Newly married and having recently taken over the management of a hotel in Honolulu, a former writer is drawn into the chaotic lives of his guests a...
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reviews
Jan 14, 2008
Jen
rated it: 
I started out really enjoying this book with its colorful locale and offbeat characters. The protagonist is a stranger coming to grips with a strange land--a middle-aged writer from the mainland who leaves behind his family and old life to start over in obscurity in Hawaii and ends up managing a second-rate hotel. The stories he tells about the people he encounters are by turns funny and tragic, and often a little twisted, which was good. Then they became really twisted, and then ultimately quit
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Aug 12, 2011
In many short chapters that work as little stories in themselves, the first person narrator, a still well-known writer, tells us about his relocation to Honolulu, Hawai'i, where he doesn't write anymore, but runs a rather shabby (in comparison) hotel: the Hotel Honolulu. A lot of local folklore comes into play - some eccentric American or Japanese guests at the hotel; the no less eccentric owner of the hotel, Buddy; the city of Honolulu and the rest of the island of Oahu, and very often the Hawa
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Apr 01, 2010
Stefani
rated it: 
I really like Paul Theroux's style of writing-his characters are, on the surface, equal parts successful, boastful, satisfied with their state in life, but underneath it all, there seems to be an uncertainty, a deep unhappiness and unrequited desire that begs to be satiated in a foreign place, free of leering eyes and judgements. I find it interesting that he picked Hawaii, as it stands in people's minds as a placid, if non-eventful, paradise on earth. A largess of natural beauty but devoid of
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Jan 08, 2010
Dan
rated it: 
I sometimes find Theroux's writing annoying but not this time - highly recommend Hotel Honolulu for its insights on the characters who live in this B-Hotel in Honolulu that the writer appears to be managing but, as he points out, really manages him. Here is a review by a better writer than I:
''Hotel Honolulu,'' Theroux's new novel, deals with the theme of the near other in a different way. Inhabiting an alter ego with suspiciously familiar biographical markings, Theroux pulls certai More...
''Hotel Honolulu,'' Theroux's new novel, deals with the theme of the near other in a different way. Inhabiting an alter ego with suspiciously familiar biographical markings, Theroux pulls certai More...
May 25, 2010
Black Heart
rated it:
Read mainly during a stint scoring Hawaii Math at one of the country's top education testing facilities, Paul Theroux's Hotel Honolulu provided a nice counterpoint to the terribly misguided papers I was reading for 8 hours a day.
I am contractually bound to keep my scoring gigs confidential, so I'll say no more. Suffice to say that after this particular gig, it was readily apparent to me that Hawaiian students--much like Texan students--are either very poorly educated or simply don't More...
I am contractually bound to keep my scoring gigs confidential, so I'll say no more. Suffice to say that after this particular gig, it was readily apparent to me that Hawaiian students--much like Texan students--are either very poorly educated or simply don't More...
Aug 14, 2010
Jean
rated it:
I chose this book because I was going to be vacationing in Hawaii and I wanted to read books set in Hawaii. This book was fun. It was a collection of the stories of people who lived or worked at the Hotel Honolulu. All the stories were in one way or another about or connected to "Buddy Hanstra" the hotel owner. The stories were told by
writer suffering from writer's block who escapes to Honolulu and finds himself the manager of the Hotel Honolulu. A place where people not onl More...
writer suffering from writer's block who escapes to Honolulu and finds himself the manager of the Hotel Honolulu. A place where people not onl More...
May 30, 2009
Joanna
rated it:
I love reading Theroux's fiction and non-fiction because they both manage to carry his totally un-PC observations of human nature and culture without being overtly offensive. I picked up Hotel Honolulu in anticipation of my upcoming move to the island. Even though it is fiction, I couldn't help but believing in his descriptions of Hawaii's rawness and paradoxical nature. It is written in short story format with plot lines that interweave through the other stories. I appreciated this aspect of
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Dec 22, 2009
emily
rated it: 
Two real issues here: repetitiveness and the ladies.
See, Paul Theroux had a great idea here: 1 story per room for the dissipated Hotel Honolulu. The problem, though, was that he maybe didn't actually have 88 separate stories to write about it. Instead, we get a half-dozen stories relating to women who were once sexually abused and then became prostitutes, another three or four of Buddy Hamsa telling not-quite-true stories about his sexual exploits, and a couple based entirely on di More...
