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I due Hotel Francfort
Julia e Pete Winters sono americani molto per bene e a Parigi hanno cercato una fuga dalla loro ordinaria vita matrimoniale, Edward e Iris Freleng sono eleganti, ricchi con noncuranza, due bohémien che hanno girato la costa francese sperando fino all'ultimo di non doverla lasciare. Invece il giugno del 1940 li sorprende tutti e quattro bloccati nell'atmosfera precaria, al tempo stesso seducente e trasandata, del neutrale porto di Lisbona.
Dai confini di molte nazioni ormai risuonano i colpi di mortaio, ma loro aspettano senza troppa ansia l'arrivo della nave SS Manhattan che li porterà in salvo a New York, non del tutto convinti di voler rimpatriare. Si conoscono al Café Suiça ed è subito evidente una tensione tra loro: entrambe le coppie nascondono un segreto che senza essere esibito le lega insieme fin dal primo istante, entrambe le coppie sono tormentate dalle convenzioni sociali e sessuali dell'epoca.
Come l'Europa fatica a tenere in vita gli ultimi equilibri e affonda inesorabilmente nella guerra, così anche la stabilità dei Winters e dei Freleng comincia a cedere...
Dopo sei anni di silenzio, David Leavitt torna con un romanzo esplosivo e lirico: una storia sul potere della manipolazione, sui modi in cui le persone possono cambiare in circostanze eccezionali e non essere più le stesse. La fotografia di un continente alla vigilia del disastro. Una Lisbona affollata di espatriati in attesa di essere portati in salvo, preoccupati di quello che stanno per perdere eppure abbandonati alla languida sospensione della città. Il ritratto politicamente carico di quattro destini che devono fare i conti con il violento contrasto tra le convenzioni del loro mondo e i personalissimi, scandalosi desideri di felicità.
252 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2013
72 people are currently reading
2187 people want to read
About the author
David Leavitt
62 books428 followersLeavitt is a graduate of Yale University and a professor at the University of Florida, where he is the co-director of the creative writing program. He is also the editor of Subtropics magazine, The University of Florida's literary review.
Leavitt, who is openly gay, has frequently explored gay issues in his work. He divides his time between Florida and Tuscany, Italy.
Leavitt, who is openly gay, has frequently explored gay issues in his work. He divides his time between Florida and Tuscany, Italy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 298 reviews
September 30, 2021
5 " deliciously and delightfully deceiving" stars !!!
9th Favorite Read of 2017
This book is so multilayered and complex. Two couples meet in Lisbon in 1940 and are waiting to board a ship to America to leave the Nazis behind. They become fast friends but do they really ?
Mr. Leavitt is a master novelist and at first I thought I was reading a love story about an illicit passionate affair between two men while the wives drank tea. Moment by moment though we are taken through the quartet's history through their own and others eyes and what we found out are partial truths and three quarter lies. We see each other and ourselves through eyes with large cataracts so that our narratives are cloudy rather than clear.
I was amazed at how this story unravels not with cheap psychological histrionics but a subtle unveiling that left me feeling anxious and melancholy. The pain of extramarital affairs is hard enough on all despite the sweetness of the fruit that easily starts to spoil. Do the wives know about the blossoming affair or are they instigators and enablers. Do the husbands fully engage or simply dally ? Who masters who in the marriage and more importantly in the friendships?
What starts off as a drunken beachside frolic in 1940 Portugal becomes a vat of heavy sticky honey where all four protagonists start to struggle through the overly sweet morass and in order to save themselves start to drown each other. Layers of neurosis are unveiled and primitive emotions such as jealousy and dominance rear their ugly heads. Machiaviallian men, Medusic women, lust, boredom and temporary madness.
Mr. Leavitt you initially had me laugh in delight, then you had me quake with anxiety and then left me bereft and melancholy.
Mr. Leavitt you are a sly and wise and wily fox ! And I like it !!
9th Favorite Read of 2017
This book is so multilayered and complex. Two couples meet in Lisbon in 1940 and are waiting to board a ship to America to leave the Nazis behind. They become fast friends but do they really ?
Mr. Leavitt is a master novelist and at first I thought I was reading a love story about an illicit passionate affair between two men while the wives drank tea. Moment by moment though we are taken through the quartet's history through their own and others eyes and what we found out are partial truths and three quarter lies. We see each other and ourselves through eyes with large cataracts so that our narratives are cloudy rather than clear.
I was amazed at how this story unravels not with cheap psychological histrionics but a subtle unveiling that left me feeling anxious and melancholy. The pain of extramarital affairs is hard enough on all despite the sweetness of the fruit that easily starts to spoil. Do the wives know about the blossoming affair or are they instigators and enablers. Do the husbands fully engage or simply dally ? Who masters who in the marriage and more importantly in the friendships?
What starts off as a drunken beachside frolic in 1940 Portugal becomes a vat of heavy sticky honey where all four protagonists start to struggle through the overly sweet morass and in order to save themselves start to drown each other. Layers of neurosis are unveiled and primitive emotions such as jealousy and dominance rear their ugly heads. Machiaviallian men, Medusic women, lust, boredom and temporary madness.
Mr. Leavitt you initially had me laugh in delight, then you had me quake with anxiety and then left me bereft and melancholy.
Mr. Leavitt you are a sly and wise and wily fox ! And I like it !!
August 9, 2013
OOh, this is good. Very Ford Maddox Ford with gay sex and a dog.
August 28, 2017
As compulsively readable as this book was, I knew early one that I would be able to give it only a middling rating. There are just some books that, though one zips through them, are lacking some element that makes them stand out. On the surface, there is nothing very wrong with The Two Hotel Francforts at all, but there is also nothing very sparkly - if I can call it that. The plot revolves around two couples who meet in Lisbon in 1940 as they wait to leave a war ravaged Europe on a ship sailing for New York. Without giving too much away, there are obvious tensions, sexual and otherwise that arise as they get to know each other very quickly over a short time span. The book is told in the first person, by Pete, a car salesman who has been living in Paris with his wife, Julia, for the past fifteen years. His narration has an odd quality of great intimacy and at the same time distance. We are invited into his innermost thoughts and at the same time, there is a sense of great detachment to strong feeling. It is difficult to describe the nuances of the book, without spoiling the plot, but in terms of action there is little. I don't mind that at all, as I prefer character driven books, but at some point I realized that the characters weren't doing it for me either. Pete is a sedate and kindly sort of person, yet he doesn't shy away from causing others emotional pain, which made me dislike him. Julia was a character who nowadays would possibly have been diagnosed as bipolar, but through the words of her long-suffering husband comes across as annoying and cold. Edward and Iris, the other couple, are no less resembling caricatures, one the charmer the other the babysitter. All in all, it was an easy read, and not exactly unsatisfying as everything is tied up neatly in the end and not too unbelievably either, and yet I know that in a few weeks, when I have read some other books, I will be hard pressed to remember their names.
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
Find more reviews and bookish fun at http://www.princessandpen.com
June 4, 2017
I think I became aware of this book from my Goodreads sidebar recommendations. I thought it sounded good, and being set in Lisbon - a place I want to know better - was an added bonus. Although quite readable, I have to say this book did not live up to its promise.
Early on in WW2, two couples meet in Lisbon while awaiting repatriation to New York aboard the SS Manhattan. One couple is staying at the Hotel Francfort, while the other has managed to secure a room at the nearby Francfort Hotel. Unexpectedly, an affair begins, but apart from that, both couples experience frustration, hurt and a fair amount of ennui as they await their departure.
This is going to sound contradictory, I know, but on one hand I felt that the plot was implausible (or at the very least unconvincing) and on the other I felt that NOTHING HAPPENED. I think the implausibility stems from the author's failure to adequately flesh out the four main characters. I just didn't get to know them well enough to believe that they would do what they did, or feel the way they purportedly felt. A saving grace was that the illicit lovers took some nice walks around Lisbon and a few drives in the countryside, so I guess it delivered in that regard.
In one of the final chapters, the author did something that I thought was unforgivably lazy - Rather than offer a summary of Georgina’s “memoir,” which is unsummarizable, I think I will just copy out the pertinent chapter: - and then he does just that! Not for a few paragraphs, or a couple of pages, but for the entire chapter! Considering this is a book presented as a book written by one of the characters, that then inserts an entire chapter from the book written by another (minor) character, it all became a bit too weirdly self-referential for my liking.
It was a quick read, but I can't really recommend it.
Early on in WW2, two couples meet in Lisbon while awaiting repatriation to New York aboard the SS Manhattan. One couple is staying at the Hotel Francfort, while the other has managed to secure a room at the nearby Francfort Hotel. Unexpectedly, an affair begins, but apart from that, both couples experience frustration, hurt and a fair amount of ennui as they await their departure.
