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The Paragon Hotel
A gun moll with a knack for disappearing flees from Prohibition-era Harlem to Portland's Paragon Hotel.The year is 1921, and "Nobody" Alice James has just arrived in Oregon with a bullet wound, a lifetime's experience battling the New York Mafia, and fifty thousand dollars in illicit cash. She befriends Max, a black Pullman porter who reminds her achingly of home and who saves Alice by leading her to the Paragon Hotel. But her unlikely sanctuary turns out to be an all-black hotel in a Jim Crow city, and its lodgers seem unduly terrified of a white woman on the premises. As she meets the churlish Dr. Pendleton, the stately Mavereen, and the club chanteuse Blossom Fontaine, she understands their dread. The Ku Klux Klan has arrived in Portland in fearful numbers--burning crosses, electing officials, infiltrating newspapers, and brutalizing blacks. And only Alice and her new Paragon "family" are searching for a missing mulatto child who has mysteriously vanished into the woods. To untangle the web of lies and misdeeds around her, Alice will have to answer for her own past, too.A richly imagined novel starring two indomitable heroines, The Paragon Hotel at once plumbs the darkest parts of America's past and the most redemptive facets of humanity. From international-bestselling, multi-award-nominated writer Lyndsay Faye, it's a masterwork of historical suspense.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 8, 2019
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November 1, 2018
Superbly written historical novel exploring racism, violence, and extremist groups in America in the 1920's. While this novel takes place in the past, its subject matter resonates in the current moment.
Alice James has a knack for blending in. She can become part of the background, enabling her to go unnoticed and listen in on very important conversations. She also can stand out, if need be. She can be anyone or no one. Her nickname, Nobody, suits her perfectly. In the early 1900’s in Harlem, she uses her unique abilities to become an asset for the Mafia.
Portland, Oregon 1922. The Paragon Hotel--an all-black hotel in a state being infiltrated by the KKK. Racial tensions are high, especially since it was not legal for black people to reside in Oregon during this time period. A white traveler with a bullet wound is brought in to recover. A little boy goes missing. Tension builds, the KKK makes their presence known in a brutal and tragic way.
I absolutely loved The Paragon Hotel. It’s well-written and the characters are multidimensional. I found Nobody and Blossom’s characters to be especially fascinating. Nobody is a dynamic narrator--her voice is strong and drew me in. I was interested in both her past and present and was dying to know her deep dark secrets.
The hotel also plays a dominant role--the different rooms not only embody the different characters and personas, but also they hide the secrets of the guests, keep them somewhat safe, but also can expose them to harm.
“Its dozens of windows with its hundreds of guests, all of them hiding something. All of them fighting for something. All of them frightened of something”
While The Paragon Hotel is primarily about inequality and power struggles, the novel is also about friendships that defy color lines and gender norms.
This is a thought-provoking read about racism, gender norms, and power dynamics. While it should highlight how far America has come, in the current moment it serves as a reminder of how America’s progress has devolved. It's clear Faye did her research--I learned a lot from reading this, as I had no idea about Oregon’s murky past. I loved the message of The Paragon Hotel and the ending. There are some horrifying moments, but also some beautiful ones.
“It’s not a book. This was never a book. This is a love letter.”
I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for an honest review.
Alice James has a knack for blending in. She can become part of the background, enabling her to go unnoticed and listen in on very important conversations. She also can stand out, if need be. She can be anyone or no one. Her nickname, Nobody, suits her perfectly. In the early 1900’s in Harlem, she uses her unique abilities to become an asset for the Mafia.
Portland, Oregon 1922. The Paragon Hotel--an all-black hotel in a state being infiltrated by the KKK. Racial tensions are high, especially since it was not legal for black people to reside in Oregon during this time period. A white traveler with a bullet wound is brought in to recover. A little boy goes missing. Tension builds, the KKK makes their presence known in a brutal and tragic way.
I absolutely loved The Paragon Hotel. It’s well-written and the characters are multidimensional. I found Nobody and Blossom’s characters to be especially fascinating. Nobody is a dynamic narrator--her voice is strong and drew me in. I was interested in both her past and present and was dying to know her deep dark secrets.
The hotel also plays a dominant role--the different rooms not only embody the different characters and personas, but also they hide the secrets of the guests, keep them somewhat safe, but also can expose them to harm.
“Its dozens of windows with its hundreds of guests, all of them hiding something. All of them fighting for something. All of them frightened of something”
While The Paragon Hotel is primarily about inequality and power struggles, the novel is also about friendships that defy color lines and gender norms.
This is a thought-provoking read about racism, gender norms, and power dynamics. While it should highlight how far America has come, in the current moment it serves as a reminder of how America’s progress has devolved. It's clear Faye did her research--I learned a lot from reading this, as I had no idea about Oregon’s murky past. I loved the message of The Paragon Hotel and the ending. There are some horrifying moments, but also some beautiful ones.
“It’s not a book. This was never a book. This is a love letter.”
I received an ARC of this book from Edelweiss and G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for an honest review.
October 16, 2019
The Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye is a 2019 G.P. Putnam’s Sons publication.
Immersive, multi-layered historical thriller!
It’s 1921 and Alice James leaves Harlem, running from a drug and alcohol deal that left her seriously wounded. She’s on a cross-country train and fading fast, when Max, a kindly black Pullman Porter, rescues her, taking her to the Paragon Hotel in Portland, which probably saved her life.
Alice awakens to find herself ensconced in an all-black hotel, where the staff and other guests are skittish about harboring a white woman while she recovers her health.
As Alice ‘Nobody’ James settles into the hotel, she comes up with a cover story to explain her presence to local authorities, and begins to get to know Max, her doctor- Dr. Pendleton, and the other residents of the hotel, which includes Mavereen, and Blossom Fontaine, an alluring songstress, and an adorable Mullato boy named Davy Lee.
But, as time passes, the KKK becomes an increasing dark presence, and Alice begins to understand why the residents live in fear. When Davy goes missing, Alice rises to the occasion, putting herself on the line to help find him.
Meanwhile, we learn about Alice's shady past a little at a time, in alternate chapters, as she discovers secrets of the Paragon Hotel.
I had a feeling I was going to love this book!! On one hand, it is a pure crime drama, with plenty of grit, but on the other hand, it is a stylish, atmospheric story, richly layered, poignant, occasionally humorous, and deeply absorbing.
Alice’s family was hardly nurturing, and her escape from Harlem is not one I mourned. Yet, her special ability to go unnoticed serves her well as she peels back layers of secrets and outsmarts crooked cops, all while trying to keeping her past hidden. In the process, Alice finds a new home, a new family, a place she belongs, and a new purpose.
This is such a well-written story, very engrossing, and smart. There was so much to contemplate and think about. This story will stay with me for a long time to come!
This is another outstanding novel by Lyndsay Faye. Her ability to weave a great story, with unforgettable characters, and create a pitch perfect atmosphere is nothing short of stunning!!
5 stars
Immersive, multi-layered historical thriller!
It’s 1921 and Alice James leaves Harlem, running from a drug and alcohol deal that left her seriously wounded. She’s on a cross-country train and fading fast, when Max, a kindly black Pullman Porter, rescues her, taking her to the Paragon Hotel in Portland, which probably saved her life.
Alice awakens to find herself ensconced in an all-black hotel, where the staff and other guests are skittish about harboring a white woman while she recovers her health.
As Alice ‘Nobody’ James settles into the hotel, she comes up with a cover story to explain her presence to local authorities, and begins to get to know Max, her doctor- Dr. Pendleton, and the other residents of the hotel, which includes Mavereen, and Blossom Fontaine, an alluring songstress, and an adorable Mullato boy named Davy Lee.
But, as time passes, the KKK becomes an increasing dark presence, and Alice begins to understand why the residents live in fear. When Davy goes missing, Alice rises to the occasion, putting herself on the line to help find him.
Meanwhile, we learn about Alice's shady past a little at a time, in alternate chapters, as she discovers secrets of the Paragon Hotel.
I had a feeling I was going to love this book!! On one hand, it is a pure crime drama, with plenty of grit, but on the other hand, it is a stylish, atmospheric story, richly layered, poignant, occasionally humorous, and deeply absorbing.
Alice’s family was hardly nurturing, and her escape from Harlem is not one I mourned. Yet, her special ability to go unnoticed serves her well as she peels back layers of secrets and outsmarts crooked cops, all while trying to keeping her past hidden. In the process, Alice finds a new home, a new family, a place she belongs, and a new purpose.
This is such a well-written story, very engrossing, and smart. There was so much to contemplate and think about. This story will stay with me for a long time to come!
This is another outstanding novel by Lyndsay Faye. Her ability to weave a great story, with unforgettable characters, and create a pitch perfect atmosphere is nothing short of stunning!!
5 stars
March 7, 2019
Find all of my reviews at: http://52bookminimum.blogspot.com/
You know what comment I hear a lot from strangers? “You should use more .gifs in your reviews. They are awesome and definitely show what an intelligent person you are.” Okay, y’all know that’s totally untrue, but I’m still pretty much going to only use .gifs to explain this book because I’m wording even less well than usual today.
I had never even heard of The Paragon Hotel until my friend SUSAN used the GR recommend feature to tell me about it and because SUSAN never bookpushes – like EVER – despite us having very similar tastes, I decided I should listen to her and immediately put myself on the library wait list.
Okay, let’s get on with the .giffery. Our story here is about Alice (a/k/a “Nobody”) and takes place in 1921. Born and bred in Harlem to a (literal) whore mother, Alice was quite the . . . .
Due to some unfortunate circumstances . . . .
Alice finds herself on a train bound for a destination as far as she can possibly get from Harlem . . . .
Much like Blanche DuBois, Alice must rely on the kindness of a stranger and ends up at the Paragon Hotel . . . .
“The Paragon opened in nineteen-oh-six, and is full to bursting of decent citizens and lunatic nomads.”
