Peter MountfordCritiques

This was so interesting as it was written in 2 hour increments by so many authors who wrote in a public setting one after the other. I wanted to write a chapter, too. More of a read for how a book could be a collective writing and for the experience.

So wanted to like this!

36 authors, 1 story

Honestly not sure how to feel about this book. It wasn't what I expected, so I think that my own expectations (and to be honest, my experience with the ebook publisher) filtered my experience with this story too much to be an honest reviewer. However, if you enjoy books with a quirky atmosphere and don't mind consciously knowing when a story changes authorial hands, then you might very well enjoy it!

My initial interest in this book came about through my love of Karen Finneyfrock's poetry, but it grew once I learned that this book was created as a part of The Novel: Live. The project was an attempt to have 36 writers take part in a week-long writing marathon live on stage, in which the story would be passed from writer to writer and result in a complete novel. Hotel Angeline is the result of those efforts.

Due to the nature of its creation, there are some holes in the plot here and there and some slight disjointedness, and you definitely get a taste of each writer's style (one author presented their chapter in comic book format), which was most recognizable in the dialog. But I was surprised by just how coherent the story is. Each chapter is by a different author and most are written from Alexis' point of view, but her character remained consistent. She's a girl caught up in the madness of her situation, who becomes very lost very quickly.

There are a slew of interesting characters, including a woman who lives as a pirate, Habib the rave, LJ the not-all-there hippy, and many more. If you ignore the unique process of creation, you still have a good story thats twists into surprising and unexpected directions with an unlimately satisfying conclusion. A good read.

I didn't expect to like Hotel Angeline. After the first couple of chapters I was tempted to put it down. OK, it was funny and a brave effort at performance art by 36 authors writing in 2-hour stretches in front of an audience, but that doesn't make it a great or even a good novel, right? I was very frustrated by the inability of Alexis to learn from the people around her what her reality was. Are all 14-year olds this dense?! Somewhere around the middle of the book, I began to care about her, to hope that she would somehow get herself out of this unholy mess. Finally, I began to see her yearning for normalcy, the desire to be a child again - protected, cared for, loved. We all wish for this sometimes and I am glad that Alexis had the good fortune to find a way. Definitely worth it in the end.½

Alexis Austin is taking care of the tenants of the Hotel Angeline in her mother's absence, an absence that Alexis doesn't want anybody to figure out just quite yet. The tenants of the Hotel are a great big mixed eclectic bag of eccentrics who rely maybe a little too heavily on Alexis (and before her, her mother) but who make up the only family that Alexis has ever known. Alexis is too young to have all this responsibility (she's only a teenager, after all), but to her, the alternative is grim to say the least. There's a reason that Alexis doesn't want people to find out where her mother is. However, when Alexis finds out that her uncle may be trying to purchase the Angeline out from under her and the tenants and that he needs to speak to her mother, Alexis finds her life quickly unraveling at the seams and it takes a series of slightly implausible events and the love of her "adopted" family at the Hotel for her to be able to make her life livable again.

OK, so this book took me forever to read. Through most of the book, I had a hard time finding it kept my attention for more than a chapter at a time, and that was being generous. I think part of that had to do with the same fact that held me to reading it; the book is written by a total of 36 authors from the Seattle area. The book was written during an event called The Novel, Live!, where 36 authors, over the span of 6 days, wrote a novel, each taking a chapter at a time. The whole idea was broadcast over the internet and was a fundraiser to help fight illiteracy. The idea was very cool, and the novel, while feeling rather disjointed throughout, is still an impressive feat. The authors had a basic plot to follow, and each was allowed to read what the previous author had written, and then they knew where their chapter was supposed to take them, but other than that, each author had free reign to more or less write whatever they wanted. I think this is what made the novel so long for me to read. There was the definite plot running through the whole thing, but sometimes the chapters didn't quite seem to line up with each other, as each author's distinct writing flavor took over at each new chapter. I will admit, however, that by the end of the story, I was surprised to find myself attached to Alexis and the tenants of the Hotel Angeline and was concerned and happy for their outcomes.

I'm impressed with the whole thing, and if they ever do another one of these I'll definitely read it, but I'm hoping that the next would maybe have a little more tighter editing, maybe? I don't know, just something to make it all seem a little more cohesive as a whole.

