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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
elenikin's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
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
4.0
The ending made me cry, but the storytelling was great. Loved how the sorry was told from different POVs at different times points but came together in the end.
guylou's review against another edition
5.0
THE GLITTERING HOUR by Iona Grey was a beautiful and emotional read. It is a mix between “Love Story” by Erich Segal and “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The story is gorgeously written and depicted well the 20s’ and 30’s. I loved the characters and especially little Alice. Her mother’s love and determination to help her find the truth about herself was touching. If you have not read this magnificent historical novel, what are you waiting for? It is truly a wonderful novel.
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bridget_h's review against another edition
3.0
Really, first 2/3 = 2 stars; last 1/3 = 4 stars. Wow, I wasn't ready for that. What a moving turn of events. Also, Alice is probably the child I have found most like-able in all of literature.
briannethebookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Nine-year-old Alice adores her mom, Selina, and misses her when she leaves her in the care of her Grandmama and nanny while she goes on an extended work trip with her Papa. To help their time apart pass quickly, Selina writes letters to Alice with clues to a scavenger hunt that will lead her to the answer of how Alice came to be. Her letters detail a life of parties, drinking, friendships, and love. The closer that Alice gets to completing the scavenger hunt, the less frequently she hears from her mom. Alice wants to finish her mom’s story, but she wants her mom to come back home more than anything.
I saw so many good reviews about this book, and that’s what pushed me to finally read it. I have to say I honestly was not into it until probably 170 pages in. I wanted more about Selina and Lawrence (I’m not very patient) and couldn’t understand the storyline with Alice at first. There were a lot of characters and I struggled with that too initially. It was definitely worth the patience, though! I blew through the last 250 pages or so. It was pretty heart-wrenching. Reminded me a lot of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I will say it provided a great escape from the reality that is our lives right now. Lesson: Patience is a virtue, and some books are worth the wait!
I saw so many good reviews about this book, and that’s what pushed me to finally read it. I have to say I honestly was not into it until probably 170 pages in. I wanted more about Selina and Lawrence (I’m not very patient) and couldn’t understand the storyline with Alice at first. There were a lot of characters and I struggled with that too initially. It was definitely worth the patience, though! I blew through the last 250 pages or so. It was pretty heart-wrenching. Reminded me a lot of The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I will say it provided a great escape from the reality that is our lives right now. Lesson: Patience is a virtue, and some books are worth the wait!
kmanhardt's review against another edition
3.0
There was so much to love about this book, but there were parts that just fell flat and left me disappointed.
becsbookshelf's review against another edition
4.0
“Think about today, not tomorrow. Dance over the cracks so you don't fall into them. Drink champagne in the afternoons and invent ridiculous cocktails to make the ruined world glitter again. Keep going, one foot in front of the other. Don't look down.
Selina Lennox is a beautiful girl with a huge heart and a passion for life. Born into wealth she’s lives a life of parties, drinking and playing with the press giving them their next scandal.
Lawrence Weston was born into nothing, a penniless painter who crossed paths with the breathtaking Selina and instantly feel in love. But true love isn’t easy and the pair battle between what they want and what has to be.
Told over two time frames we flick from past tense to present day relieving Selina’s youth and her current world. A novel that encompasses an epic love story, passion, heartache and loss (Tissues are recommended) It was such a perfect yet bittersweet historical fiction novel.
Selina Lennox is a beautiful girl with a huge heart and a passion for life. Born into wealth she’s lives a life of parties, drinking and playing with the press giving them their next scandal.
Lawrence Weston was born into nothing, a penniless painter who crossed paths with the breathtaking Selina and instantly feel in love. But true love isn’t easy and the pair battle between what they want and what has to be.
Told over two time frames we flick from past tense to present day relieving Selina’s youth and her current world. A novel that encompasses an epic love story, passion, heartache and loss (Tissues are recommended) It was such a perfect yet bittersweet historical fiction novel.
srupp's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
coco_o8's review against another edition
4.0
The writing style was hard for me to follow. It would switch point of views on the next paragraph with no noticeable indication that the story had changed. I found it hard to keep track of the characters and how they were related.
With all that being said, when I got half way through the book I couldn’t put it down. It all seemed to come together and is now one of my favorites only For the truly adorable character of Selina.
“Think about today, not tomorrow. Dance over the cracks so you don't fall into them. Drink champagne in the afternoons and invent ridiculous cocktails to make the ruined world glitter again. Keep going, one foot in front of the other. Don't look down.”
With all that being said, when I got half way through the book I couldn’t put it down. It all seemed to come together and is now one of my favorites only For the truly adorable character of Selina.
“Think about today, not tomorrow. Dance over the cracks so you don't fall into them. Drink champagne in the afternoons and invent ridiculous cocktails to make the ruined world glitter again. Keep going, one foot in front of the other. Don't look down.”