See, Paul Theroux had a great idea here: 1 story per room for the dissipated Hotel Honolulu. The problem, though, was that he maybe didn't actually have 88 separate stories to write about it. Instead, we get a half-dozen stories relating to women who were once sexually abused and then became prostitutes, another three or four of Buddy Hamsa telling not-quite-true stories about his sexual exploits, and a couple based entirely on di More...
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Feb 26, 2011
Yoonmee
rated it: 
I had to force myself to finish this book just so I could write a review and give it a rating. Ugh. There's only so much I can read about the sex, scandal, rumors, etc. of boring people. Another reviewer noted that this reads too much like a middle-aged man's masturbatory fantasy with sordid sex stories, older men dominating younger women (generally white men w/ younger women of color), murder, mystery, etc. Not only that, but the portrayal of the locals in Hawaii was somewhat insulting. All the
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Mar 22, 2011
Oceana2602
rated it:
"seedy"
"flawed"
"really twisted, and then ultimately quite perverse"
"disturbing"
"self-described (or narrator-described, alternately) coconut princess beach bunnies" (referring Theroux's description of women)
"over-sexualized misadventures with some seriously unappealing people"
"don't bother if you think you'll be getting any insight into local Hawaiian culture, t More...
"flawed"
"really twisted, and then ultimately quite perverse"
"disturbing"
"self-described (or narrator-described, alternately) coconut princess beach bunnies" (referring Theroux's description of women)
"over-sexualized misadventures with some seriously unappealing people"
"don't bother if you think you'll be getting any insight into local Hawaiian culture, t More...
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Jun 15, 2008
Aaron
rated it:
I read this book because it was one of a few recommended in a Lonely Planet guide to Oahu intended to give an accurate flavor of life in Hawaii. That it did offer. I enjoyed the book, which was the story of a writer who in his fifties found himself managing a mid-market high rise in Waikiki mostly because he impressed the owner with the fact that he had written a book. Throughout the book I envisioned the hotel owner character as a person I had worked for years ago - an Japanese American raised
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May 22, 2008
Julianne
rated it:
Okay, I have yet to finish this book. (I have a horrible tendency to read 2-4 books simultaneously. No wonder I retain so little about these books that I read for pleasure. Oops.) However, I'm close--only 100 pages from the end.
Thus far, I've really enjoyed this book. It's a fast read (started it two days ago when faced with a weekend of gray skies and the tap-tap of rain outside the window), entertaining, chock full of individualistic and creatively portrayed characters. Hav More...
Thus far, I've really enjoyed this book. It's a fast read (started it two days ago when faced with a weekend of gray skies and the tap-tap of rain outside the window), entertaining, chock full of individualistic and creatively portrayed characters. Hav More...
Nov 02, 2011
Lenny
rated it:
I was unable to finish this book, although it was very well written. Each chapter became more and more depressing and I could not continue. However, my sister-in-law really liked it, so it must have merit. It just wasn't my thing. I found it very dark and describing a side of human nature that was perhaps meant to be humorous or illuminating but to me seemed tawdry. Perhaps if I had finished it I would have ended up loving it--who knows?
Jul 21, 2009
Aixe
rated it:
This book is hard to put down because the writing is excellent and the stories are captivating in their weirdness and irony. It is also a difficult book to read all at once because it's morbid, the characters are unhappy or meet unhappy ends, and the narrator seems uncomfortably voyeuristic in his own fascination with the twisted sexuality and exploits of the people who pass through Hotel Honolulu. If you're seeking a relaxing and happy story about a hotel in Hawaii, do not read this book.
Sep 01, 2009
Andrea
rated it:
I really liked Theroux's Dark Star Safari. Reading that book prompted me to pick up more of his stuff. This book is a little dark and satirical - there is no denying that Paul can write (I get to call him Paul since my name is also Paul).
It's not very uplifting or cheery, but you will get sucked in. Overall, not as compelling as my first Theroux foray, but it was good enough to get me to read more of his books.
It's not very uplifting or cheery, but you will get sucked in. Overall, not as compelling as my first Theroux foray, but it was good enough to get me to read more of his books.
