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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
A slow burn that turned into a beautiful story. One that made your heart swell with love and then broke it while taking your breath with it.
Selina Lennox is a bright young thing with a life that is a whirlwind of parties and drinking. All the while being pursued by the press and staying on the right side of scandal.
Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who is drawn into Selina's orbit on fateful night. That night begins a chain of events that will have a profound effect on them both.
Spanning two decades the story of Selina and Lawrence is told with all the beauty and heartbreak that came with it. I loved how it slowly built along with drawing me into the story. I wanted more, Selina was someone who seemed to be living life in the best way. You wanted to route for her and love, even if the one she gave her heart to didn't fit in there at all. By the end I let out a breath that was heartbreaking, beautiful and a wow for what became an incredible read.
Selina Lennox is a bright young thing with a life that is a whirlwind of parties and drinking. All the while being pursued by the press and staying on the right side of scandal.
Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who is drawn into Selina's orbit on fateful night. That night begins a chain of events that will have a profound effect on them both.
Spanning two decades the story of Selina and Lawrence is told with all the beauty and heartbreak that came with it. I loved how it slowly built along with drawing me into the story. I wanted more, Selina was someone who seemed to be living life in the best way. You wanted to route for her and love, even if the one she gave her heart to didn't fit in there at all. By the end I let out a breath that was heartbreaking, beautiful and a wow for what became an incredible read.
This one started out blabity blabity blah... boring poor rich girl. THEN I LOVED THEM ALL!
I LOVED this! I picked it only for the narrator and knew nothing about it before listening. I don’t want to say too much, but it very much reminded me of Kate Morton books.
4.5⭐️ rounded up
I love stories that are about nothing and everything all at once. England, 1920-1930s, the time sets the stage for the pressures aristocratic women felt when choosing between love and societal expectations.
What I don’t want to forget: the feel of this story…deep, subtle intensity, the enduring love between Selina and Lawrence.
I love stories that are about nothing and everything all at once. England, 1920-1930s, the time sets the stage for the pressures aristocratic women felt when choosing between love and societal expectations.
What I don’t want to forget: the feel of this story…deep, subtle intensity, the enduring love between Selina and Lawrence.
adventurous
emotional
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
I had an idea of what was to come - lovers not meant to be and separated by circumstances. Had no idea I would be in tears by the last chapter.
I normally compose my reviews right after finishing a book but after finishing The Glittering Hour I had to wait – I had to compose myself first. So with tears still in my eyes, I would like to share how deeply this book moved me. First of all, it completely transports the reader to both timelines - in 1925 when we meet free-spirited Selina and then in 1936 when we meet her daughter Alice. Both timelines are equally interesting and engaging. The life of Selina and her fellow Bright Young Things is well captured. The world of young Alice is also so well described that you can perfectly visualize her grandparents' decaying estate. Each character was just perfect as was the whole book – right to the last page. I want to thank NetGalley, Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin’s Press and Ms. Grey for an advance copy of this wonderful book.
4.5 ⭐️:
This was my first audiobook and I am so glad I picked this one. I was a bit skeptical at first and found my mind wandering (totally on me, not the author’s words or the narrator). However I was quickly drawn in to this beautiful and tragic love story. I particularly enjoyed the format the most. Told in two different time periods, Alice learns the story of how she came to be from the mother she adores. Her mother writes to her and sends her on a treasure hunt full of riddles that help her explore the estate she grew up in. Unfortunately, Selena, Alice’s mother, left her in the care of her own mother at Blackwood while she and her husband attend to business in Burma. Alice is lonely and missing her mother quite terribly. But with some kindness by a maid Polly, she starts to write her mother letters and learns of her mother’s life the summer before she was born. The writing in this novel was glittering and gorgeous. The descriptions and imagery were something I didn’t know I needed in my life. Themes of love, loss, loneliness and innocence were quite prevalent. I absolutely adored this book and these characters! A big yes yes yes from me!
