Fiction

Hotel Splendide

Hotel Splendide

  • Downloads：4147
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-11-13 03:21:33
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ludwig Bemelmans
  • ISBN：1782277919
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Summary

In this uproariously funny memoir， Ludwig Bemelmans uncovers the fabulous world of the Hotel Splendide， the luxury New York hotel where he worked as a waiter。 With equal parts affection and barbed wit， he records the everyday chaos that reigns behind the smooth facades of the gilded dining room and banquet halls。

In hilarious detail， Bemelmans sketches the hierarchy of hotel life and its strange and fascinating inhabitants: from the ruthlessly authoritarian maître d’hôtel Monsieur Victor to the kindly waiter Mespoulets to Frizl the homesick busboy。 Illustrated with his own charming line drawings， Bemelmans’ tales of a bygone era of extravagance are as charming as they are riotously entertaining。

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Reviews

Her Digital Coffee ，

If you’ve ever wanted to know what it was like working in a luxury hotel in New York in the 20’s you have to pick up Ludwig Bemelman’s Hotel Splendide。 It’s a quick and easy read that gives you a glimpse into the style， charm， humour， and chaos that is the Hotel Splendide。 His personalized illustrations added a nice touch to these tales。 Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for this eARC in exchange for my honest review。

Craig Mudie ，

I have to admit to being disappointed by this book。 Described as ‘uproariously funny’ and ‘hilarious’ by the publisher， I’d suggest that “faintly amusing in parts， but mainly just quite odd” would be a more accurate description。

Annie ，

Before he was the writer and illustrator of the Madeline books， Ludwig Bemelmans was a down-at-the-heel waiter for the Ritz Carlton in New York City。 The stories in Hotel Splendide are clearly based on his time racing to and fro across the hotel serving the guests， honing his eye for caricature。 Reading the stories in this collection was like reading a strange cross between Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and the stories of the Russian satirist， Teffi。 On the one hand， there is the grit Before he was the writer and illustrator of the Madeline books， Ludwig Bemelmans was a down-at-the-heel waiter for the Ritz Carlton in New York City。 The stories in Hotel Splendide are clearly based on his time racing to and fro across the hotel serving the guests， honing his eye for caricature。 Reading the stories in this collection was like reading a strange cross between Anthony Bourdain’s Kitchen Confidential and the stories of the Russian satirist， Teffi。 On the one hand， there is the grit of Bourdain in Bemelmans’s description of life in service to people who really couldn’t give a monkey about him unless he screws up。 On the other， there’s the lightness of someone who doesn’t take himself too seriously。。。Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type。 I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley， for review consideration。 。。。more

Sara ，

A very charming and warm account of a 1920's hotel and the people who work there and visit there。 The illustrations perfectly reflect the time and allow the reader to immerse in hotel life easily。 A very charming and warm account of a 1920's hotel and the people who work there and visit there。 The illustrations perfectly reflect the time and allow the reader to immerse in hotel life easily。 。。。more

Fran ，

This is a lovely book。 It encapsulates a time and place with humour and， at times， pathos。 Hotels have a whole culture of their own， like other large buildings or institutions and Bemelmans was able to encapsulate it by shrewd observations。 His characters are engaging， and his caricatures in words and drawings have survived because of their unique qualities。 Long may it remain in print。

Annarella ，

A delightful， witty， and clever book that made me smile and laugh。 It aged well and the quirky characters are well described and funny。An excellent book， highly recommended。Many thanks to the publisher for this arc， all opinions are mine

joyce w。 laudon ，

He is best known for his delightful tails about Madeline。 Anyone who recalls those stories with fondness may enjoy spending time with the author in this amusing title。 Included here are fifteen chapters about life at a fictional hotel that is based upon the New York Ritz。 Relax， travel back in time to the 1920s and enjoy this memoir of a bygone time。Many thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Press for this title。 All opinions are my own。

Thomas ，

Humourous and fun， what an interesting place and cast of characters。 It's all going on at Hotel Splendide。 Humourous and fun， what an interesting place and cast of characters。 It's all going on at Hotel Splendide。 。。。more

Megan ，

A very entertaining read， although as it seems to be republications of various essays it was rather disjointed。 The essays all cover the author's time spent working in various roles at a grand old New York hotel， the Splendide。 Some characters and threads are followed over time， some appear only briefly， meaning we are sometimes left wondering what happened to a particular person or how the author progressed from one job to another。 On the whole， though it gives a fascinating glimpse into 1920s A very entertaining read， although as it seems to be republications of various essays it was rather disjointed。 The essays all cover the author's time spent working in various roles at a grand old New York hotel， the Splendide。 Some characters and threads are followed over time， some appear only briefly， meaning we are sometimes left wondering what happened to a particular person or how the author progressed from one job to another。 On the whole， though it gives a fascinating glimpse into 1920s society。 。。。more