Like my new girlfriend . . . . .
And also happens to dabble a bit in . . . . .
Unfortunately for the all-black residents, their fine city has not yet embraced the moniker . . . .
In fact, it’s quite the opposite where it is actually on the books as illegal for any person of color to reside in their fair city at all, leading to a rise in . . . . .
Oh, and there’s also a missing kid, but seriously with all that other stuff going on who the eff even cares about him, right?
If you’rean idiot like me and tell yourself things like “but I don’t really liiiiiiike historical fiction” (first let me tell you that your brain is probably lying because A LOT of stuff falls into that category), this one might be the exception. Same goes for those of you who aren’t fans of dialogue-driven story progression. If the dialogue is as sharply written as it is here, you won’t be able to imagine it any other way.
All the Stars.
You know what comment I hear a lot from strangers? “You should use more .gifs in your reviews. They are awesome and definitely show what an intelligent person you are.” Okay, y’all know that’s totally untrue, but I’m still pretty much going to only use .gifs to explain this book because I’m wording even less well than usual today.
I had never even heard of The Paragon Hotel until my friend SUSAN used the GR recommend feature to tell me about it and because SUSAN never bookpushes – like EVER – despite us having very similar tastes, I decided I should listen to her and immediately put myself on the library wait list.
Okay, let’s get on with the .giffery. Our story here is about Alice (a/k/a “Nobody”) and takes place in 1921. Born and bred in Harlem to a (literal) whore mother, Alice was quite the . . . .
Due to some unfortunate circumstances . . . .
Alice finds herself on a train bound for a destination as far as she can possibly get from Harlem . . . .
Much like Blanche DuBois, Alice must rely on the kindness of a stranger and ends up at the Paragon Hotel . . . .
“The Paragon opened in nineteen-oh-six, and is full to bursting of decent citizens and lunatic nomads.”
Like my new girlfriend . . . . .
And also happens to dabble a bit in . . . . .
Unfortunately for the all-black residents, their fine city has not yet embraced the moniker . . . .
In fact, it’s quite the opposite where it is actually on the books as illegal for any person of color to reside in their fair city at all, leading to a rise in . . . . .
Oh, and there’s also a missing kid, but seriously with all that other stuff going on who the eff even cares about him, right?
If you’re
All the Stars.
December 11, 2018
DNF. Everyone else seems to love this book, so I don't know, maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. But I gave up--the writing style was a bit overdone for me, the dialogue didn't feel real, and I just couldn't work up any interest in the main character or what happened to her.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
December 23, 2018
My Ratings: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Genre: Historical Fiction Mystery
Publisher: PENGUIN GROUP Putmam
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019
In a nutshell, this novel is about racism and the American underworld in the early twentieth century. The novel begins in 1921, during the time of America’s Prohibition. A young white female protagonist is on a train out of Harlem running to escape her Mafia boss who is displeased with her. She is suffering from an untreated bullet wound. A black male Pullman porter takes pity on her and brings her with him to his home in Portland, Oregon, which happens to be in an all-black hotel. The story goes back and forth in chapters and settings from NYC to Oregon.
This is a difficult review to write since I had different opinions throughout the novel on whether I did or did not like the book. I appreciate that the alternating settings begin with a real quote from each area’s non-fictional newspapers. Plus, the author has historical endnotes. Good research is always a plus in historical fiction. I liked that the author chose that the scrappy little kid character, who grows up to be a mobster, is a girl rather than a boy. This is unheard of in most mob stories. I got a kick out of learning that at one time Harlem NY had a large Italian population know as Little Italy. As a native New Yorker, I really should have known this. For me, Little Italy is the infamous neighborhood located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. (I used to push my, now grown, baby in a stroller right there on Mulberry St.) And I thoroughly enjoyed how skillful the author is in immersing the reader in the feel of the era. I was hooked on the visuals and the slang of the times. I was expecting Bogey or Cagney to materialize on any given page.
Then the historical fiction morphs into a mystery. Although it is a well-written mystery, it is not needed to enhance the already interesting tale on the happenings of the young woman’s two lives: One in white America and another in black America. Both are filled with police that are as corrupt as the mobsters. Nor was I wild about a couple of twists that seem thrown in for good measure. They are decent twists, but again, not needed. Maybe I just don’t care for the mixing of genres. I also was not pleased that in this book, and recent others is that the theme and characters are pointedly aligned to this current dysfunctional White House administration. I am growing weary of all the new historical novels that make anti-Trump statements without using his name. (And, I am no fan of the 45th American President). In this tale, I read over and over how in the 1920s the KKK expanded into the north because of the hatred against people who deemed not “truly” American. Their motto was “America First.” Sound familiar? I am aware that these historical connections need to be repeated in words to serve as reminders of what can happen when politics run amok. But, after finding this Trump-metaphor linking trend so often I, as a reader and a reviewer, need a breather from political teachable moments in my fiction.
After writing down my thoughts on the pros and cons in “The Paragon Hotel,” I discover I am still confused on whether I would recommend the book or not. I guess it depends upon what your expectations are when venturing into the story. I was not expecting a mystery. Hopefully my confusion will help give you a clear picture of what you may like or dislike in the story.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
https://books6259.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amz...
Genre: Historical Fiction Mystery
Publisher: PENGUIN GROUP Putmam
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019
In a nutshell, this novel is about racism and the American underworld in the early twentieth century. The novel begins in 1921, during the time of America’s Prohibition. A young white female protagonist is on a train out of Harlem running to escape her Mafia boss who is displeased with her. She is suffering from an untreated bullet wound. A black male Pullman porter takes pity on her and brings her with him to his home in Portland, Oregon, which happens to be in an all-black hotel. The story goes back and forth in chapters and settings from NYC to Oregon.
This is a difficult review to write since I had different opinions throughout the novel on whether I did or did not like the book. I appreciate that the alternating settings begin with a real quote from each area’s non-fictional newspapers. Plus, the author has historical endnotes. Good research is always a plus in historical fiction. I liked that the author chose that the scrappy little kid character, who grows up to be a mobster, is a girl rather than a boy. This is unheard of in most mob stories. I got a kick out of learning that at one time Harlem NY had a large Italian population know as Little Italy. As a native New Yorker, I really should have known this. For me, Little Italy is the infamous neighborhood located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. (I used to push my, now grown, baby in a stroller right there on Mulberry St.) And I thoroughly enjoyed how skillful the author is in immersing the reader in the feel of the era. I was hooked on the visuals and the slang of the times. I was expecting Bogey or Cagney to materialize on any given page.
Then the historical fiction morphs into a mystery. Although it is a well-written mystery, it is not needed to enhance the already interesting tale on the happenings of the young woman’s two lives: One in white America and another in black America. Both are filled with police that are as corrupt as the mobsters. Nor was I wild about a couple of twists that seem thrown in for good measure. They are decent twists, but again, not needed. Maybe I just don’t care for the mixing of genres. I also was not pleased that in this book, and recent others is that the theme and characters are pointedly aligned to this current dysfunctional White House administration. I am growing weary of all the new historical novels that make anti-Trump statements without using his name. (And, I am no fan of the 45th American President). In this tale, I read over and over how in the 1920s the KKK expanded into the north because of the hatred against people who deemed not “truly” American. Their motto was “America First.” Sound familiar? I am aware that these historical connections need to be repeated in words to serve as reminders of what can happen when politics run amok. But, after finding this Trump-metaphor linking trend so often I, as a reader and a reviewer, need a breather from political teachable moments in my fiction.
After writing down my thoughts on the pros and cons in “The Paragon Hotel,” I discover I am still confused on whether I would recommend the book or not. I guess it depends upon what your expectations are when venturing into the story. I was not expecting a mystery. Hopefully my confusion will help give you a clear picture of what you may like or dislike in the story.
I received this Advance Review Copy (ARC) novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my book reviews at:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
https://books6259.wordpress.com/
https://twitter.com/NeesRecord
https://www.facebook.com/martie.neesr...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/amz...
March 3, 2019
‘The Paragon Hotel’ by Lyndsay Faye is wonderful storytelling, showcased by a unique writing style. Faye’s luminescent prose and memorable characters along with a poignant plot and atmospheric setting create an indelible reading experience. Alice James is born on March 23, 1896, on the very same day that the Raines Law is passed. That law states that no liquor can be sold on Sunday, except in hotels. Alice James, also known as ‘Nobody’ was born and raised in Raines Hotels in New York. Gunshot, Alice makes her way across the country, befriended, finally, by a black porter, Max, on the Pullman train. Upon arrival in Portland, Oregon, Max delivers Alice to the Paragon Hotel, a hotel for blacks, where she finds treatment for her bullet wounds and safety for a time. How long will she remain safe? Blacks are not welcome in Oregon and the Ku Klux Klan is a force to be reckoned with. I had never considered that blacks would be met with such prejudice in a northern state, but Faye documents this ignorant and chilling bias with newspaper snippets from the time period.
Some examples of Faye’s prose:
“I think many a trouble begins with love, and it’s important to remember that when life feels like the shit scraped off Death’s boot sole.”
“If Max were any other fellow, I’d be terrified enough to dangle out the window like a set of drying stockings by now.”
“...both of us finishing our cigarettes while the sky turns vacant and black as any corpse.”
“We go through our lives, so many of us, as fractions of ourselves, with all the other puzzle pieces buried where no one can see them. But there’s the paradox, and do forgive me for flights metaphorical--we’re all of us fractured jigsaws, but we’re also the entire picture no matter how far away we walk from what’s hidden.”
Faye writes memorable characters, intertwining their physical descriptions with traits of personality.
“He wasn’t stronger either--but he was quick as a wasp. He wasn’t handsome--but he owned a striking hatchet face, a straight black hairline without a trace of peak, and a pair of weirdly slanting brows hitching a tent over his stake of a nose. And he was savagely dynamic.”
