The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey

The Glittering Hour

by Iona Grey

*** The epic and long-awaited new romance from the author of Letters to the Lost, winner of the RNA Award ***

‘An epic story of joyous hedonism and desperate heartache. Just beautiful’ Catherine Isaac
'Stunning' Veronica Henry
'Gorgeously written ... I loved it' Jill Mansell
'An enchanting, evocative read' The Sun

1925. The war is over and a new generation is coming of age, keen to put the trauma of the previous one behind them. 

Selina Lennox is a Bright Young Thing whose life is dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure; to parties and drinking and staying just the right side of scandal. Lawrence Weston is a struggling artist, desperate to escape the poverty of his upbringing and make something of himself.  When their worlds collide one summer night, neither can resist the thrill of the forbidden, the lure of a love affair that they know cannot possibly last.

But there is a dark side to pleasure and a price to be paid for breaking the rules.  By the end of that summer everything has changed.
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A decade later, nine year old Alice is staying at Blackwood Hall with her distant grandparents, piecing together clues from her mother’s letters to discover the secrets of the past, the truth about the present, and hope for the future. 

'The perfect book to lose yourself in' heat
‘Vivid and heartbreakng’ Prima
'Prepare to be swept away on an all-encompassing journey of love, loss and discovery' Woman & Home
‘I absolutely adored this sweeping novel’ Good Housekeeping
'This has beautiful writing, compelling characters and an ending that made me cry' Red
‘A beautifully written read that will envelop you in its pages’ Fabulous
'Poignant and beautifully realised' Woman
'Emotionally fraught, evocative and redemptive, The Glittering Hour has been well worth the wait. What a superb novel - Iona Grey really is back with aplomb’ Fiona Mitchell
‘Poignant, beautiful and sad. A must read!’ Katrina Oliver
'Deeply captivating, engaging and so irresistible. I could not put it down!' Petra Quelch

Reviewed by Jeff Sexton on

5 of 5 stars

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Welcome To The Roaring Twenties. As I finish this book a couple of weeks late - yet appropriately just hours before the Roaring Twenties come back - I'm actually thankful I wasn't able to complete it sooner due to various traveling I was doing in the early parts of this month. Because this book is a phenomenal look at the Roaring Twenties, young adult disillusionment in their twenties generally, and the realities we sometimes face in our thirties. But it is also extremely tragic, and without actually giving anything away let's just say be prepared to bawl for the last 100 pages or so of this 400 page book. Truly an excellent work, and very much recommended.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 30 December, 2019: Finished reading
  • 30 December, 2019: Reviewed