Heartbreak Hotel

by Anne Rivers Siddons

It was the summer of 1956, a summer of drive-ins, gin, fraternity parties, necking in parked cars while Elvis Presley's "Heartbreak Hotel" played endlessly on radios, running like a leitmotif through the summer. A summer of small tragedies, large banalities, and endless, shrouding heat. And reigning over it all was Maggie Deloach, of Lytton, Georgia—a modern-day Scarlett O'Hara…young, lovely, popular, a Kappa, pinned to Boots Claiborne, an aristocratic Kappa Alpha.
  Maggie had been carefully brought up to follow the Rules—rules that guaranteed she would live happily ever after, rules she never questioned. She would graduate from Randolph University in a year, and after that she would marry Boots and live on his parents' cotton plantation in the Mississippi Delta. Maggie's rules served her well.
  But in the summer of 1956 she met two men who set her world afire: Hoyt Cunningham, a young AP reporter covering the birth of the infant civil rights movement in Alabama; and a black man whose name she never knew, a prisoner on a Mississippi street. Maggie's crystal, perfect world began to crack…and at the end of that long, hot summer, she found herself alone in a new world, whose only rules were the ones she must make herself.
  This first novel does for the fifties what Mary McCarthy's The Group did for the forties—it captures the essence of that strange, smug, muffled, portentous decade accurately and movingly, and renders it timeless. Anne Siddons' writing is powerful, funny, evocative, superb, and her characters will be greeted with a shock of real and poignant recognition.

Genres: Fiction, Southern, Historical Fiction, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Romance, Coming Of Age

252 pages, Hardcover

First published September 24, 1976

About the author

Born Sybil Anne Rivers in Atlanta, Georgia, she was raised in Fairburn, Georgia, and attended Auburn University, where she was a member of the Delta Delta Delta Sorority.

While at Auburn she wrote a column for the student newspaper, The Auburn Plainsman, that favored integration. The university administration attempted to suppress the column, and ultimately fired her, and the column garnered national attention. She later became a senior editor for Atlanta magazine.

At the age of thirty she married Heyward Siddons, and she and her husband lived in Charleston, South Carolina, and spent summers in Maine. Siddons died of lung cancer on September 11, 2019

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. Written in 1976 this was one of Siddons' first novels. I felt the writing was stilted throughout much of the novel, the characters one-dimensional & at times overly melodramatic. Most of the action that saves the novel for me happens in the last quarter of the book.
This is set at a small college in the deep South in 1956 and Siddons' capably captures the culture of the times within the boundaries of the college where Sororities and Fraternities reigned supreme and your status within the school was based on where you pledged & whom you dated among a few other items. It definitely harked back to the times when women went to college to find the right mate. The underlying current in the novel is the nascent rise of the civil rights movement. Enter the M.C., Maggie. She ticked all the boxes and seemed content & happy on the surface but demonstrates some early inner turmoil over her future. This is her story and a couple of events during a summer session makes her rethink her place in the world and where her future may lie.

[``Laurie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ugh! Too PC for my taste and the leading character has really poor taste in men.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always avoided Anne Rivers Siddons because I was never sure if she just pushed books out that didn't have a whole lot of content BUT I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I didn't realize until I finished it that this was Siddons first book, which almost makes me want to read a more current one to see if it is on par with her first. I enjoyed the portrayal of the South in the 1950's, well done. The book had some fluff but it also did a pretty good job of exploring the subject of integration in the South and how it was perceived at that time. There were a few slow spots, but all in all, this book was entertaining and I would recommend it.

[Melissa Shmish · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the surface this book is about college life in the American south in the 1950s, during one sweltering summer session. The story goes beyond that and it becomes a story of one woman’s experience of awakening. When I was at college, a class included study of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and the main character’s experiences remind me of that—once she sees ‘beyond the shadows’ of her carefully prescribed life, she can’t ‘un-see’ it; and what she sees takes root within her and begins to change the attitudes and beliefs she was given and had previously accepted without question. She begins to question.... and all hell breaks loose. haha Once her eyes are opened so to speak, she begins to make choices, some of which come into conflict with the life she has been living and is expected to live. We watch her grow into her own person, despite the consistent pressure from others to maintain the status quo. This book shows the prescribed roles women were expected to live at the time, and how limited the choices were. Through side characters we see the later stages of those roles and the effects it has had on the women in them. Throughout the book the burgeoning civil rights movement of the time is often a catalyst to the plot and seemed almost like another character in the book; and it was fascinating to note parallels to the current political climate. And one completely random thought about the book: I was struck by one of the most seemingly realistic depictions of depression, which occurs later on in the book, that I think I have ever read.

[Lyn Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartbreak Hotel is one of Siddon's most sensitive novels. A very interesting slant on the troubled times in the South during the beginning stages of the fight for integration of the Blacks, as well as another look into the typical attitudes of the college/sorority/rich coeds of the time.

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read some really great books by Anne Rivers Siddons. This wasn’t one of them. So disappointed in this book. The only reason it received a 3 was because it picked up toward the end.
I’m really not sure what this story was supposed to be about.
Maggie is in college. She is attending a summer session. She is in a sorority and is “pinned” by a fraternity brother.
The setting is during Civil Rights ERA. And this seems to be the theme. But the way this conflict unfolded was confusing.
Maggie witnesses violence towards some black prisoners while she is visiting her boyfriends family. As a result, she feels empathy for the Civil Rights cause of the black people. This seems to be the basis for an article she writes for the school newspaper which is very controversial. Especially for a conservative college in the south.
The ending of the book was more fast pace but it didn’t make much sense. After receiving all the negative backlash from the article, Maggie totally shuts herself off from everyone. And she really doesn’t have a good explanation as to why. Then she decides to leave school and follow her friend Aiken to New York after seeing the protests during the enrollment of 2 black people in a southern college. Her close friend Hines, is viciously attacked.

This was far fetched and unrealistic. And the way everything unfolded really didn’t get the point across. This could have been better written in my opinion.

[Harisa- EsquiredToRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

An abrupt ending for my taste but overall good book. I really really like this author.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite ARS book, but still very good!

[Terry Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. I would categorize it as "chick-lit," which made it a little tedious for me. Despite that, I found the book enjoyable and interesting.

I gave it four stars for the brilliant use of language and story message. I loved the pictures and moods that the author drew using a few carefully chosen words. The main character's growth was uneven, bordering on melodramatic at times despite adequate motivation, but worked. The male characters were flat and stereotyped (two star), but since the story focused on the main heroine, it detracted very little from the work.

I had a hard time with what we today would call a rape scene, but back then was called an over-amorous lover -- or more likely, a girl of poor morals. I appreciated that the effect on the heroine was realistic.


I loved the central story message (5 stars) and think she put it across very powerfully.


Note for the guys: The author almost obsessively referred to "Peter Pan" bras and "crinoline" so I eventually looked them up. The bra looks like a plain old bra to me and the crinoline is a petticoat.

[LInda L · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book -- set in the time of integration in the Alabama/Mississippi area of the country. The story of a girl who definitely "got it" and acted on it. She wrote a pro-Negro article for the college paper and got into great trouble for it. She lost her fiance(loser) and gained an important friendship with a reporter. She was changed forever by the events happening around the country, and in a good way. A thoughtful, wonderful book.

[Amy Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

...WTF did I just read? And by just read, I mean literally the last few pages. What had been trundling along as a nice, entertaining, slightly predictable book, albeit one that was full of fairly offensive views on lesbians, became totally bizarre in the last chapter and knocked it down from a three to a two. So strange.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

The author trips over her descriptions by being too wordy and ethereal. For the last quarter of the book, you're waiting for the main character to pull her head out of the sand and she never really does.

[LisaMarie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. This is a review of the audiobook, which isn't on the dropdown.

I've been wanting to read more of ARS since rereading The House Next Door after reading Stephen King's Danse Macabre in which he discusses it extensively. It's now firmly ensconced as one of my all-time favorite horror novels.

I got the idea that THND was something of a one-off for her, that most of her stuff would probably be too chick-litty for me, judging by the covers. Which, of course, according to that old saw, none of us readers are supposed to do. I decided to start with her first novel, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and how it didn't have Maggie jumping with both feet into the then still nascent Civil Rights movement but just waking up in terms of the original meaning of "woke." (Trying not to let high exasperation at seeing Tucker Carlson's smug mug every time I click on the newspage get the better of me today so I won't say any more about that.)

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maggie DeLoache takes us through a long hot summer at her fictitious Randolph University in Alabama in 1956 as times were changing and changing fast. Maggie is going to summer school and living at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house. She is pinned to Boots Cunningham of the Mississippi Delta Cunninghams. Boots is a KA, drives a Jaguar, is blonde, has a slow, sexy smile, and knows life revolves around him. But Negros are beginning to make things uncomfortable; Reverend Martin Luther King has made a few sermons and there is take is black students enrolling in college in Montgomery. Maggie feels stirrings of unrest within herself. Is marriage and family and a life preplanned for her in that huge house with the hard-drinking son of a Mississippi judge what she really wants?

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very excited to read this book. Since it is an older book, it was a little hard to find. I went to a few estate sales, hoping someone would have a copy. Finally, I ordered one and couldn't wait to get started.

While I wasn't disappointed, it wasn't quite as engaging as it hoped to be. The imagery in the book was very vivid. I could see the scenes around the college campus. Maybe because I went to a southern university, too. I liked the book a bit better as it went along. I could relate the many of the struggles in the book. And although I am a generation younger, unfortunately I still saw some of the racism in the book present growing up, and even some today.

I am glad I read this book. It helps remind me of the struggles of our past.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this years ago and it stayed with me as a favorite. I had recommended it for my book club and was disappointed that it wasn’t available on Kindle nor in the library system. I located copies through the used book stores and read it electronically from the Internet Archive lending system. The depiction of the south before integration,the lack of equal rights for most in the population and the accepted suppression of women was brought to life along with the burgeoning move towards freedom of thought. Musical themes played through illustrating the gap in the old ways and slowly changing new ways. It was a well written story, a microcosm of a society in upheaval told through one sorority girl’s awakening

[Silvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In attempting to complete the Anne River Siddons canon I finally read her first novel. I wasn't expecting much since so many writers take time (and a few books) to develop their voice. Heartbreak Hotel is still a little rough around the edges, but with enough of Siddons' delicious Southern prose to make an enjoyable read. The author clearly wrote about people, or types of people, she knew from college, and so effectively captured a time and place, a South on the brink of change. If you're a Siddons fan I don't think you'll be disappointed.

[Cindy Feigert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story takes place in the late 1950's when the fight for civil rights was just beginning. at the heart of this story is Maggie, a beautiful coed who is pinned to a handsome frat boy, whose life is about to change in a big way. Maggie learns some very hard lessons and faces some realities during summer school. The author paints a true picture of what the deep south was like in the 50's and how it was not ready for the changes that were coming. Although this book was fiction there were some cold hard facts that still make people uncomfortable in 2018.

[Lucinda Vinoski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently read of the passing of this author and this work of 1976, set in the 1950s. The plot dealt with integration in a time when the deep South was segregated. When Siddons wrote this it was the 1970s when civil rights were being tested. It was reported that Siddons lost her job over this book due to its inflammatory subject matter. She was a woman before her time. The protagonist, Maggie was possibly Anne's own thoughts and feelings. Interesting to go back to read an old work from a different difficult time.

[Kathy Bartlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Anne's obit, I was reminded that she was an Auburn grad and wrote this book which is based on some of her experiences on the student paper. Since I am an Auburn grad who also worked on the student paper, it was fascinating to see how much and changed and not changed in the 20 years between our experiences.

[pianogal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm on a mission to read all ARSiddons books, so I started with her first. I missed the Charleston element, but I thought it was an ok read. Not a bad start. Thought the ending was a little abrupt after all the buildup, but other than that, I've got no complaints.

[Judy Zell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a satire of college life in the South in the 1950's. First part was written tongue-in-cheek, and most of the characters were stereotypes. Only parts that seemed serious were about civil rights and treatment of blacks.

[Marti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always enjoy this author, and this book was set during college summer school.

While reading this, I am listening to a book with a man who is an Elvis tribute artist. My current read is "The Breakaway." What a circle!

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a perfect book to listen to while spending hours scraping old paint off my front porch. Easy to keep up with if my mind wandered since there are very few surprises, but entertaining enough to keep me from pulling my hair out with the tedium (and sore muscles).

[Teri McHugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Multiple use of unnecessary slang.
Abrupt ending.
One bright spot was the glimpse of her college in a past era.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one can write the south and the depth of it into characters like Anne! Very eye-opening coming of age in the mid-20th century south read. Main character was amazing!

[Claudette · Rating 3 out of 5]

The town and university in this book is supposed to be based on Auburn.

[Tomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very moving coming-of-age story. Doing what is right is not easy, and that is a hard lesson to learn.

[Bonnie Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

An early book by Siddons, does not compare to her later books. College in the south in the segregated 50's.