"The Hotel Albatross is a run-down, small 'pub' in the rural town of Black in the Australian outback.
The book is written from the perspective of one of the female owners. The vast majority of the book is full of little anecdotes about characters who frequent the pub, like Bev, the large wife of the president of the football club who sells meat raffle tickets every Friday night. It also tells of the several workers in the pub, like the cook who can make extraordinary meals out of the very ordinary ingredients.
There is little plot but a lot of subtext - a social commentary on Outback Australia. For example, the story discusses the prejudice suffered by the Australian Aboriginies, and the decline of the status of pubs due to drive-through bottle shops and random breath-testing.
Half way through, I get the impression that the author wanted to introduce a plot, and so adds the story of how the pub was acquired during the financial days of the 1980's, and the owner's struggle to adapt to rural life. "
Louisa Eggleton, Resident Scholar
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Review Analysis of The Hotel Albatross
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 1980's-1999
Life of a profession:
- bartender
Inside culture (main char)
- Australian (mate!)
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Outside culture (society)
- Australian (mate!)
Job/Profession/Status story
Yes
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Age:
- 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Australian (mate!)
How sensitive is this character?
- soggy whimpering jelly muffin
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 4 (a fair amount)
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Australia
Misc setting
- resort/hotel
Style
Person
- mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Lot of foul language?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- No single main character?
- written like a journal/diary/letters
Amount of dialog
- significantly more descript than dialog
