This was the first Maggie Stiefvater book I had trouble connecting with. While her writing is absolutely as magical and mystical as her previous novels, the severe lack of plot movement had me struggling to reach the end. I've seen a few other people mention in their reviews that The Listeners just didn't 'feel' as magical as her previous books, and I have to agree. Stiefvater thrives in YA, but her Adult debut felt a little all over the place.

In previous novels such as her illustrious Dreamers Trilogy, the "all over the place" feeling felt right. Stiefvater used it sparsely, so when it was used, it sucked me into the story even deeper. In 'The Listeners', I felt like it was used a little too much. Many plot details simply got lost in the sauce, as they say.

While I do think Stiefvater has a future in the Adult genre, 'The Listeners' was a slippery attempt at her finding her footing.

My love for Maggie Stiefvater hasn't been compromised in any way by this book, even though it reads completely different from everything before. I did, however, find myself missing the literal magic in her previous works, but will settle for the Sweetwater and wishing I knew more of its secrets.

Maggie Stiefvater's adult debut is an absolute homerun! Never mind that it combines my two favorite genres, historical fiction and fantasy, but the story she weaves is so immersive and engaging that I could not stop reading once I had begun. Stiefvater fans will absolutely love her newest work, and non-YA readers who have been missing her work will soon learn why she is so beloved.

I think that leaping to a new genre and age at the same time did not serve Stiefvater’s writing style. I do read a lot of historical fiction, and this doesn’t compare. Raw, real historical fiction has a delicate balance between situating us within problematic times while also not perpetuating those problems — and I’m not sure this is done well. (I also had problems caring at all what happened to the two MCs, and found the writing a bit clunky).

But, more than that, I have a huge problem with creating an incredibly stereotypical and flat autistic character whose sole reason for existence is to further the MC’s story. I am not sure there could be more stereotypes put into a single character — Hannelore doesn’t speak, counts the seconds into super high numbers, can memorize long strings of numbers, writes the encyclopedia backwards for fun, has “fits” and engages in self-harm, etc…

And Hannelore doesn’t really have much story of her own. Her existence is there to create challenge for June, to create a way for June to be heroic, to create a path out of the Avalon, despite her decision to continue with luxury for her Nazi guests because the image of the Avalon is everything. (As it was for June when she also continued with luxury and rich people catering during the Depression… I just don’t like June much, as you can tell.)

This is not the only way that disability that is used as a prop in this story, either.

I don’t usually write such long reviews, nor do I often give out such low ratings, but I was incredibly disappointed by this book.

I am putting this book down at 40%. I am a big fan of the author's Raven Cycle series as well as the standalone work, The Scorpio Races. Unfortunately, I think my love for the author and her writing style ends at those two. Other books (Shiver, All the Crooked Saints, The Dreamer Trilogy, and now this one), do not seem to work for me. If you've read any of her works, you know that she has a very distinct writing style. It's lyrical and abstract. In her two most recent works (Crooked Saints and Dreamer Trilogy), her style seemed to be going off the rails a bit. Like creative writing class student given too much freedom. She really needed an editor to step in and tell her while her artform is appreciated, it needed to be toned down a bit to be accessible to a larger audience. Like she was writing completely freely in a way that would only work for her top 1% of fans totally dedicated to her style. Scaling back to like a 10% audience reach would work much better. I do want to give her credit for that in this book-- she did dial it back and it is much more readable without becoming too pretentious. This also helps the fact that this is her adult debut and she can help find readers in that market. The plot and characterization in this novel, however, are just way too flat for me. I do not care at all what is going on. I hoped that with the novel taking place in a secluded resort, that the setting and atmosphere would come in strong. Almost like the hotel is a character itself in the book. The author is able to do this; I immediately think of Cabeswater in her Raven Cycle series, a sentient magical forest. That atmosphere is really lacking here. I did not feel the elegance or magic of the hotel setting at all. I don't necessarily need a strong setting to become invested in the story, but there aren't any strong characters or plot points carrying this book forward. The author is good at writing small moments between characters, but small moments only work when you care or are interested in said characters. The characters here felt like empty shells. I know I'm quitting at 40% in a book that other readers are claiming is a slow burn, but I simply do not care enough to continue. I have too many other books to read.

I have loved this author since I was in high school. When I saw she had written an adult fiction book, I was OVERJOYED. She did not disappoint. I am a huge historical fiction, fantasy and magical realism person, so having these blend together was awesome!

