Days of Light by Megan Hunter

Six days in Ivy's life from being a 19 year old in 1938 to her final moments in 1999. We follow Ivy and her family through WW2 into the changing 1950s/60s and beyond.

Wow, this novel really packs a punch! At first I was thinking A God in Ruins/Cazalet Chronicles but I was surprised again and again - for all its brevity it really encompasses so much in the way of capturing changes in Ivy and her family, along with societal changes over Ivy's life. I could have lived without the religion aspect but that's a personal preference and more than made up for by the rest of the novel. Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I am sure this book will be very well regarded in literary circles and I did request to read the book based on the author's previous work. Despite really trying to understand and enjoy "Days of Light" by Megan Hunter, I found my mind wandering and couldn't keep focus. Not for me.

Every so often I dip into literary fiction and I am so glad I chose this book. The writing is beautiful, dreamlike, almost sensual at times, and so clever that it changes and grows with the phases of the narrator, Ivy’s life.
The book begins on Easter Sunday 1938 when Ivy is leaving her teenage years and charts six important days, scattered through the decades until 199. The first shapes everything; a tragedy shatters her family and she meets the love of her life.
The six days could feel like a device, but it doesn’t. It makes perfect sense and each day is put into context by memories of what has gone before. At times I was begging Ivy to take one path or another, I cared so much. And at times my choices would have been wrong. It’s a rare book to be so immersive.

I really enjoyed The End We Start From so I was looking forward to reading this, although it's a very different book. The story of a sister, told over six days of her life, one of them the scene of a terrible tragedy, and how this impacts her life. The book opens just before the Second World War, when the characters know conflict is looming but the war doesn't interfere with the plot, merely functioning as a setting. I didn't have any idea what was going to happen throughout, but what an interesting turn in life, and yet the book also shines a light on how poorly the middle classes prepared their daughters for life. I thought this was an excellent novel, really interesting turns and a sensitive portrayal of a delicate relationship.

As I started reading this book I was immediatley back in one of my favourites - Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift. I hadn't spotted that part of the blurb on NetGalley's front page. The first of the six parts dealing with Ivy's life was so poignant. The similarity to Mothering Sunday didn't last beyond that first part for me but it is a lovely book, beautifully written and so very well paced and delivered. Ivy is a complex character and one that many people will no doubt relate to with her quest to find out what life is all about. The ending was perfect for the balance of the story. With thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an e-ARC to read and review. Five solid stars.

The writing is very poetic and is a character driven novel which I always enjoyed. I think this is a very beautiful book and I thought Ivy’s character development was done well, I did not foresee any of the twists in Ivy’s life which came her way.

Despite excellent reviews I just couldn’t get into this new novel by Megan Hunter. I did read to the end but found I was skipping bits just to do so. Sorry but just not for me.

I had enjoyed this author’s previous novel The End We Start from and particularly remember her poetic writing style. When this book became available on NetGalley UK, I quickly requested it.

The book tells the story of Ivy who we first meet in 1938 when during an Easter holiday family party her older brother drowns. At the same time Ivy experiences and unexplainable light surrounding her and the river.
We then meet Ivy six years later married with two children throughout the novel we meet her at different ages across six decades up to the end of the 20th century. her loss continues to define her.
There is a subtle magical element to the story with the bright lights surrounding the drowning of her brother, which personally I didn’t think hit the perfect balance of magic and reality and didn’t add anything additional to the story
The author has a beautiful occasionally poetic writing style I really loved this sentence which run very true for me Open “Ivy recognised the bewildered unfocused look in her eyes the disarray of childbirth still present that moment of opening as though a hole had been made in the fabric of existence slow to close if it ever closed at all”
One thing that I did notice that I personally found rather irritating was that there was some American spellings for example recognized was spelt with a z American spelling, this book is firmly set in England so the spelling choice seemed strange
I was I saw a novel compared to David Nichols. One day and I can see where this is coming from. I’d recommend the novel to those who enjoy a novel with a good character development if you enjoy watching a character grow throughout the novel this book.
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK in return for a unbiased review. The book is published in the UK on the 17th of April 2025 by Pam McMillan
This review would appear on NetGalley UK, StoryGraph, Goodreads, and my book blog bionicSarahS books.wordpress.com. After publication will also appear on Amazon UK.

