Hello everyone, I would like to share one of my books I have read.
The "Hotel" begins with a string of unfortunate incidents at the hotel: first, a group of young men from good families, with the connivance of the hotel's senior bellboy Herbie Chandler, had a drinking bout that resulted in an attempt to rape Marsha Preyscott, the daughter of a powerful man who is absent from town at the time. moment. Marsha was saved by the intervention of the servant of the owner of the hotel, Aloysius Royce, who entered into a fight with the rapists. Then the guest became ill and he had to provide urgent assistance. Finally, the Dukes of Croyden commit a crime (the Duke hits the mother and child to death in a car) and tries to hide him, playing a scandal in the hotel, which should convince everyone that they spent the whole evening in the hotel.
All these incidents are settled by Peter McDermott together with Christina Francis, who from that evening began to feel mutual interest in each other. Peter was a promising hotel manager, but some time ago a stain appeared on his reputation (he started an affair with a hotel guest, which caused a big scandal). He was fired and could not find a job for a long time until Warren Trent took him on. Christina lost her family in a plane crash a few years ago and could not recover for a long time. A relationship begins to develop between them. At the same time, Marsha Preyscott fell in love with Peter and very soon proposed marriage to him.
The financial affairs of the hotel, however, remain quite complicated: the owner does not want to change anything, the staff is demotivated, old employees work poorly and steal a lot. The owner of the hotel was denied a renewal of the mortgage and before the end of the week the hotel had to pass into the hands of the bank. At this very time, Curtis O'Keeffe arrives at the hotel and offers Trent to sell him the hotel. Trent took some time to think, he doesn't want to sell the hotel as it will become another featureless hotel and the hotel staff will be largely replaced. Shortly before the deadline for responding, Trent tries to find another buyer and almost does - the deal falls through due to the fact that the hotel does not want to abandon the segregation rules (the hotel does not accommodate people of color), which gives him a bad name.
At the same time, a professional thief, nicknamed the Master Key, appears at the hotel. He wants to profit and arranges several thefts. Security chief Ogilvie realizes that the couple of dukes are responsible for the accident that claimed 2 lives and takes money to help them get rid of the damaged car. In the denouement of Arthur Hailey's novel "Hotel" the following happens: Ogilvie is arrested thanks to the efforts of Peter, who brought the couple of dukes to light (by that time the duke had already been appointed British ambassador to the United States). A master key steals $15,000 from the Duchess's room. The hotel is bought by the very inconspicuous guest Wells, who was saved by Christina and Peter: he wants the hotel to retain its individuality, so he appoints Peter as vice president. O'Keeffe, who was denied the sale of the hotel, breaks off relations with his companion Dodo in annoyance. Peter refuses Marsha's offer, as he loves Cristina (and she loves him). At the very end, a tragedy occurs: one of the hotel's elevators breaks down and falls into the shaft: the duke, who is heading to the police in order to confess to a crime, dies, Dodo, O'Keeffe's companion is seriously injured, the Master key was miraculously not injured, Herbie's senior messenger becomes disabled .
A turning point comes in the lives of other heroes: O'Keeffe realizes that he loves Dodo and is going to marry her, Trent happily gives control of the hotel to Wells and Peter, Christina and Peter look forward to their future life together.
Meaning
Again, I note the peculiarity of the style of the author of the novel "Hotel" Arthur Hailey: he shows life in all its diversity and complexity, this time in the hotel business and everything that surrounds it. As always, people live, love each other, die, intrigue, deceive, and so on. What they do leaves a strong imprint on their lives and destinies. This occupation is their life and destiny.
Conclusion
Arthur Hailey's book "Hotel" really liked it, it's impossible to put it down. It should be noted that almost all of Hailey's novels are written in a similar style, but completely different. Therefore, reading Hailey's books is a pleasure. The novel "Hotel" by Hailey is no exception. I highly recommend reading!