The Glittering Hour A Novel by Iona Grey is a beautifully written historical romance that is set in England during the 1920's-30's. A classic read that pulls you in and sweeps you away to another time. A story of star-crossed lovers that are determined to find a way to be together. The Glittering Hour is a roller coaster of emotions that is sure to stay with you long after reading. A lovely story for readers who love historical romances.

I was a little intimidated by the length of this book and all the characters when I started it, but it flowed right along and was not confusing. The story starts out in 1926 in Blackwood Park and focuses on Selina Lennox and her other wealthy friends who are focused on partying and doing outlandish things which always ends up on the society pages of the newspaper. The story then switches to 1936 and focuses on Alice, Selina's 9-year-old daughter who goes to stay with her grandparents in Blackwood Park while her mother and father go to Burma to deal with his business. The story alternates between those two time periods with a lot of very interesting story lines and family dynamics. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC of this dynamic family saga in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgally and publisher for giving me an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

The Glittering Hour made my heart swell with love and loss. I have often read comments about book hangovers, and now I understand what people are talking about.

This is a story of a mother sharing her story with her daughter while they are separated. Selina Lennox tells Annie the story of growing up in high society, living on the edge, and pushing boundaries as much as she could. She tells the story of a great love she found in her youth and recounted occasions of significant losses in her life. Selina shares her viewpoint of never being able to live up to the expectations of decorum set by her parents and older sister and how she planned to escape it. But the best laid plans…Her life takes a sudden turn.

While her parents are away, Annie stays at the house her mother grew up in with her grandparents. Homesickness is slightly repreived by letters from her mother and a special treasure hunt to find clues about her mother’s past. Being cared for by her mother’s lady in waiting, Annie is submerged into a epic story.

I loved this book. I loved the characters. Iona Grey did a lovely job capturing the esssence of love and loss and the pressures of growing up in the world of society papers. I could feel the heart struggles between Selina and Lawrence, the acceptance Selina felt when she resigned to the life that was expected of her, and the longing that Annie endured while missing her mother.

If you want to get lost in a world of extravagance a all encompassing love…I highly recommend!

I thought I was burned out from WWII historical fiction, but wow! I'm SO grateful to have read The Glittering Hour. I was also feeling burned out from alternating timelines, however, Grey's writing is so beautiful that it didn't bother me. Couldn't put this one down!

4.5 stars

When I was first asked to join the blog tour for Iona Grey’s latest novel The Glittering Hour, I was a little apprehensive at first, as I had never heard of this author before and of course hadn’t read her debut novel Letters to the Lost, which came out back in 2015. After reading the summary for the book though and seeing that it fell into one of my favorite genres (historical fiction), I decided to take a chance with this one and see where it would take me. Looking back now after having finished the book, I am tremendously glad that I did so, as this turned out to be an excellent read – one in which not only the story continues to stay with me, but also the characters, almost all of whom I can’t stop thinking about. This was one of those books where the beautiful writing drew me in from the first page and I found it difficult to stop reading once I had started.

With a duel timeline alternating between 1925 and 1936, the crux of the story centers around an unlikely romance between Selina Lennox -- a wealthy, privileged young woman from a noble family who spends majority of her time drinking, partying, creating scandal – and Lawrence Weston, a penniless but hardworking painter whose real talent lies in photography and capturing life’s most candid moments. Despite being from two completely opposite worlds, Selina and Lawrence fall hard for each other and, for a brief period of time, it appeared that true love and happiness were within their reach. But then tragedy strikes and Selina decides to forego her relationship with Lawrence in favor of the “safe” option of Rupert Carew — her deceased brother’s friend and also a match approved by her parents. A decade later, in 1936, nine-year-old Alice Carew is left in the care of her grandparents and a beloved maid at Blackwood, the estate where her mother Selina grew up, while her parents are on a business trip to Burma for a few months. Alice is a sensitive soul and not being able to stand the separation and secluded loneliness of Blackwood, she yearns for her mother and whiles away the time thinking about their many moments together. Through her maid Polly, Selina sends her daughter letters in which she scatters clues about her past, sending Alice on a treasure hunt of sorts to discover one of her most prized secrets. The two threads of the story — Selina’s past from 1926 and Alice’s current reality in 1936 —eventually come together in a surprising, emotional ending that is almost guaranteed to have the reader in tears.