Days of Light is a deeply moving story of a woman finding her way in the world. Set in the 20th Century, it follows Ivy, from gauche young woman grieving the death of her beloved older brother, through motherhood and the Second World War, and on. Family relations, widowhood, mothers and daughters, siblings and children, Megan Hunter writes human emotions in such a heartbreakingly beautiful way, every scene is beautifully rendered in sparkling prose. A very moving novel, and one that will stay with me for a long time.

Beautifully written story woven gently woven around light. I was hooked from beginning to the very end. I'll be watching for this writer's next offerings. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.

Days of Light

What an exquisite book this was! The storytelling was haunting and atmospheric and the prose was simply emotional, sentimental and poetic …

This is story of Ivy and six pivotal days across six decades of her life… the common theme across all days is the tragedy that unfolds on that fateful Easter Sunday of 1938. This single event defines Ivy’s life and the decisions that she takes and the relationships that she forms throughout her life.

This is a book that explores life and times, emotion, even touches on art and religion and Ivy’s strength and resilience to adapt to situations that she cannot control… this is a book that ponders the distinct eras with visceral cultural and societal snapshots of the time..

This is the first book that I have read from Megan Hunter and I would love to go back and read some of her earlier works just to try and re-capture some of that lyrical prose as it was a joy to behold!

Many thanks to Picador and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

It’s Easter 1938 and 19 year old Ivy is excited to meet her brother Joseph’s girlfriend for the first time.
Along with the rest of her family they are gathered at Cressingdon, awaiting the arrival of Frances.
But what happens on this fateful day will change everyone’s lives forever.
We then catch up with Ivy on 5 more Easter days throughout her life as Megan Hunter takes us on a beautiful journey exploring her relationships with others and with God. Through the highs and the lows, through the darkness into the light.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

‘Days of Light’ by Megan Hunter is a poetic exploration of key moments in a woman’s life. Ivy is nineteen in 1938 and muddling long in her talented parents’ wake – bohemian artists with devoted partners who worship creativity and look down on the ordinary life. Ivy’s brother, Joseph, down from Oxford, has invited his girlfriend, Frances, for Easter. Ivy is excited for him and swept up by the romance of it all.

Easter 1938 will become the time ‘before’ for all those gathered for the celebration. The time ‘after’ is irredeemably altered by one catastrophic event.

Megan Hunter takes six days over the next six decades to focus on how Ivy responds to the tragedy. This exploration of how a single event can influence and affect one’s decisions, opinions, tastes and beliefs is beautifully written and often very moving. Over the course of her life, we see Ivy as a daughter, a wife, a mother, a lover, experiencing various iterations of a Christian life, as well as one where faith makes no sense at all. Yet nearing the end of her life, ‘…Ivy can feel God so close; just at her elbow. How much she is forgiven she knows: how much they are all forgiven in the end.’ Light is a recurring motif but, whilst Ivy thinks frequently of God, a pantheistic vision of the universe is also present throughout the novel.

This is a quiet, reflective read which ruminates on the depths of despair, the pinnacles of joy and everything else in-between. Thoroughly absorbing.

My thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

This was a beautiful book that reminded me a little of Mothering Sunday by Graham Swift in places. I enjoyed the writing itself and found myself captivated by Ivy's story over the years. Well worth a read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

This is an undeniably beautiful book. Evocative, atmospheric and with sumptuous descriptions of nature and wildlife, it's a coming of age story which charts six specific days in the lifetime of Ivy, a young girl born in 1918 from an artistic and unconventional family.

Ivy is just 19 years old when we first meet her in 1938 and the book follows her emotional, spiritual and sexual awakening over the course of a lifetime. A relatively short book, there's real clarity to Megan Hunter's story-telling with a lot of emotion and feeling packed into concise, insightful prose.

