This is a very hard book to review as for much of it I wasn’t really sure where the story was going or even what sort of book I was reading. It really is a genre defying novel, a mash-up of historical fiction, magical realism, family drama with a light touch of romance but whichever genre it lands in I really, really enjoyed it. There is an ethereal quality to the writing, the story unfolds gently, characters are gradually revealed, and the shape of the novel isn’t truly finished until the final page. It’s a novel about secrets, about hidden things, about the uncomfortable things we do to survive until change becomes necessary. This is an author who knows how to craft a tale that will haunt you long after you finish it, and an author that I won't hesitate to pick up again. If you’re looking for something a little different, something gilded with wonder and touched by magic but set firmly in the real world then I’d highly recommend picking this up.

Maggie steifvater has done it again. I'm a huge fan of the Raven Cycle books and I really didn't know what to expect going into this book but I thoroughly enjoyed it. Historical fiction isn't sually my go to genre but the magical realism elements sprinkled in kept me intrigued throughout the story. I loved the character of June and her relationship with the Avallon and all of its staff.

Steifvater's writing is incredible as always and make you feel like you already know the characters and world on the pages. I will say it is very different from The Raven Cycle and it might not be for everyone who love that series but I would definitely recommend giving it a go

The Listeners is an intriguing, cosy, slow burn read that will keep you wanting to read more

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

High in the Appalachian mountains is a place quite unlike any other. The Avallon Hotel and its enigmatic General Manager, June Hudson, are famed for offering unrivalled luxury, season after season, to those who come from far and wide to indulge in its beautiful hot springs and take the healing waters. Everything is perfect. Perhaps too perfect.

Wow ! Never read a book like this before , completely weird but in a brilliant way .
Once read you feel you've been on a journey , you almost feel like you need we compress .

"The Listeners" is a really interesting story. It's set in a hotel high in the mountains, where listening is a special power. The hotel itself feels like a character, with its own secrets. June, the main character, has to deal with hidden powers and dangerous people. The book mixes magic, mystery, and a bit of romance. It's easy to get lost in the story and the strange world Stiefvater creates. You'll want to know what happens next.


https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/f093e806-32b2-459b-98a7-4eab8e6c890a

I loved this. I wanted to slowly savour this magical book, but couldn’t help but read faster and faster as I got into it.

This is Stiefvater’s adult debut, but if she continues to write more books in this genre she is calling Wonder, I imagine I will want to read every one.

I have no idea if comparisons to Eva Ibbotson are considered a compliment, but from me they are certainly intended as such. From its wartime setting to the vast cast of characters, many of whom you end up caring about, this reminded me, in the best way, of Ibbotson’s A Song for Summer, a book which has stayed with me for years. In addition this book comes with Stiefvater’s precise plotting and carefully chosen words. I can see I might be thinking about this book for a long time too!

Thank-you to Headline and NetGalley for giving me an opportunity to read an eArc of this book.

As always, it’s a privilege to read anything Stiefvater writes, purely because of how stunning her writing is. It was my favourite part of this book. Her ability to evoke setting is some of the best I’ve ever encountered and it really allows you to sink into the story.

Ultimately, I don’t think this is a book for me. I’m already not a lover of historical fiction, and paired with a rather vague plot, I struggled to stay interested for much of this. This was furthered by the fact that I didn’t really care for any of the characters.

The touch of magical realism was wonderful and exactly what I hoped for from this novel; I only wish there was more focus on it.

At first, I struggled to fully immerse myself in the story—not because it wasn’t engaging, but because it was different from what I had expected. The plot unfolded at a slow pace, but by the halfway point, I was completely captivated. A compelling blend of historical elements, magical realism, and the beautifully lyrical prose that Maggie Stiefvater is known for.

The only thing that bothered me a little was the long chapters, which made it feel like I was progressing much more slowly than I actually was.

Set in the beautiful Appalachian mountains, Maggie Stiefvater's "The Listeners" takes place at the luxurious Avallon Hotel & Spa, offering a refuge from the chaos of World War II.

