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Room 702: Six Degrees of Brendan Sullivan
One hotel suite. One year. Many stories.
The Winchester Hotel is an active property in Beverly Hills, California. Luxurious and discreet, it is a perfect location for business meetings, weddings, affairs, and other important life events - including the death of an A List celebrity. Told from the omniscient perspective of the room, the reader has a front row seat to the drama that unfolds in the suite. Although each chapter is unique, the characters' lives intertwine in a way only possible in a major metropolis like Los Angeles.
The Winchester Hotel is an active property in Beverly Hills, California. Luxurious and discreet, it is a perfect location for business meetings, weddings, affairs, and other important life events - including the death of an A List celebrity. Told from the omniscient perspective of the room, the reader has a front row seat to the drama that unfolds in the suite. Although each chapter is unique, the characters' lives intertwine in a way only possible in a major metropolis like Los Angeles.
500 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 10, 2013
16 people are currently reading
308 people want to read
About the author
Ann Benjamin
4 books35 followersAnn Benjamin is an author and ex-pat living in Dubai, UAE. She writes about food at her culinary and travel blog, the Weekly A to Z. You might also recognize her from her other writing persona, Courtney Brandt, where she has authored six young adult marching novels, a complete steampunk trilogy, The Queen of England series, and a contemporary YA series, including Take One at Mulholland High, and the next novel, Take Two at Mulholland High. She recently released More Confessions of a Teenage Band Geek and Take Three at Mulholland High.
Ms. Benjamin was proud to release Room 702 in 2013, another stand-alone novel, Life After Joe, published in 2015, and Twenty Year Reunion in 2020. She is currently working on her next novel, Emily at the Wedding.
Please feel free to contact her at: annbenjaminauthor@hotmail.com, or visit her at: https://linktr.ee/cbrandtwright
Ms. Benjamin was proud to release Room 702 in 2013, another stand-alone novel, Life After Joe, published in 2015, and Twenty Year Reunion in 2020. She is currently working on her next novel, Emily at the Wedding.
Please feel free to contact her at: annbenjaminauthor@hotmail.com, or visit her at: https://linktr.ee/cbrandtwright
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 10, 2014
This is an interesting book that reveals information about the different people who stay in Room 702 at the Winchester Hotel in Los Angeles. Each chapter is labeled with a date and then describes what is happening in the room. One might think there would be very little story arch with these kinds of vignettes strung together, but that isn't the case. Chalk it up to word of mouth (why some of the guests are staying there), coincidence, divine intervention, "it's a small world," the author being clever, or the author manipulating the story to make everything fit: there are threads of story that run throughout the book.
I would give it a 3.5.
Every person/couple/family who stays in Room 702 is there for a different realistic reason. It's kind of fun as a reader to be the little fly on the wall and see the action. I travel quite a bit for my job and for pleasure, and I can honestly say I have never thought about who stayed in the room before me (unless I find something that belongs to someone else). The fact that this is a junior suite in a luxury hotel would typically indicate only certain types of people would stay there. However, the author does a good job of mixing up the characters, their reasons to be there, and their story. In the end, we all have the same story: we have a desire not to be alone, and we have the need to be loved.
I liked this book. Chapter 1 provides a complete description of the hotel and the room itself. When I got a sense of the format for the rest of the book, I was pretty excited. Then I wondered how I would feel come July - as in, do I really want to keep going? The answer was yes, I did. Each vignette captured my interest, and I truly wanted to see what was coming next and who was else would stay in the room.
It's interesting to read about people who stay in the suite alone verses people who stay their with others.
Without trying to give spoilers, there were a few things that I didn't care for. There were two larger arch stories and two smaller arch stories. The first larger arch story that involves the professional athlete was at first interesting, but then left me hanging a bit. I don't think the author got into the emotional bit enough. I would have liked a little more nitty gritty. The second larger arch (about an actor who spends the night) story tied in many other visits to the room: some of these were "it's a small world" and some of them were "well isn't that convenient." I didn't mind the first or second tie in, but by the fifth, I was sort of done. I guess I understand that what happened would be a big deal in this country, and for the hotel, and it's probably fair to go as far as she did with the connections, but I began to get annoyed by it. For the smaller story lines, it was nice to "follow" the lives of these people and get an update as to what happened later.
The version I read had quite a few typing errors and spacing errors. In addition, the author can be creative in her word choices, but then other times she repeats the same word in nearby sentences. I find that distracting as a reader.
I would definitely recommend this book if you have limited reading time. It's a great book to read a bit, then put down for a while. You won't really miss any action, and you can easily get back into it. It would also be a great book to read if you are driving your kids around to different sporting events or music lessons and waiting for them to finish. Each chapter is varying lengths, so it's perfect for reading while you are waiting (this was the case for me).
