The Glass Hotel: A novel

3.5 STARS I want to start by saying that the writing was amazing. I had never read anything by Emily St. John Mandel before and to be introduced to her writing was the best part of reading this book. I just thought it was completely mesmerizing. The reason for my 3.5-star review on this novel was the non-linear fashion it was written in. While sometimes it was easy to follow, for most of the book it was quite jarring. The book spans the years 1994 to 2029, though the scenes in both the earliest years and the latest are short and not the main focus. Most of the book seems to take place around 2008 and the aftermath, but there were some points while reading that I had no idea what year it was. The main premise of the book is the collapse of a Ponzi scheme at the end of 2008. Around that revolves the lives of a cast of characters. There was no main character in this book, I felt. Vincent seemed to be the most "main" one since the story begins and ends with her and her death. She "marries" Jonathan Alkaitis, the man running the Ponzi scheme. Her half-brother Paul is also in and out of the story at various points. Other characters include people directly affected by the collapse of the scheme. Overall, though, I found the writing to be beautiful, the story felt too disjointed to me to really get into it. I think if it had maybe been written more linear with flashbacks here and there, along with the removal of some scenes that don't really build the story (like Paul's situation in the beginning) this could've been a great story about the effects of a Ponzi scheme collapse.

This is a ghost story, but not the silly kind. The ghosts are people alive and dead, but also lives that are lived vs. those forgone; futures plotted out that are turned upside down and forgotten; disappearances in fact that cannot erase the memories of others. The structure of the novel is exquisite, moving as it does among settings, times and points of view. Now, we are in British Columbia, or Dubai, or on the deck of an ocean cargo vessel. We're in NY, or Toronto, in the 1990s or the midst of the Great Recession of 2008. The scenes are plainly described, as the author writes in a steady style reminiscent of reporting. And, then, just at the right moment -- on ship during a storm, or witnessing a petty crime at a remote hotel (the importance of which is explained elsewhere) -- she hits another writing gear, painting portraits that are both panoramic and claustrophobic. The cultural referents are everywhere: Bernie Madoff, itinerant workers, NY climbers, corporate bureaucrats. In the author's hands, they're not just costumed characters, but voices for the zeitgeist. She has her internal referents, as well -- sibling rivalry, addiction, the incommensurability of lives, the emptiness of status, etc. The ultimate ghost is moral character. It's easy to point fingers at real felons, not so easy to digest our own moral weaknesses and rationalizations. What if we lived other lives, were more honest and true? Would it make a difference to the world, or to our fates? Would that putative difference cause the Earth's axis to wobble, or would we continue to be evanescent creatures wandering, Hamlet-like, guilty and self-concerned? It is to Emily St. John Mandel's eternal credit that she evokes all these themes in a most conversational, narrative style, with little pretense. Few writers can say as much, while creating a haunting page-turner at the same time. Just terrific.

I read this book because of rave reviews about this author in general and this book in particular. w t h? Yes, there's such a thing as shifting perspectives and time-frames in a book when you're weaving stories. There's also such a thing as no organic reason for doing so except that there's only so much time a reader (or an author) can spend with a character whose psychology is 10% developed. Where is the genius delineation of character, the minute observation of tics and private moments that reveals a world? Nowhere. The author simply spells out everyone's motives in a perfunctory way: Vincent went along with Jonathan's deceit because why not. Paul scrawled the graffiti because he didn't really care about keeping his job. Elsa asked him to do it because she was drunk. Leon went to the bar because he wasn't tired. Vincent took videos because someone suggested it. Paul stole them because it was an easy out. Absolutely NOTHING deep or sublime here, no life-or-death compulsions, no one you get to know well enough to care about, no stakes that you get invested in. The main plot device is a Ponzi scheme, which uninteresting characters fall into for unremarkable reasons -- an artist comes into an unexpected windfall and wants to invest, an unappreciated princeling wants to make an impression on his family, a career guy doesn't quite understand the investment strategy but doesn't want to admit it, blah blah. Virtually none of these people is sketched beyond the details you might read in a local news column about crime victims. Vanity Fair or Esquire would do a better job of evoking character and motive and raising stakes. The "Rosebud" moment early in the narrative is some graffiti on a hotel window saying "Why don't you swallow broken glass." This somehow leaves everyone who sees it dumb, tearful, shocked, horrified, mainly because the author says they are. At the end of the book, all is revealed: someone else said it to someone else in a rather insignificant moment and went their merry way. It's about as momentous as stumbling across a shopping list at the bottom of a drawer that says "Bread milk eggs" because that's what someone was planning to buy. As I closed the book (after much quick skimming towards the end, wondering when it was going to get good) I wasn't moved or entertained by these characters, who were mostly unpleasant, dull, inconsequential. Not swept away by the story -- ships passed in the night, some went on to sink, others arrived safely at port. I gave it two stars because the author did some research on her subject matter -- Ponzi schemes and the seafaring life and . . . precious little else, actually -- and her grammar is good. No plot, theme, humor, characterization, or poetic prose worth a darn, however.

