Last Summer at the Golden Hotel
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4.1 • 193 Ratings
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
A Good Morning America Buzz Pick
A Can’t-Miss Beach Read For Summer 2021 from The Skimm
A Best Beach Read of 2021 from Bustle
A Best Summer Read of 2021 from PopSugar
A family reunion for the ages when two clans convene for the summer at their beloved getaway in the Catskills—perfect for fans of Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel—from the acclaimed author of The Floating Feldmans.
In its heyday, The Golden Hotel was the crown jewel of the hotter-than-hot Catskills vacation scene. For more than sixty years, the Goldman and Weingold families – best friends and business partners – have presided over this glamorous resort which served as a second home for well-heeled guests and celebrities. But the Catskills are not what they used to be – and neither is the relationship between the Goldmans and the Weingolds. As the facilities and management begin to fall apart, a tempting offer to sell forces the two families together again to make a heart-wrenching decision. Can they save their beloved Golden or is it too late?
Long-buried secrets emerge, new dramas and financial scandal erupt, and everyone from the traditional grandparents to the millennial grandchildren wants a say in the hotel’s future. Business and pleasure clash in this fast-paced, hilarious, nostalgia-filled story, where the hotel owners rediscover the magic of a bygone era of nonstop fun even as they grapple with what may be their last resort.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Friedland (The Floating Feldmans) returns with a well-crafted family dramedy centered on a storied Borscht Belt resort, now in its twilight years. The two families who co-own the Golden Hotel have enjoyed a close, if at times complicated, relationship since its founding in 1960 (matriarchs Fanny Weingold and Louise Goldman have never gotten along, and their families have kept their distance after a disastrous Fourth of July barbecue 10 years earlier). With business declining, the families reunite at the resort to consider a sale. Fancy Westchester mom Aimee Goldman-Glasser arrives with her wayward son and uptight daughter, but not her husband, a doctor who was recently arrested for overprescribing Oxycontin. Brian Weingold, a son of the other founding partner, is now the Golden's CEO. Once considered the heartthrob of the Catskills, Brian is somewhat adrift after a nasty divorce. A long-smoldering attraction between Aimee and Brian threatens to erupt, and a prospective developer insinuates that relations between the resort's original founding couples may not have been what they seemed, while Brian's influencer niece tries to market the hotel to millennials. Friedland brings laughs and nuance to the family foibles, and demonstrates a wide range in her convincing narration from the many points of view. Breezy and charming, this is great fun.
Customer Reviews
Wonderful piece of history
This book really captured a part of the American vacation culture that once thrived up north. A lost culture that now is beginning to return again in a new way. I loved all the detailed descriptions.
Politics
I very much liked the storyline. It was corny in some places, but that is to be expected. A couple of gripes I have. The granddaughter is going to make the hotel great again, but in a good way? I didn’t know you could make something great again a bad way. Also, when they are going to do a vote, the grandmother gets two votes. She voted yes on one ballot and no on the other ballot. Her reasoning was that she was doing something good. Did the author not realize those two votes just canceled each other out? I thought it was hilarious. Buy the book on sale, don’t pay full price.
A beach read
Elyssa Friedland will transport you to the Golden Hotel in the Catskills. This hotel is jointly owned by the already strained relationship of the Goldmans and the Weingolds. When they run into financial troubles brought on by the lack of reservations, can they come together one last time to save the hotel or will it be the demise of the hotel? With three generations from each family voting on the future of the hotel, a lot of conflicting options will make it interesting and difficult. What secrets, will envail while trying to make a decision? A great book to sit by the pool or beach to read because you won’t want to put it down.