I adored Iona Grey's debut novel, Letters To The Lost, and luckily The Glittering Hour lives up to its predecessor. Moving between nine year old Alice in the 1930s, who is staying with her forbidding grandparents in their grand, but decaying, country house, and her mother, Selina, and her experiences in the 1920s as part of the fabulous London set of Bright Young Things. The story unfolds beautifully, if somewhat predictably, to revelations both tragic and tender.

As beguiling and mesmeric as the socialites it follows, ‘The Glittering Hour’ is undoubtedly one of summer’s must reads.

Grey’s transportational writing seeks to examine what lies under the surface of the ‘Bright Young Things,’ a surfeit of socialites whose heady whirlwind of parties and engagements has the press transfixed. Selina Lennox is at the heart of the social whirl, but she is in for an abrupt awakening. Love, death, and family dynamics are examined with depth and poignancy- with a deftly handled, tender conclusion. A superb read.

An unbelievably beautiful book. It broke my heart several times. The sense of time and place were wonderful. I fell in love with Lawrence completely. And oh, the detail...the painted stars on his chest for example. Beautifully random and exotic detail through the book. I loved it.

What a wonderful, wonderful book. The Glittering Hour is so well named because it does glitter, every word, every chapter, every twist and turn until the heart wrenchingly inevitable end. Spoiler: you will need tissues. Many of them. Iona Grey has been very open about the struggles she has had following up her award winning Letters to the Lost, but I can promise you, this book is well worth waiting for.

Like Letters to the Lost, The Glittering Hour is set in two time zones, connected by letters. But this time we are between the wars, the first World War hanging darkly over the plot, the second foreshadowed and just a decade separates the two narratives. In 1936 Alice Carew (with shades of the Little Princess Sara Crewe in more than her name) waits forlornly for her beloved mother to return from Burma. Only her mother's letters, and the treasure hunt she sends her on, keep her going in a big house devoid of love, except for Polly, her mother's maid. Meanwhile, back in 1925 Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing, using parties and drink, treasure hunts and escapades to escape the knowledge of her brother's death and her own lack of purpose, always aware that she can only go so far, that there are penalties for wild girls with disapproving parents and that emotions can only ever cause pain. Marriage to the proper and cold Rupert seems inevitable, but when Selina meets an impoverished artist, a whole new world opens up before her. A world where she isn't inconvenient or troubled or a problem, but a world where she could be loved for herself, if she's brave enough to try.

This is an utterly heartbreaking, mesmerising read, one that whisks you to the 1930s, back to the 20s and then the 30s again with an assured touch, every detail pitch perfect. Put an afternoon aside, stock up with those tissues and lose yourself in a beautifully drawn world full of unforgettable characters.

