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The Paragon Hotel
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
The new and exciting historial thriller by Lyndsay Faye, author of Edgar-nominated Jane Steele and Gods of Gotham, which follows Alice "Nobody" from Prohibition-era Harlem to Portland's the Paragon Hotel. The year is 1921, and "Nobody" Alice James is on a cross-country train, carrying a bullet wound and fleeing for her life following an illicit drug and liquor deal gone horribly wrong. Desperate to get as far away as possible from New York City and those who want her dead, she has her sights set on Oregon: a distant frontier that seems the end of the line. She befriends Max, a black Pullman porter who reminds her achingly of Harlem, who leads Alice to the Paragon Hotel upon arrival in Portland. Her unlikely sanctuary turns out to be the only all-black hotel in the city, and its lodgers seem unduly terrified of a white woman on the premises. But as she meets the churlish Dr. Pendleton, the stately Mavereen, and the unforgettable club chanteuse Blossom Fontaine, she begins to understand the reason for their dread. The Ku Klux Klan has arrived in Portland in fearful numbers--burning crosses, inciting violence, electing officials, and brutalizing blacks. And only Alice, along with her new "family" of Paragon residents, are willing to search for a missing mulatto child who has mysteriously vanished into the Oregon woods. Why was "Nobody" Alice James forced to escape Harlem? Why do the Paragon's denizens live in fear--and what other sins are they hiding? Where did the orphaned child who went missing from the hotel, Davy Lee, come from in the first place? And, perhaps most important, why does Blossom DuBois seem to be at the very center of this tangled web?
Amazon Indiebound Barnes and Noble WorldCat Goodreads LibraryThing
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ChaoticMissAdventures
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Bailedbailed

Well, that was quick, normally I would not post about a book I find horrifyingly written, but a reminder for me when I fill out my #bookspinbingo card not that I need a reminder of this bad 1920's slap stick imitation writing. And with a lot of racial plot points that I am truly uncomfortable reading knowing a white woman wrote it.
COVID reading moving forward!

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451Degrees
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

A novel written during the Prohibition era based out of Portland, OR where I currently live! A story about a girl running from the Italian mafia out of Harlem finds herself in the only black hotel in Oregon filled with secrets and mysteries. Many many twists and turns with this book some that seemed to match the storyline and some were a bit out there and surprising! I felt a little let down by the ending but overall was a book I enjoyed reading!

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arader68
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
Pickpick

All the feels plus a healthy heaping of 1920s jargon, a dash of history, and a thorough grappling of some tough subjects all wrapped up in a hearty cast of fully formed characters. Highly recommend the audio version because January Lavoy is a goddess and she does all the different accents flawlessly.

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staci.reads
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

The plot twists definitely made me glad I kept reading, but I struggled some, mostly with the dialogue and inner monologue of the mc. The author is recreating a gangster, hip, 1920s dialogue, but when every single sentence out of the character's mouths and the thoughts in their heads are figurative, snarky, and/or slang, it's hard to follow, and it can be hard not to think of the characters as caricatures. Great plot - overdone dialect.

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MelindaOtt
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Mehso-so

Two interesting stories that should not have been in the same book. Also, the language is just exhausting!

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Deblovestoread
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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The tagged book is set in Portland about an hour north of me. Meet your Baker is set in Ashland about 3 hours south of me.

On the island of Mure, Scotland at Christmas time.

The MacKenzie family from #2 sounds fun.

Want to play @Pageturner1 @Crazeedi @Come-read-with-me ?

#WonderousWednesday

Eggs Perfect 👌🏼📚❤️ 3y
Come-read-with-me Thanks for the tag! 🎄 3y
Pageturner1 😁thanks for tag 3y
Crazeedi Thanks for thinking of me! I posted this earler!💗💗 3y
32 likes4 comments
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Deblovestoread
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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#SuperSeptember Readathon. I finished the 3 I intended and Catching Fire as well. I made good progress on A House and Resistance but didn‘t start Hurley Maker‘s Son. I did start Nefertiti. All in all a successful readathon. Thanks @Andrew65 for hosting. Looking forward to October.