Using a ponzi scheme as as its center, St John Mandel explores the reality of our lives as a mixture of things, images and feelings taken from or given by others. The novel is completely realistic, but simultaneously shows the characters intertwined by intricate bonds of debt and credit, and much of what is good is fiction - like the ponzi scheme itself (or, indeed, any novel). Only in death do the characters escape accounting within this credit and debit system, and although the ghosts are usually brought to a living character by guilt (debt), they don't seem to benefit from it. But for all of its depth, the book is a realistic page-turner. It has great vitality, presenting engaging characters and their professional persona from shipping to finance. As debt is a core theme, so is money, and we see some characters on the edge of homelessness, other crushed by student loans and others in the Davos set, buoyed by fiction. The work realistically explores personal and professional traits in the characters, particularly as they deal with opportunity and disaster, and has great sympathy for all of them and the personal demons driving their behavior. St John Mandel obviously places herself within the novel and by doing so seems to take responsibility - like a hotelier or the master of a ponzi scheme - for giving people some really good times during the story (mixing their drinks and making their food) while keeping others on the periphery and abusing them (like a luxury hotel manager or the principal of a ponzi scheme). She also makes herself finite while trying to picture the whole ship of life itself in a storm, showing that the fictional network of credit and debit has to close its books as the depleting assets of character's lives and material run out.

I cannot for the life of me figure out how this book keeps making the top lists and has so many good reviews. Our book club unanimously loathed it! The mosaic part of the story where characters connected and intersected lacked any meaning at all. The most solid plot centers mostly on a fictionalized version of the Bernie Madoff ponzi scandal, but the weaving in and out of story never worked. I did make it all the way through; but I completely hate read it until the end.

If you read this book as a metaphorical social commentary, it is very thought-provoking. On the surface, it is a mystery story, but to me it said many important things about our society, about integrity versus corruption, and how easy it is to cross the line. Also, about the many countries we have within our country, the very rich, and the barely hanging on. It is also about how easy it is for people to fall for false hopes, which is what I think is happening with people thinking consumption can keep up its present pace and not face the consequences of global warming. In the story the people fall for a Ponzi scheme, but I think we are falling for one too, and its called endless consumption. I could say more, but I would be giving away too much of the story. I really enjoyed this read and found it to be page-turning entertaining and thought-provoking at the same time. I was probably stimulated to think of the deeper messages because I found this book on a Sierra Club summer reading list, so I kept looking for what does this have to do with our society.

"Sweep me away." Words, not quite spoken, from the first character you meet in this beautifully crafted book. I won't rehash the plot. You have undoubtedly already read the thumbnail synopsis that intrigued you. Emily St. John Mandel will sweep you up into this dreamlike tale. The characters, the choruses, the impossible connections--all woven into a story that was inspired by a very real event. The writing is spare and impeccable. She gives you just enough to force you to turn page after page until you get to the beginning, which is also the end. Perfectly woven, sometimes seemingly disparate, events that come together in a wonderfully satisfying story. In an age where anyone can get anything published, it is almost amazing to find an author who can actually write. You finish one book and can't wait for the next. When the day comes that a new book is announced, you snatch it up with glee and devour it. If you have read her before, you know. If you have not, after you read this one you will read all the others. Start with "Station Eleven". I read it several years ago while on vacation in Portugal, at a time when I was blissfully unaware of what was to become of the world just a few years later. While this book is fiction inspired by a real past event, "Station Eleven" is inspired by a real event years in the future. You won't believe it. Until you do.

I loved Station Eleven and was excited to read the newest book by Emily St John Mandel, but this was a disjointed, meandering tale. The writing is beautiful and the characters are well developed, but the story is all over the place and the connections between the characters feel forced. It seems to me that the author had an idea for a book about Vincent, and then had another idea for a book about Alkaitis, and tried to mesh the two together. It sort of works in places, but overall it didn't come together for me.

This book was always going to be a tougher sell to me because I think Station Eleven is such a fantastic book. It was going to be difficult for the follow-up to affect me as much and it doesn’t. Still, it is a good book. The biggest problem for me is that the story is loosely based on Bernie Madoff’s big Ponzi scheme blow-up and I simply have little interest in this topic. That said, Ms. St. John Mandel is such a fine writer that she draws one into the story in any case. She creates an interesting cast of characters and draws them along well enough. I did find myself much more interested in the minor characters than the major ones, however—the glimpses at the duped who lost their retirements, and the insight into the people who worked for Jonathan Alkaitis (the Madoff character): why did they get drawn into this shady business? Vincent, the main character of the novel, is something of a challenge, and mostly in a good way. The only truly understandable thing she does is pretend to be Alkaitis’ wife in the years before his downfall. I was a bit disappointed in the obvious symmetry of her ending at the conclusion of the novel but that is a small quibble about a strong character. Ultimately, I had no trouble getting through this novel despite my initial disinterest, which has to be something of a high compliment.

I read this for a book club and the few of us that actually finished it could not even talk about it as we really don’t even know what the book was about. It skipped around so much it was next to impossible to remain focused.

After all the wonderful reviews I bought the Kindle version. I was drawn to a novel about Ponzi scams because, like all investors, am deeply concerned about the possibility of financial collapse, That part of the novel works well and I found the writing very powerful. However other aspects of the novel did not work for me. The characters never came to life and a lot of the narrative felt like fragments of glass...and never really cohered. Never came together as a coherent narrative.