Recommended if you enjoy something along the line of experimental writing.½

What a great concept! 36 chapters by 36 authors in 6 days. I loved it! There were some chapters/authors that weren't as great as others, but overall it was a fun read.

I will admit that if I read the book without knowing the gimmick, I would have thought it a bit disjointed, but knowing what I was getting into just made it fun.

Well-wrtten; literary without being ponderous. A young financial analyst goes to Bolivia in the days leading up to Evo Morales' election, and begins enjoying the fabulous riches of financial analyzing. Had I not already hated capitalism, and did I not start the book as an anarchist, I would certainly have ended it as such. Its treatment of Evo's election is much fairer and more interesting than most North American news sources. High-quality mix of fiction and fact. It is a bit more of a fable than a novel, in some ways; I'm reminded of Sinclair Lewis' rounded stereotypes (in Babbitt or Arrowsmith).

Fifteen hours after I purchased the book, I finished it, at three in the morning. It had been some time since I devoured this kind of a book so effortlessly yet meaningfully.½

Quite a feat - that I didn't realize that this book was written by multiple authors until I finished it! This might have been because I was reading an early reviewers copy on my kindle - and assumed the random names at throughout the book were reviewers - but I didn't even notice a change in writing style or theme! Definitely an enjoyable read

I was very interested in receiving this book. What a concept, a novel by 36 authors! Given the time line it was well put together and the story flowed well. It was quite easy to get the feel of each writers style without losing the readers interest. My favorite chapter was the dream sequence, which was a visual departure from the rest of the book.
I do feel rather badly to add a criticism to a project that was a experiment and a fund raiser but I was reminded of the school projects that our teachers all ways had us do this novel really did read as a juvenile book. Maybe I missed something and that was the object of the novel.
All in all a quick fun read½

In late 2010, 36 well-known Seattle authors came together to write a novel as part of a local arts festival. A book designed by committee? Nope. The overall book plot was planned by Garth Stein and Jennie Shortridge, along with the goals for each chapter. Each author was then assigned a chapter and met with an editor to ensure everyone was on the same track. And then each author wrote their assigned chapter on a public stage in Seattle during their 2-hour time period. Knowing all of this, I was intrigued by the idea but I was still skeptical that it could result in something I’d enjoy reading. To read the rest of my review, go to http://popcornreads.com/?p=1146

What a novel (no pun intended) idea! A book written by different authors. I am always on the prowl for different types of books and this hit the bull's eye for me, quirky enough to keep me guessing.

It's not unusual for me to predict where a story will go which often kinda spoils the ending for me. That did not happen this time. I felt that each chapter was unpredictable even though, at times I thought , the writing was a little uneven, expected when you have a variety of personalities and sensibilities writing.

That being said, I would recommend the book to other readers. In fact, I have!

Hotel Angeline is a fascinating experiment in writing -- crafted by 36 different authors in front of an audience through the course of a week, it's certainly not your typical book. I love the premise, and I enjoyed the opportunity to examine the differences in each chapter and each author's portrayal of the characters as the story progressed. If you are interested in immersing yourself completely in a story, this may not be the book for you. With each chapter comes a new writing style, the characters' voices change noticeably, and the pacing has many fits and starts that made it difficult for me to become absorbed in the book. This is not to say that there isn't some wonderful writing in these chapters -- the characters are fun and quirky and the plot has many unexpected twists.

Overall, I'm happy I read Hotel Angeline, but I'm also happy to be done with it so that I can move on to a more evenly written novel.

Death can arrive abruptly and unexpectedly, and it could not come at an inopportune time for Alexis and the family-owned Hotel Angeline. Left to her own devices, how is a 14-year-old supposed to take care of herself and figure out how to prevent anyone from selling the hotel? The answer lies in the hands of 36 authors who tackle the challenge of writing about the same characters and story but still putting their own unique twists and turns.

Hotel Angeline reminds me that I still need to read Naked Came The Manatee at some point. I think these Seattle writers have pulled together a good story that will delight those of us who love a good surprise turn of events, which include a few illustrations or two. The writing is unquestionably splendid, and Alexis stayed in character despite being passed from one author to the next. I only wished there had been a little more humor stirred into the story, but understandably multiple authors from multiple genres may have difficulty with writing the same comedic energy and that would destroy the fluidity of the story.

