I picked this for the quirky characters. I enjoyed it overall and stayed engaged most of the time. The author writes pretty well, and I'll look for her next book.

Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!

I feel like I need to give this three different reviews. I thought this was going to be a five star book for the first half. In the second half, I was hoping it wouldn’t take some turns, but it did wind up taking those turns, so I figured that I’d just give it four stars. The weaknesses in the second half of the story didn’t ruin the first half enough to ding it too much. But then the author’s postscript really ruined it for me. I can maybe see going on a rant about “gatekeeping” and the story she wanted to tell if she’d written a book about an indigenous Mexican woman living in her community (a la American Dirt). But her book was about a white American ex-Pat woman who moved down to Mexico and the interactions that followed. Who exactly is gatekeeping that? What appropriation is involved? I’m surprised she commented about her editors not being sure about releasing the book, yet they were ok with her writing that post-script? It never occurred to me to gate-keep this book but I’ll tell you that, even as a white woman, I found the language and tone of that post-script itself to be offensive. How about taking out the gate-keeping crap and editing the post-script to say that since the story was about a white woman living in Mexico and she’s a white woman living part-time in Guatemala, she felt that this story was within her lived experiences and was also a story she wanted to tell. It’s not like she chose something outside of her wheelhouse in the first place, so cut out the defensive rant. It’s not doing this book any favors unless its sole audience is other angry white boomers. 🤷‍♀️
*Thanks to Arcade books and NetGalley for this advance review copy.

Early in the story, the owner of La Llorona (the Bird Hotel) says that anyone who makes their way to this place is meant to be there. And so begins Irene’s story: a series of tragedies has led her to board a bus and see where it goes. She arrives at La Llorona as the only guest and promptly sinks into life at this beautiful remote place full of glorious gardens and colorful birds in the shadow of a volcano. Her indefinite stay turns into weeks, then months, then years. She eventually becomes the owner of La Llorona and we meet a variety of characters that have made their way to the place as well as the locals, some of whom become a part of her extended family.

This was an easy book to fall into, written in a breezy style with short chapters. At times, I wanted more depth; perhaps because of her past, Irene relays the events with a bit of distance, never letting her heart fall fully into the magic of her setting and the people she meets. On the other hand, it seems that whenever she does let go, something bad happens, so she can be forgiven for holding on to her heart. This distance also prevents us from being fully immersed in the spiritual magic of the place. By the end, though, the world finally turns in Ilene’s favor, and I was happy for her.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Irene has suffered loss in her life. Her early childhood was spent traveling along with her mother sleeping in tents or motels if they were lucky, while attending music festivals. But then her mother was gone, and her grandmother raised her. As an adult, she suffered a life changing, devastating, heartbreaking tragedy. She left her home in San Francisco and found herself a guest in a crumbling lakefront hotel called La Llorona at the base of a volcano in Central America. She is welcomed by the lovely woman who owned the hotel. She was given a place to heal, to reconnect with nature, to get some sleep and to form bonds.

Soon Irene finds herself running the hotel. She embraces those who stay at the hotel as they equally embrace her. She finds peace, she makes friends, she welcomes others, she accepts and is accepted, and she finds her "family".

The vivid and lush descriptions of the landscape, the lake, the volcano, the birds, and the flowers had me wanting to visit. To taste the mouthwatering meals, to hike, to unwind and relax. It's a beautiful place, but not everyone in this book is as lovely as the land they live on.

This book touches on themes of family, finding your family/community, grief, loss, abandonment, love, nature, and home. I enjoyed Maynard's beautiful writing and characters. There is character development and I enjoyed seeing Irene through many stages of her life. I experienced several emotions while reading this book. I felt for Irene and all the loses in her life, I celebrated with her when good things happened, I felt joy when she was happy, and I was angry there was betrayal in her life. I loved books the evoke emotion and are thought provoking. This book did both!

Readers also get introduced to many of her guests who stay at The Bird Hotel as Irene has named it. We learn their reasons for staying at the hotel, and we get to know them briefly.

I had only read one other book by Joyce Maynard, and I will be changing that! I look forward to reading some of her previous books while being on the lookout for future books.


Beautifully written, moving, thought provoking and evoking emotion.

4.5 stars

Our protagonist Irene, heartbroken and lost after an unimaginable tragedy, leaves her life in San Francisco, destination unknown. After a period of wandering, she lands up in the town of La Esperanza in Central America and rents a room at Lal Llorona a hotel at the edge of a lake close to a looming volcano - “a place of extraordinary beauty— heartbreaking beauty, you might say. Heartbreaking, because it was falling apart. Wherever I looked there was something magical. And something broken. It was the broken part that allowed me to feel at home in this place.”