In a few sentences, Faye creates dimension in this character; I not only see him, but I see his energy and because she uses the word, savage, I imagine that he’s scrappy, a survivor. She treats all her characters this thoroughly. The way she physically describes characters is full-fleshed and reveals some of their spirit. The dialogue with which Faye infuses her characters feels lively and true to the times. She uses a lot of 1910s and 20s slang; jake, sap, pal, moll, and it is so unforced as to feel as though she’s channeling these characters.
Alice James, our protagonist, age 25, has lived since age 15, under the protection of her guardian, Mauro Salvatici, a mobster type who runs a grand hotel in New York. James is savvy to the ways of the world; even though she’s gunshot, she comes across as full of herself. Alice has learned to play roles in order to get along in life. She has become proficient at putting on masks. Max sees through her as does her jazz singer friend, Blossom. She isn’t able to hide behind her mask; they don't allow her to go unnoticed (become Nobody) or to become someone else. They want to know the real Alice. Alice seems to be in search of her hidden self as well. The search for one’s identity is a predominant theme also echoed in the character of Blossom. I love Blossom! The tone of this novel is gutsy with some defiance in the face of challenging odds.
Some examples of Faye’s prose:
“I think many a trouble begins with love, and it’s important to remember that when life feels like the shit scraped off Death’s boot sole.”
“If Max were any other fellow, I’d be terrified enough to dangle out the window like a set of drying stockings by now.”
“...both of us finishing our cigarettes while the sky turns vacant and black as any corpse.”
“We go through our lives, so many of us, as fractions of ourselves, with all the other puzzle pieces buried where no one can see them. But there’s the paradox, and do forgive me for flights metaphorical--we’re all of us fractured jigsaws, but we’re also the entire picture no matter how far away we walk from what’s hidden.”
Faye writes memorable characters, intertwining their physical descriptions with traits of personality.
“He wasn’t stronger either--but he was quick as a wasp. He wasn’t handsome--but he owned a striking hatchet face, a straight black hairline without a trace of peak, and a pair of weirdly slanting brows hitching a tent over his stake of a nose. And he was savagely dynamic.”
In a few sentences, Faye creates dimension in this character; I not only see him, but I see his energy and because she uses the word, savage, I imagine that he’s scrappy, a survivor. She treats all her characters this thoroughly. The way she physically describes characters is full-fleshed and reveals some of their spirit. The dialogue with which Faye infuses her characters feels lively and true to the times. She uses a lot of 1910s and 20s slang; jake, sap, pal, moll, and it is so unforced as to feel as though she’s channeling these characters.
Alice James, our protagonist, age 25, has lived since age 15, under the protection of her guardian, Mauro Salvatici, a mobster type who runs a grand hotel in New York. James is savvy to the ways of the world; even though she’s gunshot, she comes across as full of herself. Alice has learned to play roles in order to get along in life. She has become proficient at putting on masks. Max sees through her as does her jazz singer friend, Blossom. She isn’t able to hide behind her mask; they don't allow her to go unnoticed (become Nobody) or to become someone else. They want to know the real Alice. Alice seems to be in search of her hidden self as well. The search for one’s identity is a predominant theme also echoed in the character of Blossom. I love Blossom! The tone of this novel is gutsy with some defiance in the face of challenging odds.
February 1, 2019
The Paragon Hotel is a fictionalized account of the one hotel in Portland that allowed customers of color through the 1930s, and the surrounding racism of the times.
(I grew up in Oregon with 4th and 8th grade focused on Oregon history but we never learned about this, however it explains a lot... Even today Portland is 72% white!)
I enjoyed the part of the novel set in Portland, but the parallel story set in Harlem seemed less realistic and maybe unnecessary, somewhat clogging the storyline. This is a good read for people who like the flapper jazz era but are looking for a spin on the usual.
I had an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley, and the book came out January 8, 2019.
(I grew up in Oregon with 4th and 8th grade focused on Oregon history but we never learned about this, however it explains a lot... Even today Portland is 72% white!)
I enjoyed the part of the novel set in Portland, but the parallel story set in Harlem seemed less realistic and maybe unnecessary, somewhat clogging the storyline. This is a good read for people who like the flapper jazz era but are looking for a spin on the usual.
I had an eARC from the publisher through NetGalley, and the book came out January 8, 2019.
January 28, 2019
Who is Alice James? Why does she reference herself as "Nobody"? What are the circumstances that led to her being on a train bound for Oregon?
So begins the tale of Alice James, aka "Nobody", fleeing NYC with a bullet wound festering, on the run from the Mafia. It's 1921, Prohibition has been initiated, Mob violence in Little Italy is rampant and Oregon seems to be a safe distance from those who wish Alice dead.
Befriended on the train by Max Burton, the Pullman porter in charge of her cabin, Alice is taken to the Paragon Hotel, an all black hotel in Portland. Alice is white, but in desperate need of Dr. Pendleton, owner of the hotel, and an accomplished doctor. Alice soon comes to learn of the intolerance Oregon has for African Americans, and the rising influence of the KKK.
When a young mulatto boy goes missing, Alice feels compelled to help her newfound friends find the child, leading to disastrous consequences.
There were so many layers to this story that made it truly engrossing. It delves into racism, bigotry, violence and mental illness, yet also highlighting friendship and love. A couple of my favorite quotes:
"We go through our lives, so many of us, as fractions of ourselves, with all the other puzzle pieces buried where no one can see them. But there's the paradox, and do forgive me for flights metaphorical-we're all of us fractured jigsaws, but we're also the entire picture no matter how far away we walk from what's hidden."
"When I've pushed the spinning glass round and the Paragon Hotel spits me out, I turn to look back at it. It's dozens of windows with its hundreds of guests, all of them hiding something. All of them fighting for something. All of them frightened of something. That's the kicker about hotels-they aren't homes, they're more like the paragon of waiting rooms. Unless you're part of the inner circle of this one, and you burrow underneath one another's surfaces, air the cupboards, lift the drapes, and everyone is unhappy, and everyone is both cruel and kind."
So begins the tale of Alice James, aka "Nobody", fleeing NYC with a bullet wound festering, on the run from the Mafia. It's 1921, Prohibition has been initiated, Mob violence in Little Italy is rampant and Oregon seems to be a safe distance from those who wish Alice dead.
Befriended on the train by Max Burton, the Pullman porter in charge of her cabin, Alice is taken to the Paragon Hotel, an all black hotel in Portland. Alice is white, but in desperate need of Dr. Pendleton, owner of the hotel, and an accomplished doctor. Alice soon comes to learn of the intolerance Oregon has for African Americans, and the rising influence of the KKK.
When a young mulatto boy goes missing, Alice feels compelled to help her newfound friends find the child, leading to disastrous consequences.
There were so many layers to this story that made it truly engrossing. It delves into racism, bigotry, violence and mental illness, yet also highlighting friendship and love. A couple of my favorite quotes:
"We go through our lives, so many of us, as fractions of ourselves, with all the other puzzle pieces buried where no one can see them. But there's the paradox, and do forgive me for flights metaphorical-we're all of us fractured jigsaws, but we're also the entire picture no matter how far away we walk from what's hidden."
"When I've pushed the spinning glass round and the Paragon Hotel spits me out, I turn to look back at it. It's dozens of windows with its hundreds of guests, all of them hiding something. All of them fighting for something. All of them frightened of something. That's the kicker about hotels-they aren't homes, they're more like the paragon of waiting rooms. Unless you're part of the inner circle of this one, and you burrow underneath one another's surfaces, air the cupboards, lift the drapes, and everyone is unhappy, and everyone is both cruel and kind."
September 1, 2021
The Paragon Hotel passes through my increasingly discriminating historical fiction filters with style. The main part of the story is set in Portland Oregon in 1921, with alternating chapters establishing the backstory of the principal character, Alice James. Those chapters take place in Harlem, which in the early part of the 20th century was home to NYC's second Little Italy and a growing population of African Americans. Faye does a first rate job of conveying a sense of place for each location, both for the people and the potentially violent environments in which they live.
The plot begins with Alice (who proudly accepts the moniker "Nobody" for her gifts at blending into any background) escaping via train from disastrous developments in her life of Prohibition-era crime in NYC. A Pullman porter recognizes that she appears to be in hiding, and that she is suffering from an untreated gunshot wound. Upon arrival in Portland he escorts her to the Paragon Hotel, the only upscale lodging for African Americans in the city, and home to a diverse community that becomes the west coast cast of the story.
So we have two fascinating stories featuring Alice, who is sometimes front and center, but generally in the background of scenes that are dominated by more vivid characters. Along the way we learn some things about the NYC Mafia, and a whole lot about the racism endemic to Oregon in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when it was enforced by legislation and fanned by the Ku Klux Klan. Faye manages to insert other topics that remain controversial to this day without missing a beat.
Story and characters aside, the most striking quality of this book is the dialog, much of which is an Americanized version of the brittle 1920's repartee found in many Golden Age mystery novels, amplified by a gin-and-jazz quality. I have to admit that at first this seemed a bit discordant to me, but as the story evolved it became such a part of the personalities of the key characters that I relaxed and enjoyed it.
Alice would have.
The plot begins with Alice (who proudly accepts the moniker "Nobody" for her gifts at blending into any background) escaping via train from disastrous developments in her life of Prohibition-era crime in NYC. A Pullman porter recognizes that she appears to be in hiding, and that she is suffering from an untreated gunshot wound. Upon arrival in Portland he escorts her to the Paragon Hotel, the only upscale lodging for African Americans in the city, and home to a diverse community that becomes the west coast cast of the story.
So we have two fascinating stories featuring Alice, who is sometimes front and center, but generally in the background of scenes that are dominated by more vivid characters. Along the way we learn some things about the NYC Mafia, and a whole lot about the racism endemic to Oregon in the 19th and early 20th centuries, when it was enforced by legislation and fanned by the Ku Klux Klan. Faye manages to insert other topics that remain controversial to this day without missing a beat.
