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Title: Hotel Alleluia
Author: Lucinda Roy
Narrator: Peter Jay Fernandez
Format: Unabridged
Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
Language: English
Release date: 10-06-11
Publisher: Recorded Books
Ratings: 1 of 5 out of 1 votes
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary
Publisher's Summary:
After her mother dies, Joan, an American artist, travels to Africa in search of her sister, a nun. But in the turmoil of African revolution and political corruption, the sisters are separated. The story of their reunion, and the world-worn people who help them, is one that is lyrical, earthy, and spellbinding. Lucinda Roy is a Distinguished Professor of English at Virginia Tech.
Members Reviews:
Good historical fiction
Very interesting account of war torn Africa and the very diverse viewpoints of the various characters. I thought it was worth the read.
Stood Up, Broken-Hearted, Again..
It seems I've been reading a spate of books lately that start out wonderfully and quickly deteriorate. This is another one. The setup was terrific--how would these two sisters relate to each other, what secrets would Ursuline find out about her mother and perhaps her father as well, how would they establish common ground? What brought Joan Plum to want to contact Ursuline in the first place and how would her life change as a result?
The writing at the beginning was also very evocative; I really felt an excellent sense of place.
However, great questions; few answers. Ursuline is a well-developed character, but the others are little more than stereotypes--especially Jeremy, the colonial drunkard exploiting not-so-innocent young ladies of the third world.
Joan is completely unbelieveable to me. Purportedly, she came to Africa to find Ursuline and bring her back to develop her fine artistic talent, but nothing comes of it. When she finally gets her back to North Carolina, her interest in Ursuline as an artist (and a person) appears to disappear completely and she does nothing but abuse her emotionally. Her terrible experience in Africa, which she blames on Gordon instead of taking responsibility herself, seems to become an excuse for mistreating everyone around her (at least until she's finally able to get into "rape counseling". Thank god there's an answer!) Throwing in the token lesbian lover thing was a little gratuitous as well.
Maybe picking one theme and really developing it would have made this the great book it could have been.
Just Wonderful
The Hotel Alleluia is about Ursuline who's trying to decided rather or not to become a nun, since she was raised by nuns. Joan and Ursuline are half sister's only Joan is white and Ursuline is black. Ursuline is living in Africa, and out of no where her sister comes to take her back to the UnitedStates with her, She goes back with her, even though she hates to leave the sisters, and her favorite student Mohammed, who dreams of going to the United States and meeting the Laker's Shaq. Gordon is black and an old lover of Joan, but he finds hisself falling for Ursuline when he meets her in Africa. While back in United states here about a terribly attack on her old convent and the school she taught back, and rushes back to find old friends especially Mohammed. I felt this book had everything, romance, religion, and different cultures. I don't think anyone will be mad that they read this book, i know i wasen't.
Intricately Simple
Hotel Alleluia is a work of art. The vividness of Roy's descriptive style is atsounding. The novel's setting is painted with clarity. I was able to put myself in Freetown and feel the fear of the masses. Roy has a wonderful flair for the English language.
