Ruth Hogan has established herself over the past few years as a writer of uplifting quirky comedy-dramas that appeal to a wide audience. ‘Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel’ is her third novel.

I certainly enjoyed ‘The Keeper of Lost Things’ and have heard high praise for ‘The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes’. So this was a treat. As with ‘Keeper’ there is a psychic aspect as its main character, Tilda (Tilly), is able to perceive the unseen including ghosts.

The narrative explores the complex relationship between a mother and daughter and moves between Tilly’s childhood and her present day as a grown woman coming to terms with her mother’s death and seeking an understanding of certain events in her childhood. Adult Tilly is very uncomfortable around people and Ruth Hogan approaches this as well as other characters with mental health issues with sensitivity.

She uses words like a paint brush creating very vivid images of her characters that bring them to life. Her descriptions of Brighton were very evocative and resonated with my memories of visits there.

This novel was moving and charming. Young Tilly’s mispronunciations made me laugh just as other aspects of the novel brought tears to my eyes.

I would unconditionally recommended this novel and I know that many of my friends will be pleased to add this to their bookshelves. As with her other novels the cover art is beautiful. Like Tilly (and Ruth Hogan) I have a special place in my heart for carousels of galloping horses so appreciated their inclusion.

My thanks to John Murray Press and Two Roads for an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of Tilda, her past, and the people who touched her life told through her eyes as a small child, and through her mother's diaries and her own memories. I'm a huge lover of "The Go-Between" so the style really appealed to me. Hogan's writing is beautiful, bringing Brighton to life and drawing characters with skill. Young Tilly leaps off the page vibrating and full of life. I loved her world and the many small details that reminded me of my own childhood was an absolute joy. I want to go back and start again at the beginning, this is a book that demands a second reading. After I've hugged my children tightly.

A wonderful story about family and hiding truths. I love the fact we see the perspectives of Tilly as a child as well as an adult. I thought this wasn’t quite as good as the author’s previous works but thoroughly enjoyed this.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest review

Ruth Hogan is one of my favourite authors. I adore her offbeat, quirky characters and fabulous writing, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of this book.

Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel is told from two points of view. Tilly is a mischievous, cheeky, boundary-pushing six-year-old, who likes playing with matches and talking to the dead. She loves her charming father but feels fairly ambivalent about her mother, who is 'not like the mummy in the soap powder adverts'. After her father dies, her mother takes a job at Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel in Brighton, a refuge for people who feel they don't fit in with the rest of the world. Tilly loves her new home and all her new friends, including Queenie's glamorous mother, who is a different film star each day of the week. Forty years later and Tilly is now Tilda, an obsessive-compulsive with a ghost dog, and hates meeting new people, but she returns to The Paradise Hotel after her mother's death to try to find out where everything went wrong.

Ruth Hogan brilliantly captures what it feels like to be a child and the way adults seem to speak in a strange code. I loved the way Tilly confused Bermondsey with Purgatory, and all her mis-heard words to hymns. I loved the sweet romance, the fabulous Joseph Geronimo, and I wish I could adopt Eli the dog. At the end of the book the jaw-dropping revelations come thick and fast, including one epic twist I felt incredibly stupid for not spotting but I was enjoying the story far too much to play my usual game of 'I bet I know what's going to happen next'. And the ending is so sweet and touching and poignant I actually cried. And I never cry! Ever!

I can see this appealing to anyone who loves cleverly written stories with lovable, quirky characters, and for fans of authors such as Joanna Cannon (Three Things About Elsie) and Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant).

Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel is one of my favourite books this year, probably ever. I really wish I could visit. I'm sure I would fit in just fine...


I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book, which will be published on 7th February 2019.

Thank you to Ruth Hogan and Two Roads for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Do you see people who are no longer with us?

Really enjoyed this book and will definitely look out for more titles by this author.

Such a good read! It's not always obvious where this one is heading, but with plenty to read it's only a matter of time ...

Tilda is a grown woman; her story is told along with the younger Tilly, and it's an interesting tale. Tilly is a child who understands things beyond her years - and what she doesn't actually know for fact, she assumes, and often with hilarious results!

This is a packed read; so much happening that it's an easy novel to get through. Tilly is a child who lives in an adult world and quite often utters malapropisms when she gets her words mixed up, causing much giggling! A tale of mothers, daughters and friends, this is a lively novel with ups and downs. Tilly isn't your usual little girl and she grows up into a fairly solitary adult. This book covers it all, from early childhood right through adulthood and is one I've enjoyed - although for a while I did wonder where the title came from! What I really appreciated about it, is that all the questions the story raises are answered by the final page. Definitely MY kind of read! If you want something just a bit different in a family story full of revelations, then this is one I recommend.

My thanks to publisher Two Roads / John Murray Press for my copy via NetGalley. The choice to read, and this review, is entirely my own.