Story and characters aside, the most striking quality of this book is the dialog, much of which is an Americanized version of the brittle 1920's repartee found in many Golden Age mystery novels, amplified by a gin-and-jazz quality. I have to admit that at first this seemed a bit discordant to me, but as the story evolved it became such a part of the personalities of the key characters that I relaxed and enjoyed it.
Alice would have.
February 8, 2019
It's the 1920s, and Alice James, or Nobody, is escaping to Portland when we first meet her, suffering from a bullet wound. She's taken by a porter to the Paragon Hotel, the only hotel in the town that allows African Americans to frequent. She meets a variety of fascinating people who live and work at the hotel. They view her with some suspicion, as she's white and a stranger, and the situation in Portland is somewhat tense, what with the Ku Klux Klan arriving there to cause trouble. With the disappearance of a young boy, the adopted son of a flamboyant night club singer, Blossom, tensions rise further, and the inhabitants of the Paragon, along with Nobody, begin a desperate search.
I loved this! This book was phenomenal! Lyndsay Faye provides us with historical context for Portland and Prohibition. She also has Nobody narrate this tale, explaining what her childhood and recent past in Harlem, New York City, was like as a gun moll and her less than ethical past, while she contends with the incidents at the Paragon.
Nobody's a fabulous character, as is Blossom, whom I fell in love with. The two of them connected immediately, as I did with this book through Nobody's voice. Which is peppered with nifty turns of phrase that sounded authentically 1920s. The phrases added lovely colour to Nobody and her approach to life. Lyndsay Faye's characterization of all the other characters was terrific and there were numerous chunks of this book that I would have highlighted for the wonderful language, and that the superlative narrator of this audiobook, January LaVoye, brought vividly to life. All I really have to add is, this was one of my favourite books this month.
I loved this! This book was phenomenal! Lyndsay Faye provides us with historical context for Portland and Prohibition. She also has Nobody narrate this tale, explaining what her childhood and recent past in Harlem, New York City, was like as a gun moll and her less than ethical past, while she contends with the incidents at the Paragon.
Nobody's a fabulous character, as is Blossom, whom I fell in love with. The two of them connected immediately, as I did with this book through Nobody's voice. Which is peppered with nifty turns of phrase that sounded authentically 1920s. The phrases added lovely colour to Nobody and her approach to life. Lyndsay Faye's characterization of all the other characters was terrific and there were numerous chunks of this book that I would have highlighted for the wonderful language, and that the superlative narrator of this audiobook, January LaVoye, brought vividly to life. All I really have to add is, this was one of my favourite books this month.
February 20, 2019
4+ Stars
Whip-smart writing and dialogue. Strong female characters. Though this takes place in the early 1900's, the story is as relevant as ever. Highly recommended.
Whip-smart writing and dialogue. Strong female characters. Though this takes place in the early 1900's, the story is as relevant as ever. Highly recommended.
July 2, 2019
The Paragon Hotel is a taut, well told historical mystery that will captivate you from its startling beginning to its breathtaking conclusion.
There are few things that I enjoy more than a great mystery and when it is set in a historical context, it is like icing on a cake. That is exactly what Lyndsay Faye has created with The Paragon Hotel.
It is the era of prohibition and Alice “Nobody” James is mysteriously wounded and fleeing from the mobs of Harlem, New York where she was raised by her prostitute mother. She runs as far as she can to Portland, OR where she befriends the porter for The Paragon Hotel, an all black hotel with mysteries of its own. But events on the west coast are not a lot better than the east as the KuKluxKlan is gaining strength and has targeted the Paragon, the only all black hotel in the city. Alice, who is white, is barely accepted by its black residents and understandably so given the hate that is Klan is bringing to their door step, but she does make friends with Blossom Fontaine, the singer at the hotel, and her ward, Davy Lee. When Davy Lee goes missing, tension rise, alliances are questioned and the racial tension that has been simmering threatens to erupt.
The Paragon Hotel is one of those rare books that is both a suspenseful thriller as well as a looking glass at the past, one that allows the reader to see the important lessons from that era and how those lessons learned might be applied today. One might think that Harlem would have nothing in common with Portland, or that the 1920s is too far removed from current events today, and yet this story blends it all together seamlessly. What should have been a typical mystery, one filled with hate and ugliness, instead evolved into a tale of hope and encouragement.
I was riveted by The Paragon Hotel and could not put it down from the first to the very last page. Its characters were so beautifully drawn that they will continue to haunt me for a very long time and the story itself changed me profoundly. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
There are few things that I enjoy more than a great mystery and when it is set in a historical context, it is like icing on a cake. That is exactly what Lyndsay Faye has created with The Paragon Hotel.
It is the era of prohibition and Alice “Nobody” James is mysteriously wounded and fleeing from the mobs of Harlem, New York where she was raised by her prostitute mother. She runs as far as she can to Portland, OR where she befriends the porter for The Paragon Hotel, an all black hotel with mysteries of its own. But events on the west coast are not a lot better than the east as the KuKluxKlan is gaining strength and has targeted the Paragon, the only all black hotel in the city. Alice, who is white, is barely accepted by its black residents and understandably so given the hate that is Klan is bringing to their door step, but she does make friends with Blossom Fontaine, the singer at the hotel, and her ward, Davy Lee. When Davy Lee goes missing, tension rise, alliances are questioned and the racial tension that has been simmering threatens to erupt.
The Paragon Hotel is one of those rare books that is both a suspenseful thriller as well as a looking glass at the past, one that allows the reader to see the important lessons from that era and how those lessons learned might be applied today. One might think that Harlem would have nothing in common with Portland, or that the 1920s is too far removed from current events today, and yet this story blends it all together seamlessly. What should have been a typical mystery, one filled with hate and ugliness, instead evolved into a tale of hope and encouragement.
I was riveted by The Paragon Hotel and could not put it down from the first to the very last page. Its characters were so beautifully drawn that they will continue to haunt me for a very long time and the story itself changed me profoundly. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
April 1, 2019
This is a dizzying,dazzling book. The author's style takes a little getting used to but then SO delivers. What incredible richness of language. I was completely riveted by the story of a young "Nobody" who is raised among the violence of the mafias in Harlem but then escapes to new horrors in prejudiced Oregon. This is not only a riveting read but a beautifully crafted story of race and identity. Highly recommend!
January 5, 2019
I just couldn't like this book. I really tried. I made it about halfway through and then questioned why I was still reading. The Paragon Hotel has a high rating on Goodreads, so I kept thinking I was missing something or that the book had to get better.
The narrators voice just wasn't working for me. I understand that she is a con artist and changes into who she needs to be to suit the situation, but I found her voice hard to read. I typically love historical fiction, but this book wasn't for me.
The narrators voice just wasn't working for me. I understand that she is a con artist and changes into who she needs to be to suit the situation, but I found her voice hard to read. I typically love historical fiction, but this book wasn't for me.
January 18, 2019
Set in 1921, Alice "Nobody" James arrives in Portland after a harrowing train ride. Not only has she fled New York, but she's also been shot and now needs a place to hide. Thanks to Max, a black Pullman porter, she finds refuge at the Paragon Hotel. The only problem? This is the only all-black hotel in the city and they are not very keen to have a white woman staying there. But with Max as well as the wonderful club singer, Blossom Fontaine, on her side, Alice stays in the hotel. However, she quickly realizes that not everything is peachy in Portland. The Ku Klux Klan has arrived in the city and a child disappears from Paragon Hotel not long after Alice has arrived...
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!
December 31, 2018
Alice James was born in Harlem and eventually runs for her life. Taken off the train in Oregon, the conductor brings her, injured by a bullet, to Portland's Paragon Hotel. Once there her story gets complicated and surprising. We learn why she was shot and why she ran.
It is the 1920's and Prohibition is in full swing; racism is prevalent in Portland. Alice is welcomed to the Paragon Hotel to recuperate, even though she is white and the other guests black. She becomes close to Blossom Fontaine, a black actress who lives at the Paragon. She meets Davy Lee, a young black boy whom Blossom has rescued from the streets. Alice, Blossom, Davy and Miss Christina go to a carnival and experience the Fun House. While there Davy disappears. A search involving the local police ensues over many days. The Ku Klux Klan is involved as well.
This story is told in first person sarcastic. Sarcastic is the voice I think Alice is using. I actually loved Alice's voice. Very unique and engaging. Reminds me of Stephanie Plum's (Janet Evanovich) irreverence.
Recommend to any historical fiction lover. There is mystery and intrigue and looking for a missing child. Those of you who love mystery will love this book also.
5 stars
It is the 1920's and Prohibition is in full swing; racism is prevalent in Portland. Alice is welcomed to the Paragon Hotel to recuperate, even though she is white and the other guests black. She becomes close to Blossom Fontaine, a black actress who lives at the Paragon. She meets Davy Lee, a young black boy whom Blossom has rescued from the streets. Alice, Blossom, Davy and Miss Christina go to a carnival and experience the Fun House. While there Davy disappears. A search involving the local police ensues over many days. The Ku Klux Klan is involved as well.
This story is told in first person sarcastic. Sarcastic is the voice I think Alice is using. I actually loved Alice's voice. Very unique and engaging. Reminds me of Stephanie Plum's (Janet Evanovich) irreverence.
Recommend to any historical fiction lover. There is mystery and intrigue and looking for a missing child. Those of you who love mystery will love this book also.
5 stars
February 24, 2019
There are some big content warnings under the spoiler tag, and I would especially stress that anyone who identifies as queer or any of the letters in LGBTQ+ read them.
My biggest issue is that I don’t think this was a story for a white woman to tell. Add to that the fact that the book centers a white woman in a story largely about the history of racism in Oregon. She even gets to be a bit of a white savior in the end.