A very interesting premise and a very odd book. I've been reading Maggie Stiefvater books for quite some time. Scorpio Races is one of my all-time favorite books so I keep reading whatever she writes just in case I strike gold. I was confused by this book more than once when reading the first 20% of the book and the only reason I continued was because of my history reading the author. That being said, there were plenty of interesting things in this book. There is a magical realism element with the Sweet Water which is influenced by the mood of the people in the hotel. There is plenty of food for thought about class and ability as this luxury hotel exists in the hills of West Virginia. And even more to think about humans and war when the Axis country ambassadors are put up in hotels until they can be traded to their countries for the American ambassadors. The staff of the hotel are required to wait on Nazis, Japanese ambassadors who may have known about the attack on Pearl Harbor before it happened, and so on. It's a tension that the book never lets go of any more than the characters do.
It's a very interesting book. It is a very odd book. I was satisfied by the ending, but I doubt I will ever really know what I feel about it.
3.5 Stars

In the early part of the 20th century there is nothing more luxurious then a stay at the Avallon hotel, nestled in the mountains of West Virginia. General Manager June Hudson makes it her goal to know every detail about the hotel, its staff, and its guests so that she can keep the whole thing running seamlessly and provide services so invisible that her guests almost feel as if their stay is truly magical. Things change however in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, when the State Department suddenly arrives to take over the hotel, intending to use it to house high level foreign nationals (mostly German, Italian, and Japanese diplomats and their families) while the government determines their fates. The following is a story about class differences, nationalism, Appalachia, the true meaning of luxury, and what things might cause a person to say "no more". There is also a fantastical element, but it is very much a background influence and I wouldn't go into this book expecting overt fantasy.

The Listeners is nothing like Maggie Stiefvater's previous work, while also being entirely identifiable as a Maggie Stiefvater novel. The themes of class, Appalachia, and complex relationships are present. The Listeners also shares the quality I've noticed in her other books where you need to just sort of let the story carry you forward without expectations, because if you try to stop the current and figure out the shape of the story that you're reading it will take you out of the magic. The historical details are incredibly well researched and used to create a full and atmospheric image of a little known part of the war. It is also obviously a story that resonates at the moment, as June and the other characters are forced to confront a new reality, and determine when the price of luxury becomes too high, and what you are willing to do (or lose) to stand for what you believe is right.

I think that this may end up being a divisive book among Stiefvater's fans, but many of them might find a new favorite. In the end one of the main points of the story seems to be that while a single person can't solve the problems of the world, there is always something that can be done. Helping an individual is no less important just because a system is still broken. Decide what you can live with and give what help is in your power, and maybe you'll get a happy ending.

As Stiefvater's first foray into adult fiction, this was a valiant effort. Like many of her YA readers, I wasn't very excited about it being historical fiction. I actually ended up really enjoying the setting and the emotional pull that the WWII era added. She doesn't ask us to sympathize with the Nazi characters, but she does present emotional elements that you and the main character start to empathize with the position they are in as individuals. This book really is about the impact war and evil has on individuals and how they chose to react to it. That emotional pull was the strongest part of the book.
The weakest part for me was that there wasn't enough time spent with the characters spending time with others. This was especially true with the romance (which is not with a Nazi, I know some people were worried). Just a few more pages of June having conversations with different people would have been great. Instead, there is a reliance more on June's perception of people. There were a lot of people in this hotel, and she only interacted with a few on page.
There is a magical realism element in this that is similar to some of Stiefvaters other books, but more vague. There is never any flat out explanation of anything, you instead have to piece together what the sweetwater does and how it affects things. This isn't going to work for some people, but I was expecting it going in.
If anything, this is most like the Scorpio Races, which makes sense to me since that comes across as her favorite of her early releases. If you are a fan of Stiefvaters writing, not necessarily her books themselves, but the way she constructs worlds and the flow and pace of her stories, you will enjoy this. I do think that historical fiction fans in general will like it - though the magical realism element may throw some off.

The Listeners
by: Maggie Stiefvater

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“There’s one thing you’ll never find in a good hotel - an argument.” No arguments here, because this was perfection! This story takes place at the Avallon Hotel and Spa in West Virginia at the upswing of World War II. The hotel is forced to host a large group of diplomats whose intentions are unclear.

The prose is immaculate, as I’ve come to expect from Stiefvater. Every one of her books is written with such intention, and this one is no different.

I honestly do not want to say much about the premise because this is one that the less you know going in, the more you get out of it.

