Hotel Sacher: A Novel

Some characters are real and some are fictitious, and they meld together beautifully in this novel. Set in pre-WW1, the writer's thoughts and ideas expressed in the voices of her characters are intelligent and imaginative. A great book for adults.

After struggling somewhat to get into this book, I am ultimately glad that I persisted in finishing it. It was definitely worth the time invested and did eventually get very interesting. I particularly loved the portrayal of Love and Death as physical beings.

Character development is superb. I liked the storyline with the backdrop of what was happening in that part of the world. One character I felt was somewhat abandoned mid way through the book. Otherwise-great!

This translated novel somehow lacked the emotional punch one might expect from a story about one of the most tumultuous times in European history and culture. Characters played their roles well but failed to ever overcome the two-dimensionally of the printed page.

For a story that spans over 25 years, the author develops a concise, engaging plot weaved of fact and fiction surrounding Hotel Sacher; a prelude to WW1, from the unique perspective, and many tales, of Love and Death.

It brought back memories of stories about Vienna. My grandmother and great grandmother both went to finishing school there. Were presented at court.
The author I think reflects the feeling and attitude of the era.
In addition stopping at the Sacer Kaffee is a very delicious time.

It was slow going at first. As you get to know the characters, you are pulled in deeper and deeper.
This is a peak back in time.
Love and Death speak to you in a way that brings peace to your soul...as well as Hope!

I did enjoy this book, don't get me wrong. and I spent 6 hours finishing the second half of the book on a beautiful fall day. However, I didn't like the chapter structure. I like to read one or two chapters per night before bed, but with this book I had to stop mid story line often.

The reader is swept along with the cast of characters as they live and love on the way to the high changes in society and the world that was pre world war 1 Europe. The story seen through the eyes of death and love is interesting.

This is a novel based on the life of an actual person. Unfortunately, that person was a silly, self obsessed woman who was happy that her husband died and who abused her children. Throughout the book, love and death wander around the characters. You decide...

Taste the beginnings of this book....you will be hungry for more. As the delightful dessert mention at the start of the book - a Sachertorte lures you in - with the many layers of texture, sweet & tart... oh the pleasure. All too quickly the bite is gone & you must reach for more. Try a different flavor. Still delightful. This book offers much, an historical novel, Anna moves thru this novel along many others, teasing and delighting your mind - if you will let them.

I kept waiting for it to get engaging. I had a few moments at the 40% mark, but it faded rapidly, I did force myself to finish it. Sorry for the wasted time. Even though it may be based on a real person, she must have had a very contrived existence.

This book was special to me because it was the first decent book I've gotten from kindle unlimited in as long as I can remember. It was well written and imaginative. The characters and plot were believable and entertaining.

It was fascinating to me to read a European perspective on the years leading up to -- and through World War I. Also, the characters were completely three-dimensional. You really get to know these people. It's a little sad but, as the author might say, so is life. Thanks to 'First Reads' for making this novel available to me.

This complex story of several lives. The entire plot centers on the emergence of strong women amid a pack of less than perfect males as they intertwine during Austria’s prewar & postwar years.The story jumps constantly so be sure you know which tale you are reading. A good and at times trying read.

I love historic fiction but felt the author didn’t detail the history sufficiently. It wasn’t an easy read and did not keep my attention. The entanglements of some of the lovers were not realistic.

I chose 3 stars because the plot lacks continuity and feeling. I felt that the historical background could have better been placed at the beginning than at the end of the book. Most readers of historical fiction would know the main story, but not much detail. Sometimes I reread a book when I'm left confused but not this one. It was too difficult to plow through the first time.

Great atmospherics! Verbally captures the sights, sounds, and smells of central Europe before and during World War I. Many characters and relationships overlaid with first names, nicknames and titles--so, pay attention! Its really several interlocking plots anchored around the hotel and historical events that include The Great War. Given the class structure of the time, some of the romantic aspects may strain believability. Keeps your interest.

Pre-World War One is the setting for this story. You follow the lives of a number of couples, their stories a bit sensationalized but realistic enough. The author does a great job of describing the era, and the obstacles that are inherent for the era. This is definitely more of a romantic historical fiction.