I cannot even begin to tell you how achingly beautiful this book is.
Iona Grey has broken my heart all over again.
I know my words will never, in a million years, do this book the justice it deserves. You need to read it for yourself to understand. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
I absolutely adored Iona Grey's previous novel, Letters To The Lost. I talk about it, a lot! I have been patiently waiting (for four years) for her next book and I can tell you that The Glittering Hour has most certainly been worth the wait, although I truly hope I won't have to wait another four years for another book by this amazing author.
I practically squealed with excitement when the publisher sent me an invite to view The Glittering Hour on Netgalley, but unfortunately due to previous commitments I was unable to dive in immediately, although resisting it was hard work I can tell you! Anyway, it didn't download to my Paperwhite, for some reason, and by the time I had realised it had already been archived, but never mind because I bought it anyway and I have the paperback on pre-order. I will be adding the audible narration also.
In 1925 Selina Lennox is well known as one of the 'Bright Young Things'. Her life consists of enjoying parties with her friends, drinking and sometimes slightly risky activities which often result in their pictures appearing in the newspapers and fashionable magazines. She knows she will be expected to settle down one day and she is determined to enjoy her youth in the meantime. Then the untimely death of a cat brings her face to face with Lawrence Weston and her life changes forever.
Lawrence is a struggling artist with a passion for photography and is the most endearing of characters. I pictured him as extremely good looking. Tall, dark and handsome, in a bit of a rough and ready kind of a way. I totally understood how Selina fell for him so easily, but I do believe, looks aside, that everyone has a soul mate and these two are most definitely each other's. They reminded me so much of my husband and I except I cannot begin to imagine how I would ever give that up, especially to satisfy the expectations of family and society as a whole. Having said that, I could, sort of, understand Selina's fears. Not so much her fear of what others might think, but her fear of loving so deeply and of being so emotionally overwhelmed. My heart broke for her, but especially for Lawrence. This story is just so full of raw emotion and I know it will be another one which will stay with me for a very long time to come.
When we meet Alice, Selina's daughter, almost a decade later she is residing with her Grandparents as her parents are away on a business trip. Alice is 9 years old and the love between her and her mother is palpable. They keep in touch via letter, but obviously miss each other dearly and my heart went out to them both. Even more so as the story progresses and we learn that not all is as it seems. When I thought this story could not be any more heart-breaking it shattered my heart all over again as the chapters revealed the truth behind Selina's absence. I sobbed so much I could barely read the words. It's just so sad, but also hopeful in the end. I'd love to hear about how life pans out for these lovely characters after the closing chapter of this book. I have to hope that they find happiness and peace.

Wow! I don’t think my heart has been broken by a book before. What a gorgeous, heart rending story woven with a masterly pen. Iona Grey transported me to another world and I lived the emotions along with the vivid characters. Loved Selina, Lawrence, Alice, Polly and Flick. A real rollercoaster of feeling, which is even continued into the author acknowledgements. Bravo, Iona Grey, can’t wait for the next one, as I feel lost now I’ve finished reading your novel.

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.

Selina Lennox, is a bright young thing who has a glittering future ahead of her. Right now though she's enjoying parties, drinking and hanging out with her two dearest friends having as many laughs as they possibly can. One night having got separated from her friends and caring what happens to a cat which was run over she meets Lawrence Weston, a penniless but gorgeous artist. They have a deep connection and she feels an intense need and desire to see him again.

The story is set in two timelines the 1920s and the 1930s. In the 1930s we meet Alice, Selina's 9 year old daughter.who is staying at the family manor while her parents are in the Far East.

Selina wants to make things more fun for Alice while she's staying with her parents and concocts an exiting treasure hunt with clues which will take her all over the house and grounds. Polly, Selina's old maid intercepts the clues so that Alice's grandparents don't find out....

The chance meeting with Lawrence changes her life forever although Selina is expected to do the right thing and make marry the "right" man regardless whether she loves him or not.

It's an absolutely unputdownable tale of great love, friendship, heartache and loss which I totally adored.

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.

Should I write a review from the heart, do you think? Might that be a bit too gushing? If it is, my apologies, but this book was absolutely everything I hoped it would be – and then probably a little more.

The prologue to this book drew me in instantly – entitled “The End”, a picture coming slowly into focus with enigmatic mentions of missing faces on the walls, the kitbag propped against the table leg, the wedding dress hanging elsewhere, and the lover turned to for the very last time. I already had a lump in my throat – and reading on, I barely surfaced for air until the book’s end.

This is a dual timeline story, the first set in 1925, and Selina is one of the Bright Young People: she lives a life of joy, excess, and post war hedonism – to the horror of her family who tire of seeing her photograph in the papers together with accounts of her latest escapade. And then, quite by chance, while taking part in a treasure hunt, she meets Lawrence Weston – an impoverished artist eking a living by painting portraits of those lost during the war, but who takes every possible opportunity to indulge his passion for photography.

It’s the beginning of an immensely powerful and convincing love story, and one that fills you with absolute joy as they spend a glorious secret summer together – but then goes on to shatter your heart into so many pieces.

