About this title: HOTEL WORLD, which was shortlisted for both the Booker Prize and the Orange Prize in 2001, is about Sarah Wilby, a chambermaid in a hotel, who dies in an accident on the job. Various characters who either knew her, were related to her, or witnessed the event, contribute short chapters about Sarah's life and death.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780241141090ISBN:0241141095
Description: Good. This book is in good all round condition which means that it will show signs of wear and having been read. Any questions please e-mail, only too happy to help. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. We aim to ship within one working day. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Topeka Bindery
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780141026565ISBN:0141026561
Description: Very Good. Carefully read Internally Clean Very good all round condition. Binding tight, pages are clean and sound. Will show light signs of wear. Any questions please e-mail, only too happy to help. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied. We aim to ship within one working day. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780241141090ISBN:0241141095
Description: Very Good. PLEASE NOTE THIS BOOK IS PAPERBACK NOT HARDBACK VERY GOOD CONDITION-VERY FEW MINOR DEFECTS SECURE DAILY POSTING FROM UK. 30 DAY GUARANTEE. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780241141090ISBN:0241141095
Description: Good. EX LIBRARY COPY-GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780241141090ISBN:0241141095
Description: Good. GOOD OVERALL CONDITION-TRUSTED DEVON (UK) BASED SELLER-IN STOCK-SENT WITHIN 1 WORKING DAY-AVAILABLE BY EMAIL FOR QUERIES-NO QUIBBLE REFUND IF NOT COMPLETELY SATISFIED- read more
Binding: Unknown Binding
Publisher: Topeka Bindery
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780141026565ISBN:0141026561
Description: Very Good. *This is a paperback*. No major defects-unabridged, clean, complete, not falling apart; some light wear. A perfectly good reading or reference copy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780140296792ISBN:0140296794
Description: Good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780241141090ISBN:0241141095
Description: Good. This book is in GOOD overall condition. It shows signs of having been read and has general light wear to the cover, spine and pages. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780140296792ISBN:0140296794
Description: Good. Our aim is to create value for our customers through the provision of low cost, affordable products and an overall satisfying buying experience. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton Ltd
Date Published: 2001
ISBN-13:9780241141090ISBN:0241141095
Description: Hardcover, ex-library, with usual stamps and markings, in good all round condition. Ships within 24 hours. pp., 400grams, ISBN: 0241141095. read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton, softcover
Date Published: 2001
Description: Wildly funny and disturbing novel examining the relationships between a group of people staying in a large, luxurious modern hotel. NEW Paperback. read more
Description: Good. Ships from the UK. Former Library book. Shows some signs of wear, and may have some markings on the inside. Your purchase also supports literacy charities. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Date Published: 2002
ISBN-13:9780140296792ISBN:0140296794
Description: Good. 10% of profit from sale of this book will go to Cancer Research UK. Our books are dispatched from Bridgend, South Wales. Your Satisfaction Guarenteed. read more
I liked this book. Ali Smith likes to toy with language and I enjoyed that. This is certainly not the best story ever told, but it is interesting and it suited me just fine. It's not a speed read, and its not a stunning work of brilliance, but, there is a term I sometimes use, brain candy, to describe books you can finish in about two hours, your typical Nora Roberts, for example. Interchangeable plots, characters, etc. but easy and fun. Hotel World is a different kind of brain candy, instead of dime store candy it is a Belgian truffle for your brain."
"This book is distilled insanity. It's told from the more or less stream-of-consciousness points of view of five women whose lives intersect in a certain hotel: a dead teenager trying to remember her past, her sister working through her grief, a self-absorbed journalist, a bed-ridden invalid, and a barely coherent homeless woman. I wish I could explain the plot, but there really isn't one - just snapshots of life that happen to overlap a bit. That said, it was kind of a fun read in places. The ghost's manic descriptions were fun, the journalist's ignorance was amusing, and some of the writing style was novel. Plus, it was short enough that I never felt overtaxed by any one character - save the sister, whose entire chapter contained no punctuation. That was exhausting to read."
"This is the third piece from Ali Smith I've read, and I've liked each piece slightly less than the one before. Hotel World starts out with a bang (or a crash, as the case may be), but it never follows through.
There isn't a story here. At least not really. This is much more akin to a character study. Each section -- there are six -- is told via the stream-of-consciousness of one of the five female protagonists. As I've said in other reviews, stream-of-consciousness is best left for character studies, because it allows you to feel the narrator more than any other type of literary device, and this book is no exception. The five women come alive (which is ironic, since the first narrator is literally dead and the other four are dead in some metaphoric way), but coming alive isn't always a good thing. The women range from extremely likeable (like Sara Wilby, the literally dead girl of the first section) to more or less detestable (like Penny, the ad agent from the fourth section). With each new section and each new woman, I liked the book less and less. (The exception to this is the sixth and last section, which has an omniscient third-person narrator, and is some of the most beautiful, thought-provoking writing I've read.)
The very last stream-of-consciousness section is Clare Wilby's, the sister of the dead Sara Wilby, and it is extremely, extremely difficult to read. Smith may have taken stream-of-consciousness one step too far here in this section, because words are thrown in at random, there is absolutely no punctuation and very little capitalization, and virtually no logic. (Personally, my own stream of consciousness writes with correct capitalization and punctuation and never throws in random words... but then again, I'm a Grammar Nazi who's sister has not just died, so... ) In any case, I found this section rough to read but worth it, and it should not be skipped over simply because of its increased difficulty. You made it this far, you can make it the whole way through!
Ultimately, I'm still an Ali Smith fan, and I liked this book, though it's not my favorite. It's got some very memorable characters, and Smith does some extremely creative things with language and meta-textuality, and she writes "pure" stream-of-consciousness better than the best of them. Not a beach read by any stretch, but well worth the time you'll put into it."
"I bought this at Book & Gown bookstore & cafe in Twyn, Wales, during a road trip Easter weekend with Nat and Jo.
It's the first book I've finished in a long time so I feel good about that. Quite a quick read, it follows five female characters, most of whom are not known to each other but some of whom interact.
Following the confused soul Sara was bewildering, reading about the invalid Lise made me feel quite lethargic and unwell, homeless Else is inscrutable, foolish Penny has her own slight charms, and poor bereft Clare is an adrenalin rush."
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