From Publishers Weekly
Playing out in Boston during the freezing winter of 1900, Cooney's sixth novel (after
Gun Ball Hill) has a steamy premise—a proper young lady winds up at a hotel where female guests are visited at night by handsome young men—but an emotionally distant execution keeps titillation to a minimum. Charlotte Heath, married to the youngest son of an immensely wealthy family, has spent her wedded life living with the clan in their imposing ancestral home. After a debilitating illness of unknown origin keeps her bedridden for almost a year, Charlotte finally leaves her room, only to find her husband on the cusp of an embrace with another woman. Without a second thought, she quits her life entirely and seeks out her only friend, the Heaths' former cook, who works in Boston at "The Beechmont: A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies." It takes a while for Charlotte to realize what's going on at the hotel, where a whole cast of quirky characters hold court—including a handsome young stud who ultimately breaks Charlotte's heart. The narrative moves dreamlike through a web of Charlotte's musings during her unlikely adventure. Cooney's story compels, but continual flashbacks and reminiscences make the narrative feel bumpy and disjointed.
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Review
for
A Private Hotel for Gentle Ladies:
“Charlotte Heath is the most enticing heroine I’ve met in some time: tenderhearted yet obstinate, genteel yet deeply sensual. The adventure she takes us on is wonderfully eccentric, deliciously observed, and ends with the kind of gratifying surprise that reminds me why telling stories, and reading them, is such an essential pleasure in my life.”
–Julia Glass, author of
Three Junesfor
Small Town Girl:
“This remarkably talented author writes in a refined, understated prose . . . in an eloquent, often brilliant narrative.”
–
The New York Times Book Reviewfor
All the Way Home:
“Ingeniously plotted . . . The richness of lives that are limited without being narrow is [Cooney’s] forte.”
–
Ms.for
The Old Ballerina:
“Showcases the author’s talent for telling compelling tales and
creating flawed but lovable characters.”
–
Library Journal
