This is the story of Alice James (Nobody), who grew up in Harlem and then ended up in California by way of Portland Oregon. The story is a wonderful historical thriller which keeps the reader guessing to the very end. The book begins on a cross country train. Alice has a gun wound she has managed to hide from her roommate, but she has befriended Max, the black porter. When they get to Portland, Max takes Alice to a black hotel, The Paragon. The others at the hotel are wary of having a white woman there. At first the doctor doesn't want to fix up her wound, but is convinced to do so by Max. It's 1921, and Oregon is the only state where blacks are not legally allowed to live. However, Alice soon makes friends with the caberet singer Blossum.

The book alternates chapters in Portland with chapters in Harlem beginning in 1917 to the time she left for Portland. Thus, we slowly learn about Alice's earlier life as the more current story in Portland moves on. Alice has learned as a child to be unobtrusive; her nickname is Nobody; and she learns a lot by listening. Her mother was a prostitute, and she had a close male friend who protected her. To save him, she became the ward of a Sicilian crime lord. We do not hear why she left Harlem until close to the end.

The Ku Klux Klan is active in Portland, and the local policeman, Overton, is very obnoxious. Blossum prevents his raping Alice, but he later beats up Blossum. Fortunately, Blossum, is friends with Evelyn, the wife of the Chief of Police. When the hotel orphan, Davy, disappears, the Paragon residents spend many hours searching, and then the Ku Klux Klan makes a scene, and the residents from the hotel are more frightened for Davy. Alice realizes finally, that Davy's disappearance probably has something to do with Blossum. In spite of the KKK, the book shows that at least some blacks and whites can get along.

Full review to follow on Blog Tour. In short, I did enjoy the book, but I will come back and edit my review, with my full thoughts, as to not spoil my blog tour review.

We first meet Alice James, AKA "Nobody" in 1921 on a cross-country train from Harlem in Nw York City to Portland, Oregon. Alice is suffering from a gunshot wound sustained six days previously and is running for her life. She is losing the battle with the injury and is taken in charge by an African-American Porter named Max Burton. Max is a veteran of WWI and knows the effects of a neglected gunshot wound when he sees them. He takes her to The Paragon Hotel, the only hotel in Portland that welcomes African-Americans. The other denizens of The Paragon are not at all pleased. A white woman staying there can bring only trouble, but the fact is that a crisis is coming, whether Alice is there or not. This dazzling historical novel tells the tale of Alice's life on the streets of Harlem and her new life among the people of the hotel, jumping from one place and time to the other.

Alice had spent several years in the employ of Mr. Salvatici, a crime figure who is waging war on the Corleonisi, the premier Mafia family. Alice's ability, to disappear into disguises suitable for any situation and not be noticed has proved invaluable to Mr. Salvatici. On the surface, he is kindly and treats her like a daughter. She also mourns the loss of her closest childhood friend, Nicolo Benetati. Nicolo is not dead but has been transformed into a monster by tragedy and gang violence. All the events of her childhood and choices end in her running for her life. The people of The Paragon have their own problems and secrets, and the KKK is rising in Oregon. A missing child and an assassination end in more changes for not only Alice but all the people she has come in contact with through the hotel.

I find myself thinking about the characters of The Paragon Hotel, even after closing the book. The characters are so vividly drawn and fleshed out that they became almost real to me. I was dimly aware of the racism built into the fabric and even the constitution of the state of Oregon, but I admit I was shocked by its virulence. Things have changed, but I wonder just how much, given our present environment. Can America ever get past its prejudices? One can only hope. The Paragon Hotel is a fabulous read, taking the reader back to a long-gone time and place that somehow still exists.

Thanks to Putnam and NetGalley for a digital advance copy. The opinions are my own.

"The new and exciting historical thriller by Lyndsay Faye, author of Edgar-nominated Jane Steele and Gods of Gotham, which follows Alice "Nobody" from Prohibition-era Harlem to Portland's the Paragon Hotel.

The year is 1921, and "Nobody" Alice James is on a cross-country train, carrying a bullet wound and fleeing for her life following an illicit drug and liquor deal gone horribly wrong. Desperate to get as far away as possible from New York City and those who want her dead, she has her sights set on Oregon: a distant frontier that seems the end of the line.

