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ruhtrohraggy's review against another edition
4.0
Slow paced. Mostly character driven. Plot was very confusing and not what I expected but the writing style was beautiful. 3 star read but it made me cry so I added a star
madi_dube's review against another edition
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
escartwright's review against another edition
4.0
I thought I had it all figured out from the beginning and was predicting the ending, but it surprised me. Was even up in the middle of the night reading it! A great story about family, mothers and daughters, love, memory and making tough choices.
hiimjaimee's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best stories I have read so far in 2021, It was such a beautiful story.
tslawinski's review against another edition
4.0
It’s a long read with the first half being a little slow, but I read the second half of this book in less than 24 hours. The amount of raw emotion that makes up this story was heartbreaking and also touching. I am undoubtedly sure the ending of a book has never made me sob so hard
pratt282's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
livres_de_bloss's review against another edition
2.0
Good gravy, this is boring and ever so predictable. It took me an age to finish it!
The beginning was such a slog and I admit I almost abandoned it a few times. I found the pacing throughout the book really erratic. The story was painfully predictable and there was nothing to keep me reading other than determination to not abandon my first book of 2020
I didn’t like Selina at all as I found her petulant, spoilt, and vacuous. Telling her daughter about her wanton ways was a bit odd and uncomfortable especially given the daughter’s young age. I couldn’t relate to Selina so having her as a lead character was another element that didn’t appeal to me. She was a shallow, entitled cow. Her friends were entitled snobs and they were a really unappealing bunch.
I thought the story was rehashed from a thousand other similar novels. It’s a trope that’s been overdone to the point of tedium.
I was disappointed in this as I remember really enjoying Letters to the Lost.
The beginning was such a slog and I admit I almost abandoned it a few times. I found the pacing throughout the book really erratic. The story was painfully predictable and there was nothing to keep me reading other than determination to not abandon my first book of 2020
I didn’t like Selina at all as I found her petulant, spoilt, and vacuous. Telling her daughter about her wanton ways was a bit odd and uncomfortable especially given the daughter’s young age. I couldn’t relate to Selina so having her as a lead character was another element that didn’t appeal to me. She was a shallow, entitled cow. Her friends were entitled snobs and they were a really unappealing bunch.
I thought the story was rehashed from a thousand other similar novels. It’s a trope that’s been overdone to the point of tedium.
I was disappointed in this as I remember really enjoying Letters to the Lost.
nehaanna's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is an elegy for the lost generation if there ever was one. Set against the backdrop of the late 1920s and 30s in England, this is about the coming of age of a mother and daughter, as the world comes of age between the two world wars. This book is so rich and decadent and full of life with all the aspects a good book needs - romance, familial drama, heartbreak, kinship, emotional reflections on this life and the next, and the time we spend in between the two.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Misogyny, Terminal illness, Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Grief, Medical content, Chronic illness, Classism, Genocide, and Cancer
Moderate: Alcohol, Blood, Confinement, Eating disorder, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Emotional abuse, War, and Body shaming
tmpucylo's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
jbarr5's review against another edition
5.0
THE GLITTERING HOUR by Iona Grey
Story of Alice, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandmother as her parents are traveling for work.
Her dad has a ruby mine and he's gone to see what the problems are. Selina her mother accompanied him.
Love that Alice has Polly to help with the treasure hunt-I set something up similar for my young cousins who I was babysitting, so fun!
Mr. Patterson is a treasure as he teaches her so much and about cool things.
She learns one day so devastating news about her mother and she runs away. She had only wanted to see her mother...
Selina's past is played out in front of our eyes with the treasure hunt game that others set up. So deceiving that they couldn't tell the child the real reason why her mother was where she was...
Glad to hear about her real father and how he finds out and so many other secrets.
She has a bond with the Chinese house and she holds on to that and other things sent to her from her mother.
So heartbreaking and so loving at the same time. Ends with acknowledgements, about the author, other works by the author.
Received this review copy via the Publicist at St. Martin's Press via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheGlitteringHour #NetGalley
Story of Alice, a young girl who is sent to live with her grandmother as her parents are traveling for work.
Her dad has a ruby mine and he's gone to see what the problems are. Selina her mother accompanied him.
Love that Alice has Polly to help with the treasure hunt-I set something up similar for my young cousins who I was babysitting, so fun!
Mr. Patterson is a treasure as he teaches her so much and about cool things.
She learns one day so devastating news about her mother and she runs away. She had only wanted to see her mother...
Selina's past is played out in front of our eyes with the treasure hunt game that others set up. So deceiving that they couldn't tell the child the real reason why her mother was where she was...
Glad to hear about her real father and how he finds out and so many other secrets.
She has a bond with the Chinese house and she holds on to that and other things sent to her from her mother.
So heartbreaking and so loving at the same time. Ends with acknowledgements, about the author, other works by the author.
Received this review copy via the Publicist at St. Martin's Press via Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.
#TheGlitteringHour #NetGalley