Hotel Laguna

A Novel

By: Nicola Harrison

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1942, Hazel Francis left Wichita, Kansas, for California, determined to do her part for the war effort. At Douglas Aircraft, she became one of many “Rosie the Riveters,” helping construct bombers for the U. S. military. But now the war is over, men have returned to their factory jobs, and women like Hazel have been dismissed, expected to return home to become wives and mothers.

Unwilling to be forced into a traditional woman’s role in the Midwest, Hazel remains on the West Coast, and finds herself in the bohemian town of Laguna Beach. Desperate for work, she accepts a job as an assistant to famous artist Hanson Radcliff. Beloved by the locals for his contributions to the art scene and respected by the critics, Radcliff lives under the shadow of a decades old scandal that haunts him.

Working hard to stay on her cantankerous employer’s good side, Hazel becomes a valued member of the community. She never expected to fall in love with the rhythms of life in Laguna, nor did she expect to find a kindred spirit in Jimmy, the hotel bartender whose friendship promises something more. But Hazel still wants to work with airplanes—maybe even learn to fly one someday. Torn between pursuing her dream and the dream life she has been granted, she is unsure if giving herself over to Laguna is what her heart truly wants.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2022 Nicola Harrison (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Nicola Harrison captures all the turmoil of the post war world, of the women who found factory work until the men came home-- and then found themselves with no place to go, except back home. But what about the women who don't have a home to go back to? In Hotel Laguna, a destitute and desperate young woman finds an unexpected home and sense of purpose when she takes a job with an aging artist, never guessing that finding his secrets will also help her find herself. You'll feel like you've dipped your toes in the sand of Laguna Beach. The perfect book to slip into your beach bag." -Lauren Willig, New York Times bestselling author

"Harrison perfectly captures the breezy, sun-soaked landscape of Southern California in her latest, and approaches WWII fiction in an utterly unique way: from the point of view of a woman who found her bliss building planes while the men were off fighting, and then must reconfigure her identity when the jobs disappear. With its eccentric cast of characters and a beautifully layered plot, this is one unforgettable read." -Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Magnolia Palace

"A quintessential coming-of-age tale, teeming with rich sensory detail and starring a loveable main character. Hazel Francis will capture your heart from the very first page. She has spunk and grit, and every woman can relate to some part of her journey—regret, desire, uncertainty. Hotel Laguna is a reminder that home is not always a place, but a state of contentment. A charming, sensual tale—Harrison's readers will devour this one." —Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author of The Lost Apothecary

Review for Hotel Laguna

So many interesting facets to this book! Loved it! Sometimes we all have secrets or struggles in our past and if we just reveal those secrets good or bad, our lives would much more freeing!

Only if they had picked a different narrator

Her voice and tonality specially for jimmy and Hansen was not believable and too similar. He was a young guy with an old voice. Good story bad narrator

Hotel Laguna

Nicola Harrison did it again! Loved this book
If you’ve enjoyed her other books you will not want to miss this one. I couldn’t put it down!!

She what?

Just when you think she's learned from her mistakes, she does it again over and over and over throughout the entire book. it gets a little heavy or tedious. Good narration.

Entertaining but predictable.

It read interesting to hear a story about a woman who worked in the defense industry during WWII and her adventures post-war.

enjoy the story

I enjoyed the story and the historical fiction aspects of this book. would listen to more books by this author. narrator took a little bit of getting used to, but did a good job overall.

Laguna Beach bait

I have lived in town for 35 years. This seems an accurate rendition of the post war years here. But, you still need a story or at least fully developed characters. Maybe read a couple of early chapters and then skip to the end. Honestly nothing much happened in this town after 1940 and before 1968.
Insider irony, the Hotel Laguna just sold to a controversial but very local developer who overextended himself and lost his financing. just a few months ago there was a battle between the security forces with guns, for the finance group versus his Management Group for the hotel laguna. that would have been a much more interesting story

Boring

Not for me. The main character was not believable. Her actions made no sense to me