The Hotel Balzaar. Kate DiCamillo. Illustrated by Julia Sarda. 2024. [October] 160 pages. [Source: Library] [illustrated chapter book; magic realism; j fantasy] [4 stars]
First sentence: In March of that year, Marta and her mother arrived at the Hotel Balzaar. They were given an attic room that contained a bed, a sink, and a battered chest of drawers. The small room had a round window that faced east, and the sun, when it rose each morning, shone into the room with a beguiling brilliance--lighting up the bed frame, the porcelain of the sink, and the faded flowers on the wallpaper.
My thoughts (preview): I was NOT a fan of the first book in the "Norendy Tales" series). My expectations were low. Would I love it? Would I hate it? Would I be bored? Charmed? I can say that personally I liked it BETTER than the first book in this series. And that as far as I could tell, there was no real connection with the other book.
Premise/plot: Marta, a young child, lives a quiet, sheltered life. She's the daughter of a maid at a hotel. She's to be invisible, quiet and inoffensive. But one guest--an elderly woman (a countess) with a parrot--arrives and notices Marta, welcomes her, encourages her. Marta and the countess become friendly. Every day of her stay, Marta goes to her room to listen to a series of stories--fantastical stories. Marta hopes that there is some truth in these stories. That somehow, someway these stories will bring her father back to them.
My thoughts: I liked this one. The writing was good. The story had me intrigued. I wanted to keep reading. There were some great quotes.
Quotes:
Life always wins. Life and its crooked lines will always win.
Marta, I want you to know that war destroys everything, always. That is its intent, its only intent.
"It takes no courage at all to doubt, Marta," she said. "And we are not beyond rescue. We are never beyond rescue."
"The parents," said the countess, "loved the boy beyond all reason. They lived in fear of losing him. They were happy. They were terrified. This is what it means to love.
© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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