This was so interesting as it was written in 2 hour increments by so many authors who wrote in a public setting one after the other. I wanted to write a chapter, too. More of a read for how a book could be a collective writing and for the experience. ( )

So wanted to like this! ( )

36 authors, 1 story ( )

Honestly not sure how to feel about this book. It wasn't what I expected, so I think that my own expectations (and to be honest, my experience with the ebook publisher) filtered my experience with this story too much to be an honest reviewer. However, if you enjoy books with a quirky atmosphere and don't mind consciously knowing when a story changes authorial hands, then you might very well enjoy it! ( )

My initial interest in this book came about through my love of Karen Finneyfrock's poetry, but it grew once I learned that this book was created as a part of The Novel: Live. The project was an attempt to have 36 writers take part in a week-long writing marathon live on stage, in which the story would be passed from writer to writer and result in a complete novel. Hotel Angeline is the result of those efforts.

Due to the nature of its creation, there are some holes in the plot here and there and some slight disjointedness, and you definitely get a taste of each writer's style (one author presented their chapter in comic book format), which was most recognizable in the dialog. But I was surprised by just how coherent the story is. Each chapter is by a different author and most are written from Alexis' point of view, but her character remained consistent. She's a girl caught up in the madness of her situation, who becomes very lost very quickly.

There are a slew of interesting characters, including a woman who lives as a pirate, Habib the rave, LJ the not-all-there hippy, and many more. If you ignore the unique process of creation, you still have a good story thats twists into surprising and unexpected directions with an unlimately satisfying conclusion. A good read. ( )