Getting introduced to the characters living in Danny Lavery’s Women’s Hotel (aka The Biedermeier) felt like showing up to the dorms before school starts or summer camp or starting a new sitcom about a charming group of roommates. Which characters caught your attention immediately? Who did you like and who did you distrust? Do you have any fun or interesting experiences in semi-communal living? You can also share a horror story—we are all ears! Living in community can be wonderful but it is also a test of character and patience. How much do you really love your neighbor? How much are you willing to do to demonstrate that you love your neighbor? What annoyances have you put aside in order to be a better member of your community? Has a roommate or neighbor ever surprised you in a good way? How do you try to be in community in your life?
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Communal living often piques my interest. I love the idea of living in an intentional community where families have their own spaces but there are also lots of shared facilities for gathering and sharing life's loads. I am not always sure I have the temperament for that sort of thing, though.
I’m on page 85 and enjoying being in the Biedermeier more than real life right now.
My college days are way way behind me, but I absolutely loved living in a dorm. Not my first semester, when my roommate turned out to be, ummm, quite friendly to boys and was happy to open the locked door to our hall, because our room was right next to that door and we could hear the knocks. There was a lot of activity in our room. That part was no fun for me.
But then a single opened up at the other end of the hall and from then on I was in heaven.
Even now, I live in an apartment complex with my bf/partner and I love the community aspect of it. Seeing so many neighbors when I walk my dog, informal chats at the mailbox. I volunteered to manage new neighbor requests to join the complex email list, which involves clicking on a check by their name instead of an x. This little task lets me see who’s moving in, and appeals to my nosy heart.
So far, the main character in our book is Katherine, and I’m enjoying the mental gymnastics she goes through, probably because I’m similar! I enjoy the neighbor who lives downstairs, but if I’m in a rush, I don’t have time to start a conversation because she talks a LOT, but on the other hand, she’s kind and she’s helped me with my dog so maybe I should stop and talk but try to keep it quick, but what if she brings up the topic of her son, those conversations about him can go on and on…
Anyway, I’m enjoying the book because I like the internal monologues people have with themselves, and the way they rationalize their decisions.