Friday, October 20, 2006

A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies

By Ellen Cooney

This novel is worth reading even though I was disappointed, through my own fault, in this book. I misunderstood the jacket blurbs. This is what I got from the blurbs: a proper lady leaves her cheating husband and checks into a women's' hotel in Boston. Only the hotel is a bawdy house. Fun and hilarity ensue!
OK, so it's my fault I misunderstood the premise of the story! I thought it would be fun and games and lots of goofiness. But no. This is a serious story about a woman who feels betrayed by her husband and runs away to Boston. And yes, the hotel is a bawdy house, but the women are the customers. They book the rooms and are serviced by the male prostitutes. That sounds exciting but somehow the author manages to make it dark and closeted. Anyway, the woman hooks up with one of the male whores and commits all the acts she thinks her hubby did. And yet somehow she gets back together with her husband despite her sudden sexual awakening with her new boytoy. Her husband must be a prince among men.

This novel was an interesting read. Odd, dark, peculiar and interesting. But NOT hilarious.

A review by Publishers Weekly:    https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-375-42340-6.


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