Tense, taught, terrifying & terrific.

Don’t you just love it when you find a book that trumps everything else in your life for the time you are reading it. Three Hours is such a book, immersive from beginning to end.

Rosamund Lupton has taken the terror that is a constant presence in our daily news and provided us with the humanity that underpins it. She describes a school siege, children and teachers are held at gunpoint, she peppers her prose with quotes from Macbeth illustrating how far we humans can go when driven by power, anger, resentment and rage. On the other side of the coin Macbeth is also used as a symbol of resilience and courage as the drama class continues to rehearse their play throughout, refusing to be cowed by the gunmen outside:

‘... is there any better image of goodness and courage than kids carrying saplings against bullets?’

Where Ms Lupton excels is through the wringing out of emotion - how does it feel to be a parent in this situation, a teacher, a child, a refugee - it is written from all of these points of view and is chockablock full of heroes.

An amazing piece of writing, I’m so glad I read it and can’t recommend it highly enough. Thanks to Netgalley for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Chilling and intensely emotional. A gripping thriller set in a Somerset School in lockdown after a code red alert is triggered. Told from several different perspectives, I read it in 2 sittings as I couldn't wait to find out what happened. Then I had to reread the ending slowly to take it in properly. It’s one of those books that will stay with you afterwards and make you think about a whole range of modern day issues.
I’d like to thank the author the publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

A superb, gripping thriller which you will not be able to put down, Three Hours tells the story of a Somerset school in lockdown and under siege by a gunman. You live the story minute by minute of the wounded headmaster in the library, the senior school children in the theatre rehearsing Macbeth, the younger ones in the pottery room in the woods and the two Syrian refugee pupils searching for each other. You are also with the police team as the try to identify the gunman and the parents of the children involved. Rosamund Lupton’s best novel to date, it is utterly brilliant and an unbelievably intense read. Fantastically good.

Absolutely brilliant and terrifying, so close to us !
this tragedy could happens everywhere, gripping thriller I could not put down the book until i knew the end
Definitely one of the best book of 2020!

This book reminded me of Lionel Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin. Like that book, I had to sit still at the end and think about what I had just read. And then I had to process it. I went from thinking "unreal", "never going to happen" to "what if" and "maybe". This is how effectively written this book was.

I read the book very quickly as the book pressed me on with clever links and use of past and present time and yet events seemed to progress slowly hampered by the thick snow. The author created atmosphere and tension alongside curiosity and that slow horrible dawning of what and who was involved.

The plot covers Three Hours in which a school is held hostage by terrorists.

The ingredients of this yarn are: the student cast of Macbeth, a class of infants, online grooming, refugees and a full bingo card of disaster movie motifs. The plot unfolds in a predicable way but what makes this book worth reading is how this highly unreal event relates to a snapshot of the attitudes and the mood of Britain today.

An adrenaline fuelled read that values love over violence.

tw: school shooting

“Macbeth
Act 1, Scene 1

A desolate place”

Rosamund Lupton's debut "Sister" was one of my most frequently-recommended books in the years after it came out, so I was really excited to read her latest offering.

I haven't read a book this gripping from page 1 in a long time. The opening paragraph is a stunning piece of writing, dropping you right into the action with a wonderfully poetic description of the firing of a gun - the smallest movement of a finger that will change the lives of everyone in this book.

Three Hours was so difficult to put down that I read the whole thing in just two sittings - and if it hadn't been for pesky things like work and sleep, I'm sure it would have been a one-sitting read!

One of the things that makes it so gripping is that – as the title suggests – the entire story takes place over just three hours. It's rare to have a book set in "real time", where the act of reading it takes longer than the in-narrative timeline.

The issues dealt with in this book are so painfully of this era that several moments are a visceral punch to the gut. Almost all characters - particularly those whose eyes the reader sees the world through, or those whose loved ones' eyes we see the world through – are written in a fully-formed way, no matter the evil that they're committing.

The various twists are shocking. Even if most of them can be seen coming at least a few chapters in advance, I found myself reading even faster just to have my horrific suspicions confirmed.