I enjoyed getting to know the characters. I enjoyed immersing myself in the world the author builds.

I found the pacing slow for my taste. I didn't empathize enough with Mdm Sacher, and I felt I should have.

Overall, a solid story; if a little slow.

I look forward 2 more from this writer, this cover, totally drew me in. the coloring, the calm-ness .. always a fan of a great cover. 1892 ... a not normal time era for me to read in ...but I love changing it up ... well written, super great characters, love the style and quickly drawn in. oh yeah!!

Having sat in the Hotel Sachet in Vienna and enjoyed the world-renowned Sachertorte, I found this story a fascinating depiction of the pre-WW1 environment and political sentiment in the Austria-Hungarian Empire. A good read all around.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, which was based on true historical events. The characters were complex in that the author showed multiple facets of their personalities as well as the complicated relationships in which they were a part. There were times when the book seemed slow to me, however, and I would find myself easily distracted. Then, the story would gain momentum and propel me forward once again. I would also note that there are occasional phrases that philosophically negate an actual true God, suggesting people are there own God. So, if you are very religious, beware.

I really got into this book! I loved the characters and how the author developed each of their stories and brought them all together with the hotel being the focal point. I now want to read more on the Hotel Sacher and the owner Anna. The only thing that I was disappointed about was she didn't finish a couple of character lines but I would recommend this book.

There were parts of this book that were interesting, but mostly the story was clunky, the characters were flat, and the writing style was bizarre- attempts at being prosaic fell flat for me. I have rarely stopped a book without finishing it, but I put this down after pushing myself through about 3 chapters.

I don’t know who is to blame—the author or the translator—this was dreadful. The narrative was choppy, the prose purple. I liked the idea of it but about half way through it fell apart for me. I kept reading hoping it would get better but no such luck.

Interesting story about famous dessert sachertorte and the people who came and went through the Hotel Sacher. Based on factual events but the people are fictional. I got the book as my free monthly selection. It moves slowly but constantly and the author explains events at the end of the book with dates and major happenings. It was a good book.

I liked the time era and appreciated the characters, but I was thrown from one place to another and was quite often confused because you can't always read in one setting and I was sometimes confused as to who was what and their history til I read alot more and still sometimes, I just went on and kept reading. It's a nice story, but just confusing in general. I'm not sure about the love & death thing...sorry

I loved the historical sense of this epic novel. I truly felt uncomfortable at the start because of the references to Love and Death as almost human. As I read further I felt more comfortable with their presence. Also appreciated was the timeline at the end since there truly was a Hotel Sacher.

How man has always turned to war and destroyed himself and so much else is written in this book. Love and Death watch over many in the years this takes place in. Following these people's lives and how entwined they were as war comes could very well be glimmers of true life.

I found this book amazing for example the uses of Love dressed draped over a chair watching and Death dressed in threadbare clothes carrying a worn suitcase walking the halls. And Rodica just slowly and carefully brings her characters in and builds and builds and builds. It's well worth the read.

I liked the ingenuity of this book. It is very different from anything I have read before. It starts out slow but as you continue into it, it holds your attention. I like this period of time, so that was a big plus for the book in my eyes.

Loved meeting all the families along with Love and Death. Also learned about that time period and what was happening in Europe. How the author intertwined the two couples with Love and Death playing their part made for an interesting read. Enjoyed the book very much!

Good historical novel but I felt a little bounced around between as many characters as were narrating. Maybe if I were able to read it straight through I could have kept the characters in my mind a little better.

I had a hard time connecting with the characters in this book. They all were so selfish in their own ways that it was hard to see the redeeming qualities in the characters. I actually felt more sympathy for a few of the side characters than the main characters in the book. Some of the characters felt rushed and underdeveloped which left me empty at the end of the book with no moral or point really learned. It just dropped and felt dead in the end. Kind of a waste of time in my opinion.