June Hudson, the hotel's mysterious general manager, must handle the challenging task of hosting detained Nazi diplomats while preserving the hotel's charm and elegance. As FBI Agent Tucker Minnick hunts for secrets among the diplomats, June finds herself tangled in a web of loyalty, betrayal, and unexpected romance.

June's character is central to the story, highlighting her strength and resilience as she balances her job responsibilities with personal struggles. Her journey intertwines with Tucker's, whose past in the mountains adds depth to their relationship. Although the supporting characters are interesting, they can sometimes feel overshadowed by June's presenc

Themes of loyalty, betrayal, and the moral dilemmas of war resonate with today's societal issues of conflict and division.

Stiefvater's writing is poetic and immersive, blending historical fiction with suspense and romance elements. The supernatural Appalachian magic gives the narrative a unique edge, though some readers might find it underutilized.

The Avallon Hotel's atmosphere is richly described, with its opulent settings and the mystical sweetwater that appears to affect emotions. However, the repeated emphasis on the hotel's luxury can feel overdone at times. The story maintains a sense of intrigue and tension, keeping readers engaged despite pacing issues toward the end.

For me, the book's strength lies in prompting reflection on the true cost of luxury and the moral quandaries faced during wartime.

"The Listeners" distinguishes itself with its unique fusion of historical fiction and magical realism set against the backdrop of World War II.

It is an enjoyable read for fans of historical fiction, based on true events, and for those who appreciate intricate, atmospheric storytelling.

3.5/5 stars

I have contemplated a lot after finishing this book, and I can say that I'm comfortable in putting it at 3.5 stars. While certain aspects charmed me like the central characters and their dynamic, most notably the writing as was expected from Maggie Stiefvater, I find the book to be quite dull at times and the pseud0-magic that the book offered to be quite confusing. I appreciate the amount of research that the author puts into writing this book, because I can feel it pouring out of the pages at how raw it feels at times, but as a story, it lacks a certain something. I still somewhat enjoyed my time reading it and didn't particularly feel anything strongly, nothing too negative or positive. I would still recommend people to read this book if they like Maggie Stiefvater or if they like historical fiction with a slightly magical or mystical element.

Clever and nuanced, in the style that I have come to expect from Maggie Stiefvater, The Listeners tells the story of June Hudson, a local girl from an Appalachian town, who has elevated to the position of general manager of the nearby luxury hotel, where she has an intimate connection with more than just the sweetwater the trickles throughout the hotel, tied to the emotions of the guests and staff. During the first months of Americas involvement in the Second World War, post Pearl Harbour, her hotel is evacuated by the government to be used as a luxury internment location for Axis diplomats, as well as FBI, CIA, and government agents. This book tells the story of the small moments between the June and the various inhabitants on the hotel, and how they interact and make connections with these unusual guests, and with themselves.

Firstly, congratulations on the book cover. Irresistible!
What a story, what a setting, high in the Appalachian hills. an old family Hotel is required to house many and varied people from across military boards, to help the War effort. The housekeeper/owner June is responsible for the organisation of the crowds that arrive. There is much to wonder about, complications between races, mystery abounds, and a love interest too. It's a very good book, tightly written.
Thanks to Net Galley for the chance to read and review the book.

The Listeners is a good read but didn't quite make me think it was a 'brilliant' read. The story of June, an accomplished hotel manager, who takes a number of WW2 Germans as guests as their status is being considered is interesting but for me, spoilt in places by the unnecessary concentration on the hotel's location in Virginia and its healing 'water' which is piped into every room and by all accounts is a bit smelly but considered necessary for good healing etc etc. It's like the author really wanted to press home this matter but I didn't feel it was necessary quite so often. The main characters are interesting, especially Tucker, the FBI agent put in charge of the care of the Germans. But even his character is kept very stark until he falls for June and truts her with all his issues. To be fair,her character is so well-developed, you believe she's a great person and so you don't blame him. In places, this novel had an otherworly grandeur; it is very well written and the characters are very well drawn. June, especially, is someone you would like to meet, interesting, beautiful and charismatic but also plain-spoken and hard-working. The hotel has been in the same family for decades and we are introduced to a number of the members across the book and the author gives interesting throwback stories to develop their importance and June's involvement with each of them. This has been a difficult book to review; I liked it but at times felt like the pacing was a little drawn out. That said, I'd be astonished if the film rights weren't bought and it wasn't turned into a really great movie. Now I'm wondering who should play June.