Mar 09, 2009
Linda
rated it:
This novel is more of a collection of short stories about the guests, residents, and workers at the Hotel Honolulu where the narrator works as a resident manager. Athough the stories range from funny to tragic, there is an emphasis on sexual exploitation that got pretty old. The best stories revolved around the owner of the hotel, Buddy, as he is a crass guy who loves a good practical joke. At some points in the book I was tired of reading yet another tale of some young girl who has the misfo
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Aug 11, 2011
STRANGE book. In some ways it was interesting, and Theroux definitely has a talent for realistic and fascinating characters. However, these people don't live in any world I recognize, and this makes me wonder if there are any normal non-completely messed up people in Hawaii. The vignettes ultimately didn't have a coherent theme, and it got quite tiresome before the end.
Apr 10, 2010
Suzanne
rated it:
Hotel Honolulu is down-at-the-heels tourist place on a back street two blocks from the beach at Waikiki, where middle America stays and dreams. Like the Canterbury pilgrims, every guest in this eighty-room hotel has come in search of something— sun, love, happiness, un-namable longing— and everyone has a story. I did not like it as much as some of his other stuff, but it was okay.
Nov 22, 2009
B
rated it:
A loose account of life in a small hotel along Waikiki by an author who has stopped writing and finds a new career as hotel manager. I enjoyed the glimpses of Hawaiian life..language, expressions, relations to tourists, etc. but it was also fairly crude. Only for someone wanting to get a feel for Hawaiian life that can stomach violence, bad language, and kinky sexual situations.
Sep 15, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
At first I did not think I would like this book. The chapters are short and just tell stories of random people. I refused to give up on it and I'm happy I didn't. After getting through a first few chapters I started making some connections with the characters in the different stories and began enjoying it. I travel for work and am always in hotels so it is interesting to think about it from the hotel employee's perspective- what they think about their guests. Overall I ended up enjoying the book
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Mar 30, 2011
Caroline
rated it:
This loosely linked set of stories set in a Hawaiian hotel has the crash of lulling waves, salt spray and sand between your toes the whole way through. Wherever you are, reading it tosses you into sunny shores. The characters are quirky like real life, and glimpses into their lives don't provide much of an arc, but are mesmerizing.
Jun 26, 2009
Allison
rated it:
I bought this when I was in Hawaii and read it on the plane home. It kind of disillusioned me, as it is largely about the dregs of Hawaiian society, and I was coming off a ten days of beach bliss. It was an ok read, but not good enough to read anything else by this author (is there even anything else by this author?)
Sep 23, 2011
Joe
rated it:
his books make me feel dirty. is sex so common in this life ? those sex scenes are inacted by people i don t know. maybe, i wish it were so. this book is a good excuse to write tiny stories not even to be called short. some of the stories were fun. i especially liked RAIN.
Feb 28, 2010
Paul
rated it:
This was my first read of a PT fiction book and I thought it was just fantastic. So many brilliant characters, so many great stories and held together in a book that, to my mind, was just bliss. Everyone I have loaned my copy to has loved it.
Jan 05, 2010
Annemarie
rated it:
it took me a while to figure out that it presents a series of intermingled vignettes (think postmodern as i lay dying or dubliners.) once i figured this out i started to get into it, and am enjoying it so far.
Dec 16, 2011
Fun, easy read...each chapter is good little read. perfect for our beach house reading here in hawaii. Delightful and funny characters are developed and I am not sure I liked any of them....Fun book.
Apr 02, 2011
Nancy
rated it:
I've enjoyed his nonfiction in the past (I think - it's been awhile) but I hated this book. He's a good writer but the protagonist seemed like such a racist jerk. The misogyny in this book is also intense.
Dec 30, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
The nattator, David, lives in a cheap hotel in Honolulu. The parade of hotel guests, friends, employees and family are the whole story. Some very bizarre happenings and stories.
Aug 11, 2009
Kman999
rated it:
A (weak at times) 3.
More a collection of linked short stories, often sexual (not necessarily sensual). Some great characters, especially Buddy, and situations. But somehow the sum of the parts doesn't form a satisfactory whole.
Very well read by George Guidall.
More a collection of linked short stories, often sexual (not necessarily sensual). Some great characters, especially Buddy, and situations. But somehow the sum of the parts doesn't form a satisfactory whole.
Very well read by George Guidall.
Aug 25, 2011
Margaret
rated it:
I gave up on this book halfway through. I'd read other books by this author that I liked but his characters and their sex lives just couldn't hold my interest.