Kirsten Feldman ，

The intrepid busboy helps the hopeless waiter Mespoulets avoid the inevitable in the quietly decaying Hotel Splendide。 The drawings， everyone leaning in， add charm as Bemelmans always does。

Theediscerning ，

Well， I think this still had the potential to be brightly funny and interesting， but the years haven't been too kind to it。 Life on the frontline of working in a posh New York hotel in the 1920s allows us to witness the tables right by the servers' swing doors where only the relative scum of the customers get sat， we see the author exhorted by his superior to quit waiting on people and become a cartoonist， and how the entire staff hang on the secret words carefully blurted out about the morrow's Well， I think this still had the potential to be brightly funny and interesting， but the years haven't been too kind to it。 Life on the frontline of working in a posh New York hotel in the 1920s allows us to witness the tables right by the servers' swing doors where only the relative scum of the customers get sat， we see the author exhorted by his superior to quit waiting on people and become a cartoonist， and how the entire staff hang on the secret words carefully blurted out about the morrow's stocks and shares when a private party gets too merry。It's a very literate slice-of-life， the kind you very seldom get these days， with phrases like "his socks were the colour of a wet frog" spliced into the minutiae of the working life to jump out at you like， well， a wet frog probably。 But for all the ribaldry of a tabeau vivant gone to the extreme of the vivant， there is stuff missing – namely the progression of our narrator from humble bus-boy to someone able to decide things and have the time to witness all of this malarkey。 It remains a host of ageing shaggy dog stories， and for all the attempts to dress it as a kind of acerbic cousin to "The Great Gatsby"， it's not。 Two and a half stars。 。。。more

Iva ，

This was charming with lovely pen and ink illustrations。 Nothing like the Madeleine books of course。 Bemelmans did have the experience of working in a hotel and has brought to life the characters he had contact with--the patrons and the co-workers。 And they were indeed characters！ Each chapter was a complete story of both life in the hotel and the life of a waiter or busboy。

Kathy ，

Charming。This published version had varying font sizes on different pages。 A bit disturbing。Quotable:The boast of some places that their employees have been with them such a very long time – and this is something to remember also – is entirely idiotic。 Most people have simply not been found out。 The fact that an employee has been with you twenty years might only mean that for twenty years he has gotten away with something， he has become a fixture – his faults have been overlooked – he gets more Charming。This published version had varying font sizes on different pages。 A bit disturbing。Quotable:The boast of some places that their employees have been with them such a very long time – and this is something to remember also – is entirely idiotic。 Most people have simply not been found out。 The fact that an employee has been with you twenty years might only mean that for twenty years he has gotten away with something， he has become a fixture – his faults have been overlooked – he gets more and more lazy。 Old employees are dangerous to have around。 There comes a time when you can’t fire them any more。 Besides， the fact that these two have been nothing but waiter and captain for twenty years， without trying to improve themselves or looking for another job， shows on itself that they are incompetent。 。。。more

Jerome ，

A wonderful book about the roaring twenties in a new york hotel。 Filled with incredibles anecdotes。 One of my favorites。

Heather Culley ，

Is。。。 is this where we get Grand Budapest Hotel， er。。。？

Christina Marcon ，

Nothing what I thought it was about。。。might not have bought it if I had known！ But nostalgic on author and illustrations （Madeline！）。 Ended up being some interesting and sometimes odd stories of a grand hotel in New York back in the day。。。

Ruth ，

What an odd little book！ I wanted to read it because the author wrote the Madeleine picture books。 This seems to have been a sort of memoir of the author's time as a waiter in the French restaurant of a very fancy New York hotel in the 1920s。 I say a sort of memoir because I wasn't sure how much of it had really happened。 Did the author wind up owning a fancy sports car where a rich man's girlfriend died in a bizarre traffic accident？ The book is replete with ethnic stereotyping and dark humor。 What an odd little book！ I wanted to read it because the author wrote the Madeleine picture books。 This seems to have been a sort of memoir of the author's time as a waiter in the French restaurant of a very fancy New York hotel in the 1920s。 I say a sort of memoir because I wasn't sure how much of it had really happened。 Did the author wind up owning a fancy sports car where a rich man's girlfriend died in a bizarre traffic accident？ The book is replete with ethnic stereotyping and dark humor。 I read the whole thing because how often will I have the chance to do that？ I had to request the book from a distant library， and it arrived looking old and bedraggled。 。。。more

Allie Pisarro-Grant ，

Charming as hell and full of dark humor。 With fantastic illustrations by the author at chapter headings。 My copy from the brooklyn public library was a first edition， 1941。 Another side of the man behind the famous 'Madeline' children's books。 Charming as hell and full of dark humor。 With fantastic illustrations by the author at chapter headings。 My copy from the brooklyn public library was a first edition， 1941。 Another side of the man behind the famous 'Madeline' children's books。 。。。more

