Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collections
Publication
Berkley - Us (2021), 368 pages
Description
Fiction. Literature. Humor (Fiction.) HTML:A Good Morning America Buzz Pick A Can�??t-Miss Beach Read For Summer 2021 from The Skimm A Best Beach Read of 2021 from Bustle A Best Summer Read of 2021 from PopSugar A family reunion for the ages when two clans convene for the summer at their beloved getaway in the Catskills�??perfect for fans of Dirty Dancing and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel�??from the acclaimed author of The Floating Feldmans. In its heyday, The Golden Hotel was the crown jewel of the hotter-than-hot Catskills vacation scene. For more than sixty years, the Goldman and Weingold families �?? best friends and business partners �?? have presided over this glamorous resort which served as a second home for well-heeled guests and celebrities. But the Catskills are not what they used to be �?? and neither is the relationship between the Goldmans and the Weingolds. As the facilities and management begin to fall apart, a tempting offer to sell forces the two families together again to make a heart-wrenching decision. Can they save their beloved Golden or is it too late? Long-buried secrets emerge, new dramas and financial scandal erupt, and everyone from the traditional grandparents to the millennial grandchildren wants a say in the hotel�??s future. Business and pleasure clash in this fast-paced, hilarious, nostalgia-filled story, where the hotel owners rediscover the magic of a bygone era of nonstop fun even as they grapple with what may… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member susan0316
The first quote in the book was from Dirty Dancing and I knew I was hooked! Like Dirty Dancing, this novel is about a hotel in the Catskills that had been popular in the 1960s but was losing its luster and its clientele. It's a fantastic read with three generations of the two families that started
The Goldman and Weingold family opened the Golden Hotel in 1960. Benny Goldman and Amos Weingold had been friends since childhood and were as close as brothers their entire lives. The hotel was the best in the Catskills with families coming back year after year for a family orientated vacation with talent shows, great entertainment (can we say Joan Rivers and Jerry Seinfeld?) and lots and lots of food. Amos and Benny both had families and now there are three generations trying to make a decision whether to sell the hotel to a casino. Their buildings have gotten shabby and their pool was closed and their capacity was down to less than 50%. When they all meet to discuss the offer, there are a lot of memories from the early days of the hotel as well as some fireworks between the two families and between the generations. It's a normal family reunion with two families who love and envy each other. Long buried secrets come to light as well as financial scandals. The older member want to keep the hotel like it was in the past and the younger group wants to modernize and update it. Can they pull together and make a decision that is best for all of them?
This book is a poignant look at the past with a lot of humor. The characters were all well written and lots of fun to meet. The funniest parts were between the generations - one of the younger girls wanted to advertise the hotel on Instragram where she was an influencer and the older members of the family had no idea what she was talking about. I especially enjoyed a lot of the conversation with the older group who had so many wonderful memories of the hotel when it was the most popular place in the Catskills for family summer vacations.
This book has it all -- some suspense - do they sell nor not? Some romance and new understanding between the generations. if you want to read about a great family making tough decisions - you don't want to miss this book.
I RECEIVED AN ADVANCE COPY OF THIS BOOK
Show More
the hotel and now have to decide whether to sell it or try to keep it open. This book is funny and poignant - full of laughter and sadness and lots of memories of an earlier time.The Goldman and Weingold family opened the Golden Hotel in 1960. Benny Goldman and Amos Weingold had been friends since childhood and were as close as brothers their entire lives. The hotel was the best in the Catskills with families coming back year after year for a family orientated vacation with talent shows, great entertainment (can we say Joan Rivers and Jerry Seinfeld?) and lots and lots of food. Amos and Benny both had families and now there are three generations trying to make a decision whether to sell the hotel to a casino. Their buildings have gotten shabby and their pool was closed and their capacity was down to less than 50%. When they all meet to discuss the offer, there are a lot of memories from the early days of the hotel as well as some fireworks between the two families and between the generations. It's a normal family reunion with two families who love and envy each other. Long buried secrets come to light as well as financial scandals. The older member want to keep the hotel like it was in the past and the younger group wants to modernize and update it. Can they pull together and make a decision that is best for all of them?
This book is a poignant look at the past with a lot of humor. The characters were all well written and lots of fun to meet. The funniest parts were between the generations - one of the younger girls wanted to advertise the hotel on Instragram where she was an influencer and the older members of the family had no idea what she was talking about. I especially enjoyed a lot of the conversation with the older group who had so many wonderful memories of the hotel when it was the most popular place in the Catskills for family summer vacations.
This book has it all -- some suspense - do they sell nor not? Some romance and new understanding between the generations. if you want to read about a great family making tough decisions - you don't want to miss this book.
I RECEIVED AN ADVANCE COPY OF THIS BOOK
Show Less
LibraryThing member ecataldi
Two large Jewish families get together to spend the summer in the Catskills. Their family has jointly owned and operated The Golden Hotel for generations but that might soon change. The hotel has been losing money for decades. It's rundown, all it's competitors have long since closed down and and
Show More
they haven't had a full reservation list in over 10 years. There is a casino interested in tearing down the property and using the land - but what kind of legacy would that leave? three generations of two families must put their differences aside and figure out if they want to try and pour money into the resort or take the cash. Hilarious and over the top. I loved all the characters; they were messy and complicated, but love their family and they love their rundown getaway. Definitely for fans of Dirty Dancing and unconventional family drama. Show Less
LibraryThing member Narshkite
I am clearly the intended audience for this -- a middle aged Jewish woman actually old enough to have spent time in the borscht belt. The Nevele (sp?), Browns and Grossinger's hosted a young Bonnie G. When I was 7 I killed in the Nevele production of Gypsy. I guess you don't have to be Jewish to
Show More
read it, but there are at least half a dozen gefilte fish jokes, and I don't think those will bowl them over in Boise or kill 'em in Killeen. The story was predictable, the characters are caricatures, the book fetishized mothers and motherhood (especially overbearing mothering) in an uncomfortable way, the fatphobia is rampant, and the family dynamics are wildly oversimplified. I listened to this and Julia Whelen's narration kept me in through the end, but I don't know I would have finished the text version. Show Less
LibraryThing member thewanderingjew
The Last Summer of the Golden Hotel, Elyssa Friedland, author, Julia Whelan, narrator
This book review will also expose my own personal philosophy on life because it made me not only nostalgic for the past, but disappointed with the direction of the future. The Goldmans and the Weingolds are equal
For people of a certain background, this book will spark memories and warm feelings. If the reader has not experienced the Catskill environment with its hotels, its Red Apple Rest on the way, its glamorizing of food and entertainment, of friendship and relaxation, that reader might not identify with the story. This book will also make the reader question whether or not society has advanced since the demise of the Borscht Belt, popularized by the movie “Dirty Dancing”.
For me, reading it was a walk down memory lane, since so many happy, memorable moments still remain in my thoughts. We went to the Catskills every summer. It was the most joyous place to be. The atmosphere was surreal. Dreams were fulfilled. Romance and marriages were part and parcel of the experience for the younger generation. It was a fantasyland for those of us lucky enough to experience it. I remember getting money to buy treats for the road trip, treats not ordinarily permitted. I remember stopping at Dubrows on the lower east side of New York City, for breakfast, and then lunch at the Red Apple Rest. I remember the cars stranded on the side of the road, unable to climb the hilly road in the extraordinary traffic, without overheating. In my memory the biggest Jewish exodus from the cities took place the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August. I can still remember the smell of fresh butter as I entered the dining room when I went to breakfast every morning, I vividly recall the march of the masses toward the dining room for lunch and dinner, the Saturday menu which was my least favorite because the hotel was kosher and the food had to be prepared in advance or left on a stove that remained lit through the Sabbath, the swimming pool, the pinball machines, the bellhops and the waiters that all the single girls eyed, hoping to snare the one that was the pre-med student, the shuffleboard, the family gatherings as our relatives joined us, our shock as we watched them consume huge amounts of food offered without limit.