Freespirit What a lovely graphic! 4y
Pageturner1 Awesome 👏 4y
Andrew65 This is brilliant, well done 👏👏👏🙌🙌🍾🥂🍾🥂🥳 4y
30 likes4 comments
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Deblovestoread
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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#Bookreport #DoubleSpin The Paragon Hotel was a surprise. I fell in love with the characters and enjoyed the story. It also highlights the racism that was part of Oregon‘s foundation. This part of Oregon‘s history has come to light in my reading over the last couple of years and it is hugely disappointing. 4 🌟 #WeeklyForecast Hope to finish Resistance Women and A House in the Sky this week. Just started Nefertiti.

TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
Cinfhen I‘ve been curious about Paragon Hotel .... the cover always catches my eye 😁After your positive review, I‘m stacking it!! 4y
28 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Deblovestoread
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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You‘re supposing that you hold in your hands a manuscript.

The last line of the prologue reads: This is a love letter.

#FirstLineFridays

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Deblovestoread
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Here‘s my September #bookspinbingo board. Looking forward to getting some of these read and off my TBR.

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! Looks great!!! 4y
32 likes1 comment
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CoffeeNBooks
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

"Nobody" Alice James flees from Harlem to Portland with gunshot wounds, trying to escape the New York Mafia.
#ReadTheUSA2020 #Oregon

90 likes2 stack adds
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writerlibrarian
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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I got the best gifts for #jolabokaflodswap. I love my book. One of my fave authors of the past years. Dark chocolate, yum.

An heartfelt thank you to @melissajayne you rock. Happy #jolabokaflod to you.

A big thumb's up to @MaleficentBookDragon for organizing the swap.

melissajayne Hope you enjoy the book and the chocolate. 😊 4y
42 likes1 comment
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Expandingbookshelf
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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“Why do I sense that you‘re entirely in earnest?” “Possibly because I‘m half Italian. We‘re the sort who either throw ourselves weeping upon your grave or help you into it.”

mreads ❤❤ 5y
lynneamch Ha! Just started this one. Hooked already. 5y
9 likes2 comments
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BookmarkTavern
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Mehso-so

A former member of the New York mafia stumbles onto the only black owned and operated hotel in a time when Oregon had laws forbidding from PoC living or working there.

A fascinating story examining racism and transphobia during Prohibition, this does not end wrapped up with a bow. I want to imagine it‘s because a sequel is planned, but the tone says it‘s more like stories like these didn‘t usually end happily or neatly. 🌕🌕🌕🌗🌑

marleed I didn‘t connect with this one either. 5y
38 likes1 stack add1 comment
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JenlovesJT47
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

Jane Steele is one of my fave books so I had high hope for this and was doubly excited when I found out it was set in the 1920s, my fave time period. It took awhile for me to really get into this, but overall it‘s an interesting story and makes you think how far we‘ve come in the last 100 years. It deals with racism (putting it mildly, lynchings and such), lesbians, a transgender black character, a white gun moll, Italian mobsters, interracial ⬇️

JenlovesJT47 Couples and so much more. There are moments of brilliance in the writing, but the writing style was hard to get used to at first. That said I give this a pick, as the last 30% or so of the book is excellent. Definitely worth reading imo. 4⭐️ 5y
Itchyfeetreader This looks lovely 5y
marleed I plowed through this book too fast so I didn‘t enjoy it as much as I would have had I sat with the characters. That was my mistake. The afterward is fascinating- I didn‘t know :( 5y
JenlovesJT47 @marleed yeah I can see why some people wouldn‘t like it, I didn‘t think I would either until I got to about 40% but was still on the fence for awhile. It‘s definitely a slow burn. 5y
78 likes1 stack add4 comments
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megnews
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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After finishing Gods of Gotham by Lindsay Faye, I found this one released in January and added it to my tbr. Sounds intriguing.