She befriends Max, a black Pullman porter who reminds her achingly of Harlem, who leads Alice to the Paragon Hotel upon arrival in Portland. Her unlikely sanctuary turns out to be the only all-black hotel in the city, and its lodgers seem unduly terrified of a white woman on the premises. But as she meets the churlish Dr. Pendleton, the stately Mavereen, and the unforgettable club chanteuse Blossom Fontaine, she begins to understand the reason for their dread. The Ku Klux Klan has arrived in Portland in fearful numbers--burning crosses, inciting violence, electing officials, and brutalizing blacks. And only Alice, along with her new "family" of Paragon residents, are willing to search for a missing mulatto child who has mysteriously vanished into the Oregon woods.

Why was "Nobody" Alice James forced to escape Harlem? Why do the Paragon's denizens live in fear - and what other sins are they hiding? Where did the orphaned child who went missing from the hotel, Davy Lee, come from in the first place? And, perhaps most important, why does Blossom Fontaine seem to be at the very center of this tangled web?"

If you gobbled up Jane Steele you'll be sure to want to check out Lyndsay Faye's newest book!

I loved the premise of this story but there was something very disconnected with the structure and writing style for me. I felt like I couldn't follow who was who or what the main point of the story was from the get go. The dialogue felt very overdone and stilted and this was a did not finish for me. I wish I could've become more invested in the main character at least because the mystery part sounded so good but this just wasn't for me

Absolutely fascinating account based on the histories of the Mafia and of the KKK. Two story lines alternate, between finding out who “Nobody” Alice Jones is and why she was shot, with Alice’s escape to Portland Oregon, where the 1930’s saw the rise of the KKKin a state that outlawed Blacks. A unique cast of characters, from the singer, Blossom, to the mobster , Spider. I am in awe of Faye’s ability to bring these stories to light with a book that was hard to put down. Highly recommend.

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting to care for this much.

Wow - was I ever wrong!

I have not read anything from Lyndsay Faye before and now that has to change!

This book was remarkable. While it's historical fiction, it's only so in sense of time and place. The focus here are the characters, and what characters they are!

This book is magical in many ways, but very sobering in others.

The factual excerpts about Oregon's history with blacks are well-placed as chapter headings and are appalling. Having been to Oregon with some fond memories, I was not aware of any of its history. Seriously, the only state to make laws attempting to completely remove persons of color from residency within its borders. Even more shocking to me was how recently and seemingly RELUCTANTLY those laws have been amended. Another sad chapter in the shameful part of our history. I can't describe how horrified I was by those facts. I would hope that chapter is being taught in Oregon history classes, but my concern is that it may not be. Or, more likely, the incidence of "Home schooling" is probably very high in Oregon. That's my guess, anyhow.

All of this lends a pervading sense of sadness to the Prohibition Era good times atmosphere, which is perfectly captured by Ms. Faye's characters.

In short, I just wasn't expecting this to be as intelligent, thought-provoking and meaningful as it is. I am so very impressed.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thank you ever so much!

It's 1921 and a young white woman, "Nobody" Alice James is escaping from New York....a bullet in her body and in a satchel $50,000 in cash. Traveling cross country she is on her way to Portland, Oregon. "Nobody" is the nickname she acquired as she grew up in the crime ridden neighborhood in New York's Upper West Side. Yet that is only a nickname as she becomes involved in the search for a mixed-race child, Davy Lee. This book is one which will keep you glued to the story as page after page is filled with race, sex and mob violence. This book takes place in the Prohibition era and sets the stage for violence, thanks to many scenarios including the Ku Klux Klan, racism and gangsters. Ms. Faye gave us a novel that is well written, exciting and one I highly recommend.
My thanks to Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a long time to read this book, not because it wasn’t good or because it’s over 400 pages. It took me a while to read it because the language used and the writing style was unique and beautiful and I wanted to take my time savoring every word and phrase written on the page. Although it took me a few chapters to get used to the way Lindsay Faye writes and her use of period-appropriate terms once I was able to wrap my head around her style, I was hooked. I normally don’t read historical fiction but this book was great and I highly recommend it.