I'd also recommend this book if you like to read something different and creative. It is a love story. It is a sad story. It is an adventure. It's just not a traditional one of any those. It's definitely fun and allows the reader to be voyeuristic without being arrested.
I would give it a 3.5.
Every person/couple/family who stays in Room 702 is there for a different realistic reason. It's kind of fun as a reader to be the little fly on the wall and see the action. I travel quite a bit for my job and for pleasure, and I can honestly say I have never thought about who stayed in the room before me (unless I find something that belongs to someone else). The fact that this is a junior suite in a luxury hotel would typically indicate only certain types of people would stay there. However, the author does a good job of mixing up the characters, their reasons to be there, and their story. In the end, we all have the same story: we have a desire not to be alone, and we have the need to be loved.
I liked this book. Chapter 1 provides a complete description of the hotel and the room itself. When I got a sense of the format for the rest of the book, I was pretty excited. Then I wondered how I would feel come July - as in, do I really want to keep going? The answer was yes, I did. Each vignette captured my interest, and I truly wanted to see what was coming next and who was else would stay in the room.
It's interesting to read about people who stay in the suite alone verses people who stay their with others.
Without trying to give spoilers, there were a few things that I didn't care for. There were two larger arch stories and two smaller arch stories. The first larger arch story that involves the professional athlete was at first interesting, but then left me hanging a bit. I don't think the author got into the emotional bit enough. I would have liked a little more nitty gritty. The second larger arch (about an actor who spends the night) story tied in many other visits to the room: some of these were "it's a small world" and some of them were "well isn't that convenient." I didn't mind the first or second tie in, but by the fifth, I was sort of done. I guess I understand that what happened would be a big deal in this country, and for the hotel, and it's probably fair to go as far as she did with the connections, but I began to get annoyed by it. For the smaller story lines, it was nice to "follow" the lives of these people and get an update as to what happened later.
The version I read had quite a few typing errors and spacing errors. In addition, the author can be creative in her word choices, but then other times she repeats the same word in nearby sentences. I find that distracting as a reader.
I would definitely recommend this book if you have limited reading time. It's a great book to read a bit, then put down for a while. You won't really miss any action, and you can easily get back into it. It would also be a great book to read if you are driving your kids around to different sporting events or music lessons and waiting for them to finish. Each chapter is varying lengths, so it's perfect for reading while you are waiting (this was the case for me).
I'd also recommend this book if you like to read something different and creative. It is a love story. It is a sad story. It is an adventure. It's just not a traditional one of any those. It's definitely fun and allows the reader to be voyeuristic without being arrested.
August 3, 2014
The stories were okay, but I expected a bit more play between the various characters. The book was 70 short stories, each of which took place in room 702, but with one or two exceptions, almost no overlap between stories.
As a side note, I found the typos to be extremely distracting. There are dozens. "To" instead of "Too", "Is" instead of "His", "Of" instead of "Off", etc. They were all spelled correctly, just the completely wrong word. Additionally, there were a few chapters where the character's name switched from one paragraph to the next. Having an editor make a pass over it wouldn't be a bad thing.
As a side note, I found the typos to be extremely distracting. There are dozens. "To" instead of "Too", "Is" instead of "His", "Of" instead of "Off", etc. They were all spelled correctly, just the completely wrong word. Additionally, there were a few chapters where the character's name switched from one paragraph to the next. Having an editor make a pass over it wouldn't be a bad thing.
March 27, 2014
This is a different sort of book as each chapter is dedicated to particular characters staying within Room 702. You need to read a while to really get into the flow but once stories begin to link together it's fun to read and see where it may go.
I wasn't crazy about the POV. Way too much telling instead of showing but overall an easy read.
I wasn't crazy about the POV. Way too much telling instead of showing but overall an easy read.
March 27, 2014
I really enjoyed this book. I loved reading the stories of the different people staying in that room and the changes when they would visit again. I also liked that they all tired together at one point out another. I would love to read another year of this hotel room.
February 9, 2017
This book was a nice, easy read. It kept my attention and I didnt get bored. However, the hard part was keeping track of all the characters and remembering how they all connect. Especially if you have to stop and start again, day after day. This book is worth the read.
January 22, 2017
I wanted to love this book, the idea behind it was so intriguing to me. Throughout the book I kept imaging this great ending with a culmination of stories intertwining (as most did throughout the story). I didn't get that at the end, so my expectation wasn't met. There were a bunch of spelling errors...which always make me crazy. I'm trying to figure out what the author's obsession with Ohio is. So many characters were from Ohio, or went to school in Ohio and even the Cavaliers were mentioned...just an odd pattern that kept repeating. Also, the name Charlie was used for I think 3 different scenarios which again was a strange repeated pattern. It's weird to even point this out, I know, but I had to put it out there because it seemed excessive.
