Book Summary and Reviews of Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins by Katarina Bivald

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CarolT

Thought provoking
Thank you to translator Alice Menzies for the excellent translation! I can't even tell that this was translated (not always the case with translations). Bivald is excellent at building a town character by character, just as she did in The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, then letting those characters pull us into their world. She is just the writer I need in this chaotic world.

Mary L. (Greeley, CO)

Thought provoking and humorous
Tempted to five this a 4 rating because of my slight frustration about the narrator's switching between high school years and the present, ultimately decided that there gems to be discovered as one reads. Henny, the narrator, has died right at the beginning. However she stays around to observe and communicate with her friends and father, encouraging them to overcome the prejudices of the small town prejudices and misguided "Christianity." She also learns that her seemingly insignificant life has profoundly affected other lives.

Laure R. (Fresno, CA)

Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins
Beginning with the immediate demise of the main character, Hennie, this book is loaded with twists and turns. It switches often from present to past, and all are worthwhile to navigate. Hennie's spirit remains tethered to the community to assist with their grief mixed with some alternative lifestyles and tangled lives.
The story is centered in a small, economically depressed, town in Oregon. The Pine Away Motel and Cabins resides at the edge of same. It houses and/or employs Hennie's dearest friends and family. They are surrounded by others in the community with varying degrees of very rigid conservative views of religion, sexuality and politics. Tolerance becomes very limited.
I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. I did not want to put it down and was disappointed to reach the end. This is the first book I've read by Katarina Bivald and it will not be the last. Kudos to her translator, Alice Menzies, for a flawless job also.

Lesley F. (San Diego, CA)

A Motel of Mysteries
"Welcome to the Pine Away Motel and Cabins" by Katarina Bivald is wonderful. Special kudos go to Alice Menzies whose work in translating from Swedish needs to be recognized and lauded! Many books have been written lately with the timeline going back and forth, chapter after chapter. But the special twist in THIS one is really fresh. Our hero(ine) dies at the outset but continues to monitor her friends, family, and community "helping" them learn the art of living. Welcome to the Hotel California, indeed! I will be recommending it to my novel-reading book group.

Carole R. (Burlington, WI)

Where do I start?
I hated this book. I loved this book. I thought the first 100 pages would never end. I couldn't quit on this book because I loved the author's first book "The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend." This novel is written as past and present vignettes. As I noted this was very confusing as the novel begins.

However, once I settled into commitment to the story and gave it a large block of time, the story unfolds, starts to make sense, and then I had to take a break because I didn't want it to end. This novel is perfect for book clubs because there are so many ways to approach the themes of the book. Church, politics, sexuality, honesty, friendships all waiting for the reader to put the pieces together in the mosaic of life.

John A. (Austin, TX)

A Magical Story in Oregon
Very entertaining book with great characters. While the book makes one think a bit of Lovely Bones and Fried Green Tomatoes, it is much, much more. It could easily be converted into a great Netflix or Amazon Prime series with such a cast of lovable, interesting figures. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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