novel to be in the same league. I struggled with it from the very beginning. The plot was loose,, timelines were all over the place and I didn't get a real feel for any of the characters. The first two I can forgive or at least overlook but I'm afraid that if the characters are thin then a book just won't grab me. I found I didn't like any of them nor did I care about them. This one just wasn't for me. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

The Glass Hotel by Emily St John Mandel is a well written and complex story about family, isolation, greed, and loss. While very different to her novel Station Eleven (which I loved) this novel was well written with quirky characters, not all of whom were likeable.
Set in Canada and the USA around the time of the financial crash in 2008, it gives an insight into the impact of the global financial crisis on a number of people, both directly and indirectly. The extent of the corruption and greed at the time was explored through a number of the story lines, along with the way people were conned and their futures stolen.
Thank you to the author, the publishers and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. #TheGlasHotel

If you’ve loved Station Eleven, read this! If you haven’t read Station Eleven, read both of these books. There is something very special about Emily St J. Mandel’s writing: it’s eerie, almost magical, even when her books tackle less than dreamy topics. Station Eleven threw us in a world devastated by a swine flu pandemic, The Glass Hotel talks financial crisis and container ships - these are real features of our modern world but in the author’s hands they feel as bizarre as the apocalypse ✨
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It’s very hard to provide even a quick synopsis without giving away any spoilers so I will keep this review simple. The greatest strength of the novel is its characters (a couple of them - relatively minor ones - are actually also in Station Eleven). There is Vincent, the bartender and trophy wife, her stepbrother Paul, drug addict and musician, Leon Privant (my favorite character of all) a shipping executive in love with his job, Jonathan Alkaitis, a wealthy financier running his own wealth fund and owner of the remote island hotel Hotel Caiette. Emily St John Mandel has again managed to create nuanced, credible and interesting characters, providing the readers with just the right amount of background for them to feel relatable but not manufactured ✨
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I’m a big fan of this book. It’s so surprising. After finishing it, I swear you’ll consider finding yourself a job in the shipping industry for a minute! I used to work in finance (I did not last very long) and although I have never been involved - thank God - in a Ponzi scheme, some of the behaviours and beliefs described reminded me of my short time in banking. But most of all, I love The Glass Hotel’s deconstructed plot and odd vibes, and its various personal stories intertwined with elegance and poetry ✨
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A big thanks to @netgalley and @picadorbooks for the early copy in exchange for an honest review. This book will be available in the UK in April 2020 ✨

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.

I found this book an ok read, not a great one though. It didn’t hold my interest fully, I found my mind wandering when reading it. I felt there were too many characters in the story and the timeline going back and forwards irritated me. Sadly just not for me. 3 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Picador for the e-arc

I adored this author's previous novel, Station Eleven so much I thought I'd adore anything she wrote. I was wrong.

This had a similar way of telling the story, jumping between a set of (fairly loosely) linked characters over a lifetime (the timeline jumping back and forth). While the author wielded this technique as to bring out the most tension as possible, I found myself struggling to care, compared to her previous novel, where I'd been completely arrested by all of her characters.


Character

There are moments of interest here, moments I thought (especially in Vincents POV) maybe I could care by the end of the novel but it would pass as I kept reading. The series of events so loosely connected that the characters themselves felt like they had a weak bond. I would go so far as to say that no main character in the novel has a close relationship with anyone. Maybe that was the point, but as a character-centred story, it made this novel hard to cling onto.

There are a lot of minor characters that get a lot of attention, and I couldn't find myself caring for their sections at all. (Except for Simone and her conversation with Clare, and how that came back around, that was great).


Plot

It's not clear what the plot is until halfway through the book. At first, it's the "mystery" of the meaning behind the words "You should eat broken glass" written on a window. By the time I understood, I was underwhelmed, but maybe that's because I wasn't gasping at the word-choice when it first appeared, unlike the characters around it who appeared wholly shocked by the mere wording of the graffiti.

Without saying too much, the plot of this became about money and talking a lot about finance and riches, which didn't interest me and left me skipping large swaths of the novel.


Overall

I think there is an audience for this novel out there, but without the speculative element, there was nothing to interest my tastes with this writing style. The novel is well researched and meticulous in showing you that, but if you're not interested in the subject then it will fail to grip.

I absolutely loved this book, from the tone of writing to the complex weaving of characters and their experiences - it was like unravelling the slightest spiderweb to reveal a tight collection of touches that spoke volumes about how people live and carry on through their lives.

