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At Reception

Galahad Porter

2.88 · Rating details · 8 ratings · 6 reviews

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Published August 28th 2017

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Average rating 2.88 ·

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· 8 ratings · 6 reviews

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Oct 25, 2017 Bookread2day rated it it was amazing

Paperback review. I was swept a way by the originality of At reception. This book is without question unlike anything that I have ever read before. Galahad Porter certainly has the gift that added all the scenes nicely played out to fall in love with lonely Sally. I was dedicated to read all about Sally, that mainly was because Sally was a character that I had never experienced reading about before. It did make me feel quite sorry for Sally who is very much a professional behind the hotel recept ...more

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Mar 24, 2018 Amy Buckle / Amy's Bookshelf rated it it was ok

Shelves: reviewed-on-amys-bookshelf

At Reception is a novel centred around a hotel and the people in it, mainly the receptionist called Sally. Sally is a quirky, quiet woman who lives alone, except for her teddy bears, and talks to her flowers at work to pass the time. The novel shows the everyday life of those at the hotel and poses questions about loneliness, routine, and human interaction.

I liked Sally as a character; I liked her quirkiness and I liked seeing the hotel through her eyes as she had a refreshing perspective. My ma At Reception is a novel centred around a hotel and the people in it, mainly the receptionist called Sally. Sally is a quirky, quiet woman who lives alone, except for her teddy bears, and talks to her flowers at work to pass the time. The novel shows the everyday life of those at the hotel and poses questions about loneliness, routine, and human interaction.

I liked Sally as a character; I liked her quirkiness and I liked seeing the hotel through her eyes as she had a refreshing perspective. My main difficulty with her was that it was very obvious that the author was a man. I found myself reading parts of the novel and thinking that, had a woman wrote the same character, she would not have included the same thoughts and streams of consciousness. There are plenty of authors who succeed in writing the opposite gender: John Green, Lisa Genova and Charlie Laidlaw, to name a few. It’s not that they write qualities specific to one gender which makes their protagonists believable, it’s that they don’t do this; they allow their characters to develop naturally and realistically making their stories more believable.

As the novel was set in a hotel, there were a lot of other characters interacting with Sally, mainly the guests and the other staff. This was interesting as Porter had to come up with a plethora of unique profiles for each new person to have. He managed this somewhat successfully, although again there were some obvious stereotypes present. The whole novel takes place over a few days so it was like having a snapshot of their lives.

Porter tried to tackle the theme of loneliness in this novel. Sally talks to her flowers and is very set in her routine, so it is obvious that she does not share her life with anyone else. But while I realise Porter wanted to portray the issue of loneliness and its affect on the life of this woman, I have seen others do it better. Maybe it was that I couldn’t get past the feeling that the protagonist didn’t feel believable enough so I never sympathised with her. I suppose Porter does achieve the sense of someone living their life with a feeling that they haven’t ever achieved anything significant.

Overall I liked the protagonist, although her character development left much to be desired, and I liked the array of people Porter had written as guests in the hotel. The ending was a nice addition to the story too; it at least added something unexpected. That’s probably what this book was missing, something unexpected. I needed more than the routine that Sally was stuck in, and because Porter didn’t give me this, I wasn’t ever very engaged with the book. ...more

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Nov 11, 2018 Alison rated it liked it

Sally is a strange person formed by her past, where the story hints at abuse and neglect. She's been working the reception desk at a large hotel for 15 years and has a few unusual quirks.
Specific hair ribbons to match specific elements of her outfit.
Speaking to the flowers on her desk and the lobby mirror at work and her stuffed toys at home because they are her only friends.
The book covers three working days in Sally's life and her interactions and conversations, both out loud and internally, w ...more

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Sep 19, 2017 Melanie rated it really liked it

After reading At Reception's description, I was definitely curious how the book would go. I was intrigued by the idea of the different characters Sally would meet throughout her shifts at the hotel. After finishing the book in one day, I have some mixed feelings. While Sally could be relatable at times, sometimes she came off as a little too petty. Overall I liked her though, as I think we all have our moments. I appreciated the authors descriptions of the guests when they came back to the front ...more

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Nov 14, 2017 Hannah rated it it was ok

Shelves: arc-netgalley, book-read-in-2017, disappointing

I have to admit, I really didn't like the main character. I just couldn't get past the constant talking to her flowers and the mirror. I mean, I understand that she is doing a very repetitive job and that's all she can do pass time but it just annoyed about halfway through. Another thing I wish this book did was to give the main character a bit more growth and development throughout the book. I personally didn't see that much of a change in her as I was reading it. I'm sorry I couldn't write a m ...more

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Sep 05, 2017 Lady Donato rated it it was ok

The first few pages of this book was ok. I had a hard time reading through the
narrators thoughts and the way she talks to inanimate objects like the "flowers"
and "mirror". I get it, her job as a receptionist is a bit repetitive and sometimes stressful.
But geez, Im sorry but I just couldn't stand her constant whining and conversations with flowers and
mirror. I hate giving such a bad review but its just not for me. ...more

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