HOTEL SPLENDIDE

David de Vries has a fine time delivering this comic tribute to life in a 1920s New York luxury hotel. He narrates in a rich tone and lively style that fits this satire of the opulent life of the Hotel Splendide, a slightly fictionalized version of the Ritz, where Bemelmans worked as a waiter. He ably does the necessary French and German accents and captures the demimonde of the hotel, where the world's wealthiest and most indulged folks are catered to by a battalion of servers. The author, who went on to create the famed MADELINE children's books, by turns appreciates and abhors the grand spectacle of life in the hotel. The narrator controls the proceedings, during which the staff often work until dawn, then dine on leftover caviar and champagne. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2023]