Little did she know at the time that she would soon assume responsibility for the hotel and make a life for herself in this foreign land surrounded by strangers who will become an integral part of her life. The narrative is shared from Irene’s perspective in the first-person PoV and we move back and forth between past and present with flashbacks that give us a glimpse into her unhappy, unstable childhood with her hippie mother and the tragic circumstances that resulted in her coming to live with her grandmother at a young age as well as the events that lead her to La Llorona. When she inherits the hotel, it is in a state of disrepair and we bear witness to the trials and tribulations she faces in restoring it to its former glory. The story follows Irene, her life at La Llorona, the people she meets and how her experiences impact her life and encourage her to open up to whatever life has to offer. Irene, a former illustrator and once-aspiring artist, finds inspiration in the natural beauty of La Llorona. Not all her experiences are pleasant and not all the people she meets are trustworthy but each experience is significant and allows her to grow as a person and gives her a sense of worth after a lifetime of feeling disconnected and wary of attachments. As Leila, the former owner of La Llorona had explained to Irene “You may not find what you’re looking for when you come to this lake,” she’d told me. “But you’ll probably find what you need.”

The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard is a stunningly beautiful novel that touches upon themes of grief, survival, kindness and found family. Elegant prose, masterful storytelling and vivid descriptions of the land and its natural beauty transported me to La Llorona with Irene and I didn’t want to leave. There is a lot packed into this novel without it becoming too heavy or convoluted. I was invested in Irene’s story from the very first page. The descriptions of the characters and their thoughts and reactions are realistic and never exaggerated.

The author captures the beauty of the locale both in its tranquility - the vegetation, the flora, birds and the turquoise lake - and in its turbulence and ferocity– the natural disasters, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions that wreak havoc in the lives of the community of La Esperanza. We meet guests from all around the world who come to La Llorona motivated by personal quests or simply in need of respite from the world outside. The author skillfully weaves the stories of other foreigners who settle in the area as well as the descriptions of the Mayan customs and traditions practiced by the indigenous community of the Mayan village into the narrative. ( In her Acknowledgments, the author clarifies that she has written from the perspective of an American expat. The author has maintained a home for over twenty years in a Mayan village in Guatemala). The beautifully descriptive writing, realistic characterizations and fluid narrative made for an immersive reading experience.

Many thanks to Skyhorse Publishing and NetGalley for the much-appreciated digital review copy of this beautiful novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be released on May 2, 2023.

Thank you to NetGalley and Skyhorse Publishing for gifting me with an ARC of Joyce Maynard’s newest novel, The Bird Hotel. In exchange I offer my honest review.

I must confess that I recently read and LOVED Count the Ways by the author, so my expectations for this book were VERY HIGH, maybe too high because ultimately this book did not deliver the way I hoped. I think the story was in need of tighter editing and maybe less attention to the guests who make their way to The Bird Hotel. Where I found both the writing and storytelling exceptional for Count The Ways, I was less impressed with the prose and plot for The Bird Hotel.

As a child Irene experiences a great loss only to face more tragedy as a young woman. Feeling hopeless and unmoored Irene finds herself at an old decaying but beautiful hotel in Central America known as La Llorona. There she befriends the owner and small staff of the hotel slowly gaining back her strength. As Irene begins to settle into island life she soon finds herself in a unique position. Parts of this book were quite obvious but there were still some lovely twists and surprises. The vivid descriptions of the ancient city, with its magnificent lake and volcano were wonderful and well crafted. However, I just couldn’t connect with this book the way I did with her previous novel. I can’t quite put my finger on what was missing but for me this book was too long and too whimsical.

I appreciate the opportunity to read an early copy and still believe that Joyce Maynard is an outstanding storyteller.

This was a lovely and magical read. Joyce Maynard’s descriptive narrative transported me into the heart of a hidden paradise in Central America. There was so much depth to our main character’s journey ! I want to stay at the Bird Hotel and guess what? It’s based on a real place in Guatemala, now added to my bucket list! Thank you, Joyce, for an amazing book!

After an unbearable tragedy Irene begins aimlessly traveling about she ends up in a small hotel in Central America. There she settles and starts to rebuild her life. Good book with a variety of characters.

Four plus lovely stars.

I'm not quite sure why this is my first time reading a book by Maynard. If The Bird Hotel is any indication, I should have been reading her for many years.

Short chapters, written almost as vignettes tell the life story of Irene, from her own perspective. While that story contains joy, hardship, love, loss and discovery, it is ultimately an uplifting book. There are a few lessons here, couched in natural and human events. Some solutions are "too good to be true" but sometimes that's exactly what happens in a life. Suspend a bit of disbelief, and just enjoy.

Read the acknowledgements.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for a the digital review copy. I'll definitely be reading more of Maynard's work in the future.

This one is not my cup of tea. It has way too much telling and not enough showing. It moves way too quickly, leaving little to no room for depth of character development or connection to them. It has so much drama that it reads like a soap opera at times. I’ll be passing on other Joyce Maynard titles.

Thank you to the author, Skyhorse Publishing, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had trouble staying focused with this book. I liked the story concept and characters but it was not my favorite read. I am thankful although that I had the opportunity to read The Bird Hotel.