The other thread, set ten years later, is the story of nine year old Alice, awaiting the return of her mother – Selina – from a long overseas trip, having been left in the not-so-tender care of her austere grandparents. Her days are brightened only by her mother’s letters, sent to her in secret – they present Alice with clues for her own treasure hunt, and the full story of the past is slowly revealed. It’s an ingenious structure that works exceptionally well, as the story then moves beyond the present into the uncertain future.

The recreation of the historical background is perfectly judged – the depth of research evident, but judiciously used to bring the book’s eras to life. In 1925 we have the relief and release of having survived the wartime years, the cult of youth, the changing fashions, and that hangover from earlier years of duty, obligation and the expectations of society: the 1930s gently introduce the rise of fascism, always in the background, but just sufficient to anchor the story in its period. The settings are wonderful too, particularly around the family home of Beechcroft – its driveway, gardens and surroundings, seen through the changing seasons with the eye of an artist in all the small detail.

This book is beautifully written – the author is a very accomplished story teller – and the sureness of her emotional touch took my breath away and made me ache inside. The characters are wonderfully drawn – satisfyingly complex, and there are those you grow to love quite desperately, as you watch their lives unfold before you.

There are moments of sheer joy, but there are others of almost unbearable sadness: you might, like me, even need to put the book down from time to time. But you read on, wiping away the many tears, desperate to continue, and have the absolute joy of discovering an end that is so very uplifting, with real hope for the future.

I really don’t need to say “one of my books of the year”, do I? Everything I love to read, all drawn together in the most perfect way, and worth every moment of that long wait – don’t miss this one, whatever you do.

(Review copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Nine year old Alice Carew waits impatiently for her mama to return from a business trip. At Blackwood Park, a sprawling, overgrown estate that has lost its splendour, the company is austere and cold. Her grandmother only sees fit to admonish her. It’s one saving grace is helper Polly, who cares for Alice with warmth and kindness. But even Polly can’t assuage Alice’s loneliness and need for her mother. Meanwhile, Selena is missing her daughter too and plots a way to ease the hardship and hasten the dull days until her return. With clues planted around Blackwood for Alice to hunt down, she reveals some her early life in letters and treasured possessions.

The reader follows Selena as a young woman: the grand parties with bustling lords and ladies and fizzing bottles of champagne, the glitz and glamour of wealth and high society, the chase and excitement of treasure hunts through the heart of London, the sweetness of freedom and the much needed distractions when memories of the war make simple living unbearable. She and her friends are the “Bright Young Things” of London. Beautiful, happy, carefree. Their adventures are plastered across the newspapers much to the irritation of their parents. They are painted as idols and applauded and admired by some but despite all its excitement, Selena is battling tooth and nail with the past, the turmoil she carries every day.

The author depicts 1920s London with flare and imagination. Her descriptions evoke the glitter and glamour of that era but also running alongside this the sadness and tragedy following the war, how it affected even the smallest pockets of everyday life. Families devastated and tormented. Any snatches of happiness choked by bad memories. Alice and Selena are such wonderful characters. I was swept up in their story and enjoyed every moment of their emotional journey.

The Glittering Hour is a dazzling and emotional new novel about love, sacrifice and forgiveness from the author of Letters to the Lost. Brilliant!

This sounded like a great book which I couldn't wait to read. I am so glad I got the chance to read it, I thought it was a lovely, heartbreaking and well-written book, I found myself glued to it after about the first quarter of the novel. It is told from a dual timeline, however, it is handled so well that I didn't feel confused or lost while reading, I was able to follow the story really well. I think Grey is an amazing writer and I look forward to reading more of her work.

The Glittering Hour is a truly spectacular book that had me gripped from the very start. You are instantly intimate with Selina and Lawrence, a part of the post-war atmosphere in London, and immersed in all the dichotomy of rich, hedonism and suffering poverty and loss.

I loved the characters. I loved the history. I loved the backdrop of Blackwood, the house where Selina grew up and now where her nine year old daughter Alice finds herself insufferably bored, isolated and eagerly awaiting her parents' return.

