The Golden Room

by Irving Wallace

THE GOLDEN ROOM IRVING WALLACE FIRST PAPERBACK EDITION 1989 EDITION

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, The United States Of America

365 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Irving Wallace was an American bestselling author and screenwriter. His extensively researched books included such page-turners as The Chapman Report (1960), about human sexuality; The Prize (1962), a fictional behind-the-scenes account of the Nobel Prizes; The Man, about a black man becoming president of the U.S. in the 1960s; and The Word (1972), about the discovery of a new gospel.

Wallace was born in Chicago, Illinois. Wallace grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was the father of Olympic historian David Wallechinsky and author Amy Wallace.

Wallace began selling stories to magazines when he was a teenager. In World War II Wallace served in the Frank Capra unit in Fort Fox along with Theodor Seuss Geisel - more popularly known as Dr Seuss - and continued to write for magazines. He also served in the First Motion Picture Unit of the Army Air Force. In the years immediately following World war II Wallace became a Hollywood screenwriter. He collaborated on such films as The West Point Story (1950), Split Second (1953),and Meet Me at the Fair (1953).

After several years in Hollywood, he devoted himself full-time to writing books. Wallace published 33 books during his lifetime.

Reviews

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro me sorprendió gratamente. No me esperaba nada espectacular, y la verdad es que este libro tampoco lo es, pero es una lectura fácil, amigable y liviana. Hay veces, especialmente después de lecturas largas o muy densas, tristes o lo que sea, es necesario leer algo que no te haga pensar tanto y te haga pasar el rato, que fue lo que me pasó con esta novela. La historia y el contexto es muy bueno y está muy bien relatado. La única razón que le pongo 4 estrellas y no 5 es por la última parte del libro, quizás las útimas 20 páginas, en que todo fue muy rápido y demasiado idealista. No me gustan los finales en que todos terminan felices y sale todo perfecto, y aquí al parecer fue demasiado perfecto y eso me dejó un gustito amargo, pero ya que no esperaba tanto de este libro, me gustó y lo apruebo de todas formas.
Es un libro ideal para cuando estés cansado y quieras apagar tu cerebro. En vez de ver algún programa en la tele, este libro es un muy buen reemplazo para eso.

[Terry Cornell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read several Irving Wallace books, this one strays away from his usual more dramatic works. The Golden Room refers to a room in the Everleigh Sister's bordello in early 1900's Chicago. The The Everleigh Club was reported to be the most luxurious house of ill repute in the country if not the world. Wallace incorporates these real life ladies, the real life Dr. Holmes (a Chicago serial killer), Prince Henry of Germany with his visit to the Everleigh Club, and various imaginary folks. Some facts are bent, for example Dr. Holmes died years before the Everleigh Club ever opened.

Wallace begins the book with a note explaining how this book came about. He had met the retired Everleigh sisters, who had re-taken their original last name of Lester in New York. Wallace decided he wanted to write a musical comedy based on the stories they told him. They never gave him permission, but upon their death, he approached his friend Irving Berlin with the same idea. Unfortunately Berlin passed away before the idea germinated. However, this book is the result, and explains why it seems a bit more frivolous than the typical Wallace novel. The plot is very similar to 'The Best Little Whore House of Texas', but with a few interesting tweaks. A fairly fun quick read--and if you're a fan of 1900's era Chicago an added plus.

As a teenager Wallace wrote stories for magazines, then during World War II served in Frank Capra's US Army film unit along with Theodore Geisel (Dr. Seuss) and others. After the war he worked in Hollywood as a screenwriter, but became dissatisfied with that and focused on writing novels.

[Jigyasa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it was a pretty light read. Personally found the story fascinating and the characters weren't half bad! I find it hilarious how casually the whole serial killing is portrayed in this book like it's just another one of the scenes in motion. Somethings I really disapprove of are the title, which really makes no sense to me and the way too convenient ending. However, I enjoyed this nice and easy read pretty well!

[Kalpana kandasamy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An average book. The least interesting of Irwing’s books I read so far. I think it could be due to the fact that he was trying to write the truth mixed with fiction. The killing part of the story was totally irrelevant because it fails to bring intrigue and does not go with the actual storyline. I guess the book could have been a great read if he had eliminated the all the murders. Irwin always has a way of writing stories that hooks the readers but this one has too much repeat of scenario which makes the reading sometimes boring and totally unnecessary. If you are on reading challenge then go for it.

[Siddharth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wallace can author a masterpiece like The Man and on the other hand write absolute trash such as The Fan Club. The Golden Room is between these two extremes. It sustained my interest till about two thirds of the length but the ending is ridiculously convenient, almost as if the author couldn't find some way to close it. Best read while travelling or when you need a break from heavy stuff.

[Jycel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Empezó bien, pero se me fue desinflando un poco a medida que avanzaba.

No está mal escrito, y entretiene, es una lectura ligera. La pega es que me ha sacado mucho de quicio la estupidez supina de algunos personajes (estupidez en la línea de los hermanos Stackhouse, pero sin que haga gracia).

[Santoshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Book sent chills in my spine!!

[Russell Sanders · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irving Wallace was a supremely successful novelist in last half of the twentieth century. His multiple mega-sellers were usually massive books, hundreds of pages long filled with copious character descriptions and intricate plots. Towards the end of his life, Wallace published this book, The Golden Room. In an Author’s Note, entitled “How It All Began,” Wallace explains his long fascination with a pair of sister madams, the Everleigh sisters, who had operated a successful, elegant brothel in Chicago. He had met the women and wanted to honor them by writing about them. His plan was not a novel but rather a musical play. He had even piqued the interest of legendary composer Irving Berlin. When that never came to fruition, Wallace decided to turn his idea into a novel. The Golden Room, however, is unlike his other novels. For starters, it is barely two hundred pages long and lacks all the plot and character development of his previous works. I have been a student of musical theater since I was a teen, back when Wallace’s novels were the most popular. So as I read this book, I felt that Wallace had structured a typical musical theater plot of the day but, when transforming it into a novel, he almost just added “he saids” and “she saids.” Gone are the author’s lengthy descriptions and plot developments. Yes, because a musical play libretto would be concise and lack a lot of sex and intrigue, Wallace does half-heartedly throw in some semi-graphic sex scenes and some lackluster murder descriptions. But ultimately, all we have here is a failed attempt at musical theater. The story has the Everleigh sisters, although Minna is dominant and Aida barely has anything to do. Then there is the obligatory ingénue and her suitor. A secondary couple—de riguer for musicals of the time—is thrown in with very little to do. And finally, a buffoon police commissioner, a scheming wealthy businessman, a politician, and a European prince fill out the cast. I could almost hear melodies where songs would be positioned. The plot is not great shakes, and the attempts to throw in some humor fall rather flat. This is not Irving Wallace at his best, but rather Irving Wallace trying to accomplish a lifelong dream of honoring two colorful characters he met and liked. Sadly, had the musical been developed, it is likely, as it was redeveloped “on the road,” one of the Everleigh sisters, Aida, would have been eliminated for she was totally superfluous. What producer wants to pay an actress to stand around and do nothing?

[Audrey Apfel · Rating 2 out of 5]

This has been on my shelf forever. Don't know where it came from. Good author so caught my eye. This was supposed to be a play but never got produced so it became a short book. Definitely feels like it was meant for the stage. Think "Sweeney Todd" meets "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas". I like to read a wide variety of stuff, and it wasn't long, so why not? So now having read it, its a toss up between " why not?" and "why?".

[Anat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado mucho. La historia es muy interesante aunque creo que el final se precipita un poco. Tengo la sensación de que la historia se divide excesivamente en sub-argumentos que se resuelven de una manera excesivamt rápida.

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy read, perhaps to slip between some heavier books. Enjoyed it more because it was based in Chicago and I had been to some of the places mentioned.

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

A bold book on a taboo called sex and prostitution.

[Maria Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good trash and sometimes trash is what we need to revive ourselves.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fun!

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this years ago...

[Nieves Sellers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ha sido más interesante a lo largo de la lectura que al principio

[Crystal John · Rating 1 out of 5]

I detest this book - My advice don't read it

[Roopkumar Balachandran · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all I selected this novel which I found in the library rack due to the title "The Golden Room" I have read Steve Berry's Amber Room, and I thought it should be about some historical story related to a Golden Room. But it is not.