Alice “Nobody” James is on the run. She finds herself shot, nursing her wound, on a cross country train from New York to Portland with a suitcase full of counterfeit money and a past she is looking to forget. While on the train, she meets Max, a porter who sees her in distress and brings her to the Paragon Hotel, the only all black hotel in Portland. The residents of the hotel temper their unease and allow her to stay under the guise that she is writing an article about them but she soon finds herself caught up in their problems brought on by the arrival of the Ku Klux Klan and the disappearance of a young, black child. As the city starts to become more and more dangerous, Alice and the residents of the Paragon Hotel must reveal their secrets to each other and face their pasts head on if they want to find the boy and deal with the KKK.
This book shouldn’t work as well as it does. Faye somehow writes about the Mafia in New York and the KKK in Portland with equal attention to detail and history while also introducing the reader to multiple characters that are all well thought out and integral to the story. What would have been a jumbled mess in the hands of a lesser author instead turns into one of the best books I have read in a very long time. I will warn readers that it took me a few chapters to get used to Faye’s writing (I blame the accurate terminology she uses, which is a good thing!) so don’t give up if you find yourself a little confused, especially when Alice refers to herself as the different “nobody’s” she is. There are so many storylines that it would be easy to become lost in such a book but Faye does a great job of keeping the readers interest in all of them, especially the mystery of what happened to Davy Lee. Most mysteries seem easily solved but there were twists and turns that I did not see coming and I did not guess the ending of the book. (If you can, bravo but it took me by genuine surprise!) What really made this book great was the relationships between the characters and the intimacies they share with each other. The residents of the Paragon are like family, and as such, love each other while still having their issues and problems with one another. As each resident’s past was revealed, I found myself more and more interested in them and how they came to be at the Paragon as well as their role in the disappearance of Davy Lee. Not everything is what it seems at the Paragon and I liked how Faye chose to slowly reveal secrets as the book went on. Every character was interesting—in fact, I would love to see more written about the residents of the hotel.

Historical fiction is usually not my favorite genre. I tend to find them dry, too long, and usually a little boring. However, if all historical fiction was written like the Paragon Hotel, I may just read more. Never slow, always fascinating, and a mystery to keep things interesting---I cannot recommend The Paragon Hotel more.

I fell in love with Lyndsay Faye’s writing in the Gods of Gotham trilogy, and was so excited to receive an ARC of this book. It did not disappoint. It was full of rich historical detail, and the characters were excellently written. The story was well-paced and kept my interest throughout. I love how Faye writes about lesser known aspects and settings in history, and I am now converted to making this author an auto-buy one for me. This book should be on all the “best new historical fiction” lists.

Thank you netgalley for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love the characters, and the ending was satisfying. Nobody lived a vagabond life until she finally met a tribe of people that she could trust. I an still rooting for a happy ever after for Blossom.

My Ratings: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Genre: Historical Fiction Mystery
Publisher: PENGUIN GROUP Putmam
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019

In a nutshell, this novel is about racism and the American underworld in the early twentieth century. The novel begins in 1921, during the time of America’s Prohibition. A young white female protagonist is on a train out of Harlem running to escape her Mafia boss who is displeased with her. She is suffering from an untreated a bullet wound. A black male Pullman porter takes pity on her and brings her with him to his home in Portland, Oregon, which happens to be in an all-black hotel. The story goes back and forth in chapters and settings from NYC to Oregon.

This is a difficult review to write since I had different opinions throughout the novel on whether I did or did not like the book. I appreciate that the alternating settings begin with a real quote from each area’s non-fictional newspapers. Plus, the author has historical endnotes. Good research is always a plus in historical fiction. I liked that the author chose that the scrappy little kid character, who grows up to be a mobster, is a girl rather than a boy. This is unheard of in most mob stories. I got a kick out of learning that at one time Harlem NY had a large Italian population know as Little Italy. As a native New Yorker, I really should have known this. For me, Little Italy is the infamous neighborhood located in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. (I used to push my, now grown, baby in a stroller right there on Mulberry St.) And I thoroughly enjoyed how skillful the author is in immersing the reader in the feel of the era. I was hooked on the visuals and the slang of the times. I was expecting Bogey or Cagney to materialize on any given page.