An entertaining story about a young girl (fifteen) whose mother dies leaving her to care for an aging hotel and an equally old set of long term quirky hotel residents. Of course she is much too young for this responsibility but, has inherited a misunderstood sense of loyalty to both the old hotel and the eccentric residents. I was impressed that thirty six authors could put together this entire book in six days working from a coordinating center in Seattle. It was a work of charity for raising awareness of Northwest literature and give back to the community by doing good works for the literacy causes. The cooperating authors gave their time, creative efforts and cooperation to complete this notable effort. I was amazed that the characters continuity was so faithfully maintained throughout the work. The test was to see if you could recognize the changes in voice as the story progressed but, I became so engrossed in the story, I lost track of that objective and just enjoyed the flow of the story. Kudos I say! I just loved the characters.

The concept for this novel is a twist on the writing process more than a twist on plot or character; thirty-six writers from the Seattle area each wrote one chapter (and I think the whole novel was written, in public, in a week). For a literary experiment in collective authorship, this is lots of fun. It concerns a young girl who lives in a hotel with her mother and the requisite collection of bizarre boarders, mostly hippies. After an unfortunate incident, the girl is left in charge of the hotel, and must discover secrets about her past. I read it on a long plane trip; it requires the perfect level of concentration for a beach or airplane read. Especially for $1.99 on Kindle. It didn't ask me for more time than it was worth, and entertained throughout.½

What happens when you cross improvisational theatre with a literary event looking to create a truly collaborative novel? For me, the answer to that question is Hotel Angeline, a novel written in chapters penned by each of 36 participating authors - including two chapters with a graphic approach to the story - over the course of 6 days. A writing marathon, if you will. The end result: a fun, refreshing and quirky coming-of-age story that has its unexpected left turns while still retaining a unified, collective voice.

The story focuses on 14 year-old Alexis Austin, our narrator. Alexis lives in the Hotel Angeline, a run down residential hotel/apartment building her mother Edith runs, with Alexis' assistance, on Seattle's Capitol Hill. The Hotel Angeline has an interesting past, as a former mortuary, and an eccentric group of residents that are as much a part of the building as the creaky stairs and the bad plumbing. While only fourteen, Alexis has been doing more around the hotel to help out since her mom became sick. When one of the residents, LJ, informs Alexis of a phone message he took for Alexis' mom, Alexis takes on adult responsibilities in an effort to keep the life she knows at the Hotel Angeline.

That is all I will mention about the plot as it is difficult to summarize the plot without giving away the interesting plot developments. I loved this novel for a number of reasons. First off, The characters are fantastic. Second, the story is unpredictable, which provided an extra level of interest for me as I am not a fan of formula plots where I can predict what will happen next. Third, it is not just a coming-of-age story. It has a nice mix of mystery, YA, fantasy, comedy and tragedy. Lastly, I loved the fact that you could feel the story shift and develop in unique and wonderful ways under the pen of each author as they took they turn picking up the story where their fellow authors had left off, and just running with it!

If you are expecting exceptional literature, well, as mentioned in the forward written by Garth Stein, "It was never our intention to accomplish in six days what took James Joyce eighteen years to accomplish with Ulysses; we knew we were not writing a literary masterpiece. It was our intention to build a solid, fun story that was a collaboration between three dozen writers, various editors, and an audience both live and virtual - what we created was a community." I think the group hit their mark with Hotel Angeline and I can confidently say that this is a novel I recommend for anyone that is looking for a fun, offbeat and endearing coming of age story.

Unfortunately, my favorite part of this potentially fascinating novel was the forward and introduction. A fascinating mix of performance art and literary experiment, this novel was born out of a brainstorm to raise awareness about Seattle's literary scene. A basic outline was created and the authors given free reign to interpret and move the story along as they saw fit. Totally neat and super exciting.

From the start, I didn't connect with the story or characters. Alexis is an interesting enough teenager in a very sad situation, but the secondary characters were all so unappealing and the plot so over-the-top that I just couldn't connect with Alexis -- and worse, come to care about her. The running of a residential hotel is very novel and that part intrigued me, but the tenants are all child-adults stuck in the '60s. I think they were meant to be quirky and funny and a little bit pathetic, but I found myself angry and irritated with them -- so much so, I couldn't imagine why Alexis continued to enable them as she did.

