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saylaa's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
War von Zeit zu Zeit langsam zu lesen, vorallem die erste Hälfte des Buches. Jedoch auch Zeichen, dass es schlicht und ergreifend in einer anderen Zeit mit anderem kulturellen Kontext geschrieben wurde.
Allg. werden Themen der Einsamkeit, der Tod, Sinn des Lebens, Krieg und Traum, Arbeit bzw Arbeiter:innenrechte sowie soziale Unterschiede/Ungerechtigkeiten aufgegriffen zusammen mit der entsprechenden Ablenkung der Protagonist:innen von jenen Themen.
Allg. werden Themen der Einsamkeit, der Tod, Sinn des Lebens, Krieg und Traum, Arbeit bzw Arbeiter:innenrechte sowie soziale Unterschiede/Ungerechtigkeiten aufgegriffen zusammen mit der entsprechenden Ablenkung der Protagonist:innen von jenen Themen.
gsolano's review
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
derhindemith's review against another edition
4.0
It was a really good book. The writing is good, if a bit overly prosaic. I had the overwhelming sensation that all of these characters, in the most expensive hotel in Berlin, in 1929, could easily in 10 years be swayed to the nazi party.
Independent of that, the way the characters contrasted each other, and their understanding of what it means to live, to be alive, how to function in the world, etc. were all well illustrated. The immoral people get their comeuppance, the righteous are rewarded. I should read more by her.
Independent of that, the way the characters contrasted each other, and their understanding of what it means to live, to be alive, how to function in the world, etc. were all well illustrated. The immoral people get their comeuppance, the righteous are rewarded. I should read more by her.
braddy7's review against another edition
5.0
Baum brilliantly tells the story of the occupants of the aging Grand Hotel over two days through the story of six individuals staying at the hotel. 1920s Berlin comes to life, and Baum's reflections on the social sphere are on point.
krobart's review
4.0
See my review here:
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2022/10/25/review-2051-1929-club-classics-club-spin-grand-hotel/
https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/2022/10/25/review-2051-1929-club-classics-club-spin-grand-hotel/
notizhefte's review against another edition
4.0
Es ist spürbar die Weimarer Republik, es ist Asphaltliteratur - Autos lassen das Hotel vibrieren, Scheinwerfer und Leuchtreklame erhellen die Räume - und es ist auch Berlin, natürlich. Aber Berlin ist eher Hintergrund, Umgebung. Im Zentrum steht das Hotel, seine Räume, die Mitarbeiter, die Gäste. Hier pumpt sozusagen das Herz des Romans, außerhalb liegende Vergnügungsstätten nehmen die Menschen immer nur zeitweise auf.
Kriegsfolgen, Geschwindigkeit, Masse und Spekulation sind Themen der Zeit, die prägnant mit den persönlichen Schicksalen von Liebe und Einsamkeit, Angst vor Alter, Tod oder finanziellem und gesellschaftlichem Ruin verflochten werden.
Mehr in meinem Blog unter: https://notizhefte.com/2022/12/11/vicky-baum-menschen-im-hotel/
Kriegsfolgen, Geschwindigkeit, Masse und Spekulation sind Themen der Zeit, die prägnant mit den persönlichen Schicksalen von Liebe und Einsamkeit, Angst vor Alter, Tod oder finanziellem und gesellschaftlichem Ruin verflochten werden.
Mehr in meinem Blog unter: https://notizhefte.com/2022/12/11/vicky-baum-menschen-im-hotel/
compassrose's review
Dragged my feet on finishing because I could tell someone was going to die (though the identity of the corpse in the end surprised me). The hint of ghosts at the end was nice. A conceit of “slice of life” - every day at the hotel is different, and every day the same; all the people who stay there are different but they’re also all variants of types. The mutilated WWI veteran Doctor Ottenschlag could conceivably be very blorbo in the right adaptation. Sadly the women, from Grusinskaya (a paradigm of the cliché of the lovely but aging self-centred artiste) to Flämmchen the innocently scheming sex kitten, are all more tools and devices of the various male characters’ journeys than centres themselves, and hoo boy do the wives at home get a raw deal.
storiedisera's review against another edition
5.0
Immaginate di sedere nella hall di un grand hotel di Berlino
tsharris's review
2.0
Took me months to finish. Thought I would like it more than I did, since always interested in cultural depictions of interwar Germany, but reading this was at times excruciating. The second half was much better than the first, but every scene with Grusinskaya (the role played by Greta Garbo in the 1931 film) was torture.