Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast

"Welcome to the Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast, a rustic retreat on a beautiful island. Your hosts are the endearingly eccentric Hector and Virgil, twins by birth though not by nature. Their B&B attracts a particular and sometimes peculiar clientele."
~~back cover

I adored this book! Which was quite a surprise -- I didn't remember why this book had wound up on my wishlist & I thought it was going to be an attempt at humor about two inept men trying to run a B&B for some idiotic reason. It isn't.

It's a series of reflections by the brothers and their guests. The vignettes are charming, thoughtful, and slyly funny. And if this B&B was real (& it might be) & if I could find out where it was, I'd go spend at least a week there, so quick show more your head would spin! The prologue says it's a real place, so there's hope!

"The brothers who own and operate this B&B, which is located on one of the islands that populate the Strait of Georgia, between Vancouver Island and the mainland, ... are twins, now in their fifties. As you may have surmised by the name of the enterprise, they are bachelors. They inherited their house, as well as an income, from their mother. Untroubled by the odious necessity of working, but possessed by humanitarian instincts, they decided to open their doors to the public as a refuge, a retreat, a haven for bibliophiles. ... They share the oppression felt by the gentle, sometimes confused people who are their paying guests; people who see the ratio of books available to time available as terribly skewed. Hector and Virgil think of their B&B as a way of redressing that dreadful imbalance; a way of offering readers the chance to finally revel in Silas Mariner or A la recherche du temps perdu or Persuasion." Doesn't that sound like heaven? show less

When I heard that this book was about literature-loving twin brothers, running a bookish B&B where guests could come to read and escape, I had an idea it might be right up my street. I wasn't disappointed! It was like reading the love child of 84, Charing Cross Road and a P.G. Wodehouse novel.

Part of the charm of the book lies in its whimsical structure. Hector and Virgil (named not after the classics but after twin bulls born locally on the same day) each 'write' their own sections of their story, and their narrative is interspersed with testimonies from guests at their B&B, recipes and book and author lists. The brothers share stories of their eccentric mother, thoughts on their opinionated parrot Mrs Rochester and mouse-killing cat show more Waffle, and musings on love, life and books. Each guest has their own tale to tell, perhaps of how they came to visit the B&B, or about their love for a particular author. There's even a little poetry from the so-bad-he's-good local poet.

I'm not sure I'd read it again, and it lost a star for a couple of slightly less sparkling sections and the way the bookish side of things slipped away a little towards the end, but this was still a thoroughly enjoyable novel. It is original, very amusing, full of charming characters and astute observations, and is a perfect book to curl up with on a Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea and a slice of cake. Enjoy! show less

Confessional: I hate it when I read a book too fast and I don't start a blog to take notes. I feel like I have a great deal of catching up to do. In a nutshell, Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast is exactly that, a slim volume about two aging twin brothers who run a bed and breakfast on an island off the coast of British Columbia. Neither has ever married or had children, although one brother is dating. Their bed and breakfast is popular despite never being advertised. Guests share their experiences in alternating chapters, while the brothers share reading lists (Top 10 Authors, Books When Feeling Low, and Authors for the Bath), recipes, and stories of their mother who has since passed. In a word, Bachelor Brothers' Bed and Breakfast show more is charming. Many reviewers have stated they wouldn't mind staying a night or two with the brothers. With only ten guests at a time, I have to agree. show less

After reading this collection of brief reflections on and reminiscences of life, literature, family, and community, bibliophiles everywhere will want to pack their bags and head for rural Canada and the Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast. If they can find it. For most guests, their first visit to the B & B happens by chance since the proprietors, middle-aged fraternal twins, have never advertized their accommodations. The guests that do find their way there share a love of reading, and many return again and again. Letters from satisfied customers are interspersed with stories written by each twin, recommended reading lists, poetry, and more. Virgil, the more melancholy twin, provides a list of books to read when you're feeling low. His show more brother, Hector, shares his list of favorite authors for the bath. There's a glaring omission in both lists. To Virgil's list I would add Bachelor Brothers' Bed & Breakfast, and to Hector's list I would add Bill Richardson. show less

