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Loading... Mrs. Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel (1969)by William Trevor
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. See the review on my blog ( ) A beautifully written story of the lives of the inhabitants of the title hotel that made the Booker short list in 1970. A professional photographer, Mrs Eckdorf has come to Dublin convinced that a tragic and beautiful tale lies behind the facade of this crumbling hotel. The characters come alive under Trevor's sure hand as he delineates them. None of the characters is much good at talking to one another, but they feel no constraint in writing down their dreams and hopes for Mrs. Sinnott, the 91-year-old deaf mute who is the owner and proprietor. Thus, Mrs. Sinnott acts as a mother confessor for her sherry-soaked son Eugene; for her unloved daughter Enid; for the messianic hall porter, the doubtful prostitute, the small-time pimp and the other derelict guests. Like an archeologist describing some extinct civilization, Mr. Trevor sifts through the lives of these transients with objective relish creating a world of secrets and piques the reader's interest with Mrs. Eckdorf's own mystery. no reviews | add a review
Awards
Mrs Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel by William Trevor - a classic early novel by one of the world's greatest writers The probings of an outsider bring havoc to a crumbling Dublin hotel What was the tragedy that turned O'Neill's hotel from plush establishment into a dingy house of disrepute? Ivy Eckdorf is determined to find out. A professional photographer, she has come to Dublin convinced that a tragic and beautiful tale lies behind the facade of this crumbling hotel. The aging proprietor lies dying upstairs while her feckless son is lost in a world of drink and horseracing; and the loyal O'Shea, accompanied everywhere by his greyhound, seeks to keep the hotel on the road. As Mrs Eckdorf worms her way into lives that centre on the hotel, she becomes as much a victim as they are. 'An astounding richness of pathos, humour and tragedy' Francis King William Trevor was born in Mitchelstown, County Cork, in 1928, and was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. He has lived in England for many years. The author of numerous acclaimed collections of short stories and novels, he has won many awards including the Whitbread Book of the Year, The James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Sunday Times Award for Literary Excellence. He has been shortlisted three times for the Booker Prize: in 1976 with his novel The Children of Dynmouth, in 1991 with Reading Turgenev and in 2002 with The Story of Lucy Gault. He recently received the prestigious David Cohen Literature Prize in recognition of a lifetime's literary achievement. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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