I'm not really sure what I read. So many storylines and characters and Love and Death...and I'm not sure I enjoyed how it all played out. I kept reading just to see how everything would go together but I wasn't impressed. It wasn't what I thought it would be.

I didn't like the book at all...I tried to keep reading it but I finally gave up...too many characters...the story jumped around it was just too confusing that I finally gave up and never finished it. I read 2 books a month and this is probably only the second one I've ever given up on.

This well written novel is based around the Hotel Sacher during the late 1800's and the end of WW2. It follows the lives of the wealthy and the workers around the Hotel. In a day when marriages were made to further goals or bring money or titles into a family, it shows the workings of society. The use of Death and Love as characters is unique. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

With the death of her husband Anna Sacher takes the running of the famous Hotel Sacher where all the nobility stay. With various characters we see the life of the nobility and the commoners from 1889 to 1919 and the emergence of women and their freedom to pursue occurs only a short time before not available to them. The novel covers the debauchery of some of the nobility and the rise of the peasantry. A good book to understand WW I. Recommended

This story started out well and one (me) would expect a lot more than what followed. It is simply the story of specific number of characters who met or passed through or lived or had something to do with the Hotel Sacher. The plot became too cumbersome to follow at times. I read the entire book--but the story did not make me eager to keep reading -- in fact, at times it was hard to pick up and continue. Wish I could give it a higher rating but it just wasn't a great book.

It was interesting how the story wrapped around historical events. Ideas and politics were not that much different at that time than now. The love story showed how sad life was for some when decisions for them were made by others. Interesting read!

The book was interesting enough to keep reading, but it seemed to drag in places. It was easy enough for me to put it down and didn't feel like I had to get right back to it. But that being said, I still was able to learn things as to how WW I came to be from a different perspective.

This historical novel follows the life of a woman who inherits the hotel which is known for the Sachertorte cake, a very well known treat that persists on to the current day. Normally I enjoy historical novels, but I found this one hard to follow and the main characters lost my interest early on. I did finish the book, hoping it would become more interesting, but it did not. Some of the historical events are woven into the fabric of the story, which was interesting but not enough to save the book for me.

I couldn’t decide between two books for my August First Read, but I must have picked the wrong book. I read all the reviews, but this book is confusing, borderline boring, and hard to finish. I love reading all kinds of genres with historical fiction being a favorite. Not this one. It’s one of the worst books I have read in a long time. The characters are not likable. The plot is pretty boring. It’s not exceptionally well written. There isn’t much to recommend. I wish I had tried a different book... I cannot even remember ever leaving a negative review. I never want to hurt an authors feelings. But in this case, I wish I had read a review that warned me.

I like historical novels. I will be visiting Austria and I plan on going to the Sacher restaurant for a Sacher-torte. I loved reacquainting myself with the historical activities that were part of this book.

I couldn't finish this book. I really WANTED to love this book based on its blurb. But I knew from the first few pages that this was going to be a drag. And I love reading. So FYI, after days and days of trying to get myself interested in this book, I Gave up at 45% and proceeded to write this review.

I enjoy good lengthy storyline with extensive discription, engaging dialogue, and well established charters and relationships (not just romances: mother-daughter, friend-friend etc), and clean romances. This book met none of those delights.

This wasn't like reading a novel. It was like reading postcards stacked on top of each other. The author gave a quick discription of the scene and then "this" happened. You have no chance to connect with any character before you're pushed, prodded and shoveled into the next postcard with all the gentleness of a charging rhinoceros.

Probably the most interesting things in this book were the personifications of Death and Love. Today's typical writing doesn't usually include this style and at first it was refreshing.... Until you see what the author deems as Love has no intention of fulfilling her namesake (true love does not envy or selfishly think only of its own desires but protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres--1 Cor 13:4-8, Bible). No, instead the Love character is just a typical personification of selfish, self-serving Lust, a dry and poor excuse to sate selfish passions--and did I mention selfish?

So no, I really don't recommend this book if you're looking for any of the qualities I crave written above.
I recommend this book if you enjoy shallow reading: in scenery, character development, plot, and moral fibre.