#GrandHotel #WanderingJune

BarbaraBB The cover by itself is already promising! 5y
Cinfhen I totally agree @BarbaraBB 🤩🤩🤩 5y
Crazeedi I liked gods of Gotham, I'll have to check this out 5y
marleed I read this right after the GOT finale and it kept making me think of Aryia! 5y
47 likes1 stack add4 comments
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BlameJennyJane
Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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New finds tonight at the #HalfPriceBooks 20% off sale! Great way to start the holiday weekend!

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Mehso-so

This was a freight train that ambled for 150-200 pages, then hit me with 3 or 4 twists just when I thought the end would never arrive. I can‘t give it a pick, but it redeemed itself from the Pan it was headed towards. Readers must be ready with patience in hand. The social issues addressed make it intriguing, but still ... a little 😴 also.

Full review http://www.TheBibliophage.com
#thebibliophage2019
#theparagonhotel #lyndsayfaye
#netgalley

Texreader Great review 5y
93 likes2 comments
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Jerdencon
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Happy Mother‘s Day to all celebrating today! 💜🌷💐

Celebrating by having Mother‘s Day tea today with the family on a cold, rainy day (feels like March not May) - but first taking some time for me after a difficult week to enjoy the pretty flowers and start this one I‘ve been looking forward to.

robinb Happy Mother‘s Day! Hope this next week is better for you. 5y
53 likes1 comment
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razmanda
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

Written from the point of view of an Italian-Welsh flapper in the 1920‘s, Paragon Hotel is both a mafia-laced mystery and an indictment of systemic racism. Half the story is told in flash-backs in Harlem as the Families begin to take hold, and the other half is after Alice makes a run from the mafia all the way to Portland. There, she plays a bit of the white savior in a hotel for black people, which wasn‘t great but I enjoyed the book overall.

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Maman929
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

Fun book. Pretty quick read. Need to keep this author in the rotation.

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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This seems like a light-ish vacation read. I need something for the plane and train time. Still working on getting my #arc pile down to unpublished books. 🤞🏻🤞🏻

JSW It‘s a good read but serious topics. 5y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @JSW Thanks—that‘s what I was guessing based on the description. If it feels too heavy for vacay, I‘ll put it aside. But my other choice is the Mueller Report, so this couldn‘t be heavier than that! 😜 5y
JSW @BarbaraTheBibliophage 😂😂😂 5y
114 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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valeriegeary
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Getting cozy by the fire. There's also some sweet jazz music playing in the background. Perfect mood for this book.

49 likes1 stack add
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valeriegeary
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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I'm having my own mini reading retreat today and tomorrow at Timberline Lodge. My husband is skiing. #luckyday

rubyslippersreads I‘ve never been skiing, but I always thought I‘d excel at sitting by the fire in the ski lodge, drinking hot cocoa and reading. 😊 5y
valeriegeary @rubyslippersreads I tried skiing once. Just once. That's when I decided to stick to the lodge. 🤣😄☃️ 5y
60 likes1 stack add2 comments
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tigerkat81
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

Utterly heartbreaking. Utterly amazing. And an unexpected, but perfect, ending.

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SassenachTheBookWizard
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

This reminded me a tiny bit of her Timothy Wilde series. This book took on A LOT more representation and topics than I was expecting. I cringed everytime someone used the N word and other slurs, and when the KKK was brought in. I have to also credit the author for tackling the subject of racism and fear of anyone not straight in the early 1900s. She didn't sugar coat it and really researched the time period. Makes me look at Portland differently.

Booksnchill Just grabbed an ARC of this from the lovely @ferskner and am excited to read it! 5y
Jee_HookedOnBookz I loved this book! 5y
115 likes4 stack adds2 comments
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CoffeeK8
Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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A wonderful walk with beautiful birds, so glad it‘s finally feeling like spring!

jpmcwisemorgan OMG there‘s a little book walking along off to the side! 5y
CoverToCoverGirl Beautiful! 5y
CoffeeK8 @jpmcwisemorgan that‘s the first sign of spring 😉😂 5y
See All 9 Comments
tammysue Lovely! 5y
Crazeedi What a lovely view! 5y
UwannaPublishme 😍😍😍 5y
kspenmoll So peaceful! 5y
jpmcwisemorgan Perfect! 5y
DivineDiana So nice! 5y
67 likes2 stack adds9 comments
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CoffeeK8
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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My hold just came in!