My first thought after finishing this book is how beautifully written this story was. Even though the story leans more toward romance than historical fiction, the historical elements were still done extremely well, to the point that I truly felt transported to the time and place depicted (England in the 1920s and 1930s). For those who may be concerned about the romance piece — yes, the love story IS the core around which the rest of the story revolves, however don’t worry, as the narrative is well-balanced enough that the romance piece doesn’t overwhelm the rest of the story. With an epic story such as this one, maintaining such a balance along with a nearly flawless execution is no easy feat and Grey absolutely delivers here. Structure-wise, within the alternating timeline, each of the main characters also got the chance to contribute their piece to the story without diluting the main narrative that revolved around Selina and Alice. I appreciate this structure, as it allowed me to get better perspective on each of the characters and see another side to them that I wouldn’t otherwise have known.

Given how much I enjoyed this one, it was very close to being a 5 star read for me, however there were a few things that put it more in the 4.5 range for me. I felt that part 1 of the story dragged a little in a few places, plus a few scenes seemed repetitive and perhaps not entirely necessary...with that said though, part 2 was wonderfully written, with its emotional impact nearly making up for the minor flaws in the first part.
Without a doubt, I would definitely recommend this moving story of love, loss, passion, betrayal, family dynamics, hidden secrets, and the complexities of pursuing the truth. If you decide to read this though, definitely have some tissues ready.

Received ARC from Thomas Dunne Books via NetGalley.

"Award-winning author Iona Grey's next unforgettable historical about true love found and lost and the secrets we keep from one another.

Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing. Her life is a whirl of parties and drinking, pursued by the press and staying on just the right side of scandal, all while running from the life her parents would choose for her.

Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who stumbles into Selina's orbit one night and can never let her go even while knowing someone of her stature could never end up with someone of his. Except Selina falls hard for Lawrence, envisioning a life of true happiness. But when tragedy strikes, Selina finds herself choosing what's safe over what's right.

Spanning two decades and a seismic shift in British history as World War II approaches, Iona Grey's The Glittering Hour is an epic novel of passion, heartache and loss."

Between cover lust and a Bright Young Thing, I am 100% sold on this story!

Iona Grey's The Glittering Hour is an engrossing historical fiction set in the post WWI England. The author delicately laces her story of love and loss with history. This is not a heavy-handed history lesson, but appropriate mentions of significant events during that era are mentioned to provide character backstory and motivations.

The Glittering Hour takes place in 1935. When nine-year-old Alice's mother, Selina, leaves her with her stoic grandmother, she writes her daughter letters giving her scavenger hunt clues that will illuminate Alice's start in life. Through flashbacks, the reader learns of young Selina as a 1925 flapper. Her flamboyant lifestyle of drinking, smoking and partying shows off Ms. Grey's writing and researching. I could really sense Selina and her friends' boozy, smoky lifestyle. They're bored and bourgeois. They're frightened by the heightened awareness of their own mortality as a result of WWI and the Spanish Influenza Epidemic. Selina's glittery life in 1925 juxtapose to the decaying family estate where her daughter lives in 1935 really shows how the war has affected everyone.

Outwardly, Selina appears to be confident and bold, but she is hiding from her childhood insecurities and her fear of losing another loved one. The extent of her family's dysfunction is more evident with each layer peeled away. Like every young woman in the era, family expectations trump one's own desires; after all, one needs safety and security as well as social acceptability. When Selina finds love, she must choose between a soul mate and stability.

The family secrets and story denouement are easily-enough determined early in the story, but the novel is no less interesting for it. I loved the perfect twist in Lawrence Weston's life as well as the evocative descriptions of the characters and settings. Ms. Grey's storytelling is marvelous and her characters are captivating. The Glittering Hour is a delicious read for lovers of historical fiction and romance.
4.5 stars

A fascinating and sometimes sad read. But it was well worth the time spent reading. I highly recommend this book. I voluntarily read this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Glittering Hour was a beautiful, heartbreaking love story of an impossible relationship, told in two time lines. I found the secret messages in the letters to the daughter interesting, and the mystery, as well as the uncovering of the older lifestyle intriguing. This book was just a bit too slow paced for me, but interesting nonetheless. Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy, all opinions are my own.