I’ve seen a lot of confusion about the plot summary of this book and I get it. I also did not know what to expect, but this book was a pleasant surprise! Like all Stiefvater books, this world was so magical and atmospheric, and all of the characters fit right in, even the ones you don’t expect to. June and Tucker are fleshed out characters with mysterious backgrounds and rich inner lives. There is a very cute, very slow burn romance, but more than that I really loved June’s bond with all of the staff members at the hotel. The plot moves slowly and the ending was a little rushed, but it kept my attention anyway and I was satisfied with the conclusion. I am being very vague about the story but it’s a Maggie Stiefvater novel, so I am not going to attempt to explain the plot. The vibes were my favourite part of the book anyway. I do know this story is really unique and daring and full of heart.

I received an arc from Netgalley and Headline in exchange for an honest review <3

This is a slowburn, considered, introspective read. It had Maggie Stiefvater's trademark lovely, clever prose and nuanced characters who make your heart ache. She captures the Virginian mountains so well, and the characters' longing for them is my own. As a debut adult novel, it's super strong. It's well researched and has that magical feel that I love in Maggie's books and magical realism as a whole. The worldbuilding is immense for such a small and enclosed setting. It didn't feel claustrophobic or shortsighted. I loved June's character arc as she came to realise that the place she loved so much, where she thought she was content and happy, was no longer where she needed to be. (As a neurodivergent person who finds it hard to check in with myself and notice how I feel about things, I relate!). It took me a while to warm up to June, but by the time of this personal revelation, I was fully with her.

I did miss the banter and repartee that I've come to love Maggie's books for, though. The characters, up until the very end, lacked 'fizz'. I know that's super ambiguous and not helpful, but I'm keeping it in because I know Maggie can do it. Her other books have that 'fizz' that makes you so invested in the characters. She can write adults; I've loved her adult characters in her other work. But something in this was missing. It took me a long time to get to grips with the characters and the direction of the plot. This book is very much character led, but even allowing for that, I struggled to see what shape the story was taking and what I was meant to get from it until the end. There are a lot of moving parts and I couldn't remember them all. I had to keep scrolling back to remember little details and who's who. Much of it came together in the end, of course. There were some very satisfying moments of delayed pay-off (which I have always loved in Maggie's other books) and little twists that pleased me even though I had figured them out before the 'reveal'. I think I could have seen some of them coming sooner if I had remembered the things the reader didn't know, if I could have kept track of all the small clues and hints written in. There is a conflict at the heart of this book: there is so much detail in it that you would need to read it quickly to hold it all in your brain and get the full benefits, but it isn't written in a way that demands you race through it. Its style and substance are more suited for a leisurely, introspective pace. I wasn't bored, but I was sated after reading only twenty pages or so. By the last hundred pages or so, however, as everything started to pick up momentum, I was more compelled to turn the pages.

There are (at least) two autism/ND-coded characters in this book and, on the whole, I really appreciated how they were written. I'm grateful, even, for how they were written. The portrayals were nuanced and compassionate and kind without infantilising (beyond one of them being a literal child) or sugarcoating. I had some reservations about how similar the two characters were in how they were coded to the audience (like they had nigh-on identical experiences/expressions of their neurodivergence, which I think was intended more to show kinship specific to these individuals but could be misinterpreted as 'all autistic people are the same') and how records of their symptoms sometimes strayed into stereotype. The latter point may be because I am overly familiar with the symptoms for autism, though, meaning I was more attuned to what was being presented to the reader. The depictions of these characters go beyond what others see, though, and look more closely at the experiences of the autistic people themselves in these situations, which sets these portrayals apart. I saw myself in them, and that's nothing to be sniffed at.

