I read Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner some years ago. Alex Mayer provides a brief summary of what actually happpens in the novel and he is also correct in mentioning that it is a fairly thin book. However, don't be surprised if you get small prints.
Anyway, what struck me as I was reading the novel was it's sterility and lack of life. Perhaps, it was due to the fact that I was only 14 when i read the novel. Upon further research, I found that Anita Brookner does tend to take a more feminist stance towards certain issues especially those pertaining to relationships and it shows in her style of writing and in the strength of her character.
The main character, Edith Hope, seemingly frail and in need of this holiday to nurse a broken heart, as well as, to write a novel is in fact quite resilient and will not sucuumb to being a pure object for the everyday household, a mere status of housekeper, and wife. She is determined to be accepted and appreciated for her whole being, which is admirable, as we are made to undersatnd by Brookner the full dimensions of her depressing state of loneliness. (note that Brookner does not achieve this by being passionately descriptive but rather tends to take a more sterile and minimalist approach to describing her character.)
The great lake that she takes some sort of a cruise on with the "stranger" from the Hotel is great setting. All in all, Brookner is agile with the English language and in her settings, although beautiful on the surface seem to carry and hide some sort of an underlying sinister current. This is especially so with all the other patrons of the Hotel, and one can infer that there is much of false appearances in the whole novel.
Characters that are interesting to study would be the women. Brookner uses all the other women to compare and contrast Edith's strengths and weaknesses. Also, look for some feminine qualities in the men presented in the novel.
It was an interesting read that helped to develop a 14 year old's mind, to broaden the teenager's perspectives. However, I do think that this novel would be more fully appreciated for what it is by someone older with the maturity to understand Edith's whole revelation of emotions.
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I agree with you about the sterility of the book . I have read this one and also Look at Me and they both deal with loneliness and kind of alienation suffered by the main character. I love her books although they are somewhat depressing and make you feel strange.
Edith Hope (a.k.a. romance author Veronica Wilde) has been banished by her friends to a ... more
stately hotel in Switzerland. During her stay she befriends some of the other guests, each of whom has his or her own tale. Edith struggles to come to terms with ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Edith Hope (a.k.a. romance author Veronica Wilde) has been banished by her friends to a ... more
stately hotel in Switzerland. During her stay she befriends some of the other guests, each of whom has his or her own tale. Edith struggles to come to terms with ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
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