The Golden Age Hotel

Joan McGrath is a Toronto Board of Education library consultant.

The Golden Age Hotel isno ordinary establishment. Lilly and Stan Monteith are making this home for seniors their last, best shot at achieving security. Stan’s no-good son has chiselled away most of their comfortable bankroll, and suddenly they find themselves facing a gloomy, penurious future. Lilly decides that they should invest their last remaining funds in a scheme to provide Long Island with a much-needed amenity: a retirement hotel that will offer its residents the attractions of a resort. Lilly is confident; Stan grudgingly says he’ll give it a year. And what a year it proves to be! The regular guests — Faygie the retired fancy lady and her inamorato, the hotel bus boy, Benny Longo the romantic, the haughty “Duchess,” unofficial ruler of the hotel, and all the rest — make living in (or attempting to manage) the hotel an unforgettable experience. Year’s end finds Lilly and Stan facing fundamental questions about themselves, their marriage, and the future of their unique hotel. David Lewis Stein’s affectionate and revealing look at old age is both memorably funny and deeply touching.