Ordinarily, I steer clear of historical fiction. If it wasn't for the Stiefvater-ness and magical realism, I probably wouldn't have picked it up. It turned out to be a lot more heavy on the historical and realism elements than I was expecting, more closely resembling WW2 fiction than not in some ways, but I was glad that I did give it a go. I may wish it had more magic in it, but that is more a case of personal preference and because I know Maggie writes it so well rather than actual criticism. I don't want to judge it on what sort of book I thought it was. For the book it is, it's a really lovely, worthwhile read. A little slow to find its footing, but Maggie's writing is so pleasing to read - full of little quips and observations and moments captured in time - that I could forgive it a little dallying now and then.

Thank you to Headline/NetGalley for kindly giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A beautiful and lyrical novel about a luxury hotel in Appalachia that is forced to host detainees during World War II and the effect this has on the hotel's staff, guests and the sweetwater that runs beneath it. Gorgeously written, with vivid characters, an atmospheric setting and a clever plot. This will be a book I read over and over again to catch every detail.

I was disappointed by this book and I think the title is misleading. The précis implied lots of intrigue, and potentially, secrets to be uncovered, but ultimately I felt like it was a story that didn’t really go anywhere. The characters were well written so the writing itself held my attention, but the whole time I kept ‘expecting the action to start’. Sadly for me, it never did. I can’t recommend it I’m afraid; I got to the end wondering what was the point. I guess it just wasn’t for me.

Maggie Stiefvater is one of those authors I would very strongly associate with my teenage reading years - both The Wolves of Mercy Falls and The Raven Cycle had me in a chokehold when I was younger, so it's incredibly exciting to be able to read her adult novel debut!

The synopsis felt so unlike any of her previous books, and I think if readers dive in expecting this to contain the same levels of fantasy as her earlier works, some may be a little disappointed. But only a little! Any magical and fantasy elements do not take the forefront of this story, but nonetheless, they were well crafted and woven into the narrative. This is very much a slow burn of a historical plot, but the poetic prose, with rich and vivid world-building alongside the overall sense of space and character development, made it incredibly engaging and super easy to fall into.

Absolutely loved this read. It felt so different to any other Stiefvater book I've read before but nostalgically familiar at the same time. I normally don't enjoy wartime historical fiction, but this was a worthwhile exception and I regret absolutely nothing.

Thank you NetGalley and Headline for a copy of this ARC

***
Posted on Goodreads and Storygraph 26/02

The premise of this book is really unusual and as I’m always a sucker for a bit of magic thrown in with reality, I was really intrigued. I loved June’s character and that of the Sweetwater, both of which flow through this book and it really added an extra dimension to the narrative. There were some elements of the story that I would have like to see developed further, such as what happened to Hannelore, and I did feel the pacing dropped through the middle section, but it was beautifully written and overall I really enjoyed it. Many thanks to the author and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy.

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Five Stars

Of course, The Listeners has fascinating subject matter, well played with; a luxury hotel in the mountains turned indulgent prison (and at some times, a stage) for the opposition's diplomats during the early Second World War. But that's all really just the backdrop to a story about how people pretend, present and project themselves onto those around them, and what those people do in response.

Plot-wise, the start has a lot of exciting paths being shown to us, then there's slow-going progress through the middle before the satisfying and rousing finale in the last 15%. The final twist could've used a bit more buildup, but overall I was hooked almost the whole way through. Stiefvater also presents a fantastic use of magical realism to make the story feel full, to materialise these feelings of utter loss and dread and listlessness and steadfastness in a world falling apart, and a cast of characters screaming into the void as it happens.

I am utterly in love with the neurodivergent representation, so seamlessly in place. It's never called that, or really given a name at all, but it resounded so true and personally with me, and clearly what Stiefvater was intending. The power and respect June has, and the 'unusual' parts of how she thinks that make it possible, fills my heart. As a protagonist, she is idealistic and insightful and unmoving, but also not infallible and scared and stubborn. What an adaptation this would make if done well.

I was dithering between 4 or 5 stars for this book while reading - it's a great concept, creatively told, but dawdles in the middle and almost falls into the listlessness of literary fiction. But, actually, I haven't felt this moved in a way I can't articulate in a long time; so 5 stars it is.

This is an interesting book set in a hotel in Appalachian Mountains at the start of WW2. I enjoyed the mystical element and the way the characters interacted with each other. I felt the story was a bit slow to get going but that is my only criticism.