A Small Hotel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- £4.49
Publisher Description
SILVER MEDAL IN FOREWORD REVIEWS BOOK OF THE YEAR (Historical Fiction)
"A sweeping, unforgettable WWII saga. Laqueur weaves military history, frontline combat, and enduring love into a masterpiece of historical drama."
In the summer of 1941, Europe is at war, but the idyllic Thousand Islands are alive with summer romance...
Kennet Fiskare, son of a small hotel proprietor on the St. Lawrence River, falls headlong in love with Astrid Virtanen, a Swedish-Brazilian guest. Their quiet paradise is shattered when family duty and America's entry into World War II tear them apart.
Plunged into the brutal European theater, Kennet undergoes a trial by fire—from the frozen forests of the Battle of the Bulge to the liberation of Mauthausen concentration camp. Bonded with his brothers-in-arms, he witnesses both the darkest depths of humanity and the extraordinary strength required to survive.
Spanning three decades, A Small Hotel is a magnificent family saga exploring first love, war, and resilience across generations.
Note: While introducing the original generation of the Fiskare family, this historical novel is a complete standalone and can be enjoyed before or after reading the Fish Tales series.
Customer Reviews
The book hangover is real!
So here’s the thing. I love to write book reviews, but I write them for me. Usually to remind me of what the book meant to me. I don’t write them thinking people will see my review and want to read this book.
Then I read books like this and I want to write a review that makes people want to read it. Really, I am a bit rubbish at reviews but I want to do this book justice. People need to read A Small Hotel because it’s a fantastic book but also as a reminder that war is truly horrific.
I’ve done my usual thing of doing an immediate re-read to take in the things I missed and I still don’t know how to convey everything this book means. When the book hangover kicks in, my only cure it to do a re-read. I might even read it again. And probably again.
A Small Hotel is about family, not just those by blood but those who become family because you would bleed for them. I felt like I was part of the Fiskare family. I truly am part fish, I know about wishes on fishes and cafune. But I was also part of Kennet’s army squad; rolling down the train track through the US thundering towards a war. Freezing my toes off and squeezing into fox holes.
It’s a book about war in all of its shocking factors and yet in our world we do it again and again and again. Stop that!
It’s a rubbish review but this is an outstanding book. Suanne Laqueur’s story telling is magnificent.