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THE LITTLE HOTEL; A novel
by STEAD, Christina
- Used
- Condition
- See description
- Seller
-
Lanesborough, Massachusetts, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
NY: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1973. Uncorrected page proof. 8vo, pp. 191. Paper wraps. VG.
Reviews
On Nov 5 2016, CloggieDownunder said:
3.5 stars
The Little Hotel is the tenth novel published by Australian author, Christina Stead. This edition is published under the Text Classics banner and sports a gorgeous colourful cover by the talented W H Chong, as well as an introduction by poet and author, Lisa Gorton. While it was not published until 1973, Stead began writing it, or some version of it, in the early 1950s, based on her diaries of her time in Europe with her partner, communist sympathiser, William Blake, in the fifties.
Mme Selda Bonnard runs Hotel Swiss-Touring with her husband, Roger and their multi-cultural staff. Their guests are equally diverse, and Selda's observations about them and of their interactions form the bulk of this novel. It's just a few years after the end of World War Two, and Swiss-Touring is a cheap lake-shore hotel that caters to tourists as well as longer-term residents.
Against a backdrop of paranoia about the possible Russian invasion and the difficulties of retrieving funds from their native lands, the hotel's guests, past and present, are described in potted histories and anecdotes; their petty crises and domestic dramas are filled with snobbery, racism, jealousy and insecurity. Many of the guests are eccentric; one turns out to be crazy; others may even be dangerous.
Stead evokes post-war Europe with consummate ease, firmly establishing the era with both her characters' ideas, opinions and dilemmas, and the political and financial situation. This neat little volume will appeal to readers who enjoy historical fiction with a good dose of satire. Classic fiction from an award-winning Australian author.
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Details
- Bookseller
- Second Life Books Inc
(US)
- Bookseller's Inventory #
- 38246
- Title
- THE LITTLE HOTEL; A novel
- Author
- STEAD, Christina
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- Edition
- Uncorrected page proof
- Publisher
- Holt, Rinehart and Winston
- Place of Publication
- NY
- Date Published
- 1973
Terms of Sale
Second Life Books Inc
Books returnable within 10 days.
About the Seller
Second Life Books Inc
Biblio member since 2008
Lanesborough, Massachusetts
About Second Life Books Inc
Established on 1972, we sell used and rare books. We are members of the Antiquarian Booksellers Assoc. of America, the International League of Antiquarian Booksellers and the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Booksellers .
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- VG
- Very Good condition can describe a used book that does show some small signs of wear - but no tears - on either binding or...