This is going to sound contradictory, I know, but on one hand I felt that the plot was implausible (or at the very least unconvincing) and on the other I felt that NOTHING HAPPENED. I think the implausibility stems from the author's failure to adequately flesh out the four main characters. I just didn't get to know them well enough to believe that they would do what they did, or feel the way they purportedly felt. A saving grace was that the illicit lovers took some nice walks around Lisbon and a few drives in the countryside, so I guess it delivered in that regard.
In one of the final chapters, the author did something that I thought was unforgivably lazy - Rather than offer a summary of Georgina’s “memoir,” which is unsummarizable, I think I will just copy out the pertinent chapter: - and then he does just that! Not for a few paragraphs, or a couple of pages, but for the entire chapter! Considering this is a book presented as a book written by one of the characters, that then inserts an entire chapter from the book written by another (minor) character, it all became a bit too weirdly self-referential for my liking.
It was a quick read, but I can't really recommend it.
January 1, 2016
Pare che D. Leavitt sia uno scrittore molto apprezzato e "di qualità": sarà, ma in questo suo primo romanzo che leggo (visto per caso sul sito della casa editrice) mi ha piuttosto deluso.
Già dai primi capitoli commette tutti gli "errori" soliti che mi fanno indispettire:
a) un personaggio che parla come Wikipedia e ci scarica addosso l'immancabile infodump su Lisbona, il Portogallo e la situazione storico-politica
b) al capitolo 2 più o meno già sappiamo vita, morte, miracoli, carattere e backstory del protagonista e di sua moglie
c) un io narrante che non si capisce per chi e perché stia scrivendo la sua storia (se questo è l'espediente che vuoi farci credere, almeno giustificalo: e poi perché un venditore di automobili di Indianapolis dovrebbe avere una prosa così raffinata?)
d) un'attrazione immediata e magicamente inspiegabile tra i due protagonisti: Edward e Pete si incontrano per caso, il primo riaccompagna in albergo il secondo, gli entra in camera e si mette a tastare le mutande della moglie di Pete (giuro), e per qualche motivo questo fa sì che Pete abbia immediatamente voglia di rivedere quella sera quella conoscenza casuale e superficialissima. La notte stessa fanno sesso, e subito dopo la cosa per qualche motivo è già "seria" (). Ma perché? E nel corso del romanzo non si arriva a un'analisi molto più approfondita, visto che il narratore è interessato a raccontarci tutto degli altri meno che, ah sì, è stato sposato per anni con una donna ma ora improvvisamente ha perso la testa per un uomo.
e) dialoghi improbabili
f) senso del trascorrere del tempo totalmente incongruo: vai avanti a leggere e, da come scrive il narratore, sembra che quella strana situazione si stia protraendo per mesi ("avevamo adottato la nostra routine", "non mi rendevo conto di come la situazione stesse logorando mia moglie"...), poi vai a scoprire che è passata... neanche una settimana? Ma dai!
Francamente non so di che volesse parlare 'sto libro: ci sarebbe anche Il matematico indiano dello stesso autore ma per ora aspetterà.
1,5/5
Già dai primi capitoli commette tutti gli "errori" soliti che mi fanno indispettire:
a) un personaggio che parla come Wikipedia e ci scarica addosso l'immancabile infodump su Lisbona, il Portogallo e la situazione storico-politica
b) al capitolo 2 più o meno già sappiamo vita, morte, miracoli, carattere e backstory del protagonista e di sua moglie
c) un io narrante che non si capisce per chi e perché stia scrivendo la sua storia (se questo è l'espediente che vuoi farci credere, almeno giustificalo: e poi perché un venditore di automobili di Indianapolis dovrebbe avere una prosa così raffinata?)
d) un'attrazione immediata e magicamente inspiegabile tra i due protagonisti: Edward e Pete si incontrano per caso, il primo riaccompagna in albergo il secondo, gli entra in camera e si mette a tastare le mutande della moglie di Pete (giuro), e per qualche motivo questo fa sì che Pete abbia immediatamente voglia di rivedere quella sera quella conoscenza casuale e superficialissima. La notte stessa fanno sesso, e subito dopo la cosa per qualche motivo è già "seria" (). Ma perché? E nel corso del romanzo non si arriva a un'analisi molto più approfondita, visto che il narratore è interessato a raccontarci tutto degli altri meno che, ah sì, è stato sposato per anni con una donna ma ora improvvisamente ha perso la testa per un uomo.
e) dialoghi improbabili
f) senso del trascorrere del tempo totalmente incongruo: vai avanti a leggere e, da come scrive il narratore, sembra che quella strana situazione si stia protraendo per mesi ("avevamo adottato la nostra routine", "non mi rendevo conto di come la situazione stesse logorando mia moglie"...), poi vai a scoprire che è passata... neanche una settimana? Ma dai!
Francamente non so di che volesse parlare 'sto libro: ci sarebbe anche Il matematico indiano dello stesso autore ma per ora aspetterà.
1,5/5
August 28, 2013
In the summer of 1940, as Hitler's troops were invading Europe, people fled to the neutrality of Lisbon, many hoping to get on one of the few ships sailing to America. During this time, Lisbon is filled with spies and royalty and people in exile. Leavitt's story primarily concerns two ex-pat couples waiting for the S. S. Manhattan to come. The novel is narrated by one of the main characters, Pete Winters.
Pete and Julia Winters are Americans who have lived in Paris for over 15 years; Julia insisted on following her Parisian dream and never returning to America. She spent her idle days trying to write, but never got past reams of the first chapter. Pete is a fairly successful car salesman, who feels it is his duty to make Julia happy. Edward and Iris Frelang are wealthy itinerants and writers of a French detective series, written under a pseudonym.
The two couples meet at a café one evening, when Edward mistakenly steps on Pete's eyeglasses. One couple is staying at Hotel Francfort and the other at the Francfort Hotel--hence, the title. Although the novel focuses tightly on these two couples, it is also peopled with anxious characters either waiting for passage overseas or denied visas. This adds color and atmosphere of a world in flux and unmoored. Julia is a Jew, who understandably doesn't want to let it be known. However, her insecurities run much deeper than is at first evident, and beyond her Jewishness.
The restlessness of the Winters and Frelangs start to show early on, like a sleeping beast awakened, as the long claws of latent behaviors crack the surface and Edward and Pete begin an affair. Their attraction to each other is evident from the first, and perhaps in a different time, when the anxieties aren't so ubiquitous, this would not have occurred. At least, that is my assessment, or the reason that allows me to consider that their pairing is organic, and that who we are is fungible.
This is my first Leavitt novel, although THE INDIAN CLERK, a much fatter novel, sits on my shelf. Now, I look forward to it. Leavitt's prose is lean and assured, and he manages to surprise the reader with a few twists, especially toward the end, when it is understood that the craft of writing is an important subtext of Leavitt's work, or at least, has a talismanic presence. Or, perhaps, it is incidental to the recalibration of our sense of self--and those closest to us.
"It is really astounding to me, the human capacity for self-delusion, of which I myself am as guilty as anyone, and as much when what is at stake is something to be lost as something to be gained. And perhaps this is...a talent we must cultivate to survive--until the moment arrives when it kills us."
Pete and Julia Winters are Americans who have lived in Paris for over 15 years; Julia insisted on following her Parisian dream and never returning to America. She spent her idle days trying to write, but never got past reams of the first chapter. Pete is a fairly successful car salesman, who feels it is his duty to make Julia happy. Edward and Iris Frelang are wealthy itinerants and writers of a French detective series, written under a pseudonym.
The two couples meet at a café one evening, when Edward mistakenly steps on Pete's eyeglasses. One couple is staying at Hotel Francfort and the other at the Francfort Hotel--hence, the title. Although the novel focuses tightly on these two couples, it is also peopled with anxious characters either waiting for passage overseas or denied visas. This adds color and atmosphere of a world in flux and unmoored. Julia is a Jew, who understandably doesn't want to let it be known. However, her insecurities run much deeper than is at first evident, and beyond her Jewishness.
The restlessness of the Winters and Frelangs start to show early on, like a sleeping beast awakened, as the long claws of latent behaviors crack the surface and Edward and Pete begin an affair. Their attraction to each other is evident from the first, and perhaps in a different time, when the anxieties aren't so ubiquitous, this would not have occurred. At least, that is my assessment, or the reason that allows me to consider that their pairing is organic, and that who we are is fungible.
This is my first Leavitt novel, although THE INDIAN CLERK, a much fatter novel, sits on my shelf. Now, I look forward to it. Leavitt's prose is lean and assured, and he manages to surprise the reader with a few twists, especially toward the end, when it is understood that the craft of writing is an important subtext of Leavitt's work, or at least, has a talismanic presence. Or, perhaps, it is incidental to the recalibration of our sense of self--and those closest to us.
"It is really astounding to me, the human capacity for self-delusion, of which I myself am as guilty as anyone, and as much when what is at stake is something to be lost as something to be gained. And perhaps this is...a talent we must cultivate to survive--until the moment arrives when it kills us."