I’ll leave you with this, this book is a must read if you like:
🏨 Historical fiction with a mystery element
🏨 Strong Female Lead
🏨 Multi-POV
🏨 Complex Relationships

Thank you to NetGalley and Viking Penguin for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Like every other Maggie Stiefvater book I've ever read, I find it impossible to summarize what happens in this book in any way that comes close to capturing the magic of reading it. If you find you are not seduced by the synopsis, do not worry--this book will seduce you. One of the things I love most about Stiefvater's writing is how every character feels so vivid and so unique, and that's just as true with The Listeners as with my other favorite Stiefvater books. I also adore how she brings places to life. The Avallon Hotel is its own character in this book, at times alluring, at times ominous, always mysterious. The slow unfolding of the history of the place--and the history of the characters--is masterful, drawing you in deeper as the story moves along. Stiefvater's prose is beautiful here, pushing and pulling at the line between wonder and horror throughout. This was a captivating story, and one I will look forward to rereading!

This book includes history, wisdom for the current times, spot-on characterization, magic, and an understanding of the human experience. A great read for every kind of reader.

I absolutely loved The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater. I love her other books, and was very curious about this one going into it. It took me a little bit to get invested, but once I did I could not put it down. The setting and characters were so interesting to read about. I was so excited for this book, and it did not disappoint.

Fans of Maggie Stiefvater’s previous books (most of which were tagged Young Adult) will find much to love in her new book The Listeners. I hope that a wider range of readers will discover her lush writing, deep character development, and well-researched plot lines through this new book. I was rapt from the very beginning and highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historic novels, and also to anyone who enjoys novels with a little bit of supernatural woven in with their history. 10/10 no notes.

I'm not sure how it keeps happening, but the synopsis for every Stiefvater book I've read seems to utterly fail to properly convey what to expect from the book's contents. I don't know how long I put off reading The Raven Cycle simply because the synopsis sounded flat and derivative. I've decided to stop reading the blurbs for her new releases and simply trust that she will bring the magic I come seeking in her works. Her formula is difficult to express in short form, I suppose. Surprisingly, this book managed to exceed my expectations, though I hadn't set them very high to begin with.

This book reminds me a lot of her other book, "The Scorpio Races," though I don't want to directly compare the two. We have all the delicious ingredients that make up the standard Stiefvater fare: an esoteric magic system with a mind of its own; a quirky, independent heroine who feels refreshingly grounded, as fallible as she is powerful; a strange cast of characters who dutifully orbit said heroine; an old, mysterious building that influences and impacts the story as much as any of the human characters. And, as usual, her pacing of this spiraling, complex narrative is superb. Our time is spent deliberately building out the world, fleshing out the characters, pulling the little details into focus, such that the reader cannot help but be blessed with full immersion. Despite the setting and plot being firmly outside the scope of what I would consider my interests, I was nonetheless deeply invested in June and the Avallon.

I was not as deeply invested in the romance between June and Tucker, though I loved the way we explored June's complicated relationship with Ed and the other Gilfoyles. We get a lot of little flashbacks between June and the various Gilfoyles, and also a decent number of interactions between her and Ed, and I found myself more interested in the family than the brooding FBI agent. The romance certainly isn't the focus of the story, nor does it particularly detract from the greater conflict. I also would have enjoyed spending more time with Hannelore, but the way she is slotted into the story, she still managed to tug at my heart.

Overall, the story is quite enjoyable. I didn't find the central theme or message to be overly profound, but it was definitely the most engaged I've ever been reading a fictional book about WWII.

This is a very strange book for me to review, because I have been fortunate enough to get to know and study with the author over the course of her writing and me reading it (to be clear, I received a copy from NetGalley, I had simply Heard Some Whispers beforehand). As such, having learned a bit about how the sausage is made or how the sleight of hand is pulled off etc etc, I am not entirely the best unbiased judge of how effective the magic trick ultimately is. It's a bit like watching a close-up stage magician perform something extraordinary, but you know exactly how they're doing it, you know? As much as I read The Listeners for pleasure (and it is a very pleasurable experience; I enjoyed myself very much), I also read it for craft and almost-academic purposes. Which is, and I cannot emphasize this enough, an absolutely insane thing for me to be able to say about a Maggie Stiefvater book.

With all that aside: this book rocks. It is beautifully written, impeccably constructed, meticulously researched, and very sure of itself. The characters are strong and compelling, the setting vivid, and the stakes just strange enough to be true. I personally would have liked just a touch more of the magic--I understand why it is kept as subtle as it is on thematic, stylistic, and genre levels, but I, personally, in my folklore-loving soul, would have loved to see the balance tipped just a smidge more in its favor. This might be book of the year for the dachshunds alone (they are excellent), and maybe even the snails, and some of the delightful character names, but there are a handful of spoilery points and thematic elements that I think I need to sit with before I can make up my mind about that.

