#BlogTour-‘The Belle Hotel’ by Craig Melvin

Hello, today is my turn on the blogtour arranged by Anne Cater of  Random Things for ‘The Belle Hotel’ by Craig Melvin

About the Book..

13 October 2008. Welcome to the worst day of Chef Charlie Sheridan’s life, the day he’s about to lose his two great loves: his childhood sweetheart, Lulu, and the legendary Brighton hotel his grandfather, Franco Sheridan, opened in 1973.
This is the story of the Belle Hotel, one that spans the course of four decades – from the training of a young chef in the 1970s and 80s, through the hedonistic 90s, up to the credit crunch of the noughties – and leads us right back to Charlie’s present-day suffering.
In this bittersweet and salty tale, our two Michelin star crossed lovers navigate their seaside hangout for actors, artists and rock stars; the lure of the great restaurants of London; and the devastating effects of three generations of family secrets.

This debut offering, very cleverly uses the history of the eponymous hotel to run alongside the history of the Sheridan family. Springing from the unlikely friendship between a railway steward and Laurence Olivier, it begins with a deadline for Charlie Sheridan to find £10,000 to save the hotel, and goes back in time to Franco Sheridan starting ‘The Belle Hotel’.

Poised on the edge of losing everything that matters to him, Charlie has to reassess how he has ended up here and what he can do to rectify matters before his luck runs out.

Very cleverly drawing a parrallel to the social and econmic hostory across 40 decades, from the 70’s to now, Craig Melvin uses recipes that spark nostalgia and really help the reader reflect on times gone by and food related fashion.

‘The Belle Hotel’ has a very distinctive style and is a striking debut from an author with an instinctive knowledge of exactly what he wants to say.

About the Author…

Craig Melvin holds an MA in Creative Writing from Sussex University and works as restaurant consultant in London and Brighton. He was mentored by Albert Roux at catering college and has worked in the restaurant and hotel business ever since. He also runs www.lunarlemonproductions.com with his wife Mel. The Belle Hotel is his first book.

Twitter @ccmelvin