Product Description

Northern girl Harriet lives and works on a London estate which is a battleground between the white working class plus the immigrants versus the newly arrived middle class focaccia-eaters. Unhappy and overweight, she hires a personal trainer who lures her into joining the martial arts class he runs. There she learns the regime of the completely phoney martial arts 'master' and embarks on a spiritual and literal journey which leads her to a hotel opposite the railway station at Crewe, the 'Weeping Women Hotel'. This is Alexei Sayle's best work to date -- good plot, great characters plus his trademark anarchic black humour.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #364468 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-27
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
'It is wonderfully entertaining and tells us a lot about what it's like to live in 21st century Britain.' - Jonathan Coe, Guardian. 'Darkly humorous...an eccentric, bleak and wonderfully self-assured novel.' - Daily Telegraph. 'Like a psychopathic ringmaster in a circus, Sayle ushers in his cast of characters...He makes them perform their surreal little dance, about vengeance, and guilt, and the casual brutality of life, and then, with a shrug, he feeds them to the lions.' - Independent"

Guardian
'Every sentence confirms Sayle's glorious grasp of all that's
disturbing...An addictive treat.'

Telegraph
'Darkly comic...examines important themes with charming subtlety.'

Customer Reviews

very, very special
Alexei Sayle's short stories were a revelation, so nearly immaculate it made you wonder how he did it. His first novel Overtaken had a brilliant structure, with stories on many levels, but it was patchy in its storytelling, whereas The Weeping Women Hotel is complex yet transparent and accessible. Sayle's depiction of the main character, Harriet, and the people around her is spot on. I'm a woman of nearly the same age as Harriet and at times it seemed almost impossible to imagine that her story was written by a middle-aged man, it feels so accurate and real. There are all the unexpected twists and turns that mark an Alexei Sayle story, and the jokes, and all the interesting and weird stuff, but more than that, I found it clever, profound and deeply moving. Probably a good read for men as well, but certainly a great gift to buy for a girlfriend.

Alexei Sayle is genuinely talented
I don't understand why Alxei Sayle is not more celebrated as a writer. His books are accessible, fun, witty and well-written. He is easily the equal of many more feted authors (Nick Hornby, Tony Parsons and John O' Farrell spring to mind) and yet his work seems to get little recognition. Perhaps he is still equated in the minds of many as the short, fat anarchic comedian that he was in the 80s? If this is the reason, that's a shame! Alexei Sayle is genuinely talented and I hope he continues to grow as a writer.

"Weeping Women Hotel" is written mostly from the points of view of two sisters. When I started reading this I found it difficult to believe that Sayle could pull off getting into the mind of a woman, but he managed it successfully as far as I'm concerned (but then what would I know as a man!). It would be interesting to find out the views of women readers of the book on this! The characterisation of the women, Harriet (fat and unattractive) and her sister Helen (successful and good-looking) is excellent throughout. they are both thoroughly believable characters even though at times Sayle tends to describe things in a whimsical manner and the names and personalities of a few of the minor characters are less believable.

The plot concerns the introduction of Harriet to a bizarre martial arts cult and her subsequent development. A side plot involves Helen and her semi-imaginary friend, an Argentinian puppeteer. The plots intertwine nicely and by the end are building to what seems like a frightening conclusion. However, the book stops rather suddenly. I was left looking for a missing chapter. hence, 4 stars rather than 5 for what is otherwise a very enjoyable book.

There are some disturbing scenes in the book (you would expect nothing else from Alexei Sayle) but this is a very enjoyable read. It's ideal material for taking on holiday. Not too taxing but thoroughly entertaining. It may not be quite up to the standard of his short stories (read The Dog catcher - that's very good!) but this is another sign that Alexei Sayle the writer is developing.

Did I miss something?
Alexei is a delightful writer, his work exudes all the characteristics one might expect from his television work, and more besides.

This book, whilst delivering some fabulous characterisation, never quite seems to achieve what it promises. The end in particular doesn't really draw on the growing sense of tension as the unexpected common thread between the characters is unveiled.

Perhaps, as a naturalised southerner, the story was just too subtle for me, as another reviewer suggests?

One more thing, as a resident of Crewe I think I can confirm that the town doesn't have a single hotel that quite measures up to this description!

A thoroughly enjoyable read, but one that left me feeling that I had missed something!