Ignoring that, which is hard, I was just bored as I listened to this audiobook. I'm amazed I finished it as Alice/Nobody's backstory was predictable and rather dull for the mob storyline. And then the story in Portland just never felt right, it never interested or worked for me, but my hackles were up. I finished it mainly because I've liked Faye's previous books and needed to know if there was a way this book could rescue itself, but it dug a bigger hole instead.
My biggest issue is that I don’t think this was a story for a white woman to tell. Add to that the fact that the book centers a white woman in a story largely about the history of racism in Oregon. She even gets to be a bit of a white savior in the end.
Ignoring that, which is hard, I was just bored as I listened to this audiobook. I'm amazed I finished it as Alice/Nobody's backstory was predictable and rather dull for the mob storyline. And then the story in Portland just never felt right, it never interested or worked for me, but my hackles were up. I finished it mainly because I've liked Faye's previous books and needed to know if there was a way this book could rescue itself, but it dug a bigger hole instead.
April 16, 2019
4.5
Historical fiction like The Paragon Hotel constantly amazes me with incredible facts that I never learned (or were never taught) in high school. The Ku Klux Klan was given only cursory mention in our high school history books and mainly concentrated on the 1950s. I had no idea that it had infiltrated numerous cities across the entire United States (not just the South) in the 1920s, heavily influencing local politics and terrorizing communities like Portland where much of this book takes place. Lyndsay Faye reveals this history at the beginning of each chapter with either a quote from newspapers or laws on the books at that time. Oregon, with a long history of racist laws starting as early as 1844, was ripe for the KKK plucking. Oregon?! I was astounded - or perhaps just naive.
In 1921, Alice "Nobody" James, the 25 year old protege/ward of a ruthless Mafia kingpin escapes across country on a train from Harlem to Portland with bullet wounds in her side. Thus begins a riveting tale much of which takes place at the Paragon Hotel, the only black hotel in Portland - a hotel now hiding a white woman.
Chapters alternate between Harlem and Portland, from "Nobody's" childhood to her present telling of the tale. Unlike some books I have read that switch timelines, this one was well-done and not disorienting.
Faye knows how to set a scene, all of which are rich in period detail and interesting characters. As the mystery of Alice "Nobody" James begins to unfold, it takes on a new mystery with the terrifying disappearance of a child. Davy, a beloved, mixed-race child who lives at the Paragon Hotel, suddenly vanishes from an amusement park and soon becomes the suspenseful focus for the residents of the hotel.
This book was a page turner - a page turner which enlightened me. And I have left out half the tale, the other half of which relates the brutal grip the Mafia families held on New York and on their own Italian-American communities. History and mystery. For me the definition of a great read!
Historical fiction like The Paragon Hotel constantly amazes me with incredible facts that I never learned (or were never taught) in high school. The Ku Klux Klan was given only cursory mention in our high school history books and mainly concentrated on the 1950s. I had no idea that it had infiltrated numerous cities across the entire United States (not just the South) in the 1920s, heavily influencing local politics and terrorizing communities like Portland where much of this book takes place. Lyndsay Faye reveals this history at the beginning of each chapter with either a quote from newspapers or laws on the books at that time. Oregon, with a long history of racist laws starting as early as 1844, was ripe for the KKK plucking. Oregon?! I was astounded - or perhaps just naive.
In 1921, Alice "Nobody" James, the 25 year old protege/ward of a ruthless Mafia kingpin escapes across country on a train from Harlem to Portland with bullet wounds in her side. Thus begins a riveting tale much of which takes place at the Paragon Hotel, the only black hotel in Portland - a hotel now hiding a white woman.
Chapters alternate between Harlem and Portland, from "Nobody's" childhood to her present telling of the tale. Unlike some books I have read that switch timelines, this one was well-done and not disorienting.
Faye knows how to set a scene, all of which are rich in period detail and interesting characters. As the mystery of Alice "Nobody" James begins to unfold, it takes on a new mystery with the terrifying disappearance of a child. Davy, a beloved, mixed-race child who lives at the Paragon Hotel, suddenly vanishes from an amusement park and soon becomes the suspenseful focus for the residents of the hotel.
This book was a page turner - a page turner which enlightened me. And I have left out half the tale, the other half of which relates the brutal grip the Mafia families held on New York and on their own Italian-American communities. History and mystery. For me the definition of a great read!
January 28, 2019
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Sometimes we read stories to escape the gruesome reality that is perpetually mediatized and sometimes we visit these stories to remind us of the lessons learned—or not—during the darker days of the past. While the events in themselves are tragic, it is the similarities that we are able to draw between an era that seems so long ago that is the most appalling. Whether it is only a decade or a century ago, mankind loves to revisit those mistakes and find ways to do worse, but even in pitch-black darkness there is light, and even in the ugly, there is beauty. One phenomenon that unfortunately continues to pervade many societies around the world turns out to be the main attraction in this novel and it is none other than racism. And so, leave it to Lyndsay Faye, author of the Edgar-nominated novels Jane Steele and The Gods of Gotham, to deliver a stunning historical fiction blended with a healthy dose of mystery with her latest stand-alone novel The Paragon Hotel that tackles a timely subject still relevant today.
What is The Paragon Hotel about? Set in 1921, the story follows Alice “Nobody” James on her journey from a Prohibition-era Harlen to Portland’s The Paragon Hotel. Inflicted with a bullet-wound, looking for a safe haven to hide from a drug deal gone wrong, she rides a train heading towards Portland, Oregan. Struck with serendipity, she meets a black Pullman porter whose unselfishness brings him to offer her a home to rest at. Putting himself and others at risk, Nobody finds refuge in the only all-black hotel where her being white installs tension in the occupants’ lives. Resting, she comes to acquaint herself with some memorable figures, including club chanteuse Blossom Fontaine and understands that there is more going on in Portland than meets the eye. In fact, the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan is the ultimate catalyst to the danger to come.
When it comes down to historical fiction, its ability to be immersive will always be primordial and Lyndsay Faye nails it with the era, setting and characters in The Paragon Hotel. Not only is it obvious that she put in some solid work to get the research right for this story, but she also draws upon her unbelievable skills to create authentic characters that are not only easy to imagine but who also fit perfectly within the time period. The Paragon Hotel is particularly heavier in dialogues and offers readers the opportunity to look closely at the interactions between characters, but also the language used by everyone in their daily lives. Shocking at times, they are all genuine and easily sets the conflict-filled atmosphere that still exists within today’s society. The story is also told with two interlocking narratives (past and present), where the past explores Alice “Nobody” James' life within the criminal underworld and the present explores her life among the Paragon Hotel's community. While intriguing, the constant change from one timeline to another was, unfortunately, a little less fluid than expected.
What was a bit more of a surprise was how the story starts off as a pure historical fiction only to later find the mystery groove that you would usually see coming from Lyndsay Faye. The distinction between both genres was a bit too raw for my taste and a would’ve been even better if it was seamless, but it didn’t completely take away from the tone set for this story. In fact, Lyndsay Faye delivers some wonderful plot twists as the story reaches its end and does a remarkable job in exploring the history of racism that plagued Portland. With themes of race and identity at the heart of this story, she also does a remarkable job in creating incredible characters that serve as excellent vessels to convey this tale. As much as you’d expect some people to be much more open-minded and considerate about others around them without filtering them based on their race, this story does a great job in portraying the issues through the eye of a character who can take on any personality to blend in with the mass. Her unique position offers us a truly eye-opening perspective into Portland’s Prohibition-era crime romp and racial tension.
The Paragon Hotel is an exquisite exploration of race and identity in a Prohibition-era Portland city with unforgettable characters and their deeply-rooted struggles.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and G.P. Putnam's Sons for sending me a copy for review!
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Sometimes we read stories to escape the gruesome reality that is perpetually mediatized and sometimes we visit these stories to remind us of the lessons learned—or not—during the darker days of the past. While the events in themselves are tragic, it is the similarities that we are able to draw between an era that seems so long ago that is the most appalling. Whether it is only a decade or a century ago, mankind loves to revisit those mistakes and find ways to do worse, but even in pitch-black darkness there is light, and even in the ugly, there is beauty. One phenomenon that unfortunately continues to pervade many societies around the world turns out to be the main attraction in this novel and it is none other than racism. And so, leave it to Lyndsay Faye, author of the Edgar-nominated novels Jane Steele and The Gods of Gotham, to deliver a stunning historical fiction blended with a healthy dose of mystery with her latest stand-alone novel The Paragon Hotel that tackles a timely subject still relevant today.
What is The Paragon Hotel about? Set in 1921, the story follows Alice “Nobody” James on her journey from a Prohibition-era Harlen to Portland’s The Paragon Hotel. Inflicted with a bullet-wound, looking for a safe haven to hide from a drug deal gone wrong, she rides a train heading towards Portland, Oregan. Struck with serendipity, she meets a black Pullman porter whose unselfishness brings him to offer her a home to rest at. Putting himself and others at risk, Nobody finds refuge in the only all-black hotel where her being white installs tension in the occupants’ lives. Resting, she comes to acquaint herself with some memorable figures, including club chanteuse Blossom Fontaine and understands that there is more going on in Portland than meets the eye. In fact, the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan is the ultimate catalyst to the danger to come.
When it comes down to historical fiction, its ability to be immersive will always be primordial and Lyndsay Faye nails it with the era, setting and characters in The Paragon Hotel. Not only is it obvious that she put in some solid work to get the research right for this story, but she also draws upon her unbelievable skills to create authentic characters that are not only easy to imagine but who also fit perfectly within the time period. The Paragon Hotel is particularly heavier in dialogues and offers readers the opportunity to look closely at the interactions between characters, but also the language used by everyone in their daily lives. Shocking at times, they are all genuine and easily sets the conflict-filled atmosphere that still exists within today’s society. The story is also told with two interlocking narratives (past and present), where the past explores Alice “Nobody” James' life within the criminal underworld and the present explores her life among the Paragon Hotel's community. While intriguing, the constant change from one timeline to another was, unfortunately, a little less fluid than expected.
