The Two Hotel Francforts: A Novel
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.26 (870 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 1596910429 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 272 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-04-28 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
This journey will change their lives irrevocably, as Europe sinks into war.Gorgeously written, sexually and politically charged, David Leavitt's long-awaited new novel is an extraordinary work.. It is the summer of 1940, and Lisbon, Portugal, is the only neutral port left in Europe-a city filled with spies, crowned heads, and refugees of every nationality, tipping back absinthe to while away the time until their escape. Awaiting safe passage to New York on the SS Manhattan, two couples meet: Pete and Julia Winters, expatriate Americans fleeing their sedate life in Paris; and Edward and Iris Freleng, sophisticated, independently wealthy, bohemian, and beset by the social and sexual anxieties of their class. As Portugal's neutrality, and the world's future, hang in the balance, the hidden threads in the lives of these four characters-Julia's status as a Jew, Pete and Edward's improbable affair, Iris's increasingly desperate efforts to save her tenuous marriage-begin to come loose
When You Like Only the Dog. A bit of a disappointing effort from Leavitt this time. The story is just not as engaging or even as credible as some of his better earlier works. I felt like he found a concept to hang on, and draped a few meager details upon it, just as window dressing. He surely could have gone deeper and develop. Disappointing outing from one of my favorite authors David Leavitt's "The Two Hotel Francforts" is about Pete and Julia and Edward and Iris, two ex-patriot couples who meet by chance (or was it?) in 19Disappointing outing from one of my favorite authors Alan Dorfman David Leavitt's "The Two Hotel Francforts" is about Pete and Julia and Edward and Iris, two ex-patriot couples who meet by chance (or was it?) in 1940 Lisbon, Portugal as they, as thousand of others as well, wait for passage away from Europe and Hitler's blitzkrieg conquest.Narrated by Pete, an unex. 0 Lisbon, Portugal as they, as thousand of others as well, wait for passage away from Europe and Hitler's blitzkrieg conquest.Narrated by Pete, an unex. "There are occasions when none of the choices are good. You simply have to calculate which is the least bad." Lisbon, 19"There are occasions when none of the choices are good. You simply have to calculate which is the least bad." Mary Whipple Lisbon, 1940, provides a temporary safe haven and hope for emigrating citizens from every country in Europe as they try to secure visas for passage by ship - any ship - out of Europe and away from the Nazis. For Americans with valid passports, life is more secure. The U.S. government has commandeere. 0, provides a temporary safe haven and hope for emigrating citizens from every country in Europe as they try to secure visas for passage by ship - any ship - out of Europe and away from the Nazis. For Americans with valid passports, life is more secure. The U.S. government has commandeere
The result is a dramatic story that Leavitt weaves with compelling authority and empathy. Leavitt focuses on two married couples as they pass the tense time until an American ship, the Manhattan, will arrive to carry them and other fortunate ticket-holders to the U.S. Leavitt’s new novel establishes a brisk pace from page one, corresponding to the jittery atmosphere of the place and time in which it is set: the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, which, in the summer of 1940, is the only neutral port left in Europe. --Brad Hooper . HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The publicity campaign being accorded Leavitt’s new book will include book-club advertising, availability of group reading guides, an author tour, and national review coverage. With one of the men narrating the novel’s events,
David Leavitt's many books include the story collection Family Dancing (finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award), and the novels The Lost Language of Cranes, While England Sleeps (finalist for the Los Angeles Times Fiction Award), The Body of Jonah Boyd, and The Indian Clerk