I loved the gentle, enduring loyalty of Polly, Patterson and Edith, and the kindness they bring to soften the hard edges of the story.

This book is about grief, sacrifice and the tender moments between a mother and her child.

It leads us through a spellbinding story of shocks and scandal, wonder and devotion, and shows us that where there is love, there is forgiveness.

The Glittering Hour is one of my favourite books of the year so far, so well written, captivating, and one I can see making a wonderful TV or film adaptation. A must read I can't recommend enough.

From the very beginning of this book, I was captivated. A good prologue should catch your interest, ask you questions, then leave you hanging. The prologue in this book certainly does that. Who was the woman in bed with her lover? Whose was the wedding dress hanging up in another room across town? And why is the prologue entitled The End?

Like Alice following her mother’s clues, this book completely captured my imagination and I eagerly read about the young Selina. I liked the way their stories were connected with young Alice following a treasure trail of clues left by her mother and finding out more about her through her letters. From the letters, the story slipped into the past to reveal Selina’s story in more detail. And at various points of the story we hear from several key characters and their connection to Selina.

Society girl Selina is expected to marry Rupert Carew and settle into a life of respectable domesticity. But she is such a spirited girl that all this seems thrown into uncertainty when she meets impoverished painter and photographer Lawrence Weston one evening. Theirs was such an achingly beautiful love story but could it ever happen?

Iona Grey writes so vividly that it was easy to imagine the glamorous set of Selina and her friends in 1920s London – “The Bright Young Things” – the beautiful clothes, the decadence, the heady lifestyle. The rush of joy at being alive after World War One when so many didn’t survive or were badly damaged in different ways, both physical and psychological. In a way, it was a tribute to the dead to carry on living and making the most of every opportunity.

This is a glorious feast of a book to be savoured. It is gorgeously romantic and heartbreakingly tragic by turns and goes straight into my top reads list for this year.

Iona Grey wowed readers with her first book Letters to the Lost. I know that I am not the only one who has been eagerly awaiting for her to write a new book. Here it is, The Glittering Hour, I can say without hesitation that it is a complete triumph.

Everything is so beautifully done, the story, the characters, the cover, the title. I could not find fault with any of it.

The story takes place between the first and second world wars. England was facing great changes and in some ways, the higher classes of society were hit harder than others. Their way of life was scrutinised and picked apart in a way it had not been before. Socialite Selina Lennox is part of a group known as The Bright Young Things. Along with best friends, Theo and Flick, Selina is often photographed clutching a bottle of vintage champagne whilst falling out of well-known London establishments. We begin to learn the reasons for Selina's behaviour and it becomes clear that she is desperate to break free from the gilded cage that she was born into.

Selina meets Lawrence Weston one fateful night and the course of their lives is altered forever. Lawrence is from a totally different world, a poor artist and aspiring photographer, he struggles to pay his rent and Selina's glamorous world is alien to him. The connection between Selina and Lawrence is instant. He adores her and very quickly uncovers the person behind the tabloids and public perception. In Lawrence, Selina finds someone who loves her as she is without question. He wants the best for her without any pretence or ulterior motive. They embark on a dangerous relationship they they know cannot last and by the end of that glorious summer they are both undone.

Selina goes on to marry Rupert Carew, a friend of her brothers. He is straight up and down, exactly the respectable type of man that Selina's mother expected her to marry. Swapping one gilded cage for another, Selina welcomes a daughter, Alice who she is completely besotted with. The story continues nine years later, Selina is travelling abroad with Rupert and Alice has been sent to Selina's childhood home, Beechcroft to stay with her grandparents. Alice, as Selina did, finds Beechcroft cold and oppressing and she misses her mother terribly. With the help of Polly who has been a faithful maid and companion to Selina; Alice begins sending and receiving letters from her mother in the Far East. Selina wants Alice to know how she came to be and sends her on a treasure hunt. Each clue provides a piece of the story and reveals Selina's past whilst securing Alice's future.