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SassenachTheBookWizard
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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I have been beyond excited to pick this up since I HEARD about it! Enjoyed Faye's writing and in the mood for a historical fiction so IT IS TIME!

CoffeeK8 I just started this one, too! 5y
SassenachTheBookWizard @CoffeeK8 ♥️♥️♥️ 5y
94 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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JSW
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Today‘s book haul! Library and bookstore combined. 😍😍😍 See something you like?

wen4blu I really enjoyed the Cold Magic series. 5y
JSW @wen4blu good to hear! 😃 5y
34 likes2 comments
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MrBook
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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#TBRtemptation post 4! Recently published. 1921, we find “Nobody” Alice James on a train with a bullet wound. She‘s fled Harlem and is heading to Portland, Oregon. There, she‘ll wind up at the town‘s all-black hotel—making everyone there uncomfortable, being the only white person there. She‘ll make friends though, confront the KKK, and help look for a missing orphan girl. It‘s a town with a very tangled web indeed. #blameLitsy #blameMrBook 😎

83 likes2 stack adds
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okthislooksbad
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

I may or may not have said this 500 times already, but everything Faye does turns out amazing. If you liked Jane Steel, you'll love this. The last 100 pages or so were a /wild/ ride. Worth it.

BooksAtNight I missed this! Thank you for reminding me she has a new book out - putting this on my TBR right now. 5y
29 likes2 stack adds1 comment
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introvertedbooks
Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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#currentlyreading stack! What are you reading this weekend?

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lahousewyfe
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

I wished this book would never end! This rollicking good time (which continually reminded me of The Miss Fisher murder mystery series) carried me back and forth across the country from New York's criminal underbelly to Portland's racist hidden history. I wish I could read an entire series about Nobody! 5⭐!

minkyb My daughter has my copy. Now I want it back! 5y
lahousewyfe @minkyb Get it! Such a fun read. 5y
27 likes3 stack adds2 comments
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lahousewyfe
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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"Can't talk music with a stranger and agree on so much and not end up chummy, that's science."

True of books, too! Happy Valentine's Day, my book chums!

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Becker
Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

The story is driven by witty, sharp dialogue from the most colourful characters. I found this book to be excellent entertainment.

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okthislooksbad
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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I am of the firm belief that everything Lyndsay Faye touches turns to gold, and I am /very/ excited about this 😍😍

NovelGirl82 Let me know how this is. I have a hold on it at the library, but I'm way down the line! 5y
okthislooksbad @NovelGirl82 It will be /so/ worth the wait! Just be patient with the plot 😂 5y
45 likes2 comments
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vlwelser
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

This was excellent. I definitely recommend it. 💖📚

#NetGalley #ARC

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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Bailedbailed

So yeah, I'm completely shocked I'm bailing on a Lyndsay Faye book. I struggle typically with dialogue heavy books to begin with and rarely have a satisfying experience with them but this one has over killed the flapper speak and it's dialogue heavy too. I tried 3 times but I just can't get into it. 😟

valeriegeary Bummer! I'm super interested in checking this one out. (I still will but am sad it didn't resonate with you) 5y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders @valeriegeary I know. 😕 I hope it works better for you! 5y
Melissa_J Now I‘m not so sure I want to try this. 5y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders @Melissa_J she is such a beautiful writer! Give it a try. I just have a hard time with books that heavily use dialogue to tell the story. (but my biggest complaint here was also the over done flapper/speakeasy/20s gal speak) too much. Too jarring. 5y
40 likes4 comments
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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Time to get back to this one. I'm not that far into it, but have found it easy to put aside to read 2 other books. Hopefully it hooks me soon.

