Home
/
Non-Fiction
/
Hotel Bemelmans
Hotel Bemelmans
Apr 20, 2025 1:41 PM

Author:Ludwig Bemelmans

Hotel Bemelmans

If there is such a thing as a comfort food book, Bemelmans' stories are it. His evocative tales of grand hotel life have a reporter's eye for sensory detail, yet he always manages to bathe his world and it's lovable characters in the mood of a fairytale. Meet the girl-hungry hotel Magician, Kalakobe the African cook, Mr Sigsag, Monsieur Victor, Mespoulet and an unforgettable cast of down but not yet out hotel employees. A feast of food writing. And once you've read one Bemelmans' tale you fall in love and want to read the lot.

Reviews

The adventures of the original bad boy of the New York restaurant/ hotel underbelly continue. Whether writing about the backstairs misadventures of cooks and waiters or travel to faraway lands, Bemelmans is always funny, insightful and dead on target. No one has ever surpassed the master.

—— Anthony Bourdain

A complete original

—— Saturday Review

An artist in both line and words ... with talents of gold

—— Observer

Very entertaining ... an excellent story-teller

—— Sunday Times

One reads Bemelmans not as one reads a serious novelist but for the sheer momentary pleasure given by his evocation of atmosphere and mood

—— Punch

A note of expensive cosmopolitan is brilliantly sustained. There are stories here that could hardly be done better

—— New Statesman

The singularity of Bemelmans, whether he draws or writes, is his double capacity to see freshly like a child and comment shrewdly like a grown up. The product is an awry wisdom, the wisdom of a reflective innocent who is surprised at nothing and delighted with everything

—— Clifton Fadiman

Mr Bemelmans is always pricking bubbles, discreetly, appreciatively, out of a sense of duty rather than a desire to shock, and the process is delightful

—— The Times

This book is a great effort to dig the challenges out of the back office of procurement and bring to the fore the opportunities for improvement... If you want to improve your chances of not being done by Bad Buying, there's no better place than this book to see what the risks are and begin to understand how to avoid them

—— Charles Findlay, Director, State of Flux

Covid-19 restrictions have put the spotlight on global supply chains and the difficulties caused when everybody wants to buy the same thing at the same time. Peter's book highlights where buying can go catastrophically wrong and how to avoid these pitfalls. Had this been published pre-Covid, some of the recent c*ck-ups and waste might have been avoided. It's a must read for the public and private sector alike

—— Lt-Gen. Sir Andrew Gregory, Controller, SSAFA

In turns informative, shocking and amusing, Bad Buying explores the career-limiting catastrophes to avoid and sets out a vision for better buying, not only stewarding finances responsibly but also supporting the firm's purpose and place in the community

—— Stuart Brocklehurst, CEO, Applegate Marketplace Ltd

Bad Buying has a rich set of examples of both corrupt practices and unintentional but costly and wasteful mistakes made by business professionals. With trillions spent by organisations buying goods and services, every executive who is involved in or oversees those processes needs to make this a must read

—— Raj Sharma, Founder and CEO, Public Spend Forum

A must read for Boards, CEOs and Governments. The case studies remind us all that there is 'no such thing as a free lunch' and 'if it's too good to be true it usually is'. Buyer beware, and never underestimate you stakeholder or your suppliers. Instead, build relationships and trust

—— Lucy Harding, Partner and Global Head of Practice, Odgers Berndtson

Purchasing plays such an important role in business success, but is also one of the least understood activities. Using case studies from around the globe, Bad Buying has illuminated how and why organisations can get it wrong when it comes to spending money with suppliers. This is a timely, informative and highly entertaining read!

—— Nandini Basuthakur, CEO, Procurement Leaders

Bad Buying should be required reading for every buyer who is serious about their career... a manual for professional buyers [and] a fascinating litany of the mistakes that can happen when buyers get it wrong

—— Luke Johnson , The Times

A fascinating litany of the mistakes that can happen when buyers get it wrong

—— Luke Johnson, The Sunday Times

Packed full with amazing examples

—— Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2

Colossal, costly disasters could be averted if those holding the purse strings read this book

—— The Times

An edgy multi-layered mystery with an unforgettable opening and one suspect after another. The goings on in the detectives' private lives were just as fascinating as the main story. The characters were so well-rounded they felt real. I didn't want this story to end.

—— Allie Reynolds, author of Shiver

The shocking opening hooked me in and the twists and turns kept me furiously turning the pages, desperate to know how the story would unfold. Lie Beside Me is a clever and compelling thriller, with a fantastic cast of characters you'll want to spend time with. I loved it

—— Lisa Gray, bestselling author of Thin Air

Superbly plotted and and relentlessly pacy, Lie Beside Me is hands-down her best yet. From its grab-you-by-the-throat opening to its truly shocking conclusion, Lie Beside Me will have you second-guessing everyone and everything. This really is a series going from strength to strength

—— Caz Frear, Richard and Judy bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies

Thrilling

—— My Weekly

Praise for Gytha Lodge

—— :

A novel that literally makes you hold your breath then gasp out loud

—— Val McDermid

An excellent detective novel. The opening scene is superb, and sets up the story beautifully. Gripping, multi-layered and fresh. Terrific

—— Will Dean , author of Dark Pines

An absolute gem - I was hooked from the first page

—— Jo Jakeman , author of Sticks and Stones
Comments
Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdbook.com All Rights Reserved