What a first line! to hook the reader in. It made me sit up straighter and pay attention. 🙂

Sometimes it’s easy to lose your concentration when a story moves between the past and present but in Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel it was seamless. There’s no jarring or losing the flow as an item that has impact in both timelines moves us between them both.

As much as I enjoyed Tilda’s narration as a 46 year old, it was Tilly narrating as a child that captured my heart (possibly because I saw myself in her – a lot). The black and white reasoning and logic of a child is captured perfectly leading to some humorous moments. I must admit I probably spent as much time smiling and laughing (sometimes belly laughs) as with tears welling. It’s difficult to get that perfect balance of laughter and tears in a story that is heart-wrenching but Ruth Hogan does just that in this story.

In both narrations there are some wonderfully quirky characters. If you like your characters unique, you’ll love this author’s writing. I loved how one character in the present also has connections from the past. And yes, I was shocked at what was revealed on page 284! Only because of my own perceptions though.

I enjoyed the pace although at times I was impatient …


Ruth Hogan
@ruthmariehogan
· Jan 10, 2019
Replying to @shazgoodwin @TwoRoadsBooks
Ooh! Hope you enjoy them both 😊


Jera's Jamboree
@shazgoodwin
I am thank you. Just read Tilly's 7th birthday 💔 Wish Tilda would stop tapping the cover of the blue book and open it haha

2
2:01 PM - Jan 10, 2019 · Bournemouth, England
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The suspense of finding out what happened at that key point in Tilly’s life to make her mother send her away is brilliant. As an adult it’s easy to identify with her mother and understand. But as a child …

I know you will identify with Tilly/Tilda and feel that emotional punch. There’s so much for you to discover in Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel.

It’s a story of the best intentions but with wide reaching repercussions; confirmation of what we feel in our hearts is often true … and those complex relationships between adults (both familial and intimate) that lead us to make changes, for better or worse.

Highly recommended.

This was a beautifully written story that centres around family relationships, mental health and the consequences of not being truthful to those you love. For me it didn't quite have the emotional impact as The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes, but still made for an engaging, enthralling and thought provoking read.

I love the fact that we got to see the story from both a young perspective and that of an adult, and how times changes and perceptions can deceive you. Young Tilly is the perfect example of a Daddy's girl and is devastated when her father goes away and is left with a mother who she thinks doesn't care about her, and that belief is reinforced when she is sent away to school.

When Tilly grows up she still holds on to that resentment and never has a close relationship with her mother, so when she returns following the death of her mother she is confronted with a mix of emotions as she talks to neighbours, and starts to look back at things with the help of the diaries of her mother that she finds. Tilda shares many traits with her father, and that of her mother too and it's only when she starts to see her mother as a person, and not the ogre that she remembers, that she starts to really find out who she was, and that helps clear the picture of just who Tilda is as well.

There's a wonderful cast of characters that the author creates, and the little details in descriptions really help things ping to life and makes the world of Tilda and the way her mind works feel even more real. The struggles she goes through when confronted with a past different to how she saw it is such a fascinating one and makes you warm to her as a character even more. Highly recommended.

I thoroughly recommend this novel. It is funny, emotional, sad and ultimately uplifting, The story revolves around Tilly, her childhood, her relationships with her parents and her challenges as an adult (Tilda). She can only really deal with these challenges when she finds a diary and other records written by her deceased mother. Her life then unravels before her. It would be easy to give too much away about the plot, but suffice it to say this is a brilliant book with characters that feel real from start to finish.

I have to be honest I do have all of Ruth’s books on my TBR pile but ‘Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel’ is the first one I’ve read (so sorry Ruth) I have to also admit this is a slightly different type of read that I’m used to but I see that as being a good thing as I want to branch out on the books I’m reading.

The format took some getting used to but in the end it just made the story a lot more interesting. To know the background of Tilly’s childhood in the first part of the book then to see it being told from Tilda (an adult Tilly) then also we find out why events have taken place through the telling of Tilda’s mother’s diaries. It’s actually really hard not to give much in the way of what happens as I don’t want to spoil it!

I love the personality of both Tilly and Tilda’s characters. The quirkiness of how she can see dead people and how inquisitive she is about life and death. Of course I was also drawn to Queenie! The role model she was to Tilly was inspiring. It was hard to understand why Tilly’s mother was the way she was, with her daughter especially but by the end of the story you totally understand this.

‘Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel’ is such inspirational read about love, loss and family. I was such a big bag of emotions (including some tears at the end!) I will certainly be reading Ruth’s other books very soon and she has become one of my favourite authors. I give ‘Queenie Malone’s Paradise Hotel’ 5*/5* 😊

Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan is sweet and poignant story of mother and daughter.