In the Catskill hotels, when I grew up, every need was catered to by a staff of young, college students earning money for their education. I even dated someone one grandfather owned a Catskill hotel. It was a different time, a much simpler time. We had no cell phones, no computers, no social media. Today is so different from the past, and also from the time the book comes to a close, in the supposed future, in 2031. Today no one wants to pay for their own education. The employees at these hotels were more responsible young adults who never expected anyone to pay for their needs. Guest’s families worked really hard to provide the few days or weeks of respite in a bungalow or a hotel room. People came from modest means to luxurious means, and the guests were mostly Jewish. It was a place Jews could go without fear of antisemitism. It was a place they were unconditionally accepted. It was a place where young people met and married. Bars and cattle calls did not exist as an option for males and female coupling. It was a different world, with far different standards. Yes, there were the Friendly Women like the Bungalow Bunnies, and dance instructors who took advantage of the young teenage star-struck girls, like my own, duped dear friend, but it was a simpler world, not preoccupied or obsessed with destroying anyone that disagrees with you, not promoting schadenfreude. Certainly, some broke the rules, but most rules were followed, and most guests respected each other and their space.
I still remember those days with real fondness. After I married, we often went for weekends. We took our parents as our guests when we became more affluent and even sent them on their own vacations without us. It was the go-to place for fun, food, love and friendship. I remember so many of the hotels, and went to them all: the Nevele, the Raleigh, the Heiden, the Commodore, Schenk’s Paramount, the Concord, Grossingers, Kutschers, the Pines. They are now part of a time gone by.
We have come a long way in this country, but reading this book, which is light and humorous as well as dark and serious as the world players created their own version of nirvana, it reminded me of how much society has lost in the last 6 plus decades even as it gained much with regard to technology. We pretend to have more tolerance today, but in fact, we seem to have far less. We tolerate no disagreements. We forgive few errors of judgment, even when made in a time they were not even considered errors. We put ourselves in the position of judge and jury and justify our unkind and selfish behavior even when we hurt the innocent to give ourselves fifteen minutes of fame or a virtue signaling moment. We have become very greedy and unwilling to observe or judge our own behavior, while we constantly point fingers at others.
The erosion of that life has brought America to the doctors who run pill mills, to greed and to the corruption of social media forums that shut out people they disagree with, to influencers who can’t wait to negatively influence others because that is how they get their followers, to the debacle of today with leaders so consumed with vengeance that they may bring America to its knees with foolish decisions and constant rules to enrage those with whom they disagree, in their quest for absolute power. There is no compromise for many today, which is something that the book explores and promotes beautifully, as it explores its value with regard to creativity, differences and second chances.
This book review will also expose my own personal philosophy on life because it made me not only nostalgic for the past, but disappointed with the direction of the future. The Goldmans and the Weingolds are equal
Show More
partners in the Golden Hotel, although the men are closer to each other than their wives. As we watch their lives unfold and the years pass, we witness a view of the real world and how it has changed, moving forward and backward, sometimes making progress and sometimes taking a few steps into history on its journey of more than 6 past decades, while also propelling the characters into the future. For people of a certain background, this book will spark memories and warm feelings. If the reader has not experienced the Catskill environment with its hotels, its Red Apple Rest on the way, its glamorizing of food and entertainment, of friendship and relaxation, that reader might not identify with the story. This book will also make the reader question whether or not society has advanced since the demise of the Borscht Belt, popularized by the movie “Dirty Dancing”.
For me, reading it was a walk down memory lane, since so many happy, memorable moments still remain in my thoughts. We went to the Catskills every summer. It was the most joyous place to be. The atmosphere was surreal. Dreams were fulfilled. Romance and marriages were part and parcel of the experience for the younger generation. It was a fantasyland for those of us lucky enough to experience it. I remember getting money to buy treats for the road trip, treats not ordinarily permitted. I remember stopping at Dubrows on the lower east side of New York City, for breakfast, and then lunch at the Red Apple Rest. I remember the cars stranded on the side of the road, unable to climb the hilly road in the extraordinary traffic, without overheating. In my memory the biggest Jewish exodus from the cities took place the last two weeks of July and the first two weeks of August. I can still remember the smell of fresh butter as I entered the dining room when I went to breakfast every morning, I vividly recall the march of the masses toward the dining room for lunch and dinner, the Saturday menu which was my least favorite because the hotel was kosher and the food had to be prepared in advance or left on a stove that remained lit through the Sabbath, the swimming pool, the pinball machines, the bellhops and the waiters that all the single girls eyed, hoping to snare the one that was the pre-med student, the shuffleboard, the family gatherings as our relatives joined us, our shock as we watched them consume huge amounts of food offered without limit.
In the Catskill hotels, when I grew up, every need was catered to by a staff of young, college students earning money for their education. I even dated someone one grandfather owned a Catskill hotel. It was a different time, a much simpler time. We had no cell phones, no computers, no social media. Today is so different from the past, and also from the time the book comes to a close, in the supposed future, in 2031. Today no one wants to pay for their own education. The employees at these hotels were more responsible young adults who never expected anyone to pay for their needs. Guest’s families worked really hard to provide the few days or weeks of respite in a bungalow or a hotel room. People came from modest means to luxurious means, and the guests were mostly Jewish. It was a place Jews could go without fear of antisemitism. It was a place they were unconditionally accepted. It was a place where young people met and married. Bars and cattle calls did not exist as an option for males and female coupling. It was a different world, with far different standards. Yes, there were the Friendly Women like the Bungalow Bunnies, and dance instructors who took advantage of the young teenage star-struck girls, like my own, duped dear friend, but it was a simpler world, not preoccupied or obsessed with destroying anyone that disagrees with you, not promoting schadenfreude. Certainly, some broke the rules, but most rules were followed, and most guests respected each other and their space.
I still remember those days with real fondness. After I married, we often went for weekends. We took our parents as our guests when we became more affluent and even sent them on their own vacations without us. It was the go-to place for fun, food, love and friendship. I remember so many of the hotels, and went to them all: the Nevele, the Raleigh, the Heiden, the Commodore, Schenk’s Paramount, the Concord, Grossingers, Kutschers, the Pines. They are now part of a time gone by.
We have come a long way in this country, but reading this book, which is light and humorous as well as dark and serious as the world players created their own version of nirvana, it reminded me of how much society has lost in the last 6 plus decades even as it gained much with regard to technology. We pretend to have more tolerance today, but in fact, we seem to have far less. We tolerate no disagreements. We forgive few errors of judgment, even when made in a time they were not even considered errors. We put ourselves in the position of judge and jury and justify our unkind and selfish behavior even when we hurt the innocent to give ourselves fifteen minutes of fame or a virtue signaling moment. We have become very greedy and unwilling to observe or judge our own behavior, while we constantly point fingers at others.
The erosion of that life has brought America to the doctors who run pill mills, to greed and to the corruption of social media forums that shut out people they disagree with, to influencers who can’t wait to negatively influence others because that is how they get their followers, to the debacle of today with leaders so consumed with vengeance that they may bring America to its knees with foolish decisions and constant rules to enrage those with whom they disagree, in their quest for absolute power. There is no compromise for many today, which is something that the book explores and promotes beautifully, as it explores its value with regard to creativity, differences and second chances.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bookappeal
Dirty Dancing from the resort owners' perspective! In this case, the Goldmans and the Weingolds who are equal partners in The Golden Hotel, a once glorious but now falling apart, come together to decide whether to renovate or sell the families' business. As the last old-style family resorts in the
Show More
Catskills (aka The Jewish Alps and The Borscht Belt), the Goldmans and Weingolds and many of their repeat visitors have great memories of the place but nostalgia doesn't pay the bills. Members of both families are dealing with their own problems, apart from the hotel, and they're all a little messed up. But there's also genuine care and concern and they find that parting with a huge portion of their lives is harder than even the younger generation expected. The story contains themes of family expectations, generational differences, and so on but nothing too serious. Overall, Last Summer at the Golden Hotel is a mildly humorous story of two families, their personal failures, and a place in the Catskills that become a treasured part of many peoples' lives. Show Less
LibraryThing member mchwest
This was a great summer read and had been sitting on my TBR shelf for a while. Written during the pandemic the author notes at the end of the book how hard it was to write while not being able to tell how or when she would be able to promote it after it got published! I think she probably made out
Show More
ok, and I'm excited to find she soon has her next book out early fall. Show Less
LibraryThing member mrsgrits
4.5 ⭐️
This was heartwarming and charming story about a family sun hotel in the Catskills. Family traditions, secrets and more!
This was heartwarming and charming story about a family sun hotel in the Catskills. Family traditions, secrets and more!
Original language
English
Original publication date
2021
Physical description
368 p.; 8.18 inches
ISBN
0593199723 / 9780593199725