June 29, 2013
I was very excited to read this book; it seemed perfect for me: World War II and a gay affair. It’s set in Portugal in 1940 as expats and refugees are converging on Lisbon, trying to get to America. This is an aspect of World War II I haven’t read much about, and Leavitt does a good job showing the different ways people are responding to the Nazi invasion of France. But this is just the backdrop for the meeting of two couples waiting for a ship to New York.
So this isn’t really a World War II novel. And neither is it the love story I wanted. It isn’t a grand romance, nor a passionate but doomed affair, or even a sexual awakening. It’s just a fling that has little impact on the characters’ lives beyond the pages of the book. Pete, the main character, gives no indication he’s ever considered being with a man, but all it takes is a night on the town and a little flirting for him to begin a sexual relationship with Edward. Their first night together is really the peak of the affair, and then it’s all downhill. Pete seems invested, wanting to spend all his time with Edward and daydreaming about a future with him, but becomes disillusioned fairly quickly. And Edward’s intentions are more complex and unsavory than they seem initially.
Leavitt treats his female characters poorly. Pete’s wife, Julia, is brittle and paranoid, paralyzed by the thought of returning to New York and blind to the dangers around her and the state of her marriage. And it’s hard to feel sympathetic toward Edward’s wife, as she’s complicit in his affair. I didn’t really believe she would continually forgive him for the terrible way he treats her; she claims he’s a genius and she can’t stand to lose him, but he comes off as way too wishy-washy and self-serving to deserve this level of devotion.
It’s revealed fairly early on that Julia doesn’t make it to New York, so I was expecting a dramatic ending, but in this I was also disappointed. The book comes to a dreary and emotionless end, with the characters moving on with their lives as if Pete and Edward’s affair never happened.
So this isn’t really a World War II novel. And neither is it the love story I wanted. It isn’t a grand romance, nor a passionate but doomed affair, or even a sexual awakening. It’s just a fling that has little impact on the characters’ lives beyond the pages of the book. Pete, the main character, gives no indication he’s ever considered being with a man, but all it takes is a night on the town and a little flirting for him to begin a sexual relationship with Edward. Their first night together is really the peak of the affair, and then it’s all downhill. Pete seems invested, wanting to spend all his time with Edward and daydreaming about a future with him, but becomes disillusioned fairly quickly. And Edward’s intentions are more complex and unsavory than they seem initially.
Leavitt treats his female characters poorly. Pete’s wife, Julia, is brittle and paranoid, paralyzed by the thought of returning to New York and blind to the dangers around her and the state of her marriage. And it’s hard to feel sympathetic toward Edward’s wife, as she’s complicit in his affair. I didn’t really believe she would continually forgive him for the terrible way he treats her; she claims he’s a genius and she can’t stand to lose him, but he comes off as way too wishy-washy and self-serving to deserve this level of devotion.
It’s revealed fairly early on that Julia doesn’t make it to New York, so I was expecting a dramatic ending, but in this I was also disappointed. The book comes to a dreary and emotionless end, with the characters moving on with their lives as if Pete and Edward’s affair never happened.
June 17, 2020
2. Dünya Savaşı'nın başlarında Avrupa'dan kaçıp Amerika'ya gitmek için Lizbon'a gelen bir çift orada başka bir çiftle tanışır. Bekledikleri gemi gelene kadar yaşadıkları kitabın konusunu oluşturuyor, çok beğenerek okudum...
dnf
July 25, 2020Forcing myself, got to about p.78. Already skimmed around p.40. These stuck up, very well to-do people just aren't the kind I can stand to read about at the mo. Read a spoiler review and found out I don't need to.
January 17, 2014
I have always been a fan of David Leavitt but each book makes me question my judgement more. The premise of two couples stranded in neutral Lisbon during the 2nd world war waiting for a boat out is interesting and new, so is the idea of two seemingly heterosexual men having an affair (although I found one of their wives contrivance unconvincing). The problem is that you don't really engage with the story or really care what four spoiled people get up to (and there is no real jeopardy because with American passports they will get on the next boat out). Like other reviewers, I guessed the ending. If you've never read Leavitt, look at Lost Language of Cranes when his writing was fresh and exciting. Today he certainly knows how to write but is so keen to show off technique, point of view and research that all the energy is drained away. What a pity
June 9, 2023
I was surprised to find famously gay author Leavitt writing a novel about two married couples who have just become acquainted in 1940 Lisbon. But I needn't have been: just a few pages in, one husband is pressing his knee against the other husband's knee under a café table, and we're off to the races. The gay sex races. Arrived with other war refugees from western Europe, they're waiting for a ship to take them to America, and you've got to occupy your time somehow. One member of each couple is surreptitiously, or at least subtly, Jewish. One couple has an elderly dog, Daisy, who spends the novel licking everyone's ankles. There's a suicide (foreshadowed multiple times; all I will tell you is it's not Daisy), some hidden secrets, and a plot twist at the end.
January 4, 2014
Non-Conventions: A study of love
Reading “The Two Hotel Francforts: I was reminded of Ford Maddox Ford’s “The Good Soldier” for many reasons but mostly because of the explicit exploration of sexuality within and without marriage though neither of these novels contains egregious sexual content but rather that they’re about the role of sex in interpersonal and intimate relationships and the nature of love and how it’s expressed. Another similarity is the European setting when there is an expectation or the aftermath of war. Mostly though there was the theme of the value and nature of love and how to hold on to it and the question of the impossibility of really knowing another human being. Since both explore a world filled with just two couples there’s a sense of claustrophobia. Both novels are highly contemplative with a singular, perhaps unreliable, narrator.
But enough of Ford’s novel. Leavitt’s might be paying homage to Ford but his work is his own as is his exploration of certain themes. Two couples meet in Lisbon at the beginning of World War II. They’re trying to escape the war by sailing to America. They love Europe and have mixed feelings about leaving it. They spend probably too much time together and become enmeshed. Both couples have long term rifts in their marriages which begin to unravel in this closely wrought environment. Leavitt is exemplary in setting atmosphere and evoking emotion with few words and he swings almost wildly between the traditional and the avant garde. I love how he looks frankly at the unconventional. I don’t’ know how I’ve managed to miss reading Leavitt until now. He’s an excellent author.
This review is based on an advance reader's copy provided by the publisher.
(Disclaimer included as required by the FTC.)
Reading “The Two Hotel Francforts: I was reminded of Ford Maddox Ford’s “The Good Soldier” for many reasons but mostly because of the explicit exploration of sexuality within and without marriage though neither of these novels contains egregious sexual content but rather that they’re about the role of sex in interpersonal and intimate relationships and the nature of love and how it’s expressed. Another similarity is the European setting when there is an expectation or the aftermath of war. Mostly though there was the theme of the value and nature of love and how to hold on to it and the question of the impossibility of really knowing another human being. Since both explore a world filled with just two couples there’s a sense of claustrophobia. Both novels are highly contemplative with a singular, perhaps unreliable, narrator.
But enough of Ford’s novel. Leavitt’s might be paying homage to Ford but his work is his own as is his exploration of certain themes. Two couples meet in Lisbon at the beginning of World War II. They’re trying to escape the war by sailing to America. They love Europe and have mixed feelings about leaving it. They spend probably too much time together and become enmeshed. Both couples have long term rifts in their marriages which begin to unravel in this closely wrought environment. Leavitt is exemplary in setting atmosphere and evoking emotion with few words and he swings almost wildly between the traditional and the avant garde. I love how he looks frankly at the unconventional. I don’t’ know how I’ve managed to miss reading Leavitt until now. He’s an excellent author.
This review is based on an advance reader's copy provided by the publisher.
(Disclaimer included as required by the FTC.)
October 21, 2014
Oh what a joy it is to read a great new novel from a favourite author. David Leavitt has written another book that had me thinking that work was getting in the way of my reading time.
Set in Portugal in 1940 it is the story of two couples, Peter and Julia, Edward and Iris, who meet at a café and discover that they are staying in one of the two hotels with the name Francfort (The Hotel Francfort and The Francfort Hotel to be specific). They, like a huge number of refugees in the country are awaiting the arrival of the passenger ship Manhattan which will take them away from war-torn Europe to America. At their first meeting there is a brief touch between the two men that speaks volumes (unknown to Peter at the time), and it is this attraction that dominates the friendship between the four people. Over just a few days their lives become entwined, secrets are revealed and hidden, and darkness looms over one of the four. The conclusion was both intriguing and quite surprising.
There are stories within stories in this book, almost like revealing something new behind a hotel room door. It would seem that the possibility of anyone being a spy at that time was fairly common, so the tales that people tell are held with some suspicion, and not everything is explained by the characters, so there is an air of wonder about how it will all pan out.
If I should compare it to any of his previous books then the early Spanish Civil War novel 'While England Sleeps' would be the closest, but this is possibly even more enjoyable, very accessible and stylishly written.