What was a bit more of a surprise was how the story starts off as a pure historical fiction only to later find the mystery groove that you would usually see coming from Lyndsay Faye. The distinction between both genres was a bit too raw for my taste and a would’ve been even better if it was seamless, but it didn’t completely take away from the tone set for this story. In fact, Lyndsay Faye delivers some wonderful plot twists as the story reaches its end and does a remarkable job in exploring the history of racism that plagued Portland. With themes of race and identity at the heart of this story, she also does a remarkable job in creating incredible characters that serve as excellent vessels to convey this tale. As much as you’d expect some people to be much more open-minded and considerate about others around them without filtering them based on their race, this story does a great job in portraying the issues through the eye of a character who can take on any personality to blend in with the mass. Her unique position offers us a truly eye-opening perspective into Portland’s Prohibition-era crime romp and racial tension.
The Paragon Hotel is an exquisite exploration of race and identity in a Prohibition-era Portland city with unforgettable characters and their deeply-rooted struggles.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and G.P. Putnam's Sons for sending me a copy for review!
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
December 5, 2018
The first thing I said when I saw this book was—-finally a cool interesting book set in Portland!
Living in Oregon, there isn’t an abundance of cool books set here. Sure we have a number of writers from Oregon that have made it into the ‘big time’, but for the most part Oregon isn’t exactly the hippest place to set your novel in.
In recent years though I have seen a lot of writers—both from Oregon or the PacNW and not—set their books here in my lovely state but it’s still not as popular as say New York or L.A.. I’ve read a few of Faye’s novels and have fallen in love with her writing so besides the fact that this book has Oregon ties, I wanted to read it because she wrote a new book!
This book was such a pleasure to read for one solid reason—-atmosphere. As always, Faye does such a great job at creating a mood in her novels and this one was no different. I loved how the novel split between New York and Portland. I thought it added a lot of interest and broke up the story nicely. So many novels are set in New York so it’s familiar, but not a lot of novels are set in Portland so this adds a lot to keep the reader interested in some place new.
I also thought the language of the novel worked well and kept things interesting and true to the period. I am normally not a huge fan of prohibition era books (just not my time period) but this book blended the glamour of the 1920s with the darker side of prohibition and the criminal world.
This novel is darker and a little more gritty than her last novel, Jane Steele—at least in my opinion. I like how Faye has this seamless ability to write a darker novel but yet still balance it perfectly so that it will appeal to many readers.
This book is rich in historical detail and brought to life a period that was a dark one for American history. In Portland, racism and the KKK aren’t things that a lot of people discuss or even really know about, and I love how Faye brings that side of Portland out in this book. It’s truly a pleasure to read a book so rich in historical detail as this one it. This is a novel that I think would be great for bookclubs. There is a lot to discuss and I think it’s a novel that will appeal to many, especially fans of historical fiction, but it has the darkness and grit of a noir book. I am super excited to share this novel with my friends and family, once again, a win for Faye!
See my full review here
Living in Oregon, there isn’t an abundance of cool books set here. Sure we have a number of writers from Oregon that have made it into the ‘big time’, but for the most part Oregon isn’t exactly the hippest place to set your novel in.
In recent years though I have seen a lot of writers—both from Oregon or the PacNW and not—set their books here in my lovely state but it’s still not as popular as say New York or L.A.. I’ve read a few of Faye’s novels and have fallen in love with her writing so besides the fact that this book has Oregon ties, I wanted to read it because she wrote a new book!
This book was such a pleasure to read for one solid reason—-atmosphere. As always, Faye does such a great job at creating a mood in her novels and this one was no different. I loved how the novel split between New York and Portland. I thought it added a lot of interest and broke up the story nicely. So many novels are set in New York so it’s familiar, but not a lot of novels are set in Portland so this adds a lot to keep the reader interested in some place new.
I also thought the language of the novel worked well and kept things interesting and true to the period. I am normally not a huge fan of prohibition era books (just not my time period) but this book blended the glamour of the 1920s with the darker side of prohibition and the criminal world.
This novel is darker and a little more gritty than her last novel, Jane Steele—at least in my opinion. I like how Faye has this seamless ability to write a darker novel but yet still balance it perfectly so that it will appeal to many readers.
This book is rich in historical detail and brought to life a period that was a dark one for American history. In Portland, racism and the KKK aren’t things that a lot of people discuss or even really know about, and I love how Faye brings that side of Portland out in this book. It’s truly a pleasure to read a book so rich in historical detail as this one it. This is a novel that I think would be great for bookclubs. There is a lot to discuss and I think it’s a novel that will appeal to many, especially fans of historical fiction, but it has the darkness and grit of a noir book. I am super excited to share this novel with my friends and family, once again, a win for Faye!
See my full review here
January 22, 2019
3.5 stars. This one was different. I love historical fiction, so I was excited for this book. I did love the characters and their dynamics together. I can usually follow duel timelines pretty well, but these timelines seemed almost too close together and it was harder for me to keep them straight. I also had a bit of a hard time getting used to the language used and they way the characters talked. The storyline was strong, but I was expecting a bit more from it.
abandoned
March 22, 2019My second DNF of the year. Did people actually ever speak like this, or did the author just watch old time-y movies and toss in every slang and cliché she heard? This very long book probably could have been MUCH shorter without the insufferable dialogue. I couldn’t stand it—like nails on a chalkboard.
February 5, 2021
This is such a stunningly beautiful story. It had me instantly hooked right from the beginning and I immediately fell in love with Nobody and everything else about this story. It’s both hard and easy to read, hard because of the subject matter and yet easy because Faye has such a captivating way of writing that she draws you in completely. I became incredibly invested in the characters and cared deeply for them by the end of the book. This book was truly perfect in every way and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. Do yourself a favour and pick up this stunning masterpiece. Oh and do yourself a solid and have some tissues at the ready because this a powerfully moving story and it brought me to tears more than once!
September 22, 2018
What a story this is. It's a gangster/mafia story. It's a story about racism, including the KKK. It's a story about intolerance and bias. It's a story about friendship and relationships. It's a love story. It's a sad story, but yet a hopeful one. It's a story about resilience in the face of adversity. It choked me up more than once but had me amused or smiling at times also, thankfully, or I would have been an emotional mess as I finished reading.
The tale begins in 1921, during the time of Prohibition, when 25-year-old Alice James, aka "Nobody", on the run from the mafia in NYC and with a festering bullet wound, takes the train to Portland, Oregon. She's befriended on the train by Max Burton, a black Pullman porter, who takes her to the Paragon Hotel when they arrive in Portland. Now, mind you, this is an all-black hotel and Alice is Welsh-Italian, but she's in need and Dr. Pendleton, owner of the hotel, is an extremely capable medical doctor, not to mention a discreet one.
So here's Alice, the only white resident of the Paragon. She's resented at first by the others, who figure she'll bring nothing but trouble to them. Turns out, however, that trouble would find them anyway. Oregon at the time was very racially intolerant and had the biggest KKK organization west of the Mississippi River. And even many of those whites not affiliated with the KKK still defended the northern chapters as a "political rallying tool and a charitable club. It's all America first with them...Fund-raisers, not lynch mobs." After all, "they're all church-goers."
Well, as we all know, there's church going and then there's church going. It all depends on who you decide deserves your Christian charity. And when young Davy, an orphan boy living at the Paragon goes missing, things come to a crisis point.
But this isn't just a story about racial intolerance in 1920s Oregon. We also have some very personal stories of many and varied characters. Of course, top of the list is Alice, or Nobody. Born and raised in NYC, with her Italian father deceased and her Welsh mother struggling to survive as a prostitute, it seems that her inevitable career path will also be on her back.
Things get complicated by her close friendship with Nicolo Benenati and his family and when their lives are affected tragically by actions of the Corleonesi mafia, Alice finds herself under the wing of Mauro Salvatici, owner of the Arcadia Hotel and major enemy of the Corleonesi. As his protege, Alice use her "Nobody" abilities to adapt her personality and looks to any situation, as needed, to uncover information useful to Salvatici.
Until the day she uncovers too much and off Alice goes, on the lam. These flashbacks to Alice's life in NYC during the time of Prohibition, all the people she interacted with, whether as friends or antagonists, is quite compelling and is interspersed throughout the book in chapters entitled "Then", as opposed to the Portland "Now" accounts.
There are secrets and lies everywhere. In New York City and in Portland. Alice had unraveled many secrets to her detriment in NYC and now in Portland she may be on her way to uncovering several secrets and lies hidden at the Paragon Hotel.
Much of the plot and writing in this book blew me away. I love Faye's descriptive abilities. When introducing young Davy to us, she says he "sits in the chair Blossom vacated, swinging energetic legs as if remaining still is an affront to personal freedoms." About housekeeper Mavereen: "She'd make an equally fine church board directress or cathouse madam..." Mrs. Muriel Snyder "has a face that makes me figure God took his inspiration from a potato." There's so much more of this and made it necessary for me to slow down and savor the writing, instead of rushing my way to the denouement.
This is a lovely book about the human spirit and condition. It's a sad book about how tragedies can cause irreparable damage to one's soul. And it is also a hopeful one about how love and friendship can help one's spirit be more resilient. It's also a sobering look at how little progress we have made since the 1920s to overcome racism and intolerance. Alice muses toward the end of the book about "whether there will still be flaming crosses in the unknowable world fifteen years from now, when Davy Lee steps out to make it his own." It's much more than 15 years now in 2018 and even if there is less blatant cross burning, that doesn't mean we can be satisfied that the Davy Lees of our times have an equal footing and can make the world their own.
The tale begins in 1921, during the time of Prohibition, when 25-year-old Alice James, aka "Nobody", on the run from the mafia in NYC and with a festering bullet wound, takes the train to Portland, Oregon. She's befriended on the train by Max Burton, a black Pullman porter, who takes her to the Paragon Hotel when they arrive in Portland. Now, mind you, this is an all-black hotel and Alice is Welsh-Italian, but she's in need and Dr. Pendleton, owner of the hotel, is an extremely capable medical doctor, not to mention a discreet one.
So here's Alice, the only white resident of the Paragon. She's resented at first by the others, who figure she'll bring nothing but trouble to them. Turns out, however, that trouble would find them anyway. Oregon at the time was very racially intolerant and had the biggest KKK organization west of the Mississippi River. And even many of those whites not affiliated with the KKK still defended the northern chapters as a "political rallying tool and a charitable club. It's all America first with them...Fund-raisers, not lynch mobs." After all, "they're all church-goers."
Well, as we all know, there's church going and then there's church going. It all depends on who you decide deserves your Christian charity. And when young Davy, an orphan boy living at the Paragon goes missing, things come to a crisis point.
But this isn't just a story about racial intolerance in 1920s Oregon. We also have some very personal stories of many and varied characters. Of course, top of the list is Alice, or Nobody. Born and raised in NYC, with her Italian father deceased and her Welsh mother struggling to survive as a prostitute, it seems that her inevitable career path will also be on her back.
Things get complicated by her close friendship with Nicolo Benenati and his family and when their lives are affected tragically by actions of the Corleonesi mafia, Alice finds herself under the wing of Mauro Salvatici, owner of the Arcadia Hotel and major enemy of the Corleonesi. As his protege, Alice use her "Nobody" abilities to adapt her personality and looks to any situation, as needed, to uncover information useful to Salvatici.
Until the day she uncovers too much and off Alice goes, on the lam. These flashbacks to Alice's life in NYC during the time of Prohibition, all the people she interacted with, whether as friends or antagonists, is quite compelling and is interspersed throughout the book in chapters entitled "Then", as opposed to the Portland "Now" accounts.
There are secrets and lies everywhere. In New York City and in Portland. Alice had unraveled many secrets to her detriment in NYC and now in Portland she may be on her way to uncovering several secrets and lies hidden at the Paragon Hotel.
Much of the plot and writing in this book blew me away. I love Faye's descriptive abilities. When introducing young Davy to us, she says he "sits in the chair Blossom vacated, swinging energetic legs as if remaining still is an affront to personal freedoms." About housekeeper Mavereen: "She'd make an equally fine church board directress or cathouse madam..." Mrs. Muriel Snyder "has a face that makes me figure God took his inspiration from a potato." There's so much more of this and made it necessary for me to slow down and savor the writing, instead of rushing my way to the denouement.
This is a lovely book about the human spirit and condition. It's a sad book about how tragedies can cause irreparable damage to one's soul. And it is also a hopeful one about how love and friendship can help one's spirit be more resilient. It's also a sobering look at how little progress we have made since the 1920s to overcome racism and intolerance. Alice muses toward the end of the book about "whether there will still be flaming crosses in the unknowable world fifteen years from now, when Davy Lee steps out to make it his own." It's much more than 15 years now in 2018 and even if there is less blatant cross burning, that doesn't mean we can be satisfied that the Davy Lees of our times have an equal footing and can make the world their own.
April 28, 2019
The writing was really good, quirky. It felt like the times it was set in, like Lyndsay Faye nailed the vernacular. I often wonder if there is a limit to how much historical fiction can teach you about history but as this book shows, there is always more to learn. This book opened a new chapter in history that I didn't know about and the story was definitely intriguing. Well-done. I'm a fan of the author and have read many of her books. This one ranks right up there with the others. Looking forward to her next venture...book.
July 13, 2019
From the multicultural paradise of racial harmony that is Portland, Oregon, in the enlightened year 2019 (and if your sarcasm detector isn't going off by now, it may need to be recalibrated...), one might find it challenging to imagine the segregated Portland of 100 years ago. Fortunately, Lyndsay Faye has imagined it for us. The Paragon Hotel succeeds in bringing Portland's past back to life, warts and all, and I can say—with no sarcasm at all now—that it's fascinating, even charming, and full of vivid characters (who frequently speak with extra emphasis, just as I am occasionally wont to do).
Alice James is a native New Yorker, half Welsh and half Italian, born of a whore and raised in Harlem. She calls herself Nobody—but it's a point of pride: she is accomplished at going unnoticed, a very useful skill indeed when one is a ruthless criminal in the employ of criminals even more ruthless...
As The Paragon Hotel begins, the year is 1921. Nobody is grievously injured—she has, somewhere along the way, acquired a bullet wound—and consequently has had to flee New York City rather precipitously. On the westbound train, she becomes friendly with her assigned "George," the Pullman porter (actually named Max) who sells her jazz records and the occasional clandestine alcoholic beverage to ease her pains (this is during Prohibition, about which more later). After Alice alights in Portland, she finds herself too weak to proceed without assistance. Max ends up bringing her—through a chain of events which, however unlikely, seem inevitable in retrospect—to the Paragon Hotel, the finest (and indeed the only) hotel catering to Negro clientele in the entire city.
The Paragon is based on a real establishment, by the way—according to Faye's Historical Note at the end of this book, she changed its name but very few of its other particulars. She knows her setting very well, in general—according to that same Note, Lyndsay Faye was raised in nearby Longview, Washington (from the vantage point of which Portland probably is the big city), although she currently lives in New York City (from which Portland's decidedly not all that big).
Other Portland names got changed as well, I noticed; the venerable amusement park (that still exists) near the Willamette River, for example, is actually named after a different tree—perhaps to avoid direct offense, as the park's employees do not acquit themselves well in this book.
*
The Paragon Hotel is simply chock-full of memorable characters—people you want to be real, like Maximilian Burton, the Pullman porter who befriends Alice on her trip to Portland, and most especially like another of the Paragon's guests, Blossom Fontaine, a nightclub singer with caustic wit and incredible fashion sense. Their lively repartee lightens the tone of the novel even during its bleakest moments—for example, take this exchange between Blossom and Alice:
*
In contrast to Faye's increasingly likeable protagonist and her friends at the Paragon, the novel also contains more than a few individuals you'd rather stay safely in the past—such as Portland police officer Overton (a character who might even be anachronistically named after the eponymous Window):
Oregon's racist history was, until very recently, actually enshrined in its Constitution. Lyndsay Faye begins The Paragon Hotel by quoting the relevant section:
*
Another thing, which might be considered the pinkest elephant in the room: The Paragon Hotel is fairly swimming in, saturated by, inundated with... booze. Prohibition—and the way in which it normalized casual disrespect for the law of the land—is a recurring theme in Faye's novel. There are no teetotalers in this book, or at least none with any significant time on the page—Alice, Max, Blossom, even Overton and the rest of his corrupt and racist ilk—all rely on frequent applications of the sauce as a moderator for their various woes. If you're familiar with Thorne Smith's work (much of which was written during Prohibition), you'll recognize and appreciate all the speakeasies, subterfuges and slurred speeches that suffuse Faye's pages as well.
*
The Paragon Hotel does not shy away from any aspect of Portland's shameful history. Lyndsay Faye excuses nothing—but through her scintillating prose and sympathetic characters, what could have been an unbearably bitter pill becomes a sweeter reminder that history isn't everything, and that embracing the other is not only possible but desirable. And those are messages I can get behind...
The first step on my journey to becoming a ruthless criminal happened on July 24, 1906, and wouldn't have occurred at all if it hadn't been so goddamned hot that day.
—Alice James, p.33
Alice James is a native New Yorker, half Welsh and half Italian, born of a whore and raised in Harlem. She calls herself Nobody—but it's a point of pride: she is accomplished at going unnoticed, a very useful skill indeed when one is a ruthless criminal in the employ of criminals even more ruthless...
The true, authentic Mafioso almost invariably behaves modestly, speaks with restraint and similarly listens with restraint, and displays great patience; if he is offended in public he does not react at all but kills afterward.
—Epigram attributed to Angelo Vaccaro, "La mafia," in Rivista d'Italia, Roma, 1899, p.216
As The Paragon Hotel begins, the year is 1921. Nobody is grievously injured—she has, somewhere along the way, acquired a bullet wound—and consequently has had to flee New York City rather precipitously. On the westbound train, she becomes friendly with her assigned "George," the Pullman porter (actually named Max) who sells her jazz records and the occasional clandestine alcoholic beverage to ease her pains (this is during Prohibition, about which more later). After Alice alights in Portland, she finds herself too weak to proceed without assistance. Max ends up bringing her—through a chain of events which, however unlikely, seem inevitable in retrospect—to the Paragon Hotel, the finest (and indeed the only) hotel catering to Negro clientele in the entire city.
The Paragon is based on a real establishment, by the way—according to Faye's Historical Note at the end of this book, she changed its name but very few of its other particulars. She knows her setting very well, in general—according to that same Note, Lyndsay Faye was raised in nearby Longview, Washington (from the vantage point of which Portland probably is the big city), although she currently lives in New York City (from which Portland's decidedly not all that big).
Other Portland names got changed as well, I noticed; the venerable amusement park (that still exists) near the Willamette River, for example, is actually named after a different tree—perhaps to avoid direct offense, as the park's employees do not acquit themselves well in this book.
*
The Paragon Hotel is simply chock-full of memorable characters—people you want to be real, like Maximilian Burton, the Pullman porter who befriends Alice on her trip to Portland, and most especially like another of the Paragon's guests, Blossom Fontaine, a nightclub singer with caustic wit and incredible fashion sense. Their lively repartee lightens the tone of the novel even during its bleakest moments—for example, take this exchange between Blossom and Alice:
"Piove sul bagnato." I sigh.(The Paragon Hotel is salted throughout with Italian phrases, in fact, most of which get translated in footnotes rather than through conversation as above—footnotes which were one of the few aspects of the novel that I actually found relatively intrusive.)
"Translation—instantly, please."
"Um, 'Bad situations grow worse.'"
"Alice, it's in Italian, it cannot possibly be that dull."
Smiling, I amend, "It rains on the wet."
—p.169
*
In contrast to Faye's increasingly likeable protagonist and her friends at the Paragon, the novel also contains more than a few individuals you'd rather stay safely in the past—such as Portland police officer Overton (a character who might even be anachronistically named after the eponymous Window):
"The Negroes here today came by way of the railroads. It remains illegal for them to reside and work in the state. Oh yes, very illegal indeed! But the necessity of treating all of God's creatures as they deserve no matter how lowly... it ties our hands. There were Portlanders of the previous generation who could claim never to have set eyes on a colored person, let alone disputed with one. Sadly those days are past, Miss James, but we do what we can."Ugh...
—Officer Overton, p.100
Oregon's racist history was, until very recently, actually enshrined in its Constitution. Lyndsay Faye begins The Paragon Hotel by quoting the relevant section:
No free Negro, or Mulatto, not residing in this state at the time of the adoption of this constituation, shall come, reside, or be within this state, or hold any real estate, or make any contracts, or maintain any suit therein; and the Legislative Assembly shall provide by penal laws, for the removal, by public officers, of all such Negroes, and Mulattos, and for the effectual exclusion from the state, and for the punishment of the persons who shall bring them into the state, or employ, or harbor them.Faye goes on to note that,
—Oregon State Constitution, Article 1, Section 35, 1857.
The "Negro and Mulatto" section of Oregon's constitution was technically repealed in 1926 but was only later amended to remove all antiquated racial language in November of the year 2002. The vote was 867,901 in favor of modernizing it and 352,027 against.1921 was also near the height of Oregon's love affair with the Ku Klux Klan, by the way, whose activities do not escape Faye's scrutiny either.
*
Another thing, which might be considered the pinkest elephant in the room: The Paragon Hotel is fairly swimming in, saturated by, inundated with... booze. Prohibition—and the way in which it normalized casual disrespect for the law of the land—is a recurring theme in Faye's novel. There are no teetotalers in this book, or at least none with any significant time on the page—Alice, Max, Blossom, even Overton and the rest of his corrupt and racist ilk—all rely on frequent applications of the sauce as a moderator for their various woes. If you're familiar with Thorne Smith's work (much of which was written during Prohibition), you'll recognize and appreciate all the speakeasies, subterfuges and slurred speeches that suffuse Faye's pages as well.
*
The Paragon Hotel does not shy away from any aspect of Portland's shameful history. Lyndsay Faye excuses nothing—but through her scintillating prose and sympathetic characters, what could have been an unbearably bitter pill becomes a sweeter reminder that history isn't everything, and that embracing the other is not only possible but desirable. And those are messages I can get behind...
May 6, 2019
Oh, Portland. No wonder we’re the whitest major city in the US. This well-researched historical novel, set in the early 1920s, lays bare Oregon’s foundation as a whites-only state, and shows through a lively cast of characters how blacks were treated and how whites rationalized their racism. Interesting, readable, and still relevant in many ways nearly a century later. There’s also a plot line that deals with our heroine’s coming of age in the shadow of the Mafia in Prohibition-era New York City.
May 13, 2019
In The Paragon Hotel, Lyndsay Faye brings us a character nicknamed Nobody. She’s actually Alice James, but is skilled at disappearing into the corner of a room or a street. She uses some disguise, but mostly changes voices and attitudes to blend in. It’s a skill she learned growing up in an early 1900s whorehouse.
Faye flips the chapters back and forth between Then and Now. Now is 1920s Portland, Oregon. Then was early teens New York City and boroughs. In both cases Alice / Nobody barely manages to keep out of the fire. In fact, the entire reason she’s in Portland is because the flames got too high and hot in NYC.
Nobody is a plucky young woman, born into adversity and managing to survive by the skin of her teeth. But I also must say, Nobody is little bit boring. I struggled with this book, until *wham-bam* Faye hit me with three big plot twists in three chapters. Then all of a sudden the freight train started to fly downhill and threaten to hop off the tracks. However, I could have used about 50 pages less exposition to those twists.
My conclusions
Faye is an ambitious writer. And in The Paragon Hotel she takes on a wide variety of topics that are as timely today as they were in Nobody’s day.
In the Oregon story, Nobody, who is white, lives in a hotel for black people. Considering it was illegal to be black and living in Oregon at the time, Faye hits both race relations and racism smack on their white hooded heads. Yes, there’s KKK in the story. And some white savior complex …
In the New York story, Nobody is a player (or maybe a pawn) in one man’s long game against the Mafia. Her lifelong friend Nicolo is involved as well, but his part is unclear until Faye pulls back the veil. It’s a risky game for everyone involved.
In both stories, Faye also takes on some aspects of women’s rights and the question of sexuality. Plenty of women in the story struggle with whether they have a right to agency, from Nobody’s mother to various characters in Portland. While this isn’t the center of the story, it’s easy to see how important the topic is to the author.
As I mentioned, The Paragon Hotel didn’t move quickly enough for me. I recall feeling the same way with Dust and Shadow, although I liked that book more overall. It’s not especially long, but took me much longer than normal to finish. I just kept picking other books up instead. And yet, those twists at the end were its savior. Without them, I would be panning the book. With them, I’m recommending it with an eye to patience.
Acknowledgements
I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and publisher Penguin Group / Putnam / G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for this honest review. Many thanks to them as well as the author.
Faye flips the chapters back and forth between Then and Now. Now is 1920s Portland, Oregon. Then was early teens New York City and boroughs. In both cases Alice / Nobody barely manages to keep out of the fire. In fact, the entire reason she’s in Portland is because the flames got too high and hot in NYC.
Nobody is a plucky young woman, born into adversity and managing to survive by the skin of her teeth. But I also must say, Nobody is little bit boring. I struggled with this book, until *wham-bam* Faye hit me with three big plot twists in three chapters. Then all of a sudden the freight train started to fly downhill and threaten to hop off the tracks. However, I could have used about 50 pages less exposition to those twists.
My conclusions
Faye is an ambitious writer. And in The Paragon Hotel she takes on a wide variety of topics that are as timely today as they were in Nobody’s day.
In the Oregon story, Nobody, who is white, lives in a hotel for black people. Considering it was illegal to be black and living in Oregon at the time, Faye hits both race relations and racism smack on their white hooded heads. Yes, there’s KKK in the story. And some white savior complex …
In the New York story, Nobody is a player (or maybe a pawn) in one man’s long game against the Mafia. Her lifelong friend Nicolo is involved as well, but his part is unclear until Faye pulls back the veil. It’s a risky game for everyone involved.
In both stories, Faye also takes on some aspects of women’s rights and the question of sexuality. Plenty of women in the story struggle with whether they have a right to agency, from Nobody’s mother to various characters in Portland. While this isn’t the center of the story, it’s easy to see how important the topic is to the author.
As I mentioned, The Paragon Hotel didn’t move quickly enough for me. I recall feeling the same way with Dust and Shadow, although I liked that book more overall. It’s not especially long, but took me much longer than normal to finish. I just kept picking other books up instead. And yet, those twists at the end were its savior. Without them, I would be panning the book. With them, I’m recommending it with an eye to patience.
Acknowledgements
I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and publisher Penguin Group / Putnam / G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for this honest review. Many thanks to them as well as the author.
January 12, 2019
I've been a fan of Faye since Jane Steele and she come back to us again with another stunner in The Paragon Hotel. I'm not much on historical fiction usually but I've ben surprised lately.. however, I already knew going in that Faye has a talent of bringing history to life. She brings Nobody and everybody into The Paragon Hotel.
We switch back and forth from NYC Harlem and how Nobody, "just call me Alice", came to Oregon, The Paragon Hotel and her reasonings behind what she does. Introducing characters such as the doctor, Davy and Blossom, here comes a mystery I wasn't expecting and the KKK, which I was. I was fortunate enough to meet Lyndsay when she was promoting The Whole Art of Detection and remember her mentioning this is where her next book was going to be heading. I was instantly intrigued and SO excited to get my hands on a copy.
I'll be completely honest, it took me quite a bit to get into this book. The cadence and language was hard for me to grasp on to right away. "Quelque". There's nothing that comes out and nudges you or completely WOWs you in an instant scene or reveal. What we get is a span throughout the ENTIRE read that starts to settle into your soul. If you're a lover of historical fiction and reading about the KKK and prohibition times, this is most definitely the read for you. Don't let what I consider a slow start deter you. At right about the third way into the story, I found myself wanting to take this journey with Nobody.
This time period is such a hard one - we still see racism and the KKK is still affluent unfortunately. Some language and scenes really made me angry and I found myself frowning quite a bit throughout the read. If a book can pull these feelings well... I think it's doing something right.
3.5 stars
We switch back and forth from NYC Harlem and how Nobody, "just call me Alice", came to Oregon, The Paragon Hotel and her reasonings behind what she does. Introducing characters such as the doctor, Davy and Blossom, here comes a mystery I wasn't expecting and the KKK, which I was. I was fortunate enough to meet Lyndsay when she was promoting The Whole Art of Detection and remember her mentioning this is where her next book was going to be heading. I was instantly intrigued and SO excited to get my hands on a copy.
I'll be completely honest, it took me quite a bit to get into this book. The cadence and language was hard for me to grasp on to right away. "Quelque". There's nothing that comes out and nudges you or completely WOWs you in an instant scene or reveal. What we get is a span throughout the ENTIRE read that starts to settle into your soul. If you're a lover of historical fiction and reading about the KKK and prohibition times, this is most definitely the read for you. Don't let what I consider a slow start deter you. At right about the third way into the story, I found myself wanting to take this journey with Nobody.
This time period is such a hard one - we still see racism and the KKK is still affluent unfortunately. Some language and scenes really made me angry and I found myself frowning quite a bit throughout the read. If a book can pull these feelings well... I think it's doing something right.
3.5 stars
December 27, 2018
Such a charmer. Review tk
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