The Grand Babylon Hotel is a novel by Arnold Bennett, about the mysterious disappearance of a German prince. The main protagonists are an American millionaire, Theodore Racksole, and his daughter Nella (Helen). While staying at the supremely exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, Nella asks for a steak and Bass beer for dinner, but the order is refused. To get her what she wants Racksole buys the entire hotel, for �400,000 "and a guinea" (so the previous owner can say that he haggled with the multi-millionaire businessman). ...
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The Grand Babylon Hotel is a novel by Arnold Bennett, about the mysterious disappearance of a German prince. The main protagonists are an American millionaire, Theodore Racksole, and his daughter Nella (Helen). While staying at the supremely exclusive Grand Babylon Hotel, Nella asks for a steak and Bass beer for dinner, but the order is refused. To get her what she wants Racksole buys the entire hotel, for �400,000 "and a guinea" (so the previous owner can say that he haggled with the multi-millionaire businessman). Strange things are happening in the hotel. First, Racksole notices the headwaiter, Jules, winking at his daughter's friend, Reginald Dimmock, while they consume their expensive steak. He dismisses the headwaiter. The next day Miss Spencer, the pretty, efficient hotel clerk who has been employed there for years, disappears. It appears that she just took her things and left, no one knows when or where. And Prince Eugen, a prince regnant of Posen, who was to come to the hotel and meet his youthful uncle Prince Aribert (he and the nephew are of the same age), never turns up.
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Add this copy of The Grand Babylon Hotel to cart. $22.95, new condition, Sold by Revaluation Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Exeter, DEVON, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2016 by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
Add this copy of The Grand Babylon Hotel to cart. $23.95, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by CreateSpace Independent Publis.
Add this copy of The Grand Babylon Hotel to cart. $52.16, new condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2016 by CreateSpace Independent Publis.
Arnold Bennett's masterpiece 'The Grand Babylon Hotel' (1902) is comprised of short snappy chapters that almost always close on a cliff hanger. The characters are archetypes (a nice way of saying stereotypes, I suppose); forceful American millionaire, millionaire's beautiful and willful daughter, a couple of European princes and their retainers, a Swiss hotelier, evil genius 'Jules' (real name, Thomas Jackson, the erstwhile head waiter of the eponymous hotel, who we meet and learn to dislike on the opening page), and possibly the greatest single character, the fabulous Grand Babylon Hotel, the 'first' hotel in London and quite possibly the world, with it's own separate entrance for royalty constantly in use.
The action comes fast and furious. There is big money wheeling and dealing, romance, gambling debts, corpses appearing and disappearing, hidden passageways, midnight flits to Ostend, kidnapping, European politics and more. This is not a deep read, but a joyous romp. Highly recommended.
