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3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
An enjoyable read; perfectly cromulent. I didn't read [b:The Gown|39893613|The Gown|Jennifer Robson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1535551119l/39893613._SY75_.jpg|61723307], though it has been on my radar, so I picked this up at the library. Edie Howard's family has owned the Blue Lion hotel in London for hundreds of years; the hotel hasn't been doing well lately, but they've sold out for Coronation Day, when the Queen's procession will go by the hotel. Staying with her are Stella, a photographer, and Jamie, a soldier-turned-artist, both there to capture the events of the day. Stella is Jewish and is dealing with the trauma of having been in a concentration camp; Jamie's father is Scottish, his mother is Indian, and he's dealing with PTSD after working in bomb disposal during the war; Edie's parents died early in the war and she's had to give her life over to the hotel, as the last of the line of Howards.
There's some heavy character backstory, but the book itself is a pleasure as the characters get to know each other and we settle into the world of 1953 London. I enjoyed the glimpses into the magazine where Stella worked and life in a hotel in 1950s London. The main characters were all a bit too perfect, I feel; they have their problems, but are pretty much all entirely pleasant all the time. To everyone. Robson has a mystery percolating in the background, with someone stealing Blue Lion stationery and making threats; the culprit is blindingly obvious. I wish she had ditched that subplot and just allowed the book to be about the characters' relationships. There are any number of things that could pop up there to build tension, and I wish she had focused there. (But then, I enjoy things like [b:Some Tame Gazelle|178572|Some Tame Gazelle|Barbara Pym|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347763773l/178572._SY75_.jpg|1560758], so I'm not one who requires boatloads of plot.)
Still, would recommend for anyone who wants a bit of an escape and a glimpse into this world.
There's some heavy character backstory, but the book itself is a pleasure as the characters get to know each other and we settle into the world of 1953 London. I enjoyed the glimpses into the magazine where Stella worked and life in a hotel in 1950s London. The main characters were all a bit too perfect, I feel; they have their problems, but are pretty much all entirely pleasant all the time. To everyone. Robson has a mystery percolating in the background, with someone stealing Blue Lion stationery and making threats; the culprit is blindingly obvious. I wish she had ditched that subplot and just allowed the book to be about the characters' relationships. There are any number of things that could pop up there to build tension, and I wish she had focused there. (But then, I enjoy things like [b:Some Tame Gazelle|178572|Some Tame Gazelle|Barbara Pym|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347763773l/178572._SY75_.jpg|1560758], so I'm not one who requires boatloads of plot.)
Still, would recommend for anyone who wants a bit of an escape and a glimpse into this world.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
This was a sweet, light read. A little lighter than I expected, but pleasant and cozy, like a warm mug of tea on a rainy day. The characters are all fun to root for. Conflicts arise and are swiftly resolved. The overall arc of the plot is quite predictable, although the "mystery" does take a sudden, slightly bizarre turn, for no apparent reason. (The details of the mystery plot don't stand up to close scrutiny, so be prepared to just go with it.) The Queen makes an appearance. Everyone has uncomplicated happy endings. It was lovely.
So excited about Jennifer Robson’s newest book, just in time for the Coronation!
“The USA Today bestselling author of The Gown returns with another enthralling and royal-adjacent historical novel—as the lives of three very different residents of London’s historic Blue Lion hotel converge in a potentially explosive climax on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation.”
Edie owns the Blue Lion hotel, and she needs something good to happen because the hotel is not doing well financially. She finds that in the excitement of the coronation. The new queen will pass right by the hotel’s from door, and Edie can charge patrons a hefty price for the experience, saving her beloved home.
This is also the story of Stella, a young Italian photographer living at the Blue Lion and working at a local magazine.
And, finally, it’s about James, an artist of Indian ancestry who finds his true home at the Blue Lion.
Things are looking up at the Blue Lion in anticipation of the coronation when anonymous threats begin, which adds a touch of mystery to the story.
Jennifer Robson’s trademark easy storytelling plopped me right into the story and among these people. It was fun and intriguing to read about this coronation on the eve of another. The anticipation was palpable. Overall, an absorbing and enjoyable story that I flew right through.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.Jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
“The USA Today bestselling author of The Gown returns with another enthralling and royal-adjacent historical novel—as the lives of three very different residents of London’s historic Blue Lion hotel converge in a potentially explosive climax on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation.”
Edie owns the Blue Lion hotel, and she needs something good to happen because the hotel is not doing well financially. She finds that in the excitement of the coronation. The new queen will pass right by the hotel’s from door, and Edie can charge patrons a hefty price for the experience, saving her beloved home.
This is also the story of Stella, a young Italian photographer living at the Blue Lion and working at a local magazine.