Set in Portugal in 1940 it is the story of two couples, Peter and Julia, Edward and Iris, who meet at a café and discover that they are staying in one of the two hotels with the name Francfort (The Hotel Francfort and The Francfort Hotel to be specific). They, like a huge number of refugees in the country are awaiting the arrival of the passenger ship Manhattan which will take them away from war-torn Europe to America. At their first meeting there is a brief touch between the two men that speaks volumes (unknown to Peter at the time), and it is this attraction that dominates the friendship between the four people. Over just a few days their lives become entwined, secrets are revealed and hidden, and darkness looms over one of the four. The conclusion was both intriguing and quite surprising.
There are stories within stories in this book, almost like revealing something new behind a hotel room door. It would seem that the possibility of anyone being a spy at that time was fairly common, so the tales that people tell are held with some suspicion, and not everything is explained by the characters, so there is an air of wonder about how it will all pan out.
If I should compare it to any of his previous books then the early Spanish Civil War novel 'While England Sleeps' would be the closest, but this is possibly even more enjoyable, very accessible and stylishly written.
November 22, 2013
I'd rate this 3.5 stars.
There comes a moment when your life changes. For Pete Winters that moment came when Edward Freling stepped on his glasses in a crowded cafe in Lisbon, Portugal. It's 1940 and the world is a chaotic place, with Hitler making his way across Europe. Lisbon is the only neutral port left, and refugees from all over Europe have crowded into Portugal, hoping for sanctuary or at least a place to wait until finding passage somewhere else.
Pete and his wife, Julia, are expatriate Americans forced to leave their longtime home in Paris when the city was occupied. They've been staying in Lisbon, although expected to sail back to the U.S., much to Julia's chagrin. The thought of having to return to America has completely unsettled her, as she had vowed to her estranged family she'd never leave Europe, but the fact that she's Jewish (a reality she understandably doesn't make public) complicates their ability to go anywhere else.
Edward and his wife, Iris, are independently wealthy writers, who have lived nearly all over the world. They, too, are headed back to the U.S. on the same ship as Pete and Julia. They are free spirits, loose where the Winters' are uptight, although they are not without their share of challenges.
The two couples find themselves continually thrown together, spending their days in cafes and sightseeing, their nights drinking. Julia would rather play solitaire and brood by herself, lamenting that she will have to leave Portugal. Pete and Edward, much to their surprise, begin a torrid affair. Pete finds himself quickly falling in love with Edward, imagining a life spent together. But while Edward, too, feels very strongly for Pete, his life and his marriage are far more complicated. Iris will do anything to keep her marriage intact.
"Because there are occasions when none of the choices are good. You simply have to calculate which is the least bad."
It's been said that certain things happen in wartime that wouldn't happen at other times. The same is true for the period leading up to war. People find themselves acting differently, thinking differently, making decisions they wouldn't otherwise make. But are those decisions, those feelings true, or just borne by circumstance? The Two Hotel Francforts is an introspective novel about relationships, about things said and unsaid, how you never can truly know what a person is thinking or feeling, or what secrets they've kept hidden, and how those secrets are affecting them.
I've always been a fan of David Leavitt's writing since I first read The Lost Language of Cranes years ago. He creates such vivid characters you can practically see with your own eyes, or imagine coming into contact with them in your daily life. His storytelling ability is on fine display in this book, which is at times passionate and moving, at times contemplative.
I enjoyed The Two Hotel Francforts but it left me with more questions than answers, particularly around Pete and Edward's relationship. I couldn't figure out if this was a whim for Pete or something he truly felt. I also found the way the plot was tied up rather confusing, as an incident pretty crucial to the whole story was told more in passing than anything else, and I was confused and frustrated by that.
In the end, this is a book that has several love stories tied together, as it explores secrets, dreams, fears, and frustrations. While it's not a perfect book, it's well written and compelling, and I'm glad to see David Leavitt back in the world of fiction again.
There comes a moment when your life changes. For Pete Winters that moment came when Edward Freling stepped on his glasses in a crowded cafe in Lisbon, Portugal. It's 1940 and the world is a chaotic place, with Hitler making his way across Europe. Lisbon is the only neutral port left, and refugees from all over Europe have crowded into Portugal, hoping for sanctuary or at least a place to wait until finding passage somewhere else.
Pete and his wife, Julia, are expatriate Americans forced to leave their longtime home in Paris when the city was occupied. They've been staying in Lisbon, although expected to sail back to the U.S., much to Julia's chagrin. The thought of having to return to America has completely unsettled her, as she had vowed to her estranged family she'd never leave Europe, but the fact that she's Jewish (a reality she understandably doesn't make public) complicates their ability to go anywhere else.
Edward and his wife, Iris, are independently wealthy writers, who have lived nearly all over the world. They, too, are headed back to the U.S. on the same ship as Pete and Julia. They are free spirits, loose where the Winters' are uptight, although they are not without their share of challenges.
The two couples find themselves continually thrown together, spending their days in cafes and sightseeing, their nights drinking. Julia would rather play solitaire and brood by herself, lamenting that she will have to leave Portugal. Pete and Edward, much to their surprise, begin a torrid affair. Pete finds himself quickly falling in love with Edward, imagining a life spent together. But while Edward, too, feels very strongly for Pete, his life and his marriage are far more complicated. Iris will do anything to keep her marriage intact.
"Because there are occasions when none of the choices are good. You simply have to calculate which is the least bad."
It's been said that certain things happen in wartime that wouldn't happen at other times. The same is true for the period leading up to war. People find themselves acting differently, thinking differently, making decisions they wouldn't otherwise make. But are those decisions, those feelings true, or just borne by circumstance? The Two Hotel Francforts is an introspective novel about relationships, about things said and unsaid, how you never can truly know what a person is thinking or feeling, or what secrets they've kept hidden, and how those secrets are affecting them.
I've always been a fan of David Leavitt's writing since I first read The Lost Language of Cranes years ago. He creates such vivid characters you can practically see with your own eyes, or imagine coming into contact with them in your daily life. His storytelling ability is on fine display in this book, which is at times passionate and moving, at times contemplative.
I enjoyed The Two Hotel Francforts but it left me with more questions than answers, particularly around Pete and Edward's relationship. I couldn't figure out if this was a whim for Pete or something he truly felt. I also found the way the plot was tied up rather confusing, as an incident pretty crucial to the whole story was told more in passing than anything else, and I was confused and frustrated by that.
In the end, this is a book that has several love stories tied together, as it explores secrets, dreams, fears, and frustrations. While it's not a perfect book, it's well written and compelling, and I'm glad to see David Leavitt back in the world of fiction again.
August 27, 2014
I've tried to write about this book a couple of times and can't seem to get it right. What I liked about the book. What I didn't. It starts with the cover. I absolutely loved the cover of this book. And don't tell me that you can't judge a book by its cover. The cover features a leather suitcase with stickers from two Hotels Francfort in Lisbon. The suitcase is lying atop brightly colored tiles, like a floor. Honestly, I knew I would like this book and I did, but I didn't love it.
Here's part of the problem. I read too much espionage and Holocaust literature. I know that people who are waiting to leave the Continent in the summer of 1940 are probably desperate and anxious. But not our two expatriate couples, Pete and Julia Winters and Edward and Iris Freleng. Relatively wealthy and in possession of passports and tickets on the SS Manhattan they meet in a cafe and strike up a friendship of sorts, killing time while they wait for their ship to arrive. People might think they are spies, but they are not. They are more like tourists. What happens? Pete and Edward begin an affair, despite the fact that Pete has never been interested in sexual relationships with men; he's 40-years-old so is this really plausible? Not so much to me, especially given the ending. But Pete narrates the book and the affair happens and the author is gay, so what do I know about it?
David Leavitt is a wonderful writer and I loved the evocative and atmospheric aspects of this book. He lists many sources at the end of the book, attesting to his historical accuracy. I guess I was hoping for another book like A Small Death in Lisbon, which connects events from 1941 and 1998; it's a riveting book that also makes Portugal one of the characters. But the lives of these four people seem a little insignificant against the backdrop of World War II and the plight of all of the Jews and other refugees hoping to flee through Lisbon. I know from reading many other books about this time and place that many are not going to make it out alive. Each of the four main characters is disappointing is some way, especially the women. They are not especially interesting. Julia, who we learn very early in the book will not be leaving Lisbon, is actually annoying and Leavitt only reveals at the end of the book why she wanted to stay in Europe, despite its dangers, instead of leaving for New York. Iris is mired in a damaging marriage, determined to stay with Edward despite his homosexuality. Edward is cruel and manipulative. As Pete is narrating, it is unsurprising that he comes off a little better by the end of the book, but for me it was too little too late. The setting seems to be the tail that wags the dog, rather than contributing to an integrated whole.
I changed my rating from 4 stars to 3 after thinking about this book awhile. I'm wondering why Leavitt chose this particular setting for the story he wanted to tell about the two couples. I guess in the end I think that he squandered a rich and promising setting on four dull characters. Did I really like this book at all?
Here's part of the problem. I read too much espionage and Holocaust literature. I know that people who are waiting to leave the Continent in the summer of 1940 are probably desperate and anxious. But not our two expatriate couples, Pete and Julia Winters and Edward and Iris Freleng. Relatively wealthy and in possession of passports and tickets on the SS Manhattan they meet in a cafe and strike up a friendship of sorts, killing time while they wait for their ship to arrive. People might think they are spies, but they are not. They are more like tourists. What happens? Pete and Edward begin an affair, despite the fact that Pete has never been interested in sexual relationships with men; he's 40-years-old so is this really plausible? Not so much to me, especially given the ending. But Pete narrates the book and the affair happens and the author is gay, so what do I know about it?
David Leavitt is a wonderful writer and I loved the evocative and atmospheric aspects of this book. He lists many sources at the end of the book, attesting to his historical accuracy. I guess I was hoping for another book like A Small Death in Lisbon, which connects events from 1941 and 1998; it's a riveting book that also makes Portugal one of the characters. But the lives of these four people seem a little insignificant against the backdrop of World War II and the plight of all of the Jews and other refugees hoping to flee through Lisbon. I know from reading many other books about this time and place that many are not going to make it out alive. Each of the four main characters is disappointing is some way, especially the women. They are not especially interesting. Julia, who we learn very early in the book will not be leaving Lisbon, is actually annoying and Leavitt only reveals at the end of the book why she wanted to stay in Europe, despite its dangers, instead of leaving for New York. Iris is mired in a damaging marriage, determined to stay with Edward despite his homosexuality. Edward is cruel and manipulative. As Pete is narrating, it is unsurprising that he comes off a little better by the end of the book, but for me it was too little too late. The setting seems to be the tail that wags the dog, rather than contributing to an integrated whole.
I changed my rating from 4 stars to 3 after thinking about this book awhile. I'm wondering why Leavitt chose this particular setting for the story he wanted to tell about the two couples. I guess in the end I think that he squandered a rich and promising setting on four dull characters. Did I really like this book at all?
September 16, 2013
This new historical novel from David Leavitt is immediately captivating as the setting is so well-chosen. It is Lisbon, in the summer of 1940, and the city remains the only neutral port left in Europe. Naturally, the city is heaving with refugees of all nationalities and classes. Many are awaiting safe passage to New York aboard the SS Manhattan; others hustle for a visa, while some have no options remaining, their money slowly dwindling away. It is against this backdrop that two couples meet. Our narrator is Pete Winters, a car salesman, and his discontented wife Julia. Obliged to abandon her Paris apartment (which recently featured in Vogue), she is furious and has proven to be a difficult travelling companion. This is despite the fact that she is a Jew and her personal situation is the most perilous. The couple they meet are Edward and Iris Freleng: wealthy, cosmopolitan, and successful crime novelists, a career they fell into as a lark. But the Frelengs have a most unconventional marriage, as Pete discovers when Edward seduces him. Soon their affair has become utterly vital to Pete, which Iris quickly senses. She has endured other indiscretions in the past, yet this affair is different and she tries to steer Pete away. When the climax to the novel comes, it is delivered most ingeniously, not by the narrator, but by a minor character, who has made only the most fleeting of appearances in the book. It’s a very clever manoeuvre and highlights the expert construction of The Two Hotel Francforts. I have read all of David Leavitt’s seven previous novels and I would emphatically rate this as one of his finest – the narrative is carried off with great wit, intelligence and distinction, the characters (both major and minor) are an intriguing bunch, and this particular moment in history is absolutely fascinating.
September 2, 2017
In un impeto di positività
I protagonisti sono 3 americani e un'inglese, che si annoiano molto, trascorrono molto tempo al bar, intrecciano una relazione. Sono deliziosamente nevrotici, vivono gravi problemi quali viaggiare da Parigi a Lisbona in un'automobile di lusso; potrebbero aver dovuto rinunciare a qualche capo del loro guardaroba (non è sicuro): insomma, una tragedia che anticipa degnamente la seconda guerra mondiale. Il loro passato contiene gravi delusioni, quali aver rinunciato a una carriera a Cambridge per non aver voluto assoggettarsi ai te pomeridiani offerti dai professori ai loro allievi (così). Altra delusione, aver avuto una figlia bellissima e autistica e averla internata in un istituto della pubblica assistenza: sono stati necessari anni di vacanze in Europa per superare il dispiacere, ma la vita deve andare avanti.
Nei Ringraziamenti Leavitt ci informa della grande ricerca bibliografica fatta per scrivere questo libro, che è ambientato a Lisbona nel 1940. Mi chiedo a cosa gli sia servita: nel libro non compare neanche un portoghese per più di un rigo; i luoghi nominati sono l'Elevador, il castello, la località di Estoril e 3 o 4 caffè.
La storia ha qualche realtà ai miei occhi solo perchè conosco Lisbona e un po' i portoghesi e quindi mi sono creata una scenografia che l'autore non fornisce. Dimenticavo il ringraziamento all'università della Florida per aver concesso un anno sabbatico dedicato al romanzo.
Non mi sembra possibile che l'autore sia lo stesso di Ballo di famiglia. Ho letto con attenzione e nonostante tutto mi sfugge perchè Leavitt lo abbia scritto. Contiene una bella pagina a proposito di un primo incontro notturno sulle dune: però mi sembra un po' poco. Forse aveva ricevuto un lauto anticipo e avendolo speso doveva comunque consegnare qualcosa. In un impeto di positività: la copertina non è male
I protagonisti sono 3 americani e un'inglese, che si annoiano molto, trascorrono molto tempo al bar, intrecciano una relazione. Sono deliziosamente nevrotici, vivono gravi problemi quali viaggiare da Parigi a Lisbona in un'automobile di lusso; potrebbero aver dovuto rinunciare a qualche capo del loro guardaroba (non è sicuro): insomma, una tragedia che anticipa degnamente la seconda guerra mondiale. Il loro passato contiene gravi delusioni, quali aver rinunciato a una carriera a Cambridge per non aver voluto assoggettarsi ai te pomeridiani offerti dai professori ai loro allievi (così). Altra delusione, aver avuto una figlia bellissima e autistica e averla internata in un istituto della pubblica assistenza: sono stati necessari anni di vacanze in Europa per superare il dispiacere, ma la vita deve andare avanti.
Nei Ringraziamenti Leavitt ci informa della grande ricerca bibliografica fatta per scrivere questo libro, che è ambientato a Lisbona nel 1940. Mi chiedo a cosa gli sia servita: nel libro non compare neanche un portoghese per più di un rigo; i luoghi nominati sono l'Elevador, il castello, la località di Estoril e 3 o 4 caffè.
La storia ha qualche realtà ai miei occhi solo perchè conosco Lisbona e un po' i portoghesi e quindi mi sono creata una scenografia che l'autore non fornisce. Dimenticavo il ringraziamento all'università della Florida per aver concesso un anno sabbatico dedicato al romanzo.
Non mi sembra possibile che l'autore sia lo stesso di Ballo di famiglia. Ho letto con attenzione e nonostante tutto mi sfugge perchè Leavitt lo abbia scritto. Contiene una bella pagina a proposito di un primo incontro notturno sulle dune: però mi sembra un po' poco. Forse aveva ricevuto un lauto anticipo e avendolo speso doveva comunque consegnare qualcosa. In un impeto di positività: la copertina non è male
February 28, 2021
This was a difficult one for me. I liked it but I didn't really like it. First, I may have been heavily influenced by my previous admiration for David Leavitt as one of my favorite authors. 'The Lost Language of Cranes', 'While England Sleeps', 'The Page Turner', 'Family Dancing' etc. all rank highly with me. Unfortunately this novel did not fall into that category.
Although I found it an interesting read (and who can deny Leavitt's wonderful use of language?), the overall result left me disappointed and unfulfilled. I couldn't really bond with any of the characters even though each had a history which appeared more interesting than executed. The narrator Pete came off as cold and indifferent, Edward was a bore and neither Julia or Iris, despite having complex conditions, weren't explored sufficiently for this reader.
Thought the first half set up a lot of interesting situations but the latter part of the book tended to fizzle out. And the sexual liaison between the two males was so passionless that it bored me as much as it seemed to bore them. Daisy, the fox terrier appeared to be the only sympathetic character and the only one I really cared about!
October 26, 2021
Read it in two days. Amazing. Absolutely fantastic....
Want to read
March 17, 2019This could be very good too?