Rating: 4.5/5, rounded to 5

Three Hours- Rosamund Lupton

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well what can I say? This is a fantastically, terrifying thoroughly riveting book, which completely grips you from the first sentence of the first page and completely draws you in.
A race against time, and I can tell you my heart was racing throughout every page too! What a roller coaster of emotions the author takes us on through love, hate, friendship, loyalty, courage resilience through to adversity.
Excellently researched into what I feel is such an emotive subject with superb attention to detail just fantastic. A sign of the times when schools these days hold mock lockdowns as a preventative measure rather than just a fire drill.
It is both disturbing and chilling yet a sign of the times, but by having these contingency plans in place means should a disaster like this ever happen then schools are actually prepared for any given eventuality. I pray it never happens.
A truly very moving, highly emotive, powerful book which I would not hesitate to recommend. Many thanks to net galley and the author for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow, wow, wow!!!

When I first saw the blurb for this book, I wanted to get my hands on it but I wasnt prepared for the feelings of anxiety I would experience as I read it.

This book had me hooked straight away and it felt like I was there. The characters are fantastic, the pace of the book perfect, the story itself was amazing.

I loved how the book not only focuses on one theme and plot line of the school shooting, but on the life and experiences of two Syrian refugees. It's a book that is so relevant and eye opening, that because of the subject matter it almost shouldn't be enjoyable but it is. Its heart breakingly sad that none of what you read in this book is far fetched, but it's beautiful to see human compassion, love, faith, trust and friendship matter so much also.

I adored this book. An utter triumph.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK for sending me this book

Very enjoyable book. At times terrifying as you feel that you are actual a character in the book. Definetely recommend

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I'm really struggling to sum up how I feel about this book. It was fantastically (I cannot emphasise this enough) written, getting straight into the action and jumping around perspectives to create a real sense of peril and tension (probably amplified by the fact I read it in about 4.5 hours). Lupton's imagery is perfect and she creates real shock and fear but humour too. She transported me entirely. Whilst a few things I predicted, other aspects of the story were gutting.

A bit of a marmite book for me that I loved it in some respects but was disappointed in others. It is not fast paced so things can take a while, however the emotion feels genuine. The ending was pretty lackluster after the build up to it.

I was absolutely spellbound by this. There were occasional moments that felt repetitious and I worked at least one of the 'twists' out well in advance but who cares when the sense of place, characterisation and layering of tension/atmosphere are this strong? Lots of food for thought/points of discussion in there which raises it above your average thriller and makes it a good choice for reading groups. Very, very good - I've already started recommending it to everyone!!

I was initially looking forward to reading this book however unfortunately I was left a little bit disappointed and underwhelmed. I found the story quite flakey in parts and I found that I lost concentration throughout.

A very interesting premise, though the pace was slower than I typically prefer. Great for those who enjoy a slow burner. A unique plot, and interesting to base it in a UK setting

I read this book overnight - I was compelled to keep coming back to it.

It was hard to read but so life affirming - showing the best and worst that we can do to each other. The overall message that we can love and care for each other under the most intense pressures. It demonstrated that hate particularly towards those deemed to be outsiders does not have to take us over but instead we can be tolerant and compassionate.

A must read book.

This was a fantastic book that I couldn't put down. I was rooting for the characters and whilst I predicted the "twists" this didn't detract from my enjoyment. Unfortunately, the threat of terrorism and radicalisation is all too real in today's society making this book a social commentary too. I will definitely be recommending this book. Thank you for letting me have early access.

A school shooting with a difference on a snowy day in a forest. Different characters are experiencing the tension and the fear of a terrifying situation. A story of bravery and love and disorientation and education. Very good read.

Wow what an incredible book. I could not put this book down. The incredible detail and research in this book meant I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Racism, terrorism, a mother’s unconditional love to name but a few of the areas covered in this book. As a teacher I could empathise with their fear whilst in their terrible school lockdown during an attack. You must read this book you won’t regret it.

I was sent this book in return for an honest review.

Wow. As a mother this book was my worst nightmare (well one of them because let’s face it most of us have 100’s of scenarios floating about in our over thinking minds)

3 hours whilst a seemingly short amount of time can stretch out to forever, dependant on the circumstances. The author has managed to capture that feeling in the pages of her book so thoroughly that at some points I was holding my breath thinking it had been minutes and not seconds.
This book deals with very current issues but from the other side of the coin. It was a refreshing change of pace to the usual books on this subject.
There are twists and turns, some you feel coming and others that knock you down where you stand.
It’s been a long time since a book has made me cry out of both fear or joy but this book did both.
Whilst I found a couple of chapters a bit unnecessary the whole book struck a very real chord with me. It’s made me think about the world I live in and the world some people are trying to survive in.
Definitely worth the stars given.