The story has a surreal quality and moves from narrator to narrator, unveiling different aspects of a complicated story that loosely holds around the character of Vincent, who at the start is a young girl suffering the sudden loss of a mother. Her story touches most of the other characters, and several series of events unwind as she moves through life. The Glass Hotel of the title touches on many of the stories too, and is a monument to human failure even as it hosts the richest and the most forsaken of society.

Characters are written in a very spare but connecting way, meaning that you end up caring about those who barely get a mention but who pass through the narrative of the book as mush as you wonder about the main players.

By focusing on the shifting fortunes of the characters and finding points of contact across the years, Emily St John Mandel weaves a very powerful set of stories that are guaranteed to haunt you for some time.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publishers and the author for the pleasure of reading this copy in advance.

Emily St. John Mandel writes an exquisite other worldly novel, slightly surreal as if peering through a misted looking glass, of alternative realities, paths not taken, ghosts, of a diverse and disparate cast of characters, their lives and connections revealed as the narrative goes back and forth in time. It is a story of greed, immense wealth, a financial empire built on the shifting sands of an international Ponzi scheme, reflecting the real life example of Bernie Madoff, and the financial collapse in 2008. Mandel tracks her victims and perpetrators with their interwoven lives, the characterisation sharp yet subtle, nuanced, with the capacity to see the humanity of both in a profoundly moving way. She intricately pieces together different lives, structured to intrigue, with answers that comes together holistically at the end.

Vincent is a bartender at the 5 star Hotel Caiette, located in the far north of Vancouver Island, where a message has been written on the glass wall of the lobby, 'Why don't you swallow broken glass'. This has Leon Prevant, a shipping executive, make his way to the bar for a drink, but the message is missed by the intended target, the owner of the hotel and investment manager, Jonathan Alkaitis. The meeting that night of Vincent and Jonathan, leads to her becoming a 'trophy wife', whose life becomes opened to a world of untold wealth and riches. However, with the swift collapse of the financial empire, lives are ruined and devastated, individuals and retirement pensions wiped out. Her brother Paul, a drug addict with a love of music, studies finance, becoming a drop out. The story begins and ends with Vincent's disappearance from the Neptune Cumberland, between which are skilfully weaving in glimpses of the lives lived, greed, ghosts, corruption, regrets, reflections on paths not taken, grief, loss, memory, conscience and an overwhelming sense of guilt.

Mandel is a powerful, beautiful and offbeat writer, so atmospheric, evocative, dreamy, lingering in her wide range of often surprising locations, her scope in location and character is extraordinary. This novel felt artistic, ambitious, and highly imaginative, although possibly it may not appeal to some readers as it demands patience before its direction and purpose become clear. This is a stunning and spellbinding read, unforgettable, gripping as it penetrates the themes of financial crisis, its repercussions and the process of survival. Cannot recommend this highly enough. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

A brilliant follow up to Station Eleven! Beautiful, haunting prose and a compelling narrative. 4 Stars.

A medley of stories, the majority of which has links to the Glass Hotel. To describe the book it’s best to visualise a cross section of sedimentary rock where the reader (viewer) gets to experience time looking forward, backward or just where the gaze settles. At its heart is gullibility, greed and gratuitous gelt, all the normal associations of a Ponzi scheme. However, we get to know the bottom feeders, the pilot fish and the sharks and how wealth and its collapse affect them all.
It was a weirdly hypnotic read and I’m glad I didn’t falter at the start as that was a little boring albeit with a tragic death which troubled me because of its casualness.

What a wonderful book. I enjoyed it immensely, everything about it - the characters, the settings, the relentlessly building sense of doom, the imaginings of paths not taken and how things might have been. A financial scam collapses with repercussions for many of the characters, their stories interwoven seamlessly over several decades with the effect that we know some of the outcome at the beginning but have to wait till the end for a complete picture. I couldn’t put it down until I found out what happened to everyone, how and why. I really can’t fault it, brilliantly written and structured. I’ve read and admired all Emily St. John Mandel’s books and this is by far my favourite. I’m already planning a trip to Vancouver and the islands off its coast.

SO compelling - you’re utterly immersed in the world and thoughts of each character, and return to each in turn with the warmth of familiarity each time. Really human characters, nothing generic here.
And I’d never thought of the direct experience of being on the ‘working’ side of a Ponzi scheme.