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388 reviews for:

The Glittering Hour

Iona Grey

3.93 AVERAGE


Really enjoyable novel with characters in whom I became invested. Loved the parallel timelines to tell the story. Some parts were predictable (but still satisfying).

Won a goodreads giveaway and may not have read it otherwise.

This was a long read but a very good one. Like most books that I adore, it travels back and forth across time with the characters so real, you feel as though you are watching a movie. This one gave me feels for sure and is a definite recommendation for fiction lovers.

A great love story, a well researched historical background, a writer who is a born storyteller.
There's a lot of thing I could write about this heart-wrenching and engaging page turner but to cut short a long story I would only that this was an epic reading experience that moved me to tears more than once.
This book is almost perfect: the well written characters, the historical background, the plot that flows seamlessly.
Some parts reminded me of Evelyn Waugh and Somerset Maugham. I can't say why but those are the names that come to my mind.
It was the first book I read by this author and it won't be the last.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I received The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey in my December Book of the Month box. It was a sweeping historical romance that spanned the course of eleven years through 1920s and 1930s London.

The story follows Selina Lennox Carew and her daughter, Alice. Selina has traveled to Burma with her husband Rupert to check on their ruby mines. Alice is left behind at the Lennox’s family estate, Blackwood. This location gave me vibes reminiscent of The Secret Garden — curt wait staff, children only allowed in certain areas of the house at certain time, and some overgrown landscaping. At Blackwood, Alice feels lonely and depressed, with the only bright spots in her day being letters from her mother & their trip. One of the maids, Polly, works with Selina to create a treasure hunt for Alice as well, and Alice is learning more and more about her mother with each clue.

At first, I wasn’t a fan of the dual timeline stories. It felt like Alice was just being used as a framing device for the story, and I wasn’t entirely sure how she fit in to the grand scheme of things. I found myself more drawn to the chapters and sections of the text that revolved around Selina and her friends, notorious London socialites known as Bright Young Things. The setting was decadent and Selina’s friends were an absolute joy to read about. Once I was moved further into the book, Alice, I grew to love both timelines equally. In fact, by the end, I was obsessed with the heartbreaking mother-daughter dynamic that really highlighted how oppressed women were at the time.

I don’t want to spoil anything, but I did predict a big piece of the ending pretty quickly. However, the author crafted the story in such a way that I was invested in these characters and wanted to see it through to the end. This was also a point in time I’m not too familiar with, but it has definitely inspired me to find more books set in this era!

If you’re a fan of historical romance, I think you’ll love The Glittering Hour. It has lovable characters, a lush setting, a little mystery, and a love of romance. This was a 4/5 star read for me!

I loved this book! From start to finish, I was captivated by the story and the characters. I was balling by the end and the book left me with that pleasant sadness when a really good story is over and you dont want to read another one just yet.

Really quite dark. Didn't love this one.

The Glittering Hour

Visit the locations in the novel

Sometimes there comes a novel that moves you so much that you have to write your review just to get your emotions out. A book that moves you so much that you have to stop blubbering long enough so you can write your thoughts down. A love story so exquisitely drawn that you finish the book and start to feel like you’ve been in it with them and now feel bereft that they’ve gone.

The Glittering Hour, as its name suggests, sparkles, and it’s not just the love story. There’s drama, family secrets, letters, a young girl and her governess in a manor house,a treasure hunt, a group of artists…and secrets spilling out over time.

What a stunning, magical, heartwarming, heartbreaking, utterly emotional read.

I have loved Iona Grey’s writing for some time now but this takes it to another level. I am all out of tears, my heart hurts and I am surrounded by wet, shredded tissues.

Iona has captured so much in this novel. A time and place (London 1920s, 1930s and Wiltshire) and a relationship between two people of very different class backgrounds and wrung so many conflicting emotions that I don’t know what to do with myself.

Blackwood House in Wiltshire where much of this novel takes place might not be real, but it feels real as it’s so stunningly brought to life via the sounds of the garden, the aroma of the flowers, the sun flickering on its walls, and the friendly gardener. Then there’s the lovely maid, the young Alice and a secret which comes through time via letters sent to Alice from her mother.

This is a novel to discover for yourself but I can only say it’s one of the most moving love stories I have read for some time. Please say this man is real Iona! Your characters breathed life and I got to know and love them so well that I am sad now that I’ve finished the novel! I felt every look, every flutter of a heartbeat and every delicious drip of anticipation with them.

There’s so much I want to say about this novel but it’s the discovery of it that is your very own glittering hour. Utterly delightful and captivating in equal measure. Is there a Glittering Hour help group Iona? I need one.

I went back and forth between material book and Audible (really well done). Initially I was unsure I was going to keep reading, it took about a chapter-maybe two-and then I was engulfed and really enjoying the story. This is a great telling of relationships-friends, family, lovers-and taken from a snapshot in time that was difficult for women and their autonomy.

I really enjoyed this book, there are some clunky bits here and there and that accounts for the 4 stars. Overall, a must read for anyone who loves historical fiction, forbidden romance, and the aristocracy of England.

Oh. My. Gosh! This was my latest Book of the Month book, and when I started reading it a few months ago, I was worried I couldn’t get into it. Due to the social distancing we’re going through, I picked it back up the other night, and got completely hooked. I spent last night reading until almost 1 AM just to finish the book. With drenched eyes and a snotty face, I finished the book and cannot say how much I loved it! I will say that I definitely predicted the major plot ending, but there was never once a time that I figured I’d stop reading because I’d already figured it out. The characters you were supposed to love, you had no choice loving, and the ones you weren’t supposed to love, you absolutely didn’t. It was the perfect mix of the Roaring 20s and the time right before WWII, although sometimes it did get confusing the switch. I definitely recommend this book!

I received an ARC for this book from a Goodreads giveaway. It is due to publish on 12/10/2019. Rating is 3.5 Stars. This novel follows the character Selina Lennox in two time periods one in 1925-26 and in 1936. She falls in love with a man below her station and must choose what to do in the earlier viewpoints. The later is told in her daughter Alice's point of view through letters from Selina and Alice's observations. The beginning of the book was very slow and some of those chapters were too long which made for inconsistent pacing. The last 100 pages of the book were the best with some twists that I did not see coming. I have not read Iona Grey's first novel but would look to read more of her work after reading The Glittering Hour.