From the wildly popular bestselling author of The Keeper of Lost Things comes a surprising and uplifting story about the complicated relationships between mothers and daughters, and the magic of chosen family.Tilly was a bright, outgoing little girl who loved fizzy drinks, naughty words, and liked playing with ghosts and matches. When her beloved father suddenly disappeared, she and her fragile, … beloved father suddenly disappeared, she and her fragile, difficult mother moved into Queenie Malone’s magnificent Paradise Hotel in Brighton, with its endearing and loving family of misfits—including the exuberant and compassionate Queenie herself. But then Tilly was dealt another shattering blow when her mother sent her off to boarding school with little explanation and no warning, and she lost her beloved chosen family.
Now an adult, Tilda has grown into an independent woman still damaged by her mother’s unaccountable cruelty. Wary of people, her only true friend is her dog, Eli. When her estranged mother dies, Tilda returns to Brighton and the home she loved best. With the help of the still-dazzling Queenie, she sets about unraveling the mystery of her exile from The Paradise Hotel, only to discover that her mother was not the woman she thought she knew at all…and that it’s never too late to write your own happy ending.
With Ruth Hogan’s trademark quirky, clever, and life-affirming characters, Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel will dazzle readers and mesmerize them until they reach the surprising twist at the end.
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really worth reading…
I loved this quirky book. Wonderful characters and funnt twists. Recommend
This is the third book I’ve read by this author and will continue reading whatever she writes. Her characters are wonderfully creative and also wonderfully flawed.
I loved this book. It really drew me in!
Four heartrending stars. Hogan is a new-to-me author who I felt executed the book well. The characters were rich of personality and description. This book deals with tragedy head-on and journey’s through the shift Queenie and her family takes after the surprise vanish of her dad.
It also deals with intense mental health issues, but paired with Hogan’s writing, adds a magical feel. Kinda odd, but it works. This book also has elements of romance which I loved.
My only critic is that the story (at times) had too much of a Disney feel. Too whimsical in certain areas. Other than that, a good read.
*I’d like to thank NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I loved this book, although it took me a little while of reading it to feel that way, so if you start this don’t give up – you will be rewarded with a feel-good novel that’s full of surprises and warmhearted characters, including Queenie Malone. It’s a story about young Tilly alternating with the first person account of grown-up Tilda. The author cleverly reveals Tilly’s mother’s secrets as Tilda reads from the diaries her mother has bequeathed her. What makes this book so sweet is young Tilly’s naivete about life, religion, and relationships, much of which is revealed to her (and the reader) after she grows up. Adult Tilda is a lot like Eleanor Oliphant, while young Tilly reminded me of the girls in The Trouble With Goats and Sheep. The tagline for this book says it all: “Every story can have a happy ending.”
Now I can’t wait to read Hogan’s other novels. Thanks to LibraryThing and publisher William Morrow for an advance reader’s copy of Queenie Malone. All comments and opinions are my own.
This wonderful story is told in alternating voices, Tilly as a child, and Tilda, adult Tilly. Tilly’s childhood is shattered when her father leaves her and her mother. Tilly’s mother, suffering from mental illness and a problem with alcohol, eventually tells Tilly that her father died in an accident. Moving to Brighton and living in Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel becomes a paradise for Tilly and her mother. They both find acceptance, friendship and support from the staff at the hotel.
Years later, after her mother’s death, Tilda returns to her Brighton apartment and tries to make sense of the difficult relationship they had. She finds the diaries her mother kept for years, and learns that things were not what they had seemed to a young and vulnerable Tilly. As she stays on in Brighton, Tilda makes some new friends in the area, including a love interest, and eventually solves some painful riddles from her childhood.
Beautifully written, heartbreaking and funny, this is a book that will grab you the instant you begin reading it and it will stay with you long after.
Many thanks to Netgalley, the author Ruth Hogan, and the publisher John Murray Press for the privilege of reading an ARC of this exceptional book. This is my honest opinion.
You are in for such a treat.
really worth reading…
I loved this quirky book. Wonderful characters and funnt twists. Recommend
This is the third book I’ve read by this author and will continue reading whatever she writes. Her characters are wonderfully creative and also wonderfully flawed.
I loved this book. It really drew me in!
Four heartrending stars. Hogan is a new-to-me author who I felt executed the book well. The characters were rich of personality and description. This book deals with tragedy head-on and journey’s through the shift Queenie and her family takes after the surprise vanish of her dad.
It also deals with intense mental health issues, but paired with Hogan’s writing, adds a magical feel. Kinda odd, but it works. This book also has elements of romance which I loved.
My only critic is that the story (at times) had too much of a Disney feel. Too whimsical in certain areas. Other than that, a good read.
*I’d like to thank NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
I loved this book, although it took me a little while of reading it to feel that way, so if you start this don’t give up – you will be rewarded with a feel-good novel that’s full of surprises and warmhearted characters, including Queenie Malone. It’s a story about young Tilly alternating with the first person account of grown-up Tilda. The author cleverly reveals Tilly’s mother’s secrets as Tilda reads from the diaries her mother has bequeathed her. What makes this book so sweet is young Tilly’s naivete about life, religion, and relationships, much of which is revealed to her (and the reader) after she grows up. Adult Tilda is a lot like Eleanor Oliphant, while young Tilly reminded me of the girls in The Trouble With Goats and Sheep. The tagline for this book says it all: “Every story can have a happy ending.”
Now I can’t wait to read Hogan’s other novels. Thanks to LibraryThing and publisher William Morrow for an advance reader’s copy of Queenie Malone. All comments and opinions are my own.
This wonderful story is told in alternating voices, Tilly as a child, and Tilda, adult Tilly. Tilly’s childhood is shattered when her father leaves her and her mother. Tilly’s mother, suffering from mental illness and a problem with alcohol, eventually tells Tilly that her father died in an accident. Moving to Brighton and living in Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel becomes a paradise for Tilly and her mother. They both find acceptance, friendship and support from the staff at the hotel.
Years later, after her mother’s death, Tilda returns to her Brighton apartment and tries to make sense of the difficult relationship they had. She finds the diaries her mother kept for years, and learns that things were not what they had seemed to a young and vulnerable Tilly. As she stays on in Brighton, Tilda makes some new friends in the area, including a love interest, and eventually solves some painful riddles from her childhood.
Beautifully written, heartbreaking and funny, this is a book that will grab you the instant you begin reading it and it will stay with you long after.
Many thanks to Netgalley, the author Ruth Hogan, and the publisher John Murray Press for the privilege of reading an ARC of this exceptional book. This is my honest opinion.