This one was a bit heart-wrenching. The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey is the kind of book you pick up thinking that it is going to be sweet – and it is on a number of levels. Most of the story is told through the perspective of Alice, daughter of one of the “Bright Young Things” that everyone talked about in the 1920s. And certainly, it starts off sweetly enough. Alice’s mother has put together a treasure hunt for her. A treasure hunt to explain how Alice came to be.
And then you find yourself tumbling down a slope of excitement of discovery that slams you right into the second, tear-jerking half of the book. Which you still love – but goodness! I definitely could not put this book down once everything was rolling, and it was a non-stop rollercoaster from that moment forward. There are just enough clues built into the storyline, just enough foreshadowing, that while it is not a traditional mystery novel, it had elements of a mystery, and that made me love it even more.
Alice is still my favorite character – likely because I relate to her the most. Her shyness and sensitivity as well as her inquisitiveness. While the book jacket (and the central story) are about Selena and Lawrence, Alice’