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The Lost Language of Cranes 4 tars
The Two Hotel Francforts TBR
Equal Affections TBR
The Indian Clerk TBR
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The Lost Language of Cranes 4 tars
The Two Hotel Francforts TBR
Equal Affections TBR
The Indian Clerk TBR
June 11, 2021
Voto: 4,5
“I due Hotel Francfort” è uno degli ultimi romanzi di David Leavitt, un autore che, nell’ambito della narrativa LGBT, ha dimostrato nel corso degli anni un grande talento, con la sua capacità di narrare storie e parlare di relazioni omosessuali al di fuori di qualsiasi stereotipo. È principalmente un romanzo storico ambientato nel giugno del 1940, nella prima fase della seconda guerra mondiale, quando Hitler aveva ormai invaso buona parte dell’Europa.
Julia e Pete Winters sono una coppia americana che da diversi anni vive a Parigi. Erano convinti che quella sarebbe stata la loro dimora definitiva, ma la guerra ha totalmente sconvolto i loro piani. Si ritrovano, quindi, a Lisbona, in Portogallo, uno Stato ancora neutrale e governato da Salazar, in un’atmosfera apparentemente tranquilla. È nella capitale portoghese che dovranno trascorrere alcuni giorni, in attesa della nave SS Manhattan che dovrà riportarli negli Stati uniti per sfuggire agli orrori della guerra.
In questo frangente conoscono Edward e Iris Freleng, anche loro americani e in attesa della medesima nave. Le due coppie stringono subito un buon legame di amicizia e ben presto appare chiaro l’interesse di Edward nei confronti di Pete, che a sua volta trova molto più gradevole la compagnia dell’uomo rispetto a quella della moglie con cui ormai è in crisi. La relazione clandestina tra Pete ed Edward sembra destinata a sconvolgere parecchi equilibri e a cambiare i destini di tutti e quattro i protagonisti.
David Leavitt con una scrittura accurata e densa di riferimenti storici e uno stile coinvolgente, svela gradualmente, attraverso la narrazione in prima persona di Pete, le storie che si celano dietro l’apparente serenità delle due coppie, i loro inferni e tormenti, cesellando in modo superlativo i quattro protagonisti.
Pete è un uomo che non ha mai avuto particolari aspirazioni personali, se non diventare un venditore di automobili per la General Motors e cercare di realizzare i desideri di sua moglie, tra cui vivere a Parigi. Eppure tutti i suoi sforzi sembrano destinati al fallimento. L’incontro con Edward sembra dargli nuova linfa vitale: Pete freme per trascorrere del tempo da solo con lui e nella sua mente inizia a formarsi l’idea di rimanere a Lisbona con l’amante lasciando che la moglie torni a New York: «O ero in balia del sogno più strano che avessi mai fatto o tutto ciò che avevo conosciuto finora – l’intera mia vita – era un sogno, e Edward il letto caldo in cui finalmente mi ero risvegliato».
Julia è una donna inquieta, il cui desiderio è tenersi lontano dalla sua famiglia che vive a New York. È riuscita è fuggire in Europa grazie al marito, ma è talmente ossessionata da essere convinta di vedere i suoi parenti ovunque. La sua continua scontentezza la porta, soprattutto negli ultimi giorni, a rivalersi su Pete, colpevole ai suoi occhi di molte delle loro sventure, finendo per allontanarlo sempre di più.
Edward è un uomo affascinante e in apparenza molto sicuro di sé. Seduce Pete in poco tempo e non esita in molte occasioni a sfoggiare le proprie conoscenze letterarie e filosofiche, mostrando oltretutto una grande capacità di adattarsi e sentirsi a casa ovunque. Attraverso la figura di Edward l’autore ci conduce i tutti i luoghi particolari di Lisbona, arricchendo il suo romanzo con numerosi riferimenti alla cultura portoghese. Tuttavia, Edward nasconde un animo tormentato e oscuro con un passato doloroso e un legame non convenzionale con sua moglie Iris, una donna piena di contraddizioni e con cui ha dato vita a una serie di romanzi gialli di successo: «Edward non poteva essere steso da un giovane bellissimo. Anzi, a essere fatale per lui era il tocco impacciato di un uomo imperfetto e qualsiasi».
Il romanzo ci dà una visione completa degli accadimenti storici di quel periodo complesso: il dramma dei profughi che cercano di fuggire dall’Europa per trovare salvezza altrove, la difficile situazione degli ebrei e degli omosessuali, l’impossibilità di ottenere un visto se non a costo di molti sacrifici, le particolari relazioni tra i Paesi coinvolti nel conflitto.
“I due Hotel Francfort” è, dunque, un romanzo dalle molte sfaccettature. È una storia in grado di coinvolgere completamente il lettore, con un’ottima tensione narrativa, continui colpi di scena e descrizioni interessanti, in cui l’autore riesce a rendere in modo sincero i sentimenti dei due uomini, l’ansia di una relazione nascosta, i desideri che spesso devono infrangersi con la realtà: «No, quello che sento … è più una calma inspiegabile. Come quello che ho provato quando abbiamo attraversato la frontiera entrando in Portogallo. Come se ormai ci fossimo lasciati alle spalle tutti i guai. È folle?».
“I due Hotel Francfort” è uno degli ultimi romanzi di David Leavitt, un autore che, nell’ambito della narrativa LGBT, ha dimostrato nel corso degli anni un grande talento, con la sua capacità di narrare storie e parlare di relazioni omosessuali al di fuori di qualsiasi stereotipo. È principalmente un romanzo storico ambientato nel giugno del 1940, nella prima fase della seconda guerra mondiale, quando Hitler aveva ormai invaso buona parte dell’Europa.
Julia e Pete Winters sono una coppia americana che da diversi anni vive a Parigi. Erano convinti che quella sarebbe stata la loro dimora definitiva, ma la guerra ha totalmente sconvolto i loro piani. Si ritrovano, quindi, a Lisbona, in Portogallo, uno Stato ancora neutrale e governato da Salazar, in un’atmosfera apparentemente tranquilla. È nella capitale portoghese che dovranno trascorrere alcuni giorni, in attesa della nave SS Manhattan che dovrà riportarli negli Stati uniti per sfuggire agli orrori della guerra.
In questo frangente conoscono Edward e Iris Freleng, anche loro americani e in attesa della medesima nave. Le due coppie stringono subito un buon legame di amicizia e ben presto appare chiaro l’interesse di Edward nei confronti di Pete, che a sua volta trova molto più gradevole la compagnia dell’uomo rispetto a quella della moglie con cui ormai è in crisi. La relazione clandestina tra Pete ed Edward sembra destinata a sconvolgere parecchi equilibri e a cambiare i destini di tutti e quattro i protagonisti.
David Leavitt con una scrittura accurata e densa di riferimenti storici e uno stile coinvolgente, svela gradualmente, attraverso la narrazione in prima persona di Pete, le storie che si celano dietro l’apparente serenità delle due coppie, i loro inferni e tormenti, cesellando in modo superlativo i quattro protagonisti.
Pete è un uomo che non ha mai avuto particolari aspirazioni personali, se non diventare un venditore di automobili per la General Motors e cercare di realizzare i desideri di sua moglie, tra cui vivere a Parigi. Eppure tutti i suoi sforzi sembrano destinati al fallimento. L’incontro con Edward sembra dargli nuova linfa vitale: Pete freme per trascorrere del tempo da solo con lui e nella sua mente inizia a formarsi l’idea di rimanere a Lisbona con l’amante lasciando che la moglie torni a New York: «O ero in balia del sogno più strano che avessi mai fatto o tutto ciò che avevo conosciuto finora – l’intera mia vita – era un sogno, e Edward il letto caldo in cui finalmente mi ero risvegliato».
Julia è una donna inquieta, il cui desiderio è tenersi lontano dalla sua famiglia che vive a New York. È riuscita è fuggire in Europa grazie al marito, ma è talmente ossessionata da essere convinta di vedere i suoi parenti ovunque. La sua continua scontentezza la porta, soprattutto negli ultimi giorni, a rivalersi su Pete, colpevole ai suoi occhi di molte delle loro sventure, finendo per allontanarlo sempre di più.
Edward è un uomo affascinante e in apparenza molto sicuro di sé. Seduce Pete in poco tempo e non esita in molte occasioni a sfoggiare le proprie conoscenze letterarie e filosofiche, mostrando oltretutto una grande capacità di adattarsi e sentirsi a casa ovunque. Attraverso la figura di Edward l’autore ci conduce i tutti i luoghi particolari di Lisbona, arricchendo il suo romanzo con numerosi riferimenti alla cultura portoghese. Tuttavia, Edward nasconde un animo tormentato e oscuro con un passato doloroso e un legame non convenzionale con sua moglie Iris, una donna piena di contraddizioni e con cui ha dato vita a una serie di romanzi gialli di successo: «Edward non poteva essere steso da un giovane bellissimo. Anzi, a essere fatale per lui era il tocco impacciato di un uomo imperfetto e qualsiasi».