I especially liked how story went from present day shortly after Tilly has lost her mother, to the past as it weaves a tale of Tilly's past and the struggling relationship she had with her mother.
Old neighbors and friends she meets again present her mother as completely different person than Tilly has known.
After finding her mother's diaries Tilly finds out the truth about her mother, her father and her past that will change her forever.

Slowly paced but exceptionally well written this book tell a heartfelt story that will change how we percieve our family members and what we think we know about the people we love.
The style of writting is effortless yet the story it tells is anything but simple.
Very good read.

This is a well written endearing book about love, childhood memories and misunderstandings, with a cast of quirky characters you will come to love and care about.
4 stars****

Richly descriptive,I could visualise the hotel beautifully and imagine how it would delight a small child. A heart breaking yet positive story seen through the eyes of a small child then her adult self.

Another one of these quirky character based books that I have come to love. The story is told alternately by 7 year old Tilly, and grown up Tilda. The innocence of Tilly is endearing, and her interpretation of situations and mispronunciations is told in such a wonderfully natural way. At first we see her mother, Grace, as a distant, uncaring figure. As the story unfolds we see that Tilda may have put a slant on her childhood that may not be borne out by events. Although as more comes to light, it is a sad situation that has left its mark on the grown up Tilda. We learn early on that Tilly can see dead people, a gift inherited from her father. She sees nothing unusual in this and enjoys going to visit her grandparents in the graveyard. Throughout, I struggled to see who was real and who was dead! Tilly's happiest times are spent at Queenie's Paradise Hotel and what a motley group of characters. I'd love to see this brought to the screen to meet Queenie's mother and Queenie herself. Ultimately a feelgood novel, but not without sadness. The acceptance and happiness Tilly feels at Queenie's and Tilda finds on her return to Brighton are a lesson in not judging people on appearances and getting to know the person. A wonderful read. #netgaley #queeniemalonesparadisehotel

Loved this book! Tilly is a delight and her grown-up self, Tilda, is a thoroughly likeable character. I loved the switches between the two and the gradual unfolding of the mystery of Tilly/Tilda's life. Definitely one top recommend.

I did not have much luck with the previous book by the author and I really wanted to like it. This particular wish is almost never granted because of the pressure of the situation. Luckily for me, this particular book was pretty unique. 

The thing about this book is that nothing is as it seems. We meet Tilda who used to be Tilly in her faint memories of days gone by. Tilly has passed one thing on to the adult Tilda and that is an emotional distance from her mother or even the thought of their almost non-existent relationship. It might now be time to investigate this particular situation further. With the help of people around her, new friends and old diaries Tilda sets out on a journey. We alternate between the views of Tilda and Tilly as the gap is bridged. 

Both the parts of the story endeared themselves to me (which in itself is rare because usually one 'time' is more appealing than another) but the childlike innocence of Tilly and the confusion in her adult self were portrayed in a way that pulls us in and builds in us the concern for their respective well-being. There is a hidden truth that is revealed every couple of chapters, and overall the only reason this was not a five-star read was a couple of surprises I did not feel satisfied about or thought as unfair for a few reasons (that you would know once you finished this book) and one or two that could have been reduced for clarity's sake since there might be one too many surprises. Put together this does work as a pretty 'uplit' genre tale because of the changes wrought in Tilda.

I loved this book so much, especially as I lived in Brighton until I was 9 in the same era as "Tilly" and then returned as an adult like "Tilda" so it held a particular resonance for me.
I raced through the wonderful story only stopping to wipe away tears of laughter, joy and deep sorrow.
Bravo Ms Hogan, I feel a classic in the making!
Thank you to netgalley and two roads for the opportunity to read it.

What a lovely read. Full of love and childhood memories and misunderstandings. From the moment Eli made his appearance I was hooked and had a slight lump in my throat by the end.

An author I haven’t read before but will in the future. I have given it three stars but it is verging on 3.5.

I read this book with very high expectations as I have heard and read reviews that a lot of people really enjoyed The keeper of lost things, unfortunately I was very disappointed.
Whilst I think the author does a great job in touching emotional issues and the style of writing is very easy to read, I found the whole story had no real backbone, Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel doesn't make an appearance until at least hallfway through the book and at one point did think as to why it was called this and how it relates to the story. If it wasn't in the book I don't think it would have made much difference. I also found Tilly's ability to see dead people irrelevant as well.

There were too many characters in this story, and I feel it could have been a great book if it concentrated more on just Tilda and her mother, the extra characters were not well developed and I found it abit confusing,. Because of this, the main thread which is Tilda's relationship with her mother and how it relates to her missing father got lost in my opinion.
I will be giving it 3 stars only

A beautiful story of love and loss.
Childhood memories distort reality and lead to miss understanding which have an impact on ones whole life.
Beautifully written with adorable characters