Book Review: ‘The Glittering Hour’ Will Tug At Your Heart

Nine year old Alice Curew is sent to live with her overbearing Grandparents when her parents have to go to Burma on a business trip in 1936. For Alice it’s a life of misery. Her Grandmother is overbearing and her tutor is not much better. Thanks to Polly she at least has one friend in the house. Polly worked for a long time for the family when her mother Selina lived at the house. The only fun that Alice has these days is writing secret letters to her Mother and having Polly mail them. Her mother writes back via Polly and has put Alice on a treasure hunt.

The treasure hunt leads back to when Selina, ten years ago, was a bit of a wild child and would go on hunts, drink and party. Then she met Lawrence, a man so beneath her class, and they both knew it. But it didn’t matter. They started an affair and fell in love. They wanted to be together despite the class differences. But then tragedy struck one of Selina’s friends and her whole attitude changed. She broke things off with Lawrence and married a man Rupert of her class, even though she didn’t love him.

The book flashes back between Seline being a wild-child and ten years later when Alice is going on her hunts. But soon we learn not everything is what we think and tragedy and a shocking secret is revealed leading up to a heart-breaking ending.

Be prepared when reading this intense story of family and shocking secrets. If you have a heart this story will tug at it and if you’re like me you will need a few tissues handy (no advance peeking). This is up there with some of my favorite books I have read this year!

You can pick up The Glittering Hour in stores on Tuesday, December 10th from Thomas Dunne/St, Martin’s Press.