Il romanzo ci dà una visione completa degli accadimenti storici di quel periodo complesso: il dramma dei profughi che cercano di fuggire dall’Europa per trovare salvezza altrove, la difficile situazione degli ebrei e degli omosessuali, l’impossibilità di ottenere un visto se non a costo di molti sacrifici, le particolari relazioni tra i Paesi coinvolti nel conflitto.
“I due Hotel Francfort” è, dunque, un romanzo dalle molte sfaccettature. È una storia in grado di coinvolgere completamente il lettore, con un’ottima tensione narrativa, continui colpi di scena e descrizioni interessanti, in cui l’autore riesce a rendere in modo sincero i sentimenti dei due uomini, l’ansia di una relazione nascosta, i desideri che spesso devono infrangersi con la realtà: «No, quello che sento … è più una calma inspiegabile. Come quello che ho provato quando abbiamo attraversato la frontiera entrando in Portogallo. Come se ormai ci fossimo lasciati alle spalle tutti i guai. È folle?».
October 25, 2021
This is a thing I like because I like this kind of thing.
But really…my words won’t be right here. And they’re going to drag my review off course. I often divide what I read into my own personal genres. (Shall we bolt down the “genres don’t exist” rabbit hole? This review is going to end up being 10 pages long). I’ll think of books as “fluffy romance” or “smart romance” or “historical romance” (which could also be a subset of either of the aforementioned categories). So I have this category in my head of “smart books.” Which is just completely arbitrary. And different than “nerd books” which have to have a completely different vibe.
I would consider this a “smart book” - of the “light” category. Bc while the story and themes were intense the writing was that weird Hemingway-style of alluding to awful things.
I’d love to tell you what the book is about. But I can’t. It defies all attempts at something as mundane as description. I will say I loved every moment - was uncomfortable at times - and found certain parts to be achingly lovely.
I hope you read it - if you like this sort of thing.
But really…my words won’t be right here. And they’re going to drag my review off course. I often divide what I read into my own personal genres. (Shall we bolt down the “genres don’t exist” rabbit hole? This review is going to end up being 10 pages long). I’ll think of books as “fluffy romance” or “smart romance” or “historical romance” (which could also be a subset of either of the aforementioned categories). So I have this category in my head of “smart books.” Which is just completely arbitrary. And different than “nerd books” which have to have a completely different vibe.
I would consider this a “smart book” - of the “light” category. Bc while the story and themes were intense the writing was that weird Hemingway-style of alluding to awful things.
I’d love to tell you what the book is about. But I can’t. It defies all attempts at something as mundane as description. I will say I loved every moment - was uncomfortable at times - and found certain parts to be achingly lovely.
I hope you read it - if you like this sort of thing.
June 14, 2018
The summer of letting go.
Set in the Summer of 1940 in Lisbon, Portugal, two expatriate couples meet after fleeing as Germany invades France and waiting to board the SS Manhattan for the trip back to the States.
With time on their hands having to deal with leaving the place they called "home", awaiting repatriation back to the States, not to mention the impending war, what could possibly happen? In a week's time, this historical fiction presents another unique perspective on the impact of WWII.
An intriguing story on the lives of these four people and the circumstances dealt before, during, and after.
Set in the Summer of 1940 in Lisbon, Portugal, two expatriate couples meet after fleeing as Germany invades France and waiting to board the SS Manhattan for the trip back to the States.
With time on their hands having to deal with leaving the place they called "home", awaiting repatriation back to the States, not to mention the impending war, what could possibly happen? In a week's time, this historical fiction presents another unique perspective on the impact of WWII.
An intriguing story on the lives of these four people and the circumstances dealt before, during, and after.
June 9, 2023
Rep: bi mc, Jewish gay li with depression, Jewish side character
CWs: period typical antisemitism, suicide
CWs: period typical antisemitism, suicide
September 3, 2013
In the summer of 1940, Lisbon is the only neutral port in Europe. It is here, at the Café Suica that two married couples meet. Peter Winters and his wife Julia have fled Paris after living there for fifteen years. Edward and Iris Freleng an independently wealthy American and British couple, and their dog Daisy are authors of a detective series and have been traveling around Europe for years and living a rather debauched lifestyle. The borders to escape France and enter Spain then Portugal are all but closed to the millions of Jewish refugees trying to flee the Nazis, but to Americans, they are open. Both couples are spending the week at the Hotel Francfort, awaiting the ship to sail to New York. But it turns out that there are two hotel Francforts. As Edward said, "Just think, here we are fleeing the Germans, and we end up at a hotel called Francfort."
Julia and Peter’s relationship is not good; she is demanding and self centered. She loathes Portugal, but hates the idea of returning to New York, but as Peter has warned her she is Jewish.
"I think it annoyed my wife immensely that she could not just cast off her Jewishness like she had her life in New York, or as she might a dress that had gone out of fashion. In this she resembled the many bourgeois French Jews who, because they regarded themselves as French first and Jewish second, made the mistake of assuming that France would regard them the same way. France did not, however--nor, for that matter, did our own United States.”
On the other hand, the Frelengs appear to be manipulative and predatory and set things up so that the two couple spends all their time together. Peter is so relieved to be away from Julia that first evening when they meet the Frelengs that he goes off with Edward and this quickly turns into an affair. Towards the end, Peter says wistfully that Lisbon had been, "A landing stage, a holding pattern, a way station." Indeed, The Two Hotel Francforts is fraught with the war time tension and strife well as the complex atmospherics between the four main characters. Leavitt skillfully weaves together the plot lines and characters, foreshadowing events on the one hand but keeping us guessing all the time making it a page turner.
Julia and Peter’s relationship is not good; she is demanding and self centered. She loathes Portugal, but hates the idea of returning to New York, but as Peter has warned her she is Jewish.
"I think it annoyed my wife immensely that she could not just cast off her Jewishness like she had her life in New York, or as she might a dress that had gone out of fashion. In this she resembled the many bourgeois French Jews who, because they regarded themselves as French first and Jewish second, made the mistake of assuming that France would regard them the same way. France did not, however--nor, for that matter, did our own United States.”
On the other hand, the Frelengs appear to be manipulative and predatory and set things up so that the two couple spends all their time together. Peter is so relieved to be away from Julia that first evening when they meet the Frelengs that he goes off with Edward and this quickly turns into an affair. Towards the end, Peter says wistfully that Lisbon had been, "A landing stage, a holding pattern, a way station." Indeed, The Two Hotel Francforts is fraught with the war time tension and strife well as the complex atmospherics between the four main characters. Leavitt skillfully weaves together the plot lines and characters, foreshadowing events on the one hand but keeping us guessing all the time making it a page turner.
September 22, 2013
The Two Hotel Francforts tells a story readers may never consider when thinking of World War II. It tells the story of the people you never think about, not the soldiers or their families, not the Jews, not the Nazis, but those so uninvolved, it makes you wonder how many stories have gone untold.
The story is an interesting take on the part we never think of during a war, the waiting period. Here we have two couples who, by happenstance or serendipity, meet while waiting for transport back to America, a land yet untouched by war. While in the safe zone of Lisbon, Julia and Peter Winters stumble (or perhaps it was planned) upon Edward and Iris Freleng , all unimportant lives in an era of conflict.
Author David Leavitt proceeds to tell a tale deceptive and painful for all involved, with intense character development and descriptions. All characters are egotistical, needy and self-absorbed, each in their own way. And Leavitt drags the reader through drama filled pages and it isn’t until the end that we realize these flaws. As relationships and loyalties shift, drama ensues and the one character avoided throughout the story is essentially omniscient and revealing in the end – bringing it all together.
This is a tangled tale of passion, longing, disappointment and deceit. Are these people really who they say they are? This story definitely calls into question everything we think about love and marriage. Do we really love anyone but ourselves? Do we even really know anyone? Though quite wordy at times, long-winded and anticlimactic, it shows how much can change in just a few short days. It’s World War II meets murder mystery, with a touch of infidelity, homosexuality and depression.
The story is an interesting take on the part we never think of during a war, the waiting period. Here we have two couples who, by happenstance or serendipity, meet while waiting for transport back to America, a land yet untouched by war. While in the safe zone of Lisbon, Julia and Peter Winters stumble (or perhaps it was planned) upon Edward and Iris Freleng , all unimportant lives in an era of conflict.
Author David Leavitt proceeds to tell a tale deceptive and painful for all involved, with intense character development and descriptions. All characters are egotistical, needy and self-absorbed, each in their own way. And Leavitt drags the reader through drama filled pages and it isn’t until the end that we realize these flaws. As relationships and loyalties shift, drama ensues and the one character avoided throughout the story is essentially omniscient and revealing in the end – bringing it all together.
This is a tangled tale of passion, longing, disappointment and deceit. Are these people really who they say they are? This story definitely calls into question everything we think about love and marriage. Do we really love anyone but ourselves? Do we even really know anyone? Though quite wordy at times, long-winded and anticlimactic, it shows how much can change in just a few short days. It’s World War II meets murder mystery, with a touch of infidelity, homosexuality and depression.
