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The Lonely Hearts Hotel

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Set in Montreal during the 1900s, 'The Lonely Hearts Hotel' by Heather O'Neill follows the intertwined journeys of two orphans, Rose and Pierrot, through their highs and lows, despairs, and love. The book is described as a sad and magical fairytale, with a moody, eccentric tale of two people drawn together as though by fate. The story centers around their complementary talents - Pierrot as a piano prodigy and Rose as a choreographer, navigating through the seedy underbelly of Montreal while holding onto their mutual dream of a real show. O'Neill's writing style is praised for its brilliance, rich and thoughtful words, and the unique balance of whimsy and depravity, creating a dark and sometimes magical fairytale experience for the readers.

Characters:

The characters are richly developed, flawed individuals shaped by tremendous adversity and radical circumstances.

Writing/Prose:

The prose is rich and lyrical, blending whimsical elements with darker undertones, exhibiting a unique stylistic flair.

Plot/Storyline:

The narrative follows two orphans whose lives intertwine, showcasing a dark and tragic love story set against a gritty historical backdrop.

Setting:

The setting is a vivid historical portrayal of early 20th-century Montreal and New York, filled with complexity and contrast.

Pacing:

The book has a dynamic pacing that effectively balances emotional depth with immersive storytelling.
The orphanage was on the northern boundary of the city. If you went to where the city ended and then walked two thousand paces, you would come upon the orphanage, although it isn’t there now. It was a...

Notes:

The story takes place in Montreal during the winter of 1910.
It follows two orphans named Rose and Pierrot, who are abandoned at birth.
Both characters have rare gifts that bring them both admiration and disdain.
They perform clown routines to raise funds for the orphanage they grew up in.
As teenagers, they are separated and end up in the criminal underworld of Montreal and New York during the Great Depression.
Themes in the book include love, addiction, and childhood trauma.
The writing is described as beautiful, vivid, and magical despite the dark themes.
Characters experience deep psychological changes due to their traumatic experiences.
The book has heavy themes of sexual abuse and drugs, with a focus on the impact of these on the characters' lives.
Readers report emotional reactions, including tears and sadness, while engaging with the narrative.
The book juxtaposes whimsy with grim realities, creating a unique storytelling style.
It's praised for complex and flawed characters who engage in morally ambiguous actions.
Despite its bleak themes, readers find it enchanting and poignant.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for The Lonely Hearts Hotel include high levels of themes related to sexual assault, child abuse, drug use, and violence.

Has Romance?

The book features a high level of romance as it revolves around the intense and tragic love story between the two main characters.

From The Publisher:

"So filled with vivid descriptions and complex characters that the reader's experience is virtually cinematic. . . Utterly compelling." - The Washington Post

A spellbinding story about two gifted orphans - in love with each other since they can remember - whose childhood talents allow them to rewrite their future.

The Lonely Hearts Hotel is a love story with the power of legend. An unparalleled tale of charismatic pianos, invisible dance partners, radicalized chorus girls, drug-addicted musicians, brooding clowns, and an underworld whose economy hinges on the price of a kiss. In a landscape like this, it takes great creative gifts to thwart one's origins. It might also take true love.

Two babies are abandoned in a Montreal orphanage in the winter of 1914. Before long, their talents emerge: Pierrot is a piano prodigy; Rose lights up even the dreariest room with her dancing and comedy. As they travel around the city performing clown routines, the children fall in love with each other and dream up a plan for the most extraordinary and seductive circus show the world has ever seen.

Separated as teenagers, sent off to work as servants during the Great Depression, both descend into the city's underworld, dabbling in sex, drugs and theft in order to survive. But when Rose and Pierrot finally reunite beneath the snowflakes - after years of searching and desperate poverty - the possibilities of their childhood dreams are renewed, and they'll go to extreme lengths to make them come true. Soon, Rose, Pierrot and their troupe of clowns and chorus girls have hit New York, commanding the stage as well as the alleys, and neither the theater nor the underworld will ever look the same.

With her musical language and extravagantly realized world, Heather O'Neill enchants us with a novel so magical there is no escaping its spell.

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About the Author:

Heather O'Neill is a novelist, poet, short-story writer, screenwriter, and essayist. Lullabies for Little Criminals, her debut novel, was published in 2006 to international critical acclaim and shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction. Born and raised in Montreal, O'Neill lives there today with her daughter.

 
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