And, finally, it’s about James, an artist of Indian ancestry who finds his true home at the Blue Lion.
Things are looking up at the Blue Lion in anticipation of the coronation when anonymous threats begin, which adds a touch of mystery to the story.
Jennifer Robson’s trademark easy storytelling plopped me right into the story and among these people. It was fun and intriguing to read about this coronation on the eve of another. The anticipation was palpable. Overall, an absorbing and enjoyable story that I flew right through.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.Jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
Decent plot but after reading some of her other books I had higher expectations. The dialogue seemed disjointed, sort of like a kids cartoon. "Come on Shaggy, let's go check the third floor of this haunted mansion for ghosts" it all seemed off.
Thanks to NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
We are taken back to London during the last coronation year, when Queen Elizabeth the second was crowned .and London was buzzing. The Blue Lion is the hotel on the route, but it is struggling. Having been in business since the last Queen Elizabeth was caught in a storm, the hotel is in need of upgrades and new features, but the owner, the last of the Howard family who have owned it for generations, can barely keep the hotel afloat.
We meet a cast of characters who are staying at the hotel, who have a place at the coronation in some form. What then unfolds is a mystery involving sabotage that moves the story away from the coronation until the end.
I have read The Gown and loved it - and I feel like I am still grieving the death of the Queen, so this book sounding like a perfect salve. But I wanted more about the coronation and less about the interactions of the characters, although they were likeable enough. I wanted more historical fiction and less mystery, but that's OK. The book was still lovely and enjoyable, just not a fit for my particular book club.
It will be liked by patrons and an easy one to recommend to many - since it is clean and has no graphic descriptions. I enjoyed the flashbacks to world wars. I really missed an authors note to describe what was fact and fiction.
3.5* Rounded to 4 since I usually round up for pre-pubs.
This will appear on Goodreads immediately.
We are taken back to London during the last coronation year, when Queen Elizabeth the second was crowned .and London was buzzing. The Blue Lion is the hotel on the route, but it is struggling. Having been in business since the last Queen Elizabeth was caught in a storm, the hotel is in need of upgrades and new features, but the owner, the last of the Howard family who have owned it for generations, can barely keep the hotel afloat.
We meet a cast of characters who are staying at the hotel, who have a place at the coronation in some form. What then unfolds is a mystery involving sabotage that moves the story away from the coronation until the end.
I have read The Gown and loved it - and I feel like I am still grieving the death of the Queen, so this book sounding like a perfect salve. But I wanted more about the coronation and less about the interactions of the characters, although they were likeable enough. I wanted more historical fiction and less mystery, but that's OK. The book was still lovely and enjoyable, just not a fit for my particular book club.
It will be liked by patrons and an easy one to recommend to many - since it is clean and has no graphic descriptions. I enjoyed the flashbacks to world wars. I really missed an authors note to describe what was fact and fiction.
3.5* Rounded to 4 since I usually round up for pre-pubs.
This will appear on Goodreads immediately.
I read and enjoyed The Gown by Jennifer Robson so I was excited to see that she had another book coming out. I have been very weary of "historical fiction" of late, but I would classify this one as historical fiction "light." The backdrop is the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, but there's very little history. The story revolves around Edie, the owner of the Blue Lion, which she inherited; Stella, a photographer from Italy who survived the Holocaust; and Jamie, an English painter of Indian descent. The three become friends and their stories weave together while attempting to keep the Blue Lion afloat. The Blue Lion is situated closely to the parade route for the Queen's coronation and as such, Edie is preparing for the Coronation and the boom in business this would create. As the coronation draws nearer, it is clear there is sabotage occurring and the novel quickly sweeps you up into that plot as it occurs and unravels.
I just really like Robson's knack for writing a novel amidst the background of history. Her characters are always robust, and loveable, and she always makes me feel deeply for them.
This was a great spring read, and I can't wait to watch this come into the world.
I just really like Robson's knack for writing a novel amidst the background of history. Her characters are always robust, and loveable, and she always makes me feel deeply for them.
This was a great spring read, and I can't wait to watch this come into the world.
Read in one sitting on a flight home from London. Perfect!
fast-paced
Thoroughly enjoyable, but I was disappointed that most of it ended up being fictional (I guess I should have read a few more reviews) when I read the authors note, I guess I was hoping that some of the smaller details were based on fact.
The flow of daily life among ordinary Londoners in the months preceding the coronation of Elizabeth II in 1953.
Coronation Year is a thoroughly enjoyable fictional story about the residents of The Blue Lion, a hotel on Queen Elizabeth's II coronation route. Similar to The Gown, it features multiple narrators. However, it does not tie in to history as much as Robson's previous novel. Read if you enjoy: multi-narrator historical fiction, closed door romance, royalty