September 19, 2015
Complice una Convention in cui ho dovuto lavorare un'ora sola, e una stanza d'hotel veramente confortevole (leggi con poltrona, frigobar e aria condizionata, mentre fuori c'è l'inferno), mi sono finita questo romanzo in un pomeriggio.
Ho letto giusto un paio di romanzi di Leavitt, non mi ha mai impressionato molto. Poi io lo confondo con Cameron. Per me scrivono in modo identico. Temi, ambientazioni, personaggi, dialoghi.
Comunque questo romanzo scorre veloce e piacevole come una lettura da ombrellone.
Si svolge all'inizio della seconda guerra mondiale in una Lisbona sonnolenta, dove si ammassano profughi in fuga verso gli Stati Uniti. Ed in questa atmosfera non si percepisce alcuna disperazione, perché i protagonisti, due coppie e un cane (Daisy), sono ricchi ed opulenti espatriati che, pur dovendo lasciare l'Europa, non hanno un vero e proprio timore, ma solo una sorta di fastidio per il fatto di dover lasciare il loro comfort.
L'ambientazione è quindi abbastanza pretestuosa per poter narrare di due coppie (ed un cane) dove l'apparenza inganna e siano, in realtà, i tormenti intimi ad essere più gravi.
Se devo trovare una pecca a questo racconto è proprio questa leggerezza: le disperazioni, le passioni, i gesti estremi, è tutto ovattato dall'aria stagnante di una città e di un mondo in attesa sull'orlo del baratro, quell'attimo subito prima della caduta.
Non so se un approfondimento maggiore dei personaggi possa essere nelle corde di Leavitt.
Questa leggerezza, tuttavia, non è sgradevole, non inficia il piacere della lettura. Impedisce solo, al romanzo, di ricevere 5 stelline.
Ho letto giusto un paio di romanzi di Leavitt, non mi ha mai impressionato molto. Poi io lo confondo con Cameron. Per me scrivono in modo identico. Temi, ambientazioni, personaggi, dialoghi.
Comunque questo romanzo scorre veloce e piacevole come una lettura da ombrellone.
Si svolge all'inizio della seconda guerra mondiale in una Lisbona sonnolenta, dove si ammassano profughi in fuga verso gli Stati Uniti. Ed in questa atmosfera non si percepisce alcuna disperazione, perché i protagonisti, due coppie e un cane (Daisy), sono ricchi ed opulenti espatriati che, pur dovendo lasciare l'Europa, non hanno un vero e proprio timore, ma solo una sorta di fastidio per il fatto di dover lasciare il loro comfort.
L'ambientazione è quindi abbastanza pretestuosa per poter narrare di due coppie (ed un cane) dove l'apparenza inganna e siano, in realtà, i tormenti intimi ad essere più gravi.
Se devo trovare una pecca a questo racconto è proprio questa leggerezza: le disperazioni, le passioni, i gesti estremi, è tutto ovattato dall'aria stagnante di una città e di un mondo in attesa sull'orlo del baratro, quell'attimo subito prima della caduta.
Non so se un approfondimento maggiore dei personaggi possa essere nelle corde di Leavitt.
Questa leggerezza, tuttavia, non è sgradevole, non inficia il piacere della lettura. Impedisce solo, al romanzo, di ricevere 5 stelline.
December 8, 2014
Dois casais e a cadelinha Daisy encontram-se na pastelaria Suíça, no Rossio, em Lisboa. Descobrem que estão no Hotel Francfort, mas cada qual no seu Francfort, pois, fruto de desavença familiar, existem dois hotéis com o mesmo nome na cidade. Ambos os casais vêm de França, fugindo das tropas nazis que, em 1940, chegaram a Paris e ameaçam invadir a Península Ibérica. Ambos esperam embarcar dentro de uma semana no paquete Manhattan, enviado pelos americanos para resgatar os seus compatriotas refugiados que se acumulam em Lisboa. É neste ambiente claustrofóbico, de grande incerteza, sem passado nem futuro, neste intervalo em que o tempo se suspende num canto da Europa que ainda vive uma paz podre sob a garra asfixiante de Salazar, que se acende uma paixão intensa, mas fugaz, entre Edward e Peter (o narrador). E é precisamente esta paixão que irá desencadear as tensões que, nessa única semana em Lisboa, levarão a um desenlace trágico que mudará para sempre a vida dos dois casais.
A escrita de David Leavitt é saborosa, e a forma como consegue retratar cada um dos quatro personagens principais, os dois casais, é deslumbrante. Fascinante também (já que o enredo é simples e quase secundário) é a forma como o autor coloca os seus personagens no cenário da cidade de Lisboa, quase como se a cidade fosse um palco, uma sucessão de fotografias de fundo onde a ação decorre naturalmente, ou melhor, perfeitamente.
A escrita de David Leavitt é saborosa, e a forma como consegue retratar cada um dos quatro personagens principais, os dois casais, é deslumbrante. Fascinante também (já que o enredo é simples e quase secundário) é a forma como o autor coloca os seus personagens no cenário da cidade de Lisboa, quase como se a cidade fosse um palco, uma sucessão de fotografias de fundo onde a ação decorre naturalmente, ou melhor, perfeitamente.
August 10, 2014
I enjoyed this, but I can see why others might not. I will continue to read Leavitt, both in spite of and because of.
I'll read him in spite of his including gay sex. There is only one scene, which is not graphic. However, in the spectrum of implicit to explicit is probably closer to the latter. This scene establishes the relationship between the two and, although the sex is never mentioned again, the reader can assume it continues.
I'll read him because of his prose and his complex characters. His prose was satisfactory, but I think I was more taken with it in his The Indian Clerk, which I see I gave only 3 stars. (Must be a high 3 stars, I remember it and have read this because of it.) Many times in novels, an author postulates that because A and B happen, C behavior is the obvious result. Leavitt seems to think C behavior isn't obvious, that people can - and will - display a variety of behaviors, sometimes even the same person. We are too complex to be pigeon-holed. He doesn't say any of this, mind you, this is my take.
I learned quite a bit about 1940 Europe in this. Lisbon became a place for refugees escaping the war, and it was neutral. I learned about "elevators" which I'd never heard of before.
I'll read him in spite of his including gay sex. There is only one scene, which is not graphic. However, in the spectrum of implicit to explicit is probably closer to the latter. This scene establishes the relationship between the two and, although the sex is never mentioned again, the reader can assume it continues.
I'll read him because of his prose and his complex characters. His prose was satisfactory, but I think I was more taken with it in his The Indian Clerk, which I see I gave only 3 stars. (Must be a high 3 stars, I remember it and have read this because of it.) Many times in novels, an author postulates that because A and B happen, C behavior is the obvious result. Leavitt seems to think C behavior isn't obvious, that people can - and will - display a variety of behaviors, sometimes even the same person. We are too complex to be pigeon-holed. He doesn't say any of this, mind you, this is my take.
I learned quite a bit about 1940 Europe in this. Lisbon became a place for refugees escaping the war, and it was neutral. I learned about "elevators" which I'd never heard of before.
January 11, 2014
A dalliance of sexual relationship between two men, frothy 1940's dialogue quipped by hat wearing characters and enough page turning World War II details to keep it interesting makes the Two Hotel Francforts an enjoyable read. At it's best, the book is like a literary version of one of those romantic old war films like Waterloo Bridge. Tortured yet snappy. Intriguing yet fast moving. Familiar in spots and surprising in others. I tore through it in two days so clearly the author was doing something right.
At it's worst, The Hotel Francforts occasionally dips it's toes in cliche filled waters and even splashes around in them. All the stock 1940's characters show up and the depth here is wading pool at best. I found it hard to emotionally connect to some of the characters who felt like outlines instead of real fleshed out creations.
Nevertheless, Leavitt is a skilled storyteller and doesn't insult his reader by telling us what to think or how to react. He knows his stuff when it comes to Lisbon in 1940 and we the reader get to see a transient side of the war so rarely presented. Best of all, Leavitt throws us some plot curveballs and never paints any character as "good guy" or "bad guy". Instead he tells a compulsively readable small story set against a huge story. Overall, it's an incredibly entertaining journey.
At it's worst, The Hotel Francforts occasionally dips it's toes in cliche filled waters and even splashes around in them. All the stock 1940's characters show up and the depth here is wading pool at best. I found it hard to emotionally connect to some of the characters who felt like outlines instead of real fleshed out creations.
Nevertheless, Leavitt is a skilled storyteller and doesn't insult his reader by telling us what to think or how to react. He knows his stuff when it comes to Lisbon in 1940 and we the reader get to see a transient side of the war so rarely presented. Best of all, Leavitt throws us some plot curveballs and never paints any character as "good guy" or "bad guy". Instead he tells a compulsively readable small story set against a huge story. Overall, it's an incredibly entertaining journey.
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