A kid growing up in the 60’s, and your mother is dedicated to the hippie movement of the day. For this reason your life is not what we could say normal for a child nor is it healthy. Bedtime is wherever and whenever you happen to be. Still it’s always a pretty fun adventure. That is until your mother is involved in an incident and winds up dead. Off to be raised by grandmama. Now things drastically change. Grandmother makes her granddaughter change her name and swear to never, never tell anyone of her past. She’s just a kid so she adjusts and moves on with her life. She takes the name Irene and unluckily the poor kid is faced with a second tragedy. This time she maintains the name Irene but moves to a small central American village and hotel called La LLorona. This is where the story takes off and with a bunch of characters. The vast cast was a little overwhelming for this reader. Some of the folks crossing Irene’s path have been born and raised in the village, some find themselves drawn there for a more quiet down to earth lifestyle still some are tourist just passing through.
In this quiet village, Irene will experience a host of ups and downs. The lovely writing is such that one can truly picture this simple paradise surrounded by tropical birds and lush vegetation.

Irene’s story moves along at a steady pace with unexpected twists and turns. I think the text could have been pared down a bit as some of the events drug on a little.

Reader, expect here, an incredible feeling of realism in this story of hurt and sadness.

Imagine you are young child growing up in the 1960's and your mother is following the hippie lifestyle so your places to sleep are a little haphazard, but it is always a new adventure until your mother is involved in a incident or the wrong place at the wrong time and loses her life. Now your grandmother makes you swear you must change your name and never, never tell anyone about your past and you move on with life. When Irene is faced with a second tragic event, she jumps at the first opportunity to get away and eventually finds herself in a small central American village and hotel called La LLorona where the majority of this story takes place with quite a cast of characters some who are born and raised there, some find themselves drawn there for the simple life and of course tourist. Irene will find many ups and downs there and you can really picture what feels like a simple paradise with all the birds and plants. The author does a fine job throwing in some twist and turns that are unexpected. My only downside with this book was a couple events that maybe a bit much but overall, a very good read and most definitely would recommend this book. I would rate this 4 1/2 stars out of five.

A story of new beginning, of a fascinating place, and the people who live in the village or the hotel the MC restored.
It's a story about life, grief, starting again, and people
Well written and compelling.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

The Bird Hotel by author Joyce Maynard is set to release on May 2, 2023. This is the story of Irene, a young American woman, who after experiencing several losses in her early life, and at one time debating suicide, starts to wander and ends up finding herself at a beautiful yet rundown hotel in Central America. There she befriends the elderly owner and when she passes, she leaves the hotel called La Llorona to Irene. This was a beautiful story about finding purpose and learning to start over. It is possible to find love and forgiveness again after experiencing so much pain and heartache. This was a very fulfilling story and it’s one I’d recommend to others. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc that I found on the Read Now section. I really enjoyed reading this and I am giving it a 4 star rating.

A wonderful story about a heartbroken woman who leaves behind her life in the USA to begin again in an idyllic Central American community. I really enjoyed this book but there are a lot of characters and backstories, some of which, for me, distracted slightly from the main story. Still a very good read.

3.5 I had a hard time jumping from "I like it" to "I love it", mostly due to the large amount of characters. I kept waiting for them all to tie back together but many seemed to not really serve a purpose. I would have likely loved it more if it had been a tad shorter, some was unnecessary. Otherwise well written, a very sad and somewhat depressing story.

Really well done story and writing. Excellent attention to details and making the story feel incredibly real.

Honestly pains me to say it because I’ve loved her other books, but I couldn’t connect with Ilene, the main character. The beauty of La Esperanza, the Bird Hotel, the lake, the volcano, the birds and the flowers kept me reading. The people and stories that were a part of Ilene’s life were just that: stories, vignettes. I feel honored to have been given a chance to read this book by an author I hold in high esteem. Thank you to NetGalley and Arcade for the digital ARC .This opinion is my own.

Irene has had a life full of tragedy. She’s lost everyone she ever loved, and now she’s done with her life. The opening of this novel gripped me with her emotional story, and I was eager to find out how she would move on.
Irene accidentally ends up in a remote hotel in Mexico, and she spends the next 16 years living as someone else. The middle half of the book is full of short vignettes about every person Irene meets – the villagers and foreign travelers. Most of these stories are not connected to anything. There are two detailed descriptions of women getting sexually assaulted. Why? I guess to illustrate that “every paradise has its serpents.” But none of these stories really involves Irene directly. And I actually forgot her name by the end of it, she was such a sideline character for most of the novel.
At the end, we do come back to Irene’s story, but the way it is resolved is so detached. The prose is easy, but not emotionally engaging. The bookends contain a great story, but it wasn’t fleshed out. And diving deep into the backstories of all the minor characters made the story weaker.

CW: sexual assault, death of child

Another absolute masterpiece from Joyce Maynard. I loved everything about this book. Beautifully descriptive, vivid, wonderful characters and storylines. Felt like I was there in La Esparanza. 5 stars, highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC