Up in the Old Hotel

March 08, 2010 :: Posted by - admin :: Category - Hotels


Product Description
Mitchell explored a New York City that has now vanished in his four books and his classic reportage for The New Yorker. Mitchell’s eccentrics live again in this omnibus volume that contains all of his books and several p… More >>

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4 Responses to “Up in the Old Hotel”

  1. Rudyard Says:
    March 8th, 2010 at 6:33 am

    The nonfictional pieces in this collection are classics (the fiction is less impressive). What makes these pieces stand out from all the other New Yorker/Sunday Times pieces that I’ve read is the dignity with which Mitchell depicted the people he portrayed. It’s very moving.

  2. R. Wilson Says:
    March 8th, 2010 at 8:41 am

    I read this book about eighteen months ago, and I revisit it every so often. Sheer greatness.

  3. J. W. Smith Says:
    March 8th, 2010 at 10:37 am

    My father put me on to this book shortly after it was published. I recently ordered a copy from Amazon to give my son, an aspiring writer. This book is for anyone who appreciates good writing and, given that most of the pieces were written in the 1940′s, recent American cultural history. Good writing? No, it’s matchless. There’s a reason this book has 33 5-star reviews and two 4-stars. Read any of them, they’re all on the mark. Buy several copies; share the wealth.

  4. David Hutton Says:
    March 8th, 2010 at 1:06 pm

    I have been known to complain that five star reviews are given out way too freely. In this case, however, five stars may not be enough. In fact, I am surprised that some reviewers ONLY gave this book four stars, but to each his own. Other reviews have already very eloquently praised this book, so I will not repeat them, except to confirm they are on target. The book is 716 pages, and I only wish it were longer. If you enjoy great writing, great storytelling, great (and real!) characters I could not imagine a better choice than Up In The Old Hotel. It also transports us to a different time and place in America, one that existed before I grew up, but one that this book almost makes you long for. If you do not read this book, all I can say is, it is your loss.

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