Title: The Listeners
Author: Maggie Steivfater
Publisher: Headline
Genre: General Fiction, Historical Fiction, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Release Date: 3rd June 2025
BLURB
January 1942. The Avallon Hotel & Spa has always offered elegant luxury in the wilds of West Virginia, its mountain sweetwater washing away all of high society’s troubles.
Local girl-turned-general manager June Porter Hudson has guided the Avallon skillfully through the first pangs of war. The Gilfoyles, the hotel’s aristocratic owners, have trained her well. But when the family heir makes a secret deal with the State Department to fill the hotel with captured Axis diplomats, June must persuade her staff—many of whom have sons and husbands heading to the front lines—to offer luxury to Nazis. With a smile.
Meanwhile FBI Agent Tucker Minnick, whose coal tattoo hints at an Appalachian past, presses his ears to the hotel’s walls, listening for the diplomats’ secrets. He has one of his own, which is how he knows that June’s balancing act can have dangerous consequences: the sweetwater beneath the hotel can threaten as well as heal.
June has never met a guest she couldn’t delight, but the diplomats are different. Without firing a single shot, they have brought the war directly to her. As clashing loyalties crack the Avallon’s polished veneer, June must calculate the true cost of luxury.
REVIEW
I really like the cover depicting the very grand Avallon Hotel with its magical, powerful water running around and through it.
I was attracted to the book as I have read other books by the author and I find the historical era it is set in interesting too.
I’ll be totally honest I am finding this a difficult review to write, to put into words as honestly, factually and succinctly what I felt about the book. I felt like I read this book a lot slower than my normal, and though in the end I found it quite addictive reading and had to finish it to find out what happened to the characters, it was a multi layered, complicated book to read. Theres the historical WW2 era element, the whole “life of its own” Avallon Hotel, the relationships and family feel of the staff, the romance between June, the Gilfoyle’s men and Tucker Minnick, the military man with hidden secrets of his own who also seems to have an affinity with the sweet water. Theres also the individual diplomats, their families and staff and people basically being kept imprisoned at the Avallon and all they get up to, as well as the staff of the Avallon too. There is such a lot of different threads going on.
The book starts with a letter to a Miss Jillian Pennybacker from Eric Parnel from the US State Department's, he is telling her the story of a hotel called The Avallon, its rather unique history of events and her father's role in them.
The Avallon is a glamourous, luxurious Hotel where nothing is too much trouble, extensive notes are kept on each guest so when they return their every whim can be catered to.
During the war foreign diplomats need to be contained so they cannot pass sensitive information back to their countries. A sort of deal is struck and I guess you could say they are kind of being held as hostages to be exchanged for our own diplomats held in the foreign countries. Whilst the deal of the people exchange is done it is agreed the foreign diplomats and their families will be, treat well and at least to the equivalent of our own people are being in the foreign countries that need to be exchanged. Although at times it becomes plainly obvious that the foreign diplomats and their families at the Avallon are having a much easier existence and better lodgings, food and treatment than our own people held in their countries. It’s a difficult balance that the Avallon manageress June aka “Hoss” finds herself trying to achieve. Her beautiful rather unique hotel that seems to be a living being itself is suddenly invaded by the presence of unwanted military men, foreign diplomats and their families. The Hotel staff have to rise above their own feelings about the fact they literally have to cater to the guests every whim despite their country being at war with them. Waiting hand and foot on people from countries that are responsible for the death of their loved ones. There is also the internal bickering and animosity between the different foreign diplomat countries themselves.
Theres some great characters, June, her staff members Toad, and Griff immediately spring to mind. Then Tucker Minnick in charge of keeping an eye on the diplomats etc making sure they are not smuggling out information to their countries. Tucker has a mysterious past himself with the heavy burden of secret he eventually shares with June. Mr Pennybacker is the man who liaises between the diplomats, the government, the military present and June/Avallon Hotel. I could go on and on about different characters but do not wish to reveal too much and spoil the gradual unveiling of them and their quirks within the plot.
June didn’t have a great start in life but has worked her way up through the different areas of the Hotel and the owner Mr Francis Gilfoyle took her under his wing. He recognised that she could help tame the sweet water springs that have been credited with healing properties. The person that “tames/controls” the water has to immerse themselves in it in a kind of mystical ritual and give it good memories and feelings so that the water will in turn give good feelings to those who are staying at the hotel. When Mr Francis Gilfoyle dies there is only June left to tame the sweet water. June has been sleeping with the eldest Gilfoyle son and new owner of the Avallon, Edgar Gilfoyle, who visits her when he wishes but also has a lifestyle where he has relationship with other high-profile women. June seems as if she is happy with her situation until the military take over the Avallon and she meets the mysterious Tucker Minnick.
My immediate thoughts upon finishing the book were, “Hmm, that was a bit weird”, though I did still kind of enjoy it.
Summing up, I don’t want to put anyone off reading the book but I did find it “odd” and “different” to other books I have read. It felt a little mixed up and confused, it dealt with a lot of different things going on but nothing ever felt fully dealt with if that makes sense. As I said don’t let me saying this put you off giving the book a go, just be prepared that this isn’t an easy, light read. It is complicated, mystical, at times quite dark, yet it has a little romance, and it is the characters that make it interesting even though the book itself is strange!