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ReadingEnvy
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Mehso-so

The Paragon Hotel is a fictionalized account of the one hotel in Portland that allowed customers of color through the 1930s, and the surrounding racism of the times.

I enjoyed the part of the novel set in Portland, but the parallel story set in Harlem seemed less realistic and maybe unnecessary, somewhat clogging the storyline. This is a good read for people who like the flapper jazz era but are looking for a spin on the usual.

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a.bookish.byrd
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Do you have a favorite this week?

#quoteoftheweek

gradcat This quote is great 👍 ❤️ 5y
30 likes1 comment
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Penny_LiteraryHoarders
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Up next....

Can also use it as a Netgalley knock off since it's sitting there too. I borrowed it from the library instead.

Reviewsbylola I loved Jane Steele. Can‘t wait to hear how this one is! 5y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders @Reviewsbylola yes! Me too! That one was fun! I'm hoping for good things with this one! 5y
51 likes2 comments
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Jee_HookedOnBookz
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

Historical thriller set in 1921, during the Prohibition era. This novel is seeped in secrets, shrouded in mystery, with twists and turns in corners you least expect. Stay for that, and sit in for the jazzy tunes in the time of Billie Holiday, played and sung in sultry smoke-filled speakeasies. Loved this! Full review on my blog.

Thank you #Netgalley and #PutnamBooks for a free eARC of #TheParagonHotel in exchange for an honest review!

suvata Added to my TBR 5y
Jee_HookedOnBookz @suvata Yayyyy! Hope you'll get to read it and enjoy it as much as I did 😊 5y
65 likes6 stack adds3 comments
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ErinGoBragh1011
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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《《2019 releases I am looking forward to reading》》
The year is 1922, and The Ku Klux Klan has arrived in Portland in fearful numbers--burning crosses, inciting violence, electing officials, and brutalizing blacks. And only Alice, along with her new "family" of Paragon residents, are willing to search for a missing mulatto child who has mysteriously vanished into the Oregon woods.
Release date: January 8 , 2019

21 likes3 stack adds
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Hooked_on_books
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Bailedbailed

I wanted to love this one but just couldn‘t get into it. I felt the attempt at period-correct language was admirable but, ultimately, distracting, as it wasn‘t well done.

jillrhudy Oh, rats. I love all her books and have been waiting for this one. 5y
Hooked_on_books @jillrhudy Hey, still go for it. Others have loved it, so I may well be an outlier. 5y
Penny_LiteraryHoarders This is where I'm at right now. I'm about to bail. I've picked it up 3 times, have fit 2 other books in between. I just can't get into it. 😮 5y
Hooked_on_books @Penny_LiteraryHoarders It‘s a bummer, right? Especially since I really loved Jane Steele. Oh well. 🤷🏼‍♀️ 5y
56 likes4 comments
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ElleMNOpe
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
Pickpick

This book was great! It‘s a very interesting historical piece with a perspective I‘ve never seen before. Highly imaginative. Detailed and rich with a plot that just keeps surprising. My only complaint? She uses the word “quelque” FAR too often. (Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.)

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kyraleseberg
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

I've loved every single Lyndsay Faye novel I've read and her upcoming release THE PARAGON HOTEL is no exception!
The novel is scheduled for release on January 8! Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
My review is live on Roots & Reads:
https://rootsandreads.wordpress.com/2018/12/07/review-the-paragon-hotel/

26 likes1 stack add
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beaconhillbooks
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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Pickpick

This book started strong, lagged in the middle for me, and ended on a high. There‘s lots going on with two storylines from the same character; one in NYC dealing with the mafia and one in Portland dealing with racism. Some twisty turns at the end; some I saw coming and some I did not.
Little things irked me about this book like excessive quelques and constant descriptions likening to other things but...still an interesting read.
#netgalley

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Rhondareads
The Paragon Hotel | Lyndsay Faye
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A new book by the author of Jane Steele😍👏👏👏👏great mail day.

22 likes1 stack add