Theresa ，

Having worked at a resort， I really enjoyed this book。 I even had the bonus of reading a 1941 edition， it was so lovely and the pages were super thick。 I'd never read a book printed in the '40's before， thanks to the Evanston Public Library for loaning my library this edition。I highly recommend this book。 Having worked at a resort， I really enjoyed this book。 I even had the bonus of reading a 1941 edition， it was so lovely and the pages were super thick。 I'd never read a book printed in the '40's before， thanks to the Evanston Public Library for loaning my library this edition。I highly recommend this book。 。。。more

Janis ，

In an era when profanity and vulgarity rule the day， reading this book reminds you that you don't necessarily have to be gross to be funny。 This book slayed me。 Bemelman's ascerbic humor is in every story， and colorful， brilliant and delightful stories they are。 If you have ever worked in a kitchen and would like to know about the good old days， this book will most definitely entertain。 It is great not only for old school kitchen details but also he describes what life was like in New York City In an era when profanity and vulgarity rule the day， reading this book reminds you that you don't necessarily have to be gross to be funny。 This book slayed me。 Bemelman's ascerbic humor is in every story， and colorful， brilliant and delightful stories they are。 If you have ever worked in a kitchen and would like to know about the good old days， this book will most definitely entertain。 It is great not only for old school kitchen details but also he describes what life was like in New York City in the 1920's， which in itself is thoroughly fascinating。 I can't say enough good things about this book， just read it， you'll love it。 。。。more

Max ，

Great writing， historical people watching at it's best。 The stories petered out by the last two or three， but overall a good quick fun read。 Great writing， historical people watching at it's best。 The stories petered out by the last two or three， but overall a good quick fun read。 。。。more

Robert ，

Fascinating collection of short stories set in or concerning characters connected to a fictionalized Ritz-Carlton hotel in NYC during the 1920's and 30's。 Several will make you laugh， several will make you cry， and one or two will make you rethink what you thought you knew about the roaring twenties。 Fascinating collection of short stories set in or concerning characters connected to a fictionalized Ritz-Carlton hotel in NYC during the 1920's and 30's。 Several will make you laugh， several will make you cry， and one or two will make you rethink what you thought you knew about the roaring twenties。 。。。more

Steve ，

Bemelmans wrote and wrote and wrote。 Besides the Madeline series （interestingly the first was published in 1939， and the next one not until 1953） he did novels， memoirs， stories of his service in hotels， children's books - on and on。 Born in Austria， this is a book of stories built around his first hotel job in NYC。 He worked at many， including the Astor， before he landed at the Ritz-Carlton， where he stayed for 15 years。This is from the heyday of luxurious hotels and excess。 But one of the best Bemelmans wrote and wrote and wrote。 Besides the Madeline series （interestingly the first was published in 1939， and the next one not until 1953） he did novels， memoirs， stories of his service in hotels， children's books - on and on。 Born in Austria， this is a book of stories built around his first hotel job in NYC。 He worked at many， including the Astor， before he landed at the Ritz-Carlton， where he stayed for 15 years。This is from the heyday of luxurious hotels and excess。 But one of the best stories in this volume is when he and a fellow worker go back to Austria， a country stuck in the middle of Weimar inflation。 They take their former teacher out to dinner， and the once proud man is lowered to wrapping asparagus spears in his handkerchief to take back to his wife。 Their is a certain sadness to each of the tales in this book。 He is a favorite of Bourdain， and while this volume is not so much exclusively about the culinary world， the stories are about the wait staff at a world class hotel - and the people they serve。 A nice book to dip into here and there on an evening when you're wondering what to pick up， short chapters。Oh， and next time you are in NYC， be sure to stop by the Carlyle Hotel's Bemelmans' bar， whose walls are illustrated by Bemelsmans。 。。。more

Mike ，

It's interesting reading Hotel Splendide -- the style's dated， certainly， but it's not out-of-date as such。 Bemelmans （who is better known as the author of the Madeline series of children's books） writes brief anecdote that sound a little like they were written by a fussier， more old-fashioned， early-20C David Sedaris or David Rakoff。The collection is absolutely worth it for "The New Suit，" which was surprisingly somber and lovely。 It's interesting reading Hotel Splendide -- the style's dated， certainly， but it's not out-of-date as such。 Bemelmans （who is better known as the author of the Madeline series of children's books） writes brief anecdote that sound a little like they were written by a fussier， more old-fashioned， early-20C David Sedaris or David Rakoff。The collection is absolutely worth it for "The New Suit，" which was surprisingly somber and lovely。 。。。more

Amy （Bossy Bookworm） ，

Ruth Reichl: An endlessly amusing behind-the-scenes look at a great hotel restaurant by the man who wrote the Madeline books。 Bemelmans wrote from experience; he worked at The Ritz。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Hotel Splendide

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Hotel Splendide&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Hotel Splendide&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0