La Reine de Rennes
In which our heroine takes a fictional journey to Rennes, France—courtesy of Dee Ernst's latest book.
In Dee Ernst’s Lucy Checks In, Lucia Gianetti (Lucy, for short) is a down-on-her-luck former hotelier who, at 49, has no job and fewer prospects. When she gets a chance to renovate and manage the Hotel Paradis in Rennes, France, she jumps at the opportunity. When she arrives to find a somewhat decrepit hotel with a variety of quirky full-time residents, she realizes that the job will be quite different than she expected.
The setting of Rennes for the Hotel Paradis is an interesting choice; there is, after all, more to France beyond the typical American stereotypes of Paris, and it was refreshing to see a less-explored city on the page (although Lucy does take a quick trip to the capital—who wouldn’t?). Ernst depicts the architecture of the city with a keen eye, and is particularly meticulous in her description of the hotel itself as it undergoes a transformation from moldering mansion to tourist destination.
Ernst provides plenty of details about both the charm and negatives of life in France as seen through the eyes of a newly-arrived American. On the plus side, there is always good wine available at meals, and the outdoor market has a bounty of fresh produce and other goodies every Sunday. On the negative side, the French do not believe in window screens or air conditioning (although the book does not delve too deeply into the potential consequences of these defects: mosquito bites and torturous heatwaves).
Lucy’s relationship with the hotel takes precedence over her romantic relationship. She soon stops seeing the building as a neglected disaster, but rather as an opportunity to make something newly beautiful out of a rich past—something she is also attempting to do with her own life. She soon comes to see the hotel and its furnishings as Claudine (the hotel’s owner) expresses it: “Some objects are more than objects. They are a testament to the dedication of artisans and craftsmen. They remind us that beauty has been around for centuries and will remain long after we are gone.”
And renovating the Hotel Paradis is only one of the challenges Lucy faces as she makes it her home; she also has to learn to live among new people with a completely different lifestyle than the one she was used to as a Manhattan hotelier. Over the course of the novel, Lucy slowly embraces the “found family” dynamic among the residents, and learns to become more comfortable with herself, too.
That said, there is plenty of sexual tension between Lucy and Bing (full name David Bingham), the children’s author and artist who is one of the residents and investors in the Hotel Paradis. Their relationship is more of a slow burn, which is all the more satisfying for being grounded and true-to-life. It is particularly enjoyable to not only see a heroine who is about to hit 50, but also a hero who is described as relatively short and not terribly handsome (although he wears his gray hair brushed back from his face “Lord Byron-style”), but still viscerally attractive to the heroine.
Both Lucy and Bing also have various family dramas to contend with—including a sudden tragedy in Lucy’s family in New Jersey that sends her dashing back to America—but there is a refreshing steadiness to the development of their relationship that doesn’t waver in the face of challenges. For readers who want a little bit of escapist travel fantasy combined with the promise of a mature, adult relationship, Lucy Checks In would hit the mark.
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