By way of disclaimer, I read a fourth of the book and stopped, but I feel that was a fair amount to give a personal opinion. It seemed to be a well-composed novel, but the subject matter just did not interest me at all. I am a regular person, so I do not relate to nor dream about aristocracy. Books about common folk hold my attention and remain in my memory. I just decided not to stick with something I wasn't enjoying. I'd rather move on.

I signed up for the store First Read and was disappointed with this book. Will be unsubscribing. Pages were missing making it difficult to follow story line. Half of the time I didn't know what happened or how/why the next event occurred. This may be a good read but I will never know.

Hotel Sacher is by Rodica Doehnert. This book has surprised me. I wasn’t sure exactly what I thought it was about; but didn’t realize how much of a love story it is. Once I started reading, I didn’t want to stop. It is very realistic and true to life. The book is a combination of various stories which are gradually becoming more important to each other than before.
Love and Death are two characters who show up off and on throughout the book. They act as realistic people. Their very presence causes trouble.
Anna Sacher has just inherited the hotel upon her husband’s death. She is determined to make her mark by being one of the few women who run a business.
Konstanze von Traunstein is a princess who is also a writer. She used a pseudonym and only her publisher knows her identity. She is married to Georg and has three children. She is lovely and kind until she learns of her husband’s first child. George von Traunstein is an aristocrat who is trying to set up a society on his land where everyone has a say. So far, it isn’t working. In his youth, he impregnated a servant and his Father sent her away. George did not know about the baby until as a young girl, Maria was abducted on her way home from her job at the Hotel. He wants to do his moral duty and care for her now.
Martha and Maximillian Aderhold are publishers. Martha does most of the work while Maximilian was trying to write his own book. Now he edits books. They should never have gotten married and have been coasting along for years. When Maximillian spends the night with Konstanze, that sets the reason up for a divorce. Instead of feeling broken, both of them feel relieved.
The lives of all of these characters come together at the Hotel often and something unusual always happens. There are twists and turns in the action which make the book interesting.
The book is quite interesting and really holds your attention. I highly recommend it.

A vet good read. I was interested from the very beginning, loved the love and death characters best. The age old fact that people sometimes only appreciate people or their life's until something takes it away from them.

I look forward 2 more from this writer, this cover, totally drew me in. the coloring, the calm-ness .. always a fan of a great cover. 1892 ... a not normal time era for me to read in ...but I love changing it up ... well written, super great characters, love the style and quickly drawn in. oh yeah!!

I loved the historical sense of this epic novel. I truly felt uncomfortable at the start because of the references to Love and Death as almost human. As I read further I felt more comfortable with their presence. Also appreciated was the timeline at the end since there truly was a Hotel Sacher.

I'm glad I was nudged into choosing this book by a reviewer that had not read it. I found it an interesting look into the poor choices many of us are faced with. I had trouble sympathizing with most of the characters, as the personality flaws were much more numerous than their strengths. Even so, it held my attention and I would recommend it.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, which was based on true historical events. The characters were complex in that the author showed multiple facets of their personalities as well as the complicated relationships in which they were a part. There were times when the book seemed slow to me, however, and I would find myself easily distracted. Then, the story would gain momentum and propel me forward once again. I would also note that there are occasional phrases that philosophically negate an actual true God, suggesting people are there own God. So, if you are very religious, beware.

Taste the beginnings of this book....you will be hungry for more. As the delightful dessert mention at the start of the book - a Sachertorte lures you in - with the many layers of texture, sweet & tart... oh the pleasure. All too quickly the bite is gone & you must reach for more. Try a different flavor. Still delightful. This book offers much, an historical novel, Anna moves thru this novel along many others, teasing and delighting your mind - if you will let them.

I did enjoy this book, don't get me wrong. and I spent 6 hours finishing the second half of the book on a beautiful fall day. However, I didn't like the chapter structure. I like to read one or two chapters per night before bed, but with this book I had to stop mid story line often.

The story along with the historical elements held my attention as the events unfolded in sometimes unexpected ways. I rated it 5 stars for being authentic to the time period and location. I was taken away to another time in another world.