I really, really liked this book, but was not quite as out-and-out floored by it as I had hoped to be: but Stiefvater is a brilliant writer because she hides her seams so well, and I read a Stiefvater book knowing where she'd put many of them ahead of time, which is a very different experience. Most people won't have that experience, and they're in for a treat.

4 stars!

What a strange, interesting little journey this book took me on! I'm left a little lost but enchanted nonetheless.

June Hudson has Avallon running perfectly, beloved by guests and staff unlike, until the US government takes control of the hotel to house Axis diplomats upon the US's entrance into WWII. I love historical fantasy, books set in hotels, and books set in Appalachia so I was bound to enjoy this! Magic springs? Abandoned mining towns? Mysterious backstories? I ate it up. Even just the historical premise of housing Axis diplomats was super interesting and clearly well-researched, I would love to read more fiction about the same idea. June is a really admirable narrator and her relationship to the staff and the Gilfoyles was shown flawlessly. I think the only place where this loses me was in the political-intrigue aspects where I just had a lot of trouble getting a grip on what was happening and what it meant for the plot. It makes sense for the diplomats and US agents to be vague when speaking to one another but it would have been nice to get some clarification from Tucker or others. Pennybacker I think also could've gotten more time on-page considering how important he becomes later in the story–I assumed he was a side character up until that point.

I'm glad Maggie Stiefvater is doing something different and it happens to line up with my taste. I think a lot of people are going to love this!

Thank you to Maggie Stiefvater and Viking for this ARC in exchange for my full, honest review!

Happy reading!

Maggie Steifvater’s foray into adult publishing delivers her classic dose of just-out-of-reach-but-grounded magic, a cast of deeply motivated and real characters, and a setting that builds its walls around you and invites you in.

The Listeners, Maggie Stiefvater’s first adult novel, defies genre, unless that genre is Wonder, as Stiefvater herself described it when introducing her latest novel. Jane Hudson, the manager of a luxury hotel in West Virgina, must balance duty with her values as she and the rest of the staff host detained German, Japanese, and Italian diplomats at the onset of World War II. Overseeing everything are representatives from the FBI and State Department, including Tucker Minnick, the FBI agent with secrets of his own.

The Listeners is a little bit historical fiction, set at the time of America’s entrance into World War II. Stiefvater’s research is evident in the details, from menus and room orders to local and international historical context. These details are seamlessly blended in with the rest of the story in Stiefvater’s characteristic writing style in which emotional truths are equal in value to historical truths.

It’s a little bit romance, budding slowly in the quiet places of a bigger story until it takes up the space it deserves. As with many of Stievater’s novels, the romance is not the point but a part of the story that adds depth to the characters and a slow-burn tension that doesn’t let up.

It’s a little bit horror in many different senses. There’s the real horror of war and of the requirement to cater to and care for the people who represent the enemy in that war. There’s the supernatural horror of forces that could bring pleasure or tremendous pain, suspended in a balance that requires sacrifice to be maintained. This balance between horror and wonder, often the finest of lines, is a major theme in The Listeners. It has been years since I saw Pan’s Labyrinth, but I was struck sometimes as I was reading with memories of the feeling it brought. It, too, felt on the edge of horror and wonder that The Listeners walks.

But where Pan’s Labyrinth skews toward horror, The Listeners is all Wonder. There is a magic to the story that makes me want to Pay Attention: Pay Attention to the tiny ways we offer luxury in our daily lives and to the people who provide those luxuries to us. Pay Attention to what is being given in order to provide those luxuries and if they are worth the cost.

There is a magic to the story that lives outside of the story itself. I’ve thought about it often since finishing and I’m already planning trips and readings and hobbies that I will experience in the real world because the story filled me with Wonder.

There is magic to the way that Stiefvater’s books improve with multiple readings. Her writing is lyrical but understated in a way that makes significant and emotionally powerful events unfold behind the scenes. You catch pieces of them on the first reading but each subsequent reading adds another layer of depth. I can’t wait to read it again.

A gem that I thoroughly enjoyed from start to finish, with a sort of "twinkle in the eye" vibe. It's easy to fall a little in love with the dashing, witty, and morally-centered characters, beginning with June Hudson and including the Avallon Hotel itself. In the self-contained Avallon environment, Stiefvater creates a magical world where luxury persists; then manages to gracefully, cleverly, and impactful let the real (and often ugly) world intrude; and yet leaves the reader with a sense of optimism and goodness. All in all, this was a fantastic story to start the new year and a book I'd highly recommend.