Ptačí hotel – Maynardová Joyce (2024)

Irene, a talented artist, finds herself in the small town of La Esperanza amidst the enchanting landscape of Latin America after a troubled childhood and the tragic loss of her loved ones. She settles in the charming yet crumbling hotel La Llorona on the shores of a lake and at the foot of a volcano. She decides to renovate the hotel, which ultimately becomes her new home. The novel tells the story of Irene and many other characters who gradually pass through the mysterious and magical hotel: the rich and the poor, tourists, immigrants, and locals. Joyce Maynard approaches all the dramas and romantic twists in their lives with kindness and humor. She realistically depicts the problems of the indigenous people and their daily struggle for survival, but also paints beautiful scenes filled with magical plants, fireflies, and exotic birds. The author takes the reader through four decades of the Bird Hotel's operation. The world she creates is partly a product of her imagination but also reflects her experiences from many years spent in a small Mayan village in Guatemala.