Finbar's Hotel

It's not exactly Dublin's first address, the old Finbar's Hotel on Victoria Quay, overlooking the River Liffey and opposite the palazzo structure of Heuston (erstwhile Kingsbridge) Railway Station -- but it's a place with both character and history: It has survived a fire, among its guests over the years have been some of society's more colorful personalities, its back rooms used to be infamous for their use as a secret gathering... Read Full Review

What a hoot! Imagine an about-to-be-demolished venerable old Dublin hotel. Imagine hallways with room numbers on the doors. Imagine the interwoven lives of the people spending the night behind those doors. NOW: Imagine that 7 different Irish authors are each assigned a room number and told to write the stories, somehow collaborating so that the stories link loosely together as the characters meet - or don't - in the lobby,... Read Full Review

It's not exactly Dublin's first address, the old Finbar's Hotel on Victoria Quay, overlooking the River Liffey and opposite the palazzo structure of Heuston (erstwhile Kingsbridge) Railway Station - but it's a place with both character and history: It has survived a fire, among its guests over the years have been some of society's more colorful personalities, its back rooms used to be infamous for their use as a secret gathering... Read Full Review

I picked this book up as an American who only knew Roddy Doyle's work. Now I want to read all the other authors because they all are amazing writers. The strength of the writing keeps you interested and quessing who the author is of each short chapter. The characters all weave together as they spend one evening in the hotel. It is fun to look back and see the characters from different points of view in each chapter... Read Full Review

Seven inter-linked short stories, set in the same fictitious hotel on the quays in Dublin. The stories range from the out-right funny to the somewhat disturbing. The author of each story is not identified, but it is left for the reader to guess (I think I've identified three out of the seven).