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey is an incredible historical fiction novel set in England.

The time frame spans well over two decades and is set in the Era of World War 2.
The author expertly crafts a time frame that consists of two different time frames , the past and the present which left me happily putting pieces of the story together.

The characters are complex, complicated and well fleshed out. Trust me, they will break your heart at times, as they did mine.

I really enjoyed the relationships in this novel and how they played out. Choices were made by some that ended up in situations that were truly heart breaking.

The author does a fantastic job of keeping the reader guessing. There are definite twists and quite a few surprises that I never saw coming.

Such a well written gem, I highly recommend this novel.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice, a nine year old girl, learns the back story of her mother's life and her heritage through a series of notes and clues.

3.5 stars
I don't read a lot of historical fiction, let alone historical romance, but the setting and time period of The Glittering Hour caught my attention. This is a love story, but even more than that, it's the story of a mother and daughter and their bond. The story is told in dual timelines, and while that doesn't always work for me, the author handles it quite seamlessly, and it's easy to get lost in the atmosphere of the story. That said, this one does have some serious lag time in the beginning, but the second part of the book certainly makes up for it. This is not a story full of action, but it does have a forward momentum that kept me reading. I loved the connection between mother and daughter, and I was as interested in learning about how Alice came to be as she was. Overall, it's a wonderful story of love and loss with engaging characters and one of my favorite time periods in history. The wild and carefree Selina fits in perfectly with what we think of when the '20s are mentioned, and even though she lives in a different time, the author still made her relatable. This one may have been a bit out of my wheelhouse, and those lags in the first half could've used some going over, but it is most certainly worth the read.

as posted on Momma Says: To Read or Not to Read Blog scheduled to go live at 8am EST on Dec 1st, 2019
https://mommasaystoreadornottoread.blogspot.com/2019/12/book-review-blog-tour-glittering-hour.html

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this book. The author has created a masterpiece! I just loved this story! One of the best books I've read this year! Selina Lennnox is a young girl just enjoying herself (going to parties, socializing, etc.). While she is out one night she meets Lawrence Weston, a penniless painter. Even though they quickly fall in love, they cannot really be together because of their different backgrounds. Even though Selina marries someone else, she never forgets Lawrence. I don't want to give away the plot, but this is a romance that never dies. Just read this book! You will love it!

I was excited for The Glittering Hour because it was a historical fiction novel not set in the WWII era. As much as I love that time period (honestly, it's my favorite), it has become overdone in novels recently. We need variety as readers and this book seemed to give us that reprieve.

The Glittering Hour is set in dual time periods, in 1925 with The Bright Young People, a frivolous set of British society's youth and 11 years later in 1936 with a young girl stuck in her grandparents' home while her mother and father are away on business. In between these chapters are often letters from mother to young daughter, as the mother describes the details of her trip and sets up a treasure hunt around the grounds of the girl's grandparents' gigantic estate. I loved the concept of the treasure hunt, as it revealed details about the mother's past to her young daughter. This plot point made me very interested in the story from the beginning. Unfortunately, the story never really piqued my interest from that point forward. I had to take a break around 30% because it was no longer holding my interest. The promise of the great reviews on Goodreads mentioning what was ahead kept me hanging on.

My main issue with this book is the terribly slow writing. The bottom line is that it's infinitely too wordy for my taste. I would find my mind wandering in each paragraph and eventually had to begin skimming to get through the story. I wasn't interested in the adventures of The Bright Young People because their exploits were shallow and vain. The only people in the story who sparked feeling from me were Lawrence and Alice, and their parts in the story were far too short, and still somehow still drawn out and too descriptive.

The plot of the story as a whole was incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking. It seemed like exactly the type of book I would love and honestly would have loved if not for the writing style used. I needed a quicker plot and fewer words to make this feel less like a tome I was slogging through for a grade in school. I desperately wish I could have connected to the story, the bones of an epic plot were there, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me. 