I wanted very much to experience Seattle as a character, but despite the numerous mentions of neighborhoods and a few landmarks, I didn't get a sense of the city in the story. Alexis could have been in any liberal urban area; I didn't feel as if Seattle (or the Pacific Northwest) was particularly noticeable in the narrative. Missing that connection, then, all her running around the city was tiresome to me and seemed to be a space filler.

Overall, the quality of the writing was good (I've added about a dozen new writers to my TBR) and for me, the weakness was the story. I just didn't dig the plot. But I enjoyed the language and the sort of kaleidoscopic way each author eyed Alexis and her plight. Seattle folks might enjoy this novel for it's setting, and fans of avant garde fiction might get a kick out of writing-as-performance. Anyone who enjoys reading-as-experience will like the forward and I recommend this book for that alone!

I think that it's pretty safe to say that there's never been a novel like Hotel Angeline before. It was written by 36 authors (each writing for two hours) over the course of six days in October 2010. The Novel: Live! made novel-writing a performance art.

The plot, which was outlined before The Novel: Live! event is centered around 14-year-old Alexis Austin and the eccentric-full mortuary-turned-residential hotel run by her mother.

My favorite line was written by Jarret Middleton. He has Alexis say,

"Nothing's that simple anymore. I just got tossed into this world that I don't agree with, where everything drastically changes in an instant. [...] It feels like thirty-six authors are somewhere writing my life" (126)

That kind of self-reflexivity seems absolutely perfect for a novel written like Hotel Angeline. While some transitions between chapters were seamless, others were jarring. It was difficult for me to relate to Alexis because she was portrayed inconsistently enough that she seemed to have some sort of personality disorder (though most of the other characters survived their multiple authorship fairly well).

Hotel Angeline was well-plotted even though much of what happens in the course of the novel is a bit far-fetched. I didn't find it particularly compelling though. Despite the fact that the novel is short (258 pages), I didn't read it quickly. There were moments when I wanted more, but inevitably the close of the chapter came and that desire ended with it.

In the end I have to say that while I really wanted to like Hotel Angeline I appreciated idea behind the novel and its production, more than I enjoyed the novel itself. That's not to say that Hotel Angeline isn't worth a read particularly since proceeds from the sale of the novel will be donated to literacy programs making it a feel-good purchase.

Given constraints of its production, Hotel Angeline is a great achievement and I do believe that the individuals who planned The Novel: Live! achieved their goal, which was, as articulated by Garth Stein, "to build a solid, fun story that was a collaboration between three dozen writers, various editors, and an audience both live and virtual [...,] to create [...] a community" (11).

The thirty-six authors who wrote Hotel Angeline--Kathleen Alcalá, Matthew Amster-Burton, Kit Bakke, Erica Bauermeister, Sean Beaudoin, Dave Boling, Deb Caletti, Carol Cassella, Maria Dahvana Headley, William Dietrich, Robert Dugoni, Kevin Emerson, Karen Finneyfrock, Jamie Ford, Clyde W. Ford, Elizabeth George, Mary Guterson, Teri Hein, Stephanie Kallos, Erik Larson, Stacey Levine, Frances McCue, Jarret Middleton, Peter Mountford, Kevin O'Brien, Julia Quinn, Nancy Rawles, Suzanne Selfors, Jennie Shortridge, Ed Skoog, Garth Stein, Greg Stump and David Lasky, Indu Sundaresan, Craig Welch, and Susan Wiggs--are all Seattle-based. While I've read a few of the authors and know of some of the others, I was surprised at my overall lack of name recognition. But, part of what's so wonderful about Hotel Angeline is how it offers readers a taste of so many different writers. I particularly liked Stephanie Kallos' chapter (31) so I'm planning to check out one of her novels.

I did have a technical difficulty when reading Hotel Angeline (While I did read a pre-publication copy, the novel is only being released as an e-book so I assume that the problem may still exist). Chapter 11, which is presented in a graphic-novel format (Greg Stump and David Lasky), wouldn't display on my Nook so I had to visit my computer to read that portion of the novel.