I devoured this book in a week (which is fast for me - I’m normally a slow reader). Mandel not only tells a sobering story of pain and loss (and ghosts seemingly everywhere) but she does so with such crisp and interesting prose that I found myself re-reading passages just to enjoy her writing again. I highly recommend this book. I don’t want to say much about the plot because I didn’t know anything about it and enjoyed how it unfolded perfectly. It’s not a book you can predict and you don’t really know who the antagonists are until you have to And now I’m going to look for some of her other books.

Set aside the time for this one. You'll want to fasten your seatbelt in a comfortable chair, preferably with a glass of expensive red wine in a lovely crystal stem. I can't stop thinking about this novel. I kept going back and rereading it as I read, then when I finished, I wanted to start again. Don't read too much of the description or the blurbs, just discover it for yourself. It's an experience. Yes, there's a brother and a sister, but intriguing side characters in Canada, NY, Miami, and Europe, and the ocean in between. There are scenes in the present and in the past, and alternating points of view, but don't be intimidated. It's a lovely experience.

I don’t know how to explain this book. Basically it’s the story of people connected to a Ponzi scheme ...many characters somewhat confusing in the way the author chooses to tell the story., you never ever get fully invested in an one of her characters. Having said that I did enjoy the novel Would I say “ it’s a must read” no...But there aren’t that many great stories out there and a read 3 books a month. Pick it up it does give you somewhat of an insight on the subject matter. Janet B.

This is my first time reading this author and I recommend this book. Unlike some other reviewers, I wasn't bothered reading this through the pandemic. In fact, I couldn't put it down. The author's amazing skill in fleshing-out characters while weaving story lines through different timelines hooked me from the start. Each character dreams of a life that is not fulfilled but the author does a great job revealing how their choices made their lives play out. Not a lot of action, but the author's lean prose packs a punch with its contemporary themes (Ponzi schemes, pandemic).

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel is promoted as a “Bernie Madoff” novel, the story of a Ponzi scheme that robbed investors of their life savings. In fact, only the last third of the book focuses on the crime and its fallout, while even those pages are a missed opportunity to probe the mind of an individual who blithely sustains such a fraud for decades. Other than a few paragraphs in which we hear the lame, and patently untrue, justification concocted by his sleek lawyer, the criminal remains a cipher to us. So do the rest of the characters: the poor but beautiful quasi-trophy wife who remains willfully unaware so she can relish the perks of wealth; the various enablers; and the victims. Mandel is a good observer of details, but her portraits are all surface. This hotel’s glass is a one-way mirror, reflecting outward and denying entry. As a reader and fiction writer (see my Amazon author page www.amazon.com/author/asewovenwords), I believe it’s that entry into the human mind that makes a book worth checking into.

This is the only book I have ever ordered from Kindle which will not load. I tried everything, including taking Kindle off and reloading, returning book, re-ordering and re-loading and all I get, over and over is that horrifying endlessly spinning ball. Once, I gave the ball an hour, but nothing ever happened. I thought the second time I downloaded fresh would solve the problem, but same problem. This is a technical criticism, not a criticism of the book, which I am eager to read.

Emily St. John Mandel's writing is mesmerizing with an underlying melancholy. This story kept wondering - how do these characters relate, how does the story come together, how will it end, will this end as a sci-fi middle world situation? I purposefully did not read reviews, only the jacket, which is quite vague. Honestly I picked it up because it was on Barack Obama's favorite book list. Mandel is a masterful writer, that is clear. She wrote a story with the economic collapse at its core, and told a complex story of lives spanning decades and the globe, in which I am still scratching my head trying to connect. I admit I felt a bit detached from the characters, and as I said, there is an underling melancholy throughout, but that may be because of the subject matter, or perhaps my personal mood as of late. Either way the writing is superb.

The author is a skilled writer, but the story was not interesting, and this was because the characters were basically just greedy people. The theme is definitely greed and how everyone seems to be susceptible to it, but reading about irredeemable people is not the most pleasant thing in the world. The story revolves around Vincent, a woman who lost her mother at 13 years old, became the mistress of a financier who operated a ponzi scheme, and ultimately became a cook on a cargo ship. There are many stories that intersect, showing how lives, and greed, are like the ripples in a lake, always spreading to include so much more than the original center. Again, the author writes quite well, but I won't be recommending this book to anyone.

When I first heard that his book was about a Ponzi scheme and the financial crisis, I was a little scared. I was worried it would be filled with jargon and bogged down by the details, but as a huge fan of Emily St. John Mandel, I was willing to give it a shot. So glad I did because I was not disappointed! This book, like her other "Station Eleven", spans many years and is told from lots of different perspectives. It's really fun to watch the story come together like a puzzle, one piece at a time. But what Mandel is really a master of is keeping you invested every step of the way. While some writers use perspective shifts as gimmicks, Mandel really uses them to craft connections between the characters that may otherwise be lost on the reader. I love her writing style, and this was a lovely read from start to finish!

What a great intricate story that totally hangs on the failings of complex characters. I had to keep notes on who was who to understand all the twisty interactions. That was half the fun! I have to admit that I’m familiar with the settings from Vancouver Island to NYC finance. The author has skewered her characters perfectly—how easily we humans take the easy way out and yet you can tell the author loves them all. A beautifully written, insightful and engaging book. Highly recommended.

Don’t have time for a long review, but simply a gorgeous book. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it during the first few chapters but once I was hooked, could not put it down. Best book I’ve read in quite a while (and I am a voracious reader). The author is just so gentle with her characters, even as flawed as they are. I am a poor reviewer and am sorry I can’t better convey why I loved this book so much, but it moved me more than I can say.

Story is too scattered, difficult to maintain a thread of the story. I struggled to finish it. Maybe there was a message there but it eluded me.

I didn't read the author's previous work but it seems that people liked it from the reviews I read. Feeling like I probably should have read that book instead... The Glass Hotel had an inconsistent story line, was slow moving, and the characters were underdeveloped. I kept waiting for things to shift, or something to pick up, but it never happened. A disappointing read and, honestly, kind of a waste of time. But alas, these are quarantine days so 'waste of time' is relative. I guess I should have taken up baking sourdough like everyone else.

I think the author writes well, but this really didn't come together at all. The synopsis led me to believe this was focused around one solid narrative, but that really isn't the case. None of the main characters are developed in a way that makes one sympathetic to them, nor are any of them really likeable. And although they have all connected with one or more of the other main characters somehow, this feels really disjointed. I don't feel like any of them learned much from their past experiences, just found ways to move forward to new things. I expected more from the praise I saw but this was a dud.

This book is a departure from "Station Eleven." So if you're expecting something akin that book's post-apocalypse horror, you're going to be disappointed. But "The Glass Hotel" stands by itself and is definitely worth a read. Part mystery, part ghost story, part novel, it always holds your attention. There are a lot of characters in this book, so you'll have to pay attention. And the shifting narrator and time line will probably frustrate some. But I actually like books with those attributes. Vincent, Walter, Olivia, and Leon all are well-wrought characters. Recommended.

Worst book I ever read.

Don't waste your time. Yes, it started out good, but was very boring and the ending was terrible. Also, depressing.

This is a nonlinear story with a lot of characters and some ghosts who get mixed up in time together. The characters come and go and connect in different ways but always are able to "compromise" with their better selves. The hub in the wheel is a Bernie Madoff-like character whose understanding of greed and lack of conscience encourages the people he touches to exhibit their lesser selves in ways large and small. As in the real Madoff story, no one escapes unscathed. It is well-written but easy to lose track of the characters along the way.

In much the same way as the author’s fabulous Station Eleven, her newest novel’s characters meet and part and meet again over places and times. (There are even a couple of characters from Station Eleven who appear—minus the global pandemic.)While part of the plot does center on one character’s Ponzi scheme that ruins or even ends several people’s lives, all of the characters in this novel seem a little less likable. Mandel’s prose does not disappoint and this compelling tale entertains.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book until those last pages. I found the ending very dissatisfying . The 2029 chapter felt like filler. There were odd choices as to what stories to conclude and which not to . By virtue of the structure I was left not caring about Vincent and I really did earlier. A fragmented structure is fine but this fell apart in the last 20 pages for me. It felt both rushed and unfinished.

I usually like books that provide unusual text order and multiple narrators ( much like the Sound and the Fury). But I didn't see the purpose for it this book. Each character was somewhat interesting, but there were too many to follow especially in multiple timelines. The writing itself is quite good, but there are either too many pieces or not enough.

I wanted to read this book because of its great reviews. The reviews talked about what a mesmerizing story it was. And it was. I loved the character of Vincent, such a complex p erson and such a story of twists and turns you could never really figure out where it was going. One of my pet peeves are plots with too much foreshadowing and therefore I can pretty much guess the outcome. I couldn’t do that with this. It’s 3 AM and I just finished the book. It was a good read.

While the narrative was well written, I felt as though the author never settled on a point of view or clear journey for this story. Perhaps that was intentional: like the waves of the ocean or the shift of the wind, we are aloft in different characters as the protagonist, but we just seem to drift aimlessly. It is a beautiful landscape filled with wholly unlikeable people. Again, perhaps the point, but it left me restless and unsatisfied.

This is an interesting read, I could not put it down. The characters are all so broken. Even Ella, who tries to do the right thing, behaves badly. They don't just make bad decisions, they take the easy way out. The author weaves a tight story that keeps rolling along until the inevitable collapse, pulling everyone down with it. I highly recommend it and plan to check out her highly praised novel, Station Eleven.

Character development, dreamy imagery and settings, quirky personality description..this book seemed to have it all. It was not an easy read, but a rewarding and challenging journey. I could not put it down. There was a lot of potential throughout the plot for an interesting and thought - producing ending. In fact, for me, that was the only thing missing. But I still recommend this memorable tale.

I love Emily's ability to draw upon characters with depth across multiple stories and modes. Twice in this novel my breath was taken away, literally, which was a great moment and much needed escape in my day. I read Station 11 after this novel, I like them both, and love that some of the characters span not only story lines in the work but also across novels as well, but prefer the more modern and less dystopian storyline in The Glass Hotel. I've read other reviewers not liking this after Station 11, and they are very different, but both draw on amazing writing and style which alone makes them both a worthy read.

No redeeming qualities at all. I only gave it one star so I could warn everybody

Fairly easy to read, this book engaged me throughout. I love the tone of the overall book and the writing is steady and well-done. I read this during the COVID-19 stay home time and it was very relevant, even though most of the action takes place in the Ponzi scheme era. The ways people's lives are enter-twined and each person's actions affects the other, the points of views and feelings expressed by the characters, and the grey area of humanity are all big themes.

Our book club decided to read this book based on the previous book by the author only to be sadly disappointed. There were so many disconnects, characters dropped, scenes seemed to be hastily made up that didn't correspond. The editing made error calling a detective the wrong gender after Iding him earlier. This was an opportunity to really TELL the Story of Bernie Madoff and it bombed.

This is the best book I have read this year. Beautifully written, vivid characters and an incredible, complicated and engrossing plot. The scope of the story reminded me of “The Goldfinch”. Highly recommended

Wonderful and immersive. Good for any reader. Better if you have read Station Eleven first. It has some interwoven plots and borrows some of that book's sweeping world creation, which is not as developed this book. (I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading Station Eleven during a pandemic.) I will read everything this author writes.

Rather than a novel, this feels more like an interconnected short-story collection. None of the characters is developed enough that one becomes a lead protagonist. This weakens the novel because the reader doesn’t care enough about the resolution of any particular narrative. Nonetheless, the writer is skilled at telling a story, which makes the journey ultimately worthwhile.

This book was a complete mess. Really upset me that I paid $10.00 for it. It goes from one person to another then does a copy of the Burnie Madoff scandal. Really weak for a writer to copy a story. I would like to get my money back on this book. A real scam of Amazon to give it so many stars. Then it ends with everyone seeing ghosts. Don't waste your money on this book.

Thought that I would enjoy and tried to push through waiting for an interesting plot. Characters are lost in their own undoing or seem uninterested. I decided not worth the time nad put it down for good.

I'm not sure if the book was actually slow to start or I have just been so distracted these days, but I put it down for a few days after starting it. I just couldn't get into it. However, after picking it up again, I finished it in a day and a half. Not too sure how I feel about some aspects of the story and the ending (don't want to give away any spoilers) but it was worth the read and I'm glad I stuck with it.

I couldn't put this book down. Each character was fascinating, even those that appear for a page or a few sentences. The author managed to weave their stories together flawlessly. I would've loved for the story to delve deeper into Jonathan's motives, but I guess that wasn't the point. This is the kind of book in which the characters will remain with you for a long time.

This is a very well written novel that expertly inter-weaves individual character stories, time shifts that happen at any moment into a fastening fast moving story. A dysfunctional family, a Ponzi scheme, Luxurious New York living , commercial cargo shipping form backdrop for this beautifully written novel. The end leaves no loose ends as each character’s fate, which traces its roots to the Glass Hotel, is brought to its conclusion.

I'm not one to ever give a traditional sort of book report on this site and I don't plan to begin now. This novel is filled with brilliant characterizations and deep questions about morality, choices, and human nature. It isn't a happy book by any means but it is beautifully written and to me, an important read. I couldn't put it down.

Elements of this book intrigued me while others made me feel like I was witnessing an imminent train wreck. I think that was part of the point. Disturbing but insightful, and left me thinking more about my own life’s trajectory and motives than I thought it would when I picked it up. Cannot help but love the writing and St. John Mandel’s keen eye on human behavior and perhaps wishful thinking.

I am normally disinclined to say this, but this writer is a genius or some kind of thing. One reviewer said she loved STATION ELEVEN so much that she was reluctant to read The Glass Hotel for fear it would disappoint. Same here. Turned out not a problem. This book is so rich, so beautifully crafted, so original, it's just astounding.

I really had a hard time getting through this book. None of the characters were likeable or relatable and I kept waiting for something to happen. it took me so long to read, that I forgot who most of the people were. The fact that the book jumps around and really doesn't have one main character contributed to not knowing any of them.

I now understand the hype about this book. I was intrigued once I started reading it. Emily knew how to eloquently lay out the setting of the story. Greed, money, & the power to influence people causes a corruption that many understand. Amazing that this story was based off of the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scheme. Don’t reconsider reading this book! Read it now!

Heard the review on NPR and ordered the book as we had really enjoyed Station Eleven. This one is kind of all over the map, jumpy, characters not very well developed. My partner didn't even finish it.

I just loved this book. I read it for book club and everyone of us really liked it and talked about it non-stop for two hours. It’s one I will re-read as there are so many twists and turns and I know I’ll enjoy it the second time. Highly recommended.

The story is told by Vincent a young woman who is a copy of Dagny. Everyone who touches Vincent get burnt by her sugar Daddy, who in turn burns those left behind. This is a story about falling off the pyramid, a vortex swallowing the ripples at the rim. Well written and I would recommend to inquisitive teens and older.

Not my favorite of this author, it felt a bit disjointed and spent maybe too much time on the Ponzi scheme - it felt like a book full of strings that I would be interested in following but she never let me go that far down any of them. It was vaguely unsatisfying. She’s engaging though and a strong writer hence the four stars.

I liked this book as well as one of her other books. Station Eleven. I like her character development and how the characters are entwined over time. I recommend both books.

I did not care for the book. The characters were not worth the read. The Ponzi scheme that flows thru the book has been done so much by other writers. The author made a very poor attempt to hide it as a mystery. Any reader would pick on it the topic after the first couple of chapters. Nothing redeeming about the book.

A definite use of time when trapped at home, although a dark, sinister, and depressing walk through a life of a brother and sister. Characters never hit the heart, were never likable or relatable, and after waiting for a climax, it never really came. It was a different art that can certainly be appreciated but this novel is overplayed.

The whole story is disjointed! Characters are not fully developed. (I still can't figure out the ground glass concept!) The author seems to be trying too hard to create something "timely" (ex: Ponzi scheme), but it doesn't work. Everything --characters, plot etc--can best be described as 'implausible.'

I have ordered and downloaded this book. However I am unable to open it and when I try to do so, it blocks the Kindle program. I have subsequently ordered other books from Kindle and they do open normally as well as earlier purchases. Frustration is the word -- don't know where to turn to fix this.

The story weaves together interesting, intriguing characters, times and places seamlessly. I often look at people and wonder what life event put them at this place and time, this story filled in those blanks if just for a moment. I loved the follow through with all the characters. Thank you for a beautiful story, I cried at the end.

The story for me was disjointed and hard to follow. The messages were interesting enough but the flow of the plot left wondering what was the point. Sorry about that.

You have to read the professional reviews of this book which give a better reviews than than mine. It is the most unusual novel I have read and I admire the talent necessary to write it. However, I felt nothing when I finished it. It's a sad book about unfortunate, misguided, or unguided people.

This book starts in one direction then goes in another direction, the central story is completely unexpected. The characters are complex and sympathetic.

A little slow and hard to follow with several characters jumping around in time, but a good tale just the same. Some lovely passages and good character development. I loved the turns of fate engendered by the fallout from the Ponzi scheme. Like most groups, some are survivors and some not.

I read this because I kept hearing how great it was. And since I enjoyed Station Eleven so much I gave it a shot. I didn't enjoy it. Sorry friends

St. John’s makes her readers understand that we are all people in living in glass houses or like birds in gilded cages hemmed in by so many of our own desperate choices. Whether it’s addiction to money or drugs or beauty in the artists eye, or the too often conditional love of a parent brother sister lover or the complicated social network of those depending on us. But most of all, Glass Hotel is a story of how greed imbedded in such a huge financial scheme can ruin the lives of so many people and how the subsequent guilt goes on and on and on and on.

Page 285 "The smallness of the world never ceases to amaze me." That's what this book is about, how random people's lives affect each others. Except it was done in the most confusing way possible. It was not a thriller, if that's your favorite genre I don't recommend this book for you. If you like deep hidden themes and random character storylines that have you confused for most of the book, then, this is for you. I didn't care about anything or anyone in this book even though I think the author really wanted me to.

This book felt like it had loose ends of fragments that were not fully developed. The bulk of the story describes a pretty well known financial scam. The author adds some color describing the reactions and out comes of some peripheral characters. Over all the whole story had a gauzy feel and elements of surrealism that I wish she had more fully developed. I have heard good things about Station Eleven and wouldn’t cross this author off my list

This nove! was VERY difficult to follow. She jumped from one character to another, from one year to three years later, and then back in time ten years. And then she added ghosts, and a first person section. I didn't care about any of the characters, and what happened to them.

Surprisingly dull. Not much of a plot, really. Seems more like a stream of consciousness and random thoughts of the author when she may have been smoking some pot. One of the "big mysteries" seems to be more or less of a non-entity. Really not much to do with the story,; story such as it is. None of the characters are particularly vibrant or interesting. Other than having met each other, none of them seem to have much relationship or much to do with one another. Surprisingly dulll boring book. I would not recommend it.

I liked the novel's format, the story and the tempo. However, I felt at the end there were too many loose ends, maybe that is part of the author's intent given the subject. I liked the novel enough to want to read "Station Eleven". I recommend this novel.

Really enjoyed how the author developed introduced the characters. The story flowed so perfectly The protagonists were very complex and well defined

I loved Station Eleven. I can say that this novel knocked my socks off. To say too much would ruin how each story smartly interconnects, but I would say that the theme of thievery, selfishness, and delusion are the interconnecting tissue with each character in this novel.

This is an interesting meander of a novel. If you allow yourself to patiently follow the narrative it flows like stream to its destination. Characters you’re introduced to early on appear later, threads intertwining and unraveling. Very enjoyable.

The first part of the book set up several intriguing mysteries with some interesting characters, but the last third of the story simply fell apart. It was as if the author couldn't quite figure out how to wrap it all up. Not recommended.

Very poorly written and hard to follow. When it was over, it seemed like a disjointed mess. So many of these characters and storylines could have been more deeply developed, which would have made for a better book.

Kind of disjointed but also fascinating. It's the atmosphere of this book that seduced me. And it carries through from the wilds of the Pacific northwest to the avenues of NYC. Also I never imagined the inside of a Ponzi scheme. Worth reading.

Loved everything about this book. Great and believable characters. Lovely prose. Interesting story. I learned a bit about Ponzi schemes and the shipping world. Loved how the story knit together the different socio-economic worlds the characters inhabited.

A novel derivative of the Bernie Madoff affair told with a few more interesting characters. The most interesting part of the book is the end where the aftermath of the crime is reflected upon by some of the characters. But overall, not a compelling read

The Glass Hotel is about "seeing" clearly, transparently into people's lives. It exposes the choices people make and how one wrong choice can lead "down the rabbit hole" so to speak. Interesting, sad at times, but insightful. The best laid plans...

This is a terrific book, with a fictional, but very accurate Madoff scheme at the center. Vincent is a very well-rounded character and all the other characters get their due as well. I read this book in a day and was thoroughly engrossed in it. I highly recommend it.

I could not stop reading for more than each nights sleep after beginning this. I did not always enjoy the ride, feeling immersed in pain quite often, but unable to exit the train. She has outdone herself, this story is magnificent.

Beautifully written and cleverly constructed. The story of the hotel, the Ponzi scheme and the interplay of the characters was so interesting. The author was able to deliver stories filled with themes about choices made and how easy it is to be in denial.

This pulled me through page by page to the end, and the end was breathtaking . Minor trouble with a few pieces ....but they did not stop me. I think I will read it again in a week or two. Thank you Emily St. John Mandel.

The description made it seem like a horror story more focused on a haunted hotel. In reality, it was about a ponzy scheme and only mentioned the hotel a few times. It would not have been my first choice in books to read so I am giving it 3 stars since it has more to do with the subject matter than the actual story. The storh itself wasn't bad but did jump around a lot so at times it was hard to follow, especially since I kept thinking it would come back to bhe hotel, so I didnt really get into the book until the end when I realized it was not about that at all.

I really really tried to like this book but gave up after a third. Too confusing, being bounced around from one character to another who didn’t seem to relate. I read a lot and this is one of a very few I put down.

I thought this might be an actual novel--but sadly, no. Just a Noveization of an extant text--with Little Girl/Big Uncle creepiness driving. Then.... Nothing really... Falling Into The Sea.

Chosen via book club, the choice says much about the group. I enjoyed the imagery of locations along with the characters and storyline. The characters feel real to me still. That's a real plus for me. Enjoy!!

Emily St John Mandel is growing and distilling herself as a writer, and this is the best of the small, polished gems she offers as novels. I am becoming a life-long devotee; she is one of the very best novelists writing today.

Really loved her previous novels. This was disappointing with a predictable storyline.

From the reviews read prior to purchasing the book, and the fact it was up for one of the best books of the year under Good Reads, I expected it to be a great book. Our book club elected to read it. I found the book very depressing. I prefer to be entertained when I read. This book did not do that. Would be particularly depressing to read during the winter months.

A very dark story with an ultimately unsatisfying ending. Knew it was coming but I was still disappointed. Hoping until the last page that it would turn out differently. Not the kind of fictional escapism I was looking for.

This book was a well written enjoyable story. Not life changing but above average. Like her last book, Station 11, it's structured around a web of interconnected characters and jumps around in time as it reveals how they lived (and in some cases died). I read Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace not too long ago and in some ways this book felt similar.

It seemed like everyone wanted Station 11 Part 2. This isn’t it, but it’s a brilliantly written story intertwining characters like only Emily St John Mandel can do. I wanted more and wanted to know what was next.

I must say that the first part began as a standard "messed up childhood tale." But, the novel soon pivots in another direction covering the corruption and greed that so dominate our world today.

Very entertaining and informative. Recommend for any one, just for fun or whatever just so I can write enough words to get to my next book. Good bye, no pun intended. Dale Gas and iSon Buenaghente

Great mystery and so many intriguing story lines. I didn't want to put it down! Fascinating characters with depth and interesting relationships.

Mandel has become one of my favorite writers and she hit another home run here. Loved the book, from story to descriptions to pacing and characters. And her style - her writing is wonderful.

I like this book because everyone has little things in their life that haunt them, and it really brought out what your subconscious can do to you. It's real life: the choices you make affect everyone around you.

But I would not go out of my way to read it. Lots of promise in the beginning pages but towards the end it kind of fizzled out. OK, but not excellent, by my standards.

The "Glass Hotel" is a very interesting read. It involves many different scenarios including a wilderness hotel, New York financial offices, merchant cargo vessels, Toronto drug culture, etc. It really moves around and keeps the readers attention.

One of the more interesting books I have read all year and there wasn't even a murder involved. Beautifully written around absorbing and interesting characters.

What a wonderfully ethereal tale. The attention to detail is immaculate. I truly loved this book and cannot wait to go back and read Ms St John Mandell's other works.

I chose this book simply for the cover plus the description. I found I couldn't put it down. This is the first book by the author I've read and I look forward to reading more.

this was a captivating novel because of the characters as well as the lovely imagery. It captures the 60’s through 2018. it kept me engrossed. I recommend it to keep you enthralled,

I have not yet read this book. I just started it and found odd characters printed within many words. It’s really annoying . May I try to download again and see if it makes a difference? How would I do that?

This story does not end tied in a neat bow, but the end is satisfying. Told from many different viewpoints, a the story unravels you really connect to each character.

Interesting book and a glimpse into the financial world and a Ponzi scheme. Interesting story telling, but I can’t say I connected with any characters or cared about their fates.

I disliked jumping from one time to another and how the characters were introduced. While the writing was simplistic, the plot line was convoluted making this a complicated read. I wasn't impressed with the plot either. I would not recommend this novel.

Many good characters. However the story doesn't really resolve. Several groups of characters without any true closure. Better not best.

Excellent book. Read it and tell me who the protagonist is... where the story begins; where it ends, etc. It’s a unique narrative and it gives this old lit major a lift!

Ephemeral quality to it. Well written and paced. The story itself isn’t as interesting as the characters and how they’re brought to life in their current situation and disparate environments.

This book is very disjointed, seemingly written by a high school creative writing student. If I were the teacher this student would surely get a D. The characters are shallow and the author wants us to believe in the recurring "ghost" otherworldly theme. Needless to say, I was very disappointed in the book. Too many extraneous characters that went nowhere.

I enjoyed the story in general but the ending just sort of fizzled out. No real resolution. Or at least not one of substance.

Loved the style and flow of this strangely engrossing tale of avarice,family and foibles. The characters interact in a story occurring over decades. The author's prose and style are wonderful.

I found the story confusing. Whenever it started to come together there was twist or character that didn’t add interest to the story.....maybe I just missed the story line.

Not even close to the quality of her previous work. It takes the Madoff ponzi and weaves a tragedy around it. But, the story feels like a bunch of events and actions forced together.

Boring depressing the author bounced all around with timing and characters it was very dark and not enjoyable at all

Interesting characters, great story line, beautiful imagery. (If you haven’t read Station Eleven I’d recommend that as well.) Can’t wait for the next by Emily.

The ability of Emily St John to bring to life each character was astounding. Could not stop reading this awesome book.

I liked this book but was confused at times. I had to go back and reread things. It took me longer than usual to read, but it was intriguing

This book gives a very different take on Ponzi schemes and the people involved in regards to what makes them tick.

Will Paul survive his addictions? Can he make it in a different city? I stopped caring, so stopped reading also.

It’s an interesting read not normally a genre that I would go for we got it for a book club group.

It's nothing with the content. The problem is with text reading. Look at the picture attached. The text is corrupted in the entire book.

It took me a while to get a handle on all the different characters but I am glad I finished it.

I kept hoping that this mess of disjointed storylines would come together in the end. It didn't. After reading Station Eleven I was hoping for a good read. I was very disappointed.

A great slow or fast read with captivating settings, poignant situations, imperfect and vulnerable characters. I will recommend to friends.

Read this book for a book club. Honestly, not what I was expecting. There are a lot of time jumps and switches between character perspective. Still a really interesting read though and you can tell a lot of thought went into the writing. I would recommend to some people but I don’t think I’d ever read again.

Mandelle’s prose envelopes me; I was sucked in from first pages even though I care very little for the subject matter. There are not a lot of characters to empathize with and yet, I am left with a feeling of wonder.

I almost didn’t read this after some of the one-star reviews, and starting and stopping the first chapter or two, but I ended up sticking with it and really enjoyed it! It isn’t exactly cheerful, but I found it uplifting in exactly the way a compelling read is supposed to be uplifting.

The book took a while to get going, and even when it did I wasn’t sure of the plot. Was it about a hotel? Was it a mystery? Answer is no to both. The writing is very good, the story was just rather boring.

This book is written for women who likes modern day fictional writing; light literary writing with characters that are rather superficial. I would have preferred a biography on Bernie Madoff.

wanted this novel for quite some time, didn't care for the way the story is told, tale could have been told in 3/4 of the pages!

This was a very interesting read with new and unusual plot lines. It kept me guessing and was well written, engaging.

I usually don't buy 13.99 book but heard a review of this book on Tv it was really good story. The only thing I didn't like was the ending. Kind of left me hanging. But would still recommend

This is a great read, intriguing and well paced to keep your attention. But is it a ghost story? A relationship story? A look at ponzu scams? A mystery? A love story? Yes.

Lots of characters and sometimes hard to keep track. A brief look at people who allow themselves to screw up their lives.

Captivating, original and beautifully written. Characters well developed. Loved it.

Took a bit to get into the book, then I couldn't put it down. Great story, wanted to get back to it every time I put it down. Characters were believable.

Sometimes you just come across the right book at the right time and there's a connection that is riveting. I loved this book so much and it spoke to me as if through the mists of memory, somewhere in the membranes of time.

Structured like a puzzle you get to solve,the resulting portrait is an insightful look at how our lives can binge and change with one simple twist.

It took me awhile to get into this book. Almost gave up on it. Sometimes a book jacket sells a book. It's same old, same old...drugs, money, beautiful screwed up girl, etc etc.

Very different from Station 11, but a compelling read none-the-less. I recommend it to all.

Don't wish to write a review. This was a strange and quirky book but well written. Not sure why it was written

An okay read, but I found it disjointed as well as disturbing.

Beautifully sad and beautiful.

The best book I have read in the past year. Loved the way the story was told. Have recommended it to all my reader friends!