The storyline itself is heavy on religious symbolism and imagery though, which is not particularly to my personal taste, and I found it difficult to relate to Ivy. Her internal monologue and reasoning often felt self-indulgent, particularly given the hardship and loss that so many would have suffered during this period in history. Ivy's life is largely untouched by the war she lives through. Although it's hinted that she becomes politically active in later life, there's no indication that she feels any particular conviction of belief or compassion for those around her, ironic given the overall theme of the book.

A beautifully written book with exceptionally descriptive writing, it'll undoubtedly resonate more with some readers than with other.s

This was such a pleasure to read! I've long been a fan of Megan Hunter's writing, and although this was written so differently from her other novels – almost in the style of a mid-century classic – I enjoyed it just as much. It tells the story of Ivy, a nineteen-year-old with a bohemian family in 1938, and what happens to change her life. I wouldn't say I loved this because there were moments of abstractness that I didn't always get, but I really appreciated it as a whole: there were moments of beautiful interiority, such vivid and immersive descriptions of the world around Ivy, and the whole book felt very of its era. A big recommend from me and one I would like to reread just to take it all in again!

Days of Light is a real departure from The Harpy and The End We Start From thematically, but so distinctly written in Hunter’s stunningly lyrical prose. A beautiful novel about loss and grief, about love and desire, about hope and faith. A book about finding purpose in an ever-changing, complicated world. About family, motherhood and belonging, and how we relate to those we love at different stages of life, especially at times when we ourselves feel untethered. An outstanding novel that I think readers of Sarah Winman’s Still Life will love. Already cannot wait for Megan Hunter’s next book (will devour anything she writes!)

A big thank you to the lovely Picador team for the opportunity to read this one ahead of publication!

Days of Light evokes inter-war years England beautifully, with some nostalgia, but also dread of the looming Second World War. Happy, carefree country life is overshadowed by that impending doom, deflecting the reader from the more domestic disaster that befalls the family. The novel is full of hiatus, waiting, unknowing and of things unsaid. It is a book of manners and the damage done by the unspoken and that which might have been done, but which was not. But it’s not a book of regret as such. It’s a novel about discovery and striving to do the right thing, come what may. Mistakes are made, understood and characters strive to make amends, not always successfully.
But mistakes, we learn, can be rectified. Change is in the air and Ivy, the main character, finds her salvation ultimately not in the old world she grew up in, but in a world she could hardly have dreamed of.
A riveting read,

This beautifully written book begins on Easter Sunday in 1938. Ivy is 19 and unsure what comes next in her life. She lives in the family home, Cressingdon, with her mother and her mother's partner, who has other relationships as well. Her father left a long time ago, living with various other women, but is still involved in family life, as is longtime family friend, Bear. There's excitement on this day because Joseph, Ivy's older brother is home from Oxford for the holiday and everyone is looking forward to meeting his girlfriend, Frances, for the first time. On this Easter morning, no one knows that before the day ends, tragedy will strike, changing everyone's lives in profound ways. The book continues from there, telling Ivy's story through the decades, with each chapter a day in her life.

Ivy is clearly a seeker of something, although even she isn't sure what she's looking for other than a place to belong. She is surrounded by artists of one kind or another, but she herself doesn't seem to have any spectacular ability or interest in any artistic pursuits. Her education has been quite poor. She thinks about God and has fond, comforting memories of going to church with her grandmother. She feels most at home outside and indeed, it is outdoors on the family estate where she first 'sees the light' which will be with her for the rest of her life. As we follow Ivy on particular days in the decades to come, seeing the light, whether metaphorically or in reality is a recurring theme(thus the title of the book).

This is a wonderful book. The writing is exquisite. The structure works well as we see Ivy growing into a more secure sense of who she is. We also see the society around her changing. It's a coming of age story of a sort because even though Ivy is 19 when the book opens, she is very naive and acts much younger. This book was my introduction to this author's work and I enjoyed it so much that I'm now reading her previous books. If you enjoy character-driven narratives, books about women's lives, the search for self and a place to belong, and/or historical fiction, I can enthusiastically recommend this book.

I loved ivy and I really appreciate the style of the author. "Literally" is a book that I would highly recommend to others because I enjoyed the entire story. The character development was impressive, and overall, I think it's a solid read that deserves four stars from me.