December 6, 2013
I wanted to branch out on the genres I read. I typically read romance, mystery and fantasy. I could not stop reading this book once I started. Each chapter/event was a story but towards the end they all start to come together. Really enjoyed this book.
August 6, 2016
Interesting premise, and a great variety of characters.
May 4, 2014
I don't like short story books so I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Cute premise and I enjoyed the tie ins from chapter to chapter. Not great but a nice change from romance.
October 16, 2014
Why so many spelling errors and missing words? Ugh. I liked the concept of the book. I liked the story, for the most part.
September 10, 2014
Pretty good
This was a pretty good book. It was easy reading. It was like 're a ding a bunch of short stories.
This was a pretty good book. It was easy reading. It was like 're a ding a bunch of short stories.
May 15, 2015
Very interesting book. It really makes you think about all of the different kinds of people that use a single hotel room in just one year.
September 18, 2016
Very creative book...lots of stories.
July 7, 2019
..Staying in a hotel is a temporary suspension from reality. No matter how short the stay, it’s like people just instantly check out of their lives as soon as they check in.
Needed something quick to start before bed LOL..so decided to look into my Kindle library for something short and sweet and found this one however I had NO idea I was over 498 pages LOL..I am going to be on my computer a lot and so wanted to find a book to read here and on my phone but whew the change in format is tricky man I miss my paper physical books LOL..Okay so Room 702 tells all about a hotel room and people who come through it throughout the course of an entire year..Now when I say they tell ABOUT the hotel, you literally feel like you are there with the first chapter being a truly detailed look at a hotel room from the bed placement to the fixtures, the color scheme all that—this author really set the stage for the room as you really see the room and then you get into what happens there---
The stories vary with:
-A married couple trying to have a baby who actually succeed in conceiving a child in the room
-A professional basketball player hiding his need for therapy and visits with a therapist and keeps his standing monthly appointments to get his life together as he goes through a pregnancy scare and an affair with a random groupie
-A married couple on an all-expense paid vacation to the Peoples Choice Awards
-A man contemplating suicide after the holidays and personal life failures who gets another shot at happiness when he least expects it
-An FBI agent undercover
-A cross dressing man desperate to keep his secret from his wife
-An actress having an affair with her costar and leading man
-A woman caught in a vicious date rape
-A Rockstar tentatively navigating a new relationship
-A pregnant lawyer thinking over her next steps and going through with an abortion
-Two FBI agents protecting a fourteen year old girl
-An escort who works discreetly out of the hotel providing gentlemen services
-An aging celebrity actor high on cocaine and regret who overdoses and dies in the room
-A young rich senior getting ready for prom and to lose her virginity with her boyfriend
-A nervous bride with a wedding day emergency
-A lady recovering from breast reduction surgery with her female roommate who just realizes she has feelings for
-A man who won a lot of money in a poker game he was never supposed to win and now on the run
-An unhappy teenage girl whose only solace is cutting herself with razors
-A successful married couple turned to strangers hoping to rekindle their marriage and ending up deciding to have a child
-A woman regretting an adoption choice many years ago and her decision to reach out to her forgotten daughter
-A first date gone wrong with an out of town guest and a pastry chef that ends in the emergency room
Eh and these are just the characters I remembered as you go from Jan to Jan a couple of weeks in each month..there were more little stories and it was interesting I always think about people and everyone's lives to myself LOL but then you find yourself wanting resolutions to the stories and getting in a new life every few pages got to be a lot at the end as all the stories were not good LOL..overall its something to read, you could read in parts or straight-thru which is probably better so you remember the characters, but its long LOL ..eh now a traditional read please LOL.:)
Needed something quick to start before bed LOL..so decided to look into my Kindle library for something short and sweet and found this one however I had NO idea I was over 498 pages LOL..I am going to be on my computer a lot and so wanted to find a book to read here and on my phone but whew the change in format is tricky man I miss my paper physical books LOL..Okay so Room 702 tells all about a hotel room and people who come through it throughout the course of an entire year..Now when I say they tell ABOUT the hotel, you literally feel like you are there with the first chapter being a truly detailed look at a hotel room from the bed placement to the fixtures, the color scheme all that—this author really set the stage for the room as you really see the room and then you get into what happens there---
The stories vary with:
-A married couple trying to have a baby who actually succeed in conceiving a child in the room
-A professional basketball player hiding his need for therapy and visits with a therapist and keeps his standing monthly appointments to get his life together as he goes through a pregnancy scare and an affair with a random groupie
-A married couple on an all-expense paid vacation to the Peoples Choice Awards
-A man contemplating suicide after the holidays and personal life failures who gets another shot at happiness when he least expects it
-An FBI agent undercover
-A cross dressing man desperate to keep his secret from his wife
-An actress having an affair with her costar and leading man
-A woman caught in a vicious date rape
-A Rockstar tentatively navigating a new relationship
-A pregnant lawyer thinking over her next steps and going through with an abortion
-Two FBI agents protecting a fourteen year old girl
-An escort who works discreetly out of the hotel providing gentlemen services
-An aging celebrity actor high on cocaine and regret who overdoses and dies in the room
-A young rich senior getting ready for prom and to lose her virginity with her boyfriend
-A nervous bride with a wedding day emergency
-A lady recovering from breast reduction surgery with her female roommate who just realizes she has feelings for
-A man who won a lot of money in a poker game he was never supposed to win and now on the run
-An unhappy teenage girl whose only solace is cutting herself with razors
-A successful married couple turned to strangers hoping to rekindle their marriage and ending up deciding to have a child
-A woman regretting an adoption choice many years ago and her decision to reach out to her forgotten daughter
-A first date gone wrong with an out of town guest and a pastry chef that ends in the emergency room
Eh and these are just the characters I remembered as you go from Jan to Jan a couple of weeks in each month..there were more little stories and it was interesting I always think about people and everyone's lives to myself LOL but then you find yourself wanting resolutions to the stories and getting in a new life every few pages got to be a lot at the end as all the stories were not good LOL..overall its something to read, you could read in parts or straight-thru which is probably better so you remember the characters, but its long LOL ..eh now a traditional read please LOL.:)
February 7, 2024
Interesting concept. The book relates the lives of people that stay in a certain hotel room over the course of a year. Some of the stories are more compelling than others. Overall, an easy read.
Did Not Finish
April 27, 2024DNF @ 11%. I really love the idea, but didn't found the execution engaging enough for all the time I'd need to spend with this book to read it.
March 8, 2017
Good idea poor writing.
This book was never edited or reviewed. Spelling was awful and grammar atrocious. Characters names changed in chapters and were spelled wrong.
This book was never edited or reviewed. Spelling was awful and grammar atrocious. Characters names changed in chapters and were spelled wrong.
February 7, 2017
What a shame. This story was a really interesting idea but nobody bothered getting it proofread. I only got to 4% in and I'd already happened across way too many mistakes.
Coifs and not coiffes, Bvgalri and not Bvlgari, this sentence-"Mind if I take shower quickly", ladies room missing its apostrophe, then I reached effected and not affected and gave in.
We hear about a woman trying to conceive and then a couple of pages further on we hear the same thing all over again !!! There was also WAY too much product placement. We really don't need to know the designer of anyone's trainers or shirt.....
Another odd thing is the title has had this strapline added-Six Degrees of Brendan Sullivan. What that means is anyone's guess. Perhaps he's a famous American but it meant nothing at all to me. Room 702 as a title was sufficient.
Sadly, what could have been a good story was ruined for the sake of a proofreading exercise.
Coifs and not coiffes, Bvgalri and not Bvlgari, this sentence-"Mind if I take shower quickly", ladies room missing its apostrophe, then I reached effected and not affected and gave in.
We hear about a woman trying to conceive and then a couple of pages further on we hear the same thing all over again !!! There was also WAY too much product placement. We really don't need to know the designer of anyone's trainers or shirt.....
Another odd thing is the title has had this strapline added-Six Degrees of Brendan Sullivan. What that means is anyone's guess. Perhaps he's a famous American but it meant nothing at all to me. Room 702 as a title was sufficient.
Sadly, what could have been a good story was ruined for the sake of a proofreading exercise.
April 8, 2014
I'll start off by saying this is a really long book! Even though I read the synopsis, I had no idea it was just a bunch of short stories that were for the most part, no related to each other. Here and there you might have a person in a chapter who knows someone else 50 chapters later, but I couldn't keep up with all that. The stories were unique and I'm glad they were short. This is a book I would suggest reading while reading another book. Read a chapter or two here and there, but definitely not all at once (like I did). There were quite a few errors, but considering the length of the book, I guess it wasn't that bad.
November 6, 2014
The concept of this book is great, but it failed to execute. It's an easy read, and I didn't hate it by any means, I just didn't gain a whole lot from it. It seemed like there wasn't much of a purpose or plot behind it, other than to tell a bunch of different stories with no conclusion. There are also A LOT of typos and grammatical errors, which drives me crazy in a published book. Not the worst thing I have read, but definitely no where near the best.
May 23, 2014
It was an interesting concept telling the stories of various people who stayed in the hotel in room 702. Some of the patrons stories were better than others. Some were interesting whereas some were good for one chapter then anything beyond that, and I felt like that was too much (the basektball player was one that I didn't care for much).
February 3, 2015
Very interesting storyline. One hotel room in Los Angeles & the stories between the walls in this one room. Lots of editing errors though. Especially chapters 57-58 confusing on the character of Jane & Jill.
September 10, 2016
Simplistic and dull. DNF
July 20, 2015
Boring. Didn't finish.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews