Customer Reviews

The Hotel Alleluia

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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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. The language used is incredibly telling without being too wordy. Ms. Roy, if you're out there, please tell me what made you choose Sierra Leone. As a citizen of that country, I am honored that you chose us for your setting. Though most of what you used of the atmosphere in Sierra Leone bordered on depressing, the situation is real and therefore, beautiful in print. Thank you for a work extremely well done.

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.

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.

This story of two sisters finding each other worlds apart really struck home for me, as I recently found a sister after 23 years. Lucinda Roy's words have a way of drawing you in, bringing you close, and not letting go. I could not put this book down. I had read her other novel, Lady Moses, which was also good, but The Hotel Alleluia is even better.

I simply loved all of the characters, even the "bad" ones. You feel as if you are right there admist all the terror and war, seeing your home and all you know torn apart before your very eyes. Yet it's not depressing, but uplifting. Read this book! You will not be disappointed.