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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
Very sweet and heartwarming fast read, although extremely unrealistic, loved the three main characters and it made me want to drink a pint in a British pub
Great characters & story all based around a real historical event (though many of the main elements were made up). Would read more from this author.
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
A little melodramatic but entertaining
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-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:
No
Jennifer Robson, to me, is an author that manages to write history in a way that captures the essence and emotion of the time with beauty and grace.
Such is the case in the Coronation Year, a character focused novel set on the backdrop of the year of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.
The story is so deeply focused on the lives of Stella, Edie, Jamie and their intersecting lives at the Blue Lion, a hotel along the parade route, that it probably could have been set in nearly any time except that Robson captured the anticipation of the Queen’s coronation and the time so well. This wasn’t a story about the Queen but about real people living life…with a touch of romance, history and cozy mystery.
As usual, I enjoyed Robson’s writing style; she knows how to write a readable book with endearing characters. If you like the royals or historical fiction with a touch of mystery (that isn’t WW2), this one is for you.
Such is the case in the Coronation Year, a character focused novel set on the backdrop of the year of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation.
The story is so deeply focused on the lives of Stella, Edie, Jamie and their intersecting lives at the Blue Lion, a hotel along the parade route, that it probably could have been set in nearly any time except that Robson captured the anticipation of the Queen’s coronation and the time so well. This wasn’t a story about the Queen but about real people living life…with a touch of romance, history and cozy mystery.
As usual, I enjoyed Robson’s writing style; she knows how to write a readable book with endearing characters. If you like the royals or historical fiction with a touch of mystery (that isn’t WW2), this one is for you.
Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson (Kindle/Audible)
November 19 — 21 (Book Review Pages: Facebook | Instagram)
I find the British royal family fascinating and while the book was filled with hints of the royal family, it wasn’t necessarily about them. It tied together three very different people who are interlinked by one gigantic event of their generation, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. At first, the book is a bit slow but when the three characters connect in the story, it begins to pick up and I found them to each have a special story on their own as well as together. I liked this book but I didn’t love it, therefore I give a rating of 3.5
November 19 — 21 (Book Review Pages: Facebook | Instagram)
I find the British royal family fascinating and while the book was filled with hints of the royal family, it wasn’t necessarily about them. It tied together three very different people who are interlinked by one gigantic event of their generation, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. At first, the book is a bit slow but when the three characters connect in the story, it begins to pick up and I found them to each have a special story on their own as well as together. I liked this book but I didn’t love it, therefore I give a rating of 3.5
The Gown has been on my TBR for way too long and now that I’ve read Coronation Year, I’m kicking myself for having waited so long to read anything by Jennifer Robson.
Give me a multiple POV, historical fiction any day, but then set it during the lead up to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, and oh yeah, by some stroke of luck and genius have it publish during the lead up to King Charles’ coronation! I am completely invested.
This book isn’t really even about the Queen, she is just the catalyst for three characters to have their lives intersect. I loved learning the backstory of their lives and how those brought them all to the Blue Lion hotel for this historic event.
The multiple narrators for the audio really brought the book to life and I would definitely recommend it for an audiophiles.
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Read if you like:
Historical fiction
Multiple POVs
Queen Elizabeth
Give me a multiple POV, historical fiction any day, but then set it during the lead up to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, and oh yeah, by some stroke of luck and genius have it publish during the lead up to King Charles’ coronation! I am completely invested.
This book isn’t really even about the Queen, she is just the catalyst for three characters to have their lives intersect. I loved learning the backstory of their lives and how those brought them all to the Blue Lion hotel for this historic event.
The multiple narrators for the audio really brought the book to life and I would definitely recommend it for an audiophiles.
Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Read if you like:
Historical fiction
Multiple POVs
Queen Elizabeth
✨ Review ✨ Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson
This book was an absolute delight of historical fiction. Set in the five months preceding Queen Elizabeth's coronation (June 2, 1953), the book follows the owner and two guests at the Blue Lion Hotel, a historic hotel on the coronation parade route. Edie began her ownership of the hotel after her parents died young, and she's trying to keep the hotel afloat. A family friend of Edie's, Stella moves in to the hotel after getting a job as a photographer at Picture Weekly Magazine. And, finally, James, war hero and artist, is commissioned to paint the image of QE2 passing by the building across the street from the Blue Lion on coronation day.
The book brilliantly rotates between these three characters to bring forward not only their individual viewpoints but also a sense of the network at the hotel and the interconnections between characters. I appreciated that it brought in Edie's struggles as a single young business owner; Stella's experience in WWII as a Jew, and James's constant battle with the racism he faces as a Scottish person with Indian ancestry. I loved the found family dynamics here as well.
I especially enjoyed the way this situates the characters' experiences in the postwar world -- featuring tensions in race and identity, photography and changing media, and more. It read beautifully as a work of historical fiction.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was an absolute delight of historical fiction. Set in the five months preceding Queen Elizabeth's coronation (June 2, 1953), the book follows the owner and two guests at the Blue Lion Hotel, a historic hotel on the coronation parade route. Edie began her ownership of the hotel after her parents died young, and she's trying to keep the hotel afloat. A family friend of Edie's, Stella moves in to the hotel after getting a job as a photographer at Picture Weekly Magazine. And, finally, James, war hero and artist, is commissioned to paint the image of QE2 passing by the building across the street from the Blue Lion on coronation day.
The book brilliantly rotates between these three characters to bring forward not only their individual viewpoints but also a sense of the network at the hotel and the interconnections between characters. I appreciated that it brought in Edie's struggles as a single young business owner; Stella's experience in WWII as a Jew, and James's constant battle with the racism he faces as a Scottish person with Indian ancestry. I loved the found family dynamics here as well.
I especially enjoyed the way this situates the characters' experiences in the postwar world -- featuring tensions in race and identity, photography and changing media, and more. It read beautifully as a work of historical fiction.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️