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Summary: "Mayberry" meets "Twin Peaks"
Review: An open appeal to all of Donna Tartt's fans who were disappointed by "The Little Friend," take a moment and check out the goings-on of the "Hotel Paradise."Like the Tartt book that attempts to shadow a pre-adolescent girl's need to solve a decade-old crime, "Hotel Paradise" also focuses on a 12-year-old narrator who becomes obsessed with a murder that occurred 40 years prior in her hometown. Martha Grimes's slice of American life was written in 1995, predating Tartt's work by 7 years. It's everything Tartt's readers had been hoping for. The plot of "Hotel Paradise" is solid; its characters are lovable and eccentric--their quirkiness is enjoyable, never stretching the rubber bands of credibility. The humor is warm; the mystery is tantalizing; the narrator's perceptions are just right for a bookwormish young girl who is still part child but eager to become a woman. It's a compelling page-turner, and you will feel like an honorary member of the town. Pour yourself a large cup of coffee, cut a huge slice of Angel Pie, and lose yourself in the inhabitants of this sleepy, mysterious burb. Think of it as "Mayberry RFD" meets "Twin Peaks." There are worse places to get lost.
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Summary: Perfect vacation book!
Review: I have to disagree with the negative reviews printed here. Hotel Paradise is exactly the kind of book I love to read. I took it on vacation and lounged in the sun with it for several days. As soon as it ended, I started it again. Martha Grimes obviously has a great respect for young people and their intuitive view of the adult world. I wasn't bothered at all at the lack of plot action or mystery resolution. The resolution is there for readers to decipher on their own. Can't wait to discuss this book with my Mother Daughter book group.
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Summary: Wonderful book that fiction readers may miss in mystery sect
Review: This is the second of Martha Grimes books which depart from her usual fun English mystery format and I think it is much more successful than the first attempt.This book tells the story of a 12 year old girl living with her Mother in a run-down resort hotel who becomes obsessed with understanding why a girl her age drowned in the lake in front of their property 40 years ago. It is really a great coming of age story about a young girl who has been emotionally abandoned by her family and who needs find a place for herself and understand that sometimes one person in a family may become the family scapegoat for reasons they can't control. You will love the main character. She is spunky and intelligent and brave. This book is usually cataloged in the mystery section but is really just good fiction and shouldn't be overlooked by those people who say "I don't read mysteries".
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