Please don't just take my word for it. This is likely to be a popular read, being a Book of the Month selection for December. It already has numerous five-star recommendations from excellent reviewers and will surely hit the right notes for many readers.

This started out so slow moving that it was really hard to get into it. It was a good enough story, but the style of writing just seemed to plod along. Or maybe that's just me. Something for everyone but this was just ok for me.

Selina is a young woman from a wealthy family. She is supposed to marry a man of similar means. She falls in love with an artist, but will she choose to follow this love or will she settle for stability? This is a story of passion and love, but also one of loss and regret.

The vivid prose and moving story in The Glittering Hour did not disappoint. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing. Her life is a whirl of parties and drinking, pursued by the press and staying on just the right side of scandal.
Lawrence Weston is a penniless painter who stumbles into Selina's orbit one night and can never let her go even while knowing someone of her stature could never end up with someone of his.
Spanning two decades and a seismic shift in British history as World War II approaches,
I had never read anything by this author before and probably will not again. What started as a poignant read progressed into a slow and drawn out one. I liked the beginning and the ending but the middle was much too slow for me.
I'm sorry to say that it just wasn't my cup of tea.
I gave this book 2.75 (rounded up to 3.0 stars) of 5.0 stars for plot, story line and characterization. If you're into slow historical reads you'll love this book but a more fast paced read is what I was looking for and the era is not one that I enjoy.
I received a complimentary ARC of this book by invitation.
This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I was captivated by the blurb of The Glittering Hour. The impression I from the blurb is that it was going to be a sweeping romance. While it was that, it was so much more.

The Glittering Hour got off to a slow start but morphed into a fast-paced, heartbreaking book. There was no lag to the plotline. There were also no dropped characters or storylines.

I am not the biggest fan of the dual plotline books. I can’t keep track of going on. Not the case in The Glittering Hour. The author made sure that I knew what year (aka character) I was reading. Even the characters that had smaller roles (like the governess or the gardener) were clearly labeled. I had no issue following along.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Selina when I first started reading her half of the book. She came across as spoiled. But, as the author got more into her backstory, I understood why she acted the way she did. I believe that is why she was so attracted to Lawrence. He gave her a sense of belonging that she didn’t get from her family. Her love for Alice was evident through the letters she wrote to her and Alice’s memories.

I felt awful for Alice. She was living with people who resented her presence. Her grandmother treated her awfully. She was so cold. It was painfully obvious when her younger cousin came for a visit, and he was indulged. I wanted to reach through the book and hug her; I felt that bad for her. My heart broke even more for her towards the end of the book.

I liked Lawrence, but I thought he fell for Selina too quickly. In an era where social and economic status were still barriers, I knew that he didn’t have a chance with her. I was mentally chanting, “Don’t fall in love, don’t fall in love.” But he did, and it was wonderfully sad.

There were a couple of twists in the storyline that took me by surprise. The one that involved Alice, I saw coming. But the other one blew me away. I didn’t see that one coming at all. When it was revealed, I had to put down my Kindle and take a minute to process it. I should have known something was up when Flick made an appearance!!!

The end of The Glittering Hour had me sobbing my eyes out. From the minute both twists were revealed, I was crying. What a way to end a book!!

I loved this book! Nine year old Alice is staying with her grandparents at Blackwood, the old family estate, while her mother and father travel. To help pass the time, and to teach Alice about her mother's secrets, her mother Selina and her maid Polly devise a "treasure hunt" consisting of clues about Selina's past. Told in dual timelines, I was thoroughly engrossed with both the stories of Alice and Selina. Though this was a lengthy novel, I read it fairly quickly because I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Iona Grey's descriptive writing painted a vivid picture and her well-developed characters drew me in, not letting go until I devoured each and every page and keeping me guessing the entire book. This book has it all; a mysterious old house, a love story, family secrets, an entertaining story line with an interesting historical backdrop, strong women characters, and the pain of loss. Five solid stars. This was my firsts book by Iona Grey, but it absolutely will not be my last.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Iona Grey, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this fabulous book.