This was my first audiobook and I am so glad I picked this one. I was a bit skeptical at first and found my mind wandering (totally on me, not the author’s words or the narrator). However I was quickly drawn in to this beautiful and tragic love story. I particularly enjoyed the format the most. Told in two different time periods, Alice learns the story of how she came to be from the mother she adores. Her mother writes to her and sends her on a treasure hunt full of riddles that help her explore the estate she grew up in. Unfortunately, Selena, Alice’s mother, left her in the care of her own mother at Blackwood while she and her husband attend to business in Burma. Alice is lonely and missing her mother quite terribly. But with some kindness by a maid Polly, she starts to write her mother letters and learns of her mother’s life the summer before she was born. The writing in this novel was glittering and gorgeous. The descriptions and imagery were something I didn’t know I needed in my life. Themes of love, loss, loneliness and innocence were quite prevalent. I absolutely adored this book and these characters! A big yes yes yes from me!
The story jumps around between two timelines: "present day" in 1933/1934, and "the past" in 1925/26. Selina Lennox is the MC for the past timeline; her young daugher, Alice, is the MC for the present day timeline. This made it hard for me to keep track of who was who and what their significance was for the first 200 or so pages, but I had it pretty well figured out by the end.
I liked the story, but I felt like it was kind of predictable. I guessed a lot of plot points early on - probably earlier than the author intended. And it's a story we've heard before: young, beautiful (although not society-standard-beautiful), privileged daughter finds fulfillment and purpose in the arms of a destitute but smoking-hot artist. Eh.
For a 500-page book, I was expecting a little bit more. I kept waiting for something to happen, and some stuff does, but not a lot, yet this is not what I would call a character-driven story. I liked how the book started out, and how Selina and Lawrence met - certainly not your typical attraction-at-first-sight scenario. I felt like the author did a good job conveying some feelings - you get the passion between Selina and Lawrence (although my more cynical self had a hard time with all the overwrought emotions), and you get the dreariness of Alice's daily winter walks with her governess - but other things I just didn't feel, like anything about most of the deaths in the story or any of Selina's friends or family. You get the gist of what they are supposed to be, but there's no roundness to them. The last 100 or so pages are really sad. The book ends on a nice note, but the ending in general kind of bummed me out, and because I knew what was coming early on, I was kind of bummed out for most of the book. The aspect I liked the most was when you start getting the viewpoints of other characters besides Selina and Alice in the latter part of the book. I wish the author would have done this throughout, especially with Flick, Theo, and Polly.
Overall, it was fine. I'm glad I read it. I'm just not sure I get the hype.
I liked the story, but I felt like it was kind of predictable. I guessed a lot of plot points early on - probably earlier than the author intended. And it's a story we've heard before: young, beautiful (although not society-standard-beautiful), privileged daughter finds fulfillment and purpose in the arms of a destitute but smoking-hot artist. Eh.
For a 500-page book, I was expecting a little bit more. I kept waiting for something to happen, and some stuff does, but not a lot, yet this is not what I would call a character-driven story. I liked how the book started out, and how Selina and Lawrence met - certainly not your typical attraction-at-first-sight scenario. I felt like the author did a good job conveying some feelings - you get the passion between Selina and Lawrence (although my more cynical self had a hard time with all the overwrought emotions), and you get the dreariness of Alice's daily winter walks with her governess - but other things I just didn't feel, like anything about most of the deaths in the story or any of Selina's friends or family. You get the gist of what they are supposed to be, but there's no roundness to them. The last 100 or so pages are really sad. The book ends on a nice note, but the ending in general kind of bummed me out, and because I knew what was coming early on, I was kind of bummed out for most of the book. The aspect I liked the most was when you start getting the viewpoints of other characters besides Selina and Alice in the latter part of the book. I wish the author would have done this throughout, especially with Flick, Theo, and Polly.
Overall, it was fine. I'm glad I read it. I'm just not sure I get the hype.
emotional
sad
slow-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