Room Service: Reports from Eastern Europe

By Beverly Brandt and John and Allen Boretz Murray

Book Overview

Room Service offers richly detailed images of the people and places of Richard Swartz's adopted slice of Europe, and thoughtful reflection on his status as a privileged outsider.

We meet Serbian poets and priests in the service of war, the bewitching wife of a Romanian bigot, a Czech factory manager turned hotel porter in the wake of 1968, Ceau escu's masseuse, the king of all the gypsies, a cantor who is the last survivor of a Jewish community, and many others--famous, infamous, and anonymous--who take their places in a fascinating, moving, and sometimes cuttingly funny history of a region at the brink of enormous change. Now translated into almost every European language, Room Serviceblends travel writing, reflection, and reportage to paint a rich literary portrait of Eastern Europe in transition.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1565844181
• ISBN13: 9781565844186
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: New Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

lOVED!

All it takes is a simple dose of reality when a rich daddy dies and leaves his only daughter "nothing" in his will. Think about how you would feel being spoiled all of your life, getting everything you want, not having the responsibility of a job or caring for a pet and then it all come to a halt with the reading of a will. I really enjoyed this first ready by Brandt and loved her writing style which always kept me wanting to turn the page to find out what was going to happen next. Love comes about in mysterious ways and will surely leave a smile on your face as you read the last page.

A Hilarious Ride that Will Keep You Laughing Til the End

Katya Morgan is the quintessential poor little rich girl in Brandt's latest romantic comedy, ROOM SERVICE. She's a jetsetting playgirl who's never worked a day in her life - that is until her father dies and she's left with nothing that she hasn't bought herself - which is, well, nothing. Alex Sheridan is the hardworking manager of the Royal Palmetto hotel, where Katya is staying. Of course, Katya can no longer pay her quite substantial bill. At the request of Jillian, Katya's `wicked' stepmother, Alex offers Katya a job - as a maid. Needless to say, comedy commences. ROOM SERVICE is a hilarious ride that you will be unable to put down. Underneath Katya's cold and calloused exterior are numerous layers, and she slowly evolves from a cold hearted spoiled girl to a sympathetic young women whom all readers will be able to relate to. Of course, this will take the love of a good man. *g* If you are looking for a fun summer read be sure to put ROOM SERVICE at the top of your summer reading list

similar to ?Maid to Order?

Party animal Katya Morgan is shocked to learn that her dad died, but is even more stunned when she learns he cut her out of his will. She concludes his second wife Jillian did her in and plans to take her stepmother to court, but has no money for a lawyer. Jillian calls hotel manager Alex Sheridan to ask him if he will hire Katya when she goes to stay at there.Alex offers Katya a housekeeping job, which she is forced to accept though she pays for a room with her jewelry. When another housekeeper is hurt in an elevator accident, Katya takes in the woman's dog. When the canine becomes ill, Alex returns her jewelry so that she can pawn it to pay her vet bill. When Kayta decides to use the money to hire a lawyer, though he loves her, Alex ends their relationship because he believes she should spend the money on the dog. Katya cares deeply for the dog and Alex, but equates love with money because she has had no other experience since her mother died when she was ten, leaving no future with her beloved.ROOM SERVICE is similar to "Maid to Order" except that the tough love comes from the lead female protagonist's deceased dad instead of a fairy godmother. Readers will enjoy this tale because of the cast especially Katya. The secondary characters provide a sense of deepness that gives the audience true measures of what motivates Katya or Alex. Beverly Brandt, author of RECORD TIME and TRUE NORTH, will receive accolades from an appreciative audience.Harriet Klausner

"Room Service" Delivers Romantic Punch

Katya Morgan was raised to believe that money equals love. Sent away to baording school upon the death of her mother at age 10, her father has always been absent in every way but one. He's always provided her with every material possession that money can buy. And when he dies and disinherits her, even having her stepmother Jillian take back everything that his money ever paid for, Katya is not only devasted, but broke. When sexy Alex Sheridan, the general manager of the premier Royal Palmetto hotel in Arizona, offers her a job in the housekeeping department, Katya knows she's sunk to a new low. Once a guest, now a lowly housekeeper, Katys is truck with the realization of just how much money it takes to survive. Throw in a saboteur trying to take over Alex's job at the hotel, the hotel owners dimwitted son Chris, a slew of Alex's family, and a drooling dog named "Daisy", and you've got a story you're not likely to forget. I loved "Room Service". Whether it's due to the fact that Ms. Brandt obviosly did her research on the daily runnings of a hotel, or just the fact that the story is a wonderful one, "Room Service" is one book you won't be able to put down.