The story has five important characters:
1. Mayor Carter Harrison
2. Harold T.Armbuster the meat packer
3. Minna and Aida Lester (Everleigh) the madams of Bordello (Owners of Everleigh club)
4. Dr.Herman H.Holmes (serial killer)
5. Karen Grant (Mayor Harrison Secretary)

The Everleigh club is a famous club in Chicago reputed all over Europe and US. The owners were two widowed sisters Minna and Aida Lester. Mayor Carter Harrison fights for the second term election, he stands on reform platform, his determination is to clean up Chicago and close down the Levee, gambling houses and bagnios and most importantly to shut down the famous Everleigh club. While Armbuster a meat packer is desirous to become the Ambassador of Germany and extend his business empire. He meets Mayor Harrison and contribute a sum of $15,000 for the election campaign through Mayor's alderman John Coughlin and Michael Kenna with assurance that he should be made Ambassador of Germany and host a banquet for Prince of Prussia on his visit to Chicago. Same time Minna Everleigh also contributes $10,000 to defeat Harrison in the election.

The result Mayor Harrison wins with less margin and regains his post second time. Since he was elected through reform platform he immediately takes action and he sends his best guy as Beer company owner and spend an evening in the club. Meanwhile the sisters aware of the situation changes their entertainment. Without knowing the background they hire Dr.Herman H.Holmes as their Doctor to check the 30 club girls.

Harrisons guy shows the fake visiting card and spend the evening with one of the club girl Fanny. Dr.Holmes over hears the conversation between Fanny and the customer, she expresses her desire to leave the club. Dr.Holmes persuades them that Fanny is having a disease and the customer also to be treated immediately. Dr.Holmes takes them to his mansion specifically designed for the purpose of killing. He dismembers Fanny and takes the body of the customer and lays him in the park.

Mayor gets the news that is guy is dead his secretary Karen Grant takes up the job of infiltrate the club and work as a prostitute and get the proof so that the club is shut down once and for all.

She gets the job but she did not get the chance as Minna's nieces Bruce and Cathleen visits their aunt for marriage with Armbuster's son.

One by one girls were murdered by Dr.Holmes, Minna and Aida are in dilemma as they want to show there are socialites to Bruce, Cathleen and Armbuster so the marriage takes place.

What happened to the Everleigh club did Mayor Harrison able to shut down the club, did the serial killer was captured? what happens to Karen Grant? Did the marriage took place between Cathleen and Armbuster? Did Harold T. Armbuster became the Ambassador of Germany? all are answered in the remaining chapters.

It is not an easy task to run a club by two widowed women. And Minna and Aida are portrayed as an intelligent women and they use a detective service to find the missing girls. The Detective Superintendent William Pinkerton informs that Dr.Holmes has to be investigated further. In that context before the climax she consents to send Cathleen and Karen to stay with Dr.Holmes mansion looks dumb. There are some plot holes. But also has some interesting sub plots, I like to mention the winning of American derby by Bruce Lester.

[Claudia Onís Cardona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pues le voy a poner un 5 porque no es que haya leído yo mucho ni sea yo muy ilustrada, pero de todos los libros que me he leído hasta el momento este es de los que más entretenida y emocionada me ha tenido.

Muy buena mezcla de suspense con romance y puterío.

Mis dieces.

[Suz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a fictional version of the Karen Abbott non-fiction "Sin in the Second City". Both books wrote about the most famous brothel in Chicago in the early 20th century. this was a fast read and more juicy than the Abbott book. It incorporated a murder mystery in it as well.

[Krittika Mittal · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is such crap, I was appalled at knowing that someone chose to publish it. Anywhere the story is getting a little interesting, let's include a big convenient twist and kill the joy. Urgh. Total waste of money.

[Deesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simply fantastic! What a plot with a good ending! Sideny Sheldon made reference to this of "prostitution" in his book "Master of the Game" in the first generation (Jamie McGregor).

[Ayesha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh. It's a time filler.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Irving Wallace writes trashy beach reads, but we all need those once in a while.

[Janet Surrusco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was somewhat surprised by the content after first reading the book on Lourdes.

[Deepanshu Galyan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hilarious story, amazing characters with an unexpected turn of event, it is a very light read with simple and smooth sentences. It is a perfect coffee-time read!