When I first read it, a few things stood out - the Lesbian Mechanics, and the tree house. I found myself thinking about this over the years, and was delighted to find it in my Mom's library. On a re-read, a few things stood out, first, its very much ahead of its times. Published in 1996, it has men who are comfortable with who they are - not trying to show anybody up, for example, they fully admit they are mechanically inept. Their deceased mother, an interesting lady in her own right, is as much as a personality as the brothers. However, she raised Virgil and Hector to be their own people, and it shows.

My only complaint is that the different characters in this book sound the same. I wouldn't be able to tell anyone apart if their name show more wasn't listed at the beginning of the chapter.

Regardless, this is a book that sits at the sweet spot of cozy, but not saccharine, sarcastic, but with respect, and general small town shenanigans. This really is a place I'd like to visit. show less

It is a calming, soothing, elegant, portrayal of the life of twin brothers who, now in their late middle years, have turned the family house where they grew up into a bibliophile's retreat. There is no TV, there are no nearby restaurants, there is little to do except show up, eat good food, and read good books. No the BBB&B (as they call it) is not in heaven, but it sure sounds pretty close to it to me.

There is a resident cat Waffles, whose naming story begins the telling of the tales. There is an articulate swearing parrot in residence named Mrs. Rochester, whose appearances throughout the book add just the right touch of colorful zest. The brothers themselves, Hector and Virgil, give us their birth history (including their conception show more under the oil pan of a truck), and a portrait of their unmarried (and never married) mother who raised them with a love of books that has never left them. The twins give us reading lists of favorites, among them: "Virgil's List of Books
for when you're feeling low" and Hector's "List of Favourite Authors for the Bath."

In the story "Love and Skincare" we meet Altona Winkler, the local Avon lady, newspaper reporter, and novelist wannabe whom Hector describes thus: "...my association with Altona Winkler..has gone on for a long time now. It suits us both.It is relaxed and casual. Comfortable. In one way or another, we tend to each other's needs."

Guests come toting bags of books to be read, or find an appealing volume in the BB's library. Breakfast is served by the brothers every morning, but guests, who are given the run of the kitchen, are responsible for fixing their own lunch and dinner. Lasting friendships are formed, and guests are encouraged to leave their thoughts in the guest book. In between vignettes from Hector and Virgil, we are treated to stories written by various temporary residents, some of whom have been returning for years.

Virgil, who took up playing the bassoon several years ago, shuts himself in a closet to practice under the watchful eyes and ears of Mrs. Rochester. He also can recite from memory hundreds of poems he learned as a child, including the poetry of the town's now long dead reigning poet Solomon Solomon. This talent is especially well regarded since the local newspaper where the poems were published never kept an archives, and old copies don't seem to exist anymore.

Speaking of his poetry reciting prowess Virgil says "I love the phrase learning by heart, especially when it is applied to poetry, because it seems such a perfect description of the process of memorizing words that have been carefully chosen and weighed and handled. The heart, I think, which is the home of all things rhythmic, is where learned poems go to live."

This small easy-to-read tome is easy to love. It gives us literature, poetry, enchanting vignettes of life and makes us want to find this real Shangri-la in the Pacific Northwest. When I find it, I probably won't tell though. I want the whole place to myself. show less

50-something year old twins, Virgil and Hector, run a bed & breakfast on a small island between Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia. There really isn’t much to do there beyond relax and read. Yet, the B&B has plenty of guests and the brothers are kept busy. This book includes anecdotes from both brothers, as well as some of the people who have stayed with them. Also included are a few “top 10” books (and authors) with various themes.

This is a bit of Canadian humour, parts made me smile and a few even made me laugh. I was ready to rate it “good” and I (mostly) did like it, but more so in the first half. The second half felt like it got a bit too philosophical for my liking. I liked that so many of the top 10 lists show more included Canadian authors. show less