Then the historical fiction morphs into a mystery. Although it is a well-written mystery, it is not needed to enhance the already interesting tale on the happenings of the young woman’s two lives: One in white America and another in black America. Both are filled with police that are as corrupt as the mobsters. Nor was I wild about a couple of twists that seem thrown in for good measure. They are decent twists, but again, not needed. Maybe I just don’t care for the mixing of genres. I also was not pleased that in this book, and recent others is that the theme and characters are pointedly aligned to this current dysfunctional White House administration. I am growing weary of all the new historical novels that make anti-Trump statements without using his name. (And, I am no fan of the 45th American President). In this tale, I read over and over how in the 1920s the KKK expanded into the north because of the hatred against people who deemed not “truly” American. Their motto was “America First.” Sound familiar? I am aware that these historical connections need to be repeated in words to serve as reminders of what can happen when politics run amok. But, after finding this Trump-metaphor linking trend so often I, as a reader and a reviewer, need a breather from political teachable moments in my fiction.

After writing down my thoughts on the pros and cons in “The Paragon Hotel,” I discover I am still confused on whether I would recommend the book or not. I guess it depends upon what your expectations are when venturing into the story. I was not expecting a mystery. Hopefully my confusion will help give you a clear picture of what you may like or dislike in the story.

This book has a little of everything: Mafia, KKK, Prohibition, sexual secrets, murders. Lyndsay Faye does a great job of painting colorful characters like Alice, Blossom, Evy and Max. They are complicated and true to their own voice. This is quite a complex book, but it ultimately is about friendship, about not judging and doing the right thing.

Everyone else seems to love this book, so I don't know, maybe I just wasn't in the right mood. But I gave up--the writing style was a bit overdone for me, the dialogue didn't feel real, and I just couldn't work up any interest in the main character or what happened to her.

This was an incredibly fast-paced and engaging novel that explored some important social issues! The author did an amazing job of weaving two stories together that kept the novel captivating and moving. At the heart of these stories were serious issues of racism, cruelty, and intolerance that, at least for me, were previously unknown. I had always believed that the west was spared from the KKK and its religion of hate, but apparently not. Part of the story takes place in 1921 in Portland, OR and shows a historically dark side of Portland that is filled with intolerance and hate. Yet while the author tackles the real and serious issues of prejudice and racism she has created strong, courageous and determined characters that leave the novel filled not with darkness or despair but with hope! If you are looking for an intriguing, thoughtful, well-researched novel of historical fiction, I can’t recommend this book enough! I was honored to receive a free advance copy from NetGalley and the Publisher, G.P. Putnam’s Sons in exchange for an honest review.

Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Paragon Hotel” by @Lyndsay Faye G.P. Putnam’s Sons, January 8, 2019

Lyndsay Faye, author of “The Paragon Hotel” has written an intense, and intriguing historical thriller. The Genres for this Novel are Mystery and Thriller, Fiction, Historical Fiction. The timeline for this story is around 1921 and goes to the past and future when it pertains to the characters or events in the story. The story takes place in Harlem, New York and Portland Oregon. The author describes her colorful characters as complex and complicated.

Alice, or “Nobody” as she is called has grown up in Harlem, and is familiar with the Mafia. When her best friend’s father is killed, Alice and her friend are determined for payback. She becomes ward to another powerful man in the Mafia, and learns many things. Her friend changes, and becomes more violent. Unfortunately, none of these things stops the bullet that hits “Nobody”. Alice “Nobody” is able to get away from New York, leaving people thinking that she is dead. She has learned the cost of betrayal and crime.

On a train, Alice meets, Max a black porter, who manages to help her by bringing her to The Paragon Hotel, an all black hotel in Portland. A doctor sees to her and stitches her up. There seem to be some quirky characters, that have secrets and problems. Instead of the Mafia, Alice notices that there is the Ku Klux Klan and lots of prejudice and bias towards black people. Alice seems to attract attention being the only white person in the hotel and meets some strange people. There is danger and mystery that is surrounding The Paragon Hotel. When a child goes missing, and strange things are going on, Alice realizes why many of the residents live in fear.

I would recommend this novel to those readers who enjoy thrillers with a historical background, and novels that make you think. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

I received a digital ARC of Paragon Hotel by Lyndsay Faye through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The Paragon Hotel is scheduled for release on January 8, 2019.

The thing that I love/ hate about digital ARCs is there is no physical cover. That means no blurb, no hints at what story might be waiting inside. When I started this story, I had no idea what the premise was. In this case, I was delighted to find myself in the midst of prohibition. Opening quotes mentioned Oregon and laws regarding who could and could not move into the area. These quotes were spread across a range of years, leaving me a little uncertain about the exact year this story was taking place.

