Review: I'd give this fun book 3.5
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2014
This is an interesting book that reveals information about the different people who stay in Room 702 at the Winchester Hotel in Los Angeles.  Each chapter is labeled with a date and then describes what is happening in the room.  One might think there would be very little story arch with these kinds of vignettes strung together, but that isn't the case.  Chalk it up to word of mouth (why some of the guests are staying there), coincidence, divine intervention, "it's a small world," the author being clever, or the author manipulating the story to make everything fit:  there are threads of story that run throughout the book.I would give it a 3.5.Every person/couple/family who stays in Room 702 is there for a different realistic reason.  It's kind of fun as a reader to be the little fly on the wall and see the action.  I travel quite a bit for my job and for pleasure, and I can honestly say I have never thought about who stayed in the room before me (unless I find something that belongs to someone else).  The fact that this is a junior suite in a luxury hotel would typically indicate only certain types of people would stay there.  However, the author does a good job of mixing up the characters, their reasons to be there, and their story.  In the end, we all have the same story:  we have a desire not to be alone, and we have the need to be loved.I liked this book.  Chapter 1 provides a complete description of the hotel and the room itself.  When I got a sense of the format for the rest of the book, I was pretty excited.  Then I wondered how I would feel come July - as in, do I really want to keep going?  The answer was yes, I did.  Each vignette captured my interest, and I truly wanted to see what was coming next and who was else would stay in the room.It's interesting to read about people who stay in the suite alone verses people who stay their with others.Without trying to give spoilers, there were a few things that I didn't care for.  There were two larger arch stories and two smaller arch stories.  The first larger arch story that involves the professional athlete was at first interesting, but then left me hanging a bit.  I don't think the author got into the emotional bit enough.  I would have liked a little more nitty gritty.  The second larger arch (about an actor who spends the night) story tied in many other visits to the room:  some of these were "it's a small world" and some of them were "well isn't that convenient."  I didn't mind the first or second tie in, but by the fifth, I was sort of done.  I guess I understand that what happened would be a big deal in this country, and for the hotel, and it's probably fair to go as far as she did with the connections, but I began to get annoyed by it.  For the smaller story lines, it was nice to "follow" the lives of these people and get an update as to what happened later.The version I read had quite a few typing errors and spacing errors.  In addition, the author can be creative in her word choices, but then other times she repeats the same word in nearby sentences.  I find that distracting as a reader.I would definitely recommend this book if you have limited reading time.  It's a great book to read a bit, then put down for a while.  You won't really miss any action, and you can easily get back into it.  It would also be a great book to read if you are driving your kids around to different sporting events or music lessons and waiting for them to finish.  Each chapter is varying lengths, so it's perfect for reading while you are waiting (this was the case for me).I'd also recommend this book if you like to read something different and creative.  It is a love story.  It is a sad story.  It is an adventure.  It's just not a traditional one of any those.  It's definitely fun and allows the reader to be voyeuristic without being arrested.