Arnold Bennett's The Grand Babylon Hotel is a sparkling fin-de-siècle entertainment that doubles as a sly anatomy of modern luxury. When American millionaire Theodore Racksole, affronted by a refusal to serve his daughter Nella a simple steak, impulsively purchases London's most opulent hotel, he inherits a labyrinth of secret suites, shadowed cellars, and imperial intrigues. The disappearance of Prince Eugen of Posen draws Racksole and Nella into a transnational conspiracy involving the inscrutable chef Rocco and the suave head waiter Jules. Bennett's brisk, serial pace fuses sensation novel, detective tale, and social comedy, measuring American improvisatory energy against the ritual of European high life and staging the hotel as a theater of surveillance, diplomacy, and desire. A Midlands realist with cosmopolitan range, Bennett (1867-1931) honed his craft in journalism and thrived within the constraints of serial publication. His eye for organization, money, and class-sharpened by years in London and Paris-makes the grand hotel a perfect microcosm of modernity. The book's precision, wit, and logistical verisimilitude anticipate his later masterpieces while revealing his pleasure in genre's agile machinery. Recommended to readers of classic mysteries, adventure romances, and cultural history alike, The Grand Babylon Hotel is at once an elegant caper and a study of luxury as power. It offers a superb entry to Bennett's oeuvre and remains startlingly fresh in its understanding of hospitality, spectacle, and the price of comfort.
Quickie Classics summarizes timeless works with precision, preserving the author's voice and keeping the prose clear, fast, and readable-distilled, never diluted. Enriched Edition extras: Introduction · Synopsis · Historical Context · Brief Analysis · 4 Reflection Q&As · Editorial Footnotes.