I loved the treasure hunt idea and it tied the two parts of the story together beautifully. The relationship between Alice and Selina is so well portrayed, the little girl provided love in Selina's life when everything else was lost.

I felt that Iona Grey perfectly summed up the time period within the book. It was a time of such change with shifting attitudes and approaches to life. Country Estates such as Beechcroft begin to fall into disrepair as so many workers did not return from the war or simply chose not to once they had experienced a different way of life. Selina is desperate for change too but as a woman she is constrained by position and value. Her heart wants Lawrence and she pays the price for not being able to follow her true desires.

I can't write anymore without giving away spoilers so I shall stop. The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey had me sobbing by the last few pages. I was so invested in the characters and their lives that I felt a little lost when I reached the final page. The Glittering Hour has been more than worth the wait, I know that it is a book I will visit again and again.

Selina Lennox spends her days partying and drinking with her high-class friends, dubbed the Bright Young Things by the pursuing press.

Lawrence Weston is a struggling artist making ends meet painting portraits for wealthy families who have lost their sons on the battlefield.

When a chance encounter brings them together, little do they realise it will be a night that will change the rest of their lives.

Since reading Letters to the Lost I have always kept an eye out for more from this author, and I was thrilled when this book came up for request on NetGalley.

Grey has a real knack for creating worlds that immerse the reader from the get-go. With her brilliant use of imagery, it is easy to conjure the essence of the setting, in this case the 1920s in the aftermath of the First World War and the 1930s.

Told from a dual timeline; one follows Selina as she navigates the roaring twenties and the strange new era the War has left behind. A time when change is inevitable and the possibility for freedom of choice for a woman is tangible. The other is told from the viewpoint of Selina’s daughter Alice. She is 9 years-old and currently ensconced with her Grandparents at the fading country pile whilst her parents travel abroad.

A miserable and cold existence, and one Selina remembers all too well. To bridge the gap and ease the loneliness Selina begins to write Alice letters, including clues for a treasure hunt around the estate. Within each clue Selina tells her daughter the story of her youth, eventually leading her to the most precious and heart wrenching conclusion.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I felt every high and every low along with the protagonists, and the supporting characters. Grey never fails to disappoint with her effortless writing and beautiful stories.

As I've come to expect from Iona, this was an absolutely beautiful novel. It was clearly meticulously researched, and brought to life an era that can feel cartoonish and cliched in lesser hands. The final chapters broke me, and even the acknowledgements had me in tears.

Could not out this book down. An obvious story line, but that did not spoil the enjoyment of the book and the need to keep turning the pages.

A mesmerizing read full of love heartache friendship romance. A book that drew me in to the characters lives world relationships a book Inhated to end an englishbsaga at its best.#netgalley #simonschusteruk.

The Glittering Hour is a perfect read for people who love tear-jerkers. This is a story of boy meets girl, loses girl, and finally finds her again.

Set in two time frames, the early 1920s and mid 1930s, it revolves around Selina Lennox and her daughter Alice. The changes in lifestyle people experienced between the end of the First World War and the beginning of the Second is well portrayed, although I thought the governess as a supporter of Mosely was rather heavy-handed.

Selina is a wealthy Bright Young Thing when she meets and falls in love with Lawrence, a penniless artist, but she has to marry within her class and they break up when he leaves to go to America to get over her.

Ten years later Alice is living with her grandparents in the family home, Beechcroft, while her mother and father are away in the Far East. Alice and her mother correspond regularly but Alice is very lonely and unhappy.

The reader becomes aware that Selina is trapped in an unhappy marriage but the reason for her husband's coldness towards their daughter becomes apparent by the end. I found the latter part of the novel triggering but don't want to give anything away. Suffice it to say that many readers will be weeping over it.

I am sure fans of Iona Grey's debut will lap The Glittering Hour up. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & SchusterUK for the opportunity to read and review this book.