The slightly questionable year, however, did not matter at all. The voice was so clear and engaging in this novel that I was quickly swept into the story and willing to go along with Alice and see where and when she took me.

Alice is in the midst of a cross-country journey by train. She has been shot and is fleeing from New York, headed to Oregon and what she hopes is safety. We know little about Alice, but she hints that she is skilled at being different versions of herself depending on who she is talking to and what they want to see.

The mysterious Alice is on the verge of death (her wound is infected) when a train porter helps her off the train, to a hotel with a doctor. There is one catch. The Paragon Hotel is an all-black hotel. Alice is an unchaperoned white woman.

The residents of the hotel take her, treat her wound, and let her stay until she is thoroughly healed. Alice falls in love with all of them, and wants nothing more than to stay on at the hotel forever. She is still in residence at the hotel when a mixed-race boy the hotel residents have taken in disappears.

Police are less than helpful, so it is up to the hotel residents to find the lost boy. Alice worms her way into the center of the search, using her chameleon skills to get access to people and places that the other residents cannot. Alice finds a tangled mess of secrets surrounding the boy and the residents of the hotel, many of which people are willing to kill over.

This novel is full of characters with rich, full stories of their own. While Alice is the main character, and the story follows her closely, each person that she meets could hold attention for a full book of their own. Given the time and setting of this story, each character is in a situation where the wrong move could have dire consequences. This raised the stakes for the characters, and added to my investment in their stories.

Overall, The Paragon Hotel is a fantastic novel filled with complex and compelling characters that will take you on a journey back in time.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

"The year is 1921, and "Nobody" Alice James is on a cross-country train, carrying a bullet wound and fleeing for her life following an illicit drug and liquor deal gone horribly wrong."

And boy-oh-boy, the complicated story goes on from there. Really great book, good writing, fantastic characters. Must read.

4☆

In this beautifully written novel, the Paragon Hotel is based on Portland, Oregon’s, Golden West Hotel, which was a haven for people of color, mainly African Americans, from 1906 to 1931. Author Faye says in the Historical Note that the descriptions she uses of the hotel is as accurate as she can make them. She did a great job, as I felt I knew the place inside out.

At the core of this novel is racism. I found is horrifying to learn that in the 1844, prior to statehood, Oregon’s Legislative Committee did its best to make the territory exclusively white. History shouldn’t surprise me, but it does. Oregon was “the only state of among the fifty ever to explicitly deny blacks the right and live and work there.” Since the NOW sections of the novel take place in 1921, this denial is most apparent. The THEN sections of the story provide the backstory that helps the reader understand the blacks’ plight.

Alice “Nobody” James is on the run from the New York Mafia with a bullet wound in her side. She boards a train bound westfor Portland. She is very sick by the time she arrives. She befriends Max, the black porter who takes pity on her, and takes her to the Paragon, a haven for “small and increasingly besieged black population.” The fact that Nobody is white makes them uneasy. Most of the residents like, or at least interested in Nobody, but not everyone.

Still, Nobody fits right in. That’s her super power, to be able to remain totally forgettable no matter what situation she finds herself in. She makes friends with most of the residence, especially cabaret singer Blossom Fontaine, who reminded me a lot of The Lady Chablis from “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”
As Nobody heals, a young boy goes missing. As the search progresses more and more dirty little secrets come to life.
This book is complex with its dualing timelines and threads of mental illness, the Mob, racism, love, friendship, secrets, romance---all set against the backdrop of a hotel exclusively for people pf color. Faye has a wonderful writing style. Nobody’s language is dead-on for a gun moll. It isn’t forced whatsoever. Faye has the ability to take tired old clichés and similes and make them new and bright. I wish I had marked some of them.
“The Paragon Hotel” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

When confronting the long, terrible history of racism in the US, it's easy to limit the scope to the southern states, and forget that other areas of the country were not necessarily uniformly safe, welcoming places. I had never heard about Oregon's particular issues, and Lyndsay Faye does a remarkable job recreating the environment and dangers of 1921 Portland. Faye actually does a great job with a lot of this book- she wrote the characters' voices in a way that I could hear their words, and the detail is exceptional. Not an easy read necessarily, but a really interesting take on a place and time that are a bit "off the beaten course" in historical fiction.