Blog Tour: The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey

I'm very excited to be one of the bloggers rounding up the blog tour for the magnificent The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey - I read it back in May and it featured as one of my top books in the January-June period - see HERE. It's simply stunning and so worth a read.

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.

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. 

My thoughts?

Selina Lennox is a bright young thing who has a glittering future ahead of her. Right now though she's enjoying parties, drinking champagne and hanging out with her two dearest friends making sure to have as many laughs as they possibly can. One night having got separated by her friends after caring about what happens to a cat which was run over she randomly meets Lawrence Weston, a man who will change her life forever. He's a penniless but gorgeous artist and she finds they have an instant connection. She finds she has an intense need and desire to see him again.

The story is set in two timelines - the 1920s and 30s and in the 30s we meet Alice, Selina's 9 year old daughter, who is staying with her frosty grandparents at the family pile while her parents are in the Far East. 

Selina sets out to make things more fun for Alice and concocts a treasure hunt, with the help of her old maid, Polly. Searching for the clues take Alice all over the house and garden where she meets the old gardener, Patterson. The story Selina hopes to tell Alice is about her life and how she came to be...

The chance meeting with Lawrence changes her life forever however Selina is expected to marry well whether she loves the man or not..

It's an absolutely amazing read which constantly pulled on my heartstrings (yes, you'll need tissues) I totally and utterly adored it.