No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen
Release: August 1st 2020
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Groundwood Books
Source: Netgalley
Synopsis:
Buying and moving into the run-down Jewel Motor Inn in upstate New York wasn’t eleven-year-old Miriam Brockman’s dream, but at least it’s an adventure. Miriam befriends Kate, whose grandmother owns the diner next door, and finds comfort in the company of Maria, the motel’s housekeeper, and her Uncle Mordy, who comes to help out for the summer. She spends her free time helping Kate’s grandmother make her famous grape pies and begins to face her fears by taking swimming lessons in the motel’s pool.
But when it becomes clear that only a miracle is going to save the Jewel from bankruptcy, Jewish Miriam and Catholic Kate decide to create their own. Otherwise, the No Vacancy sign will come down for good, and Miriam will lose the life she’s worked so hard to build.
No Vacancy Review:
A BIG Thank You to Netgalley and Groundwood Books for providing me with an advanced reader’s copy of “No Vacancy” for my review.
What I really liked about this story was how positive the characters were. I enjoyed reading about most of them, whether it be Maria, Father Donovan, Mrs. Whitley or Anton. Most of the characters are written very well. I also liked Miriam as the main character. She has many questions about life and notices that nothing is simple. But, she tries to make the best of the situation and help people when needed. I also liked Anton’s character and thought it was good talk about a strong character in a wheel-chair. Moreover, the story also sends out a positive message about how we are all one, irrespective of our cultures and religions. It is a very important message these days when there is so much racism and hatred in the world. On a side note, I also enjoyed the Spanish phases Maria teaches Miriam.
However, I felt like the author could have paced the novel better. The book picks up initially when they move in and get adjusted to the motel. It maintains the same momentum till they find the cut-out of Virgin Mary. But then it feels like nothing much happens, and the book takes a different turn to look at various religions. The book then suddenly picks up towards the end with what happens to Sammy. While I understand what the author was trying to achieve, I thought they could have paced it better. I also felt the author left some of the plots open ended. For instance, we never find out who painted the message in the motel sign.
Apart from that I enjoyed reading this story. I think the author has done a very nice job for a debut novel and hope to see more releases in the future.
