All Saints Hotel and Cocktail Lounge

By: Nathan Monk

Narrated by: Nathan Monk

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Murder. Mayhem. Millennials. What was supposed to be a night of hope and change unwittingly launches an adventure into chaos as five friends uncover a dark past, a secret society, and a sinister plan.

Leo, Joy, Shane, Clementine, and Nick have known each other since high school, but life has taken each of them in vastly different directions. Our story begins as they all gather together to celebrate the inauguration of President Barack Obama.

In Nathan Monk's latest novel, he weaves together a story that spans decades set against the backdrop of friendships built around a neighborhood bar. Using his powerful storytelling and immersive characters, he transports us through the troubles of the millennial dilemma. The All Saints Hotel and Cocktail Lounge is a stunning story of collective trauma. The audiobook travels through time looking at major events from 9/11 and the Columbine Massacre to the technology boom through the lens of an unsuspecting cast of characters who are simply attempting to survive a world that doesn’t seem built for them.

This Southern Gothic tale confronts some of the darkest parts of our modern history and takes the listener on a journey through the perils of the Great Recession, the Occupation of Wall Street, and right up the edge of a global pandemic that will transform the world as we know it. Who will survive the unprecedented events that unfold? Not even student debt is as perilous as the adventure you are about to embark on. No amount of cutting back on avocado toast and caramel lattes can save you from the dangers ahead.

In his unique style, Nathan creates characters that are at times hard to like but impossible not to love. This tale is full of betrayal, romance, and kitchen grease as this ragtag group of friends attempt to make the world a better place and are confronted with the question, “Do we even have the power to make any meaningful change at all and if not, is there even hope?”

Pull up a barstool, light ’em if you got ’em, and pour yourself a tall glass of suspense and romance masquerading as casual sex as you journey into the seedy halls of the All Saints Hotel and Cocktail Lounge.

©2021 Nathan Monk (P)2021 Nathan Monk

LOVED IT SO F-ING MUCH

A gorgeously heartbreaking tale of loves, losses and revelations. I absolutely adore Father Nathan Monk's reading of this beautiful book, as if we were sitting at the big round table with a couple of drinks and he was telling me a story. Going now, to listen to it again.

An Authentic Triumph Over Difficulties

Very proud of what Father Nathan Monk has done by not only writing this book, but going ahead to create meaningful representation of a highly misrepresented community and setting an example of hope for all in the community he represented who are usually told “you can’t”!

How A Dream Wrecked Me

I loved this book. The author's voice was so true and even though I'm Gen X, it resonated with my feelings about the world we are living in. The dream sequence was so short, but it meant so much me. Thank you for not listening to the people who told you that you were less than.

I'm not crying, you're crying.

This was absolutely amazing. I can't wait to listen again. Thank you for sharing with the world, Father Nathan.

Bukowski reincarnated as a Leo

Yes, Bukowski was a poet, Leo is not. The angst, joy and rapture of the 90s and beyond that Leo navigates us through is wonderful and heart wrenching. Nathan is masterful at character development with all genders. A powerful work that pulls at your heart strings leaving you crying in one chapter and will leave you cheering in the next chapter.

I highly recommend this book. I look forward to hearing Nathan’s latest book and hope He reads it.
Enjoy!!

A solid read - with a couple of qualifications

I enjoyed this book - the story, the writing, and the narration.

A couple of quick qualifications at the start, though:
1) If you insist on a Hollywood-slick performance and production, you won't find that here. This is a heartfelt read from a neuro-divergent author who opted to present us with a work of which he's justifiably proud in a more intimate style that most of the works available on Audible. I see it as something similar to a virtual bookstore reading of selections from a book, but we're treated to the complete work.
2) This is a political novel, and as such may contain more (and more extended) socio-political commentary than some may find comfortable. That said, if you are a listener open to expanding your worldview, you'll likely find this more thought-provoking than irritating.

I chose to wait a few days before reviewing it because I needed to let the experience percolate. There's a long-standing recommendation for giving presentations: "Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Then tell 'em what you told 'em." At times this audiobook may feel more like "Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Tell 'em. Tell 'em again. Tell 'em one more time. Then tell 'em what you told 'em." After taking the time to reflect on this work, I find that I'm far less irritated or intimidated by the repetition of the socio-political commentary than than I am inspired by it. The repetition in this case very much suits both the tale being told and the illustrates the frustration of the narrating character.

To those who are possibly concerned the the negative reviews (especially the reviews specifically citing an "unprofessional" performance, I suggest giving this a shot if the premise is otherwise intriguing. For the most part, I found the performance quite appropriate to the characterizations, the story, and - most importantly - to the mood of the text.

This is likely to lead to a repeat listen or two and I'm sure that will be a rewarding experience as well.

Couldn't walk away from this one.

I genuinely loved this narration. It felt real. It felt like Leo was someone I was hanging out with and telling me his story rather than just being read to. The occasional sound of page turns anchored me. I’ve listened to many “professional” narrators that have put me to sleep. But this was a job well done. I hope Nathan chooses to narrate his other books. I’ll definitely be listening if/when that happens.
I kept pulling out my kindle to highlight sections that often turned into several pages. I've never seen my generations frustrations so well captured and condensed in one place. The story was great, the bar an absolute wonder. I will definitely read this many times over.

thank you

I really enjoyed listening to your work of art. thank you for your dedication.

Gave me a lot to think about

I found this book because I follow Father Monk on FB. I enjoy his thinking and his viewpoints, and this did not disappoint. Someone else commented that having Father Nathan read his own book felt like a performance that was given just to them in their living room. I completely agree! I love that Father Nathan challenged himself to read his work, and gave an engaging and personalized performance. Sometimes it was so personal, that I had to remember that this was a work of fiction and not autobiographical. That being said, I am a very late (1964) boomer with late millennial and gen z children. I was lucky to be brought up by liberal-minded parents. My children are some of my best teachers now to help me understand what is going on with gender, sexuality, social constructs, etc. Father Monk's book helped me open my eyes to the experiences of the early millennials that I hadn't really thought about. I lived through Columbine, 9/11 and the ensuing wars, but they didn't shape me or my children the way they did his characters. I was especially shaken by his observance about bullies and how Obama responded to Trump's birther tantrums. Finally, I just really enjoyed the story of the lives of Leo, Joy and the others. This was a good and thought-provoking read. Thank you Father Nathan!

Brilliant Story

This is a brilliant story. I especially loved listening to the author tell it himself, as he wanted it heard. Hearing Father Nathan's occasional stutter or correction helped hold me in the story. It reminded me of listening to my mother read books on long road trips. I drove to and from visiting my daughter listening to this book and did not miss a word.

The story itself is engaging, with a healthy dose of political commentary underlying. It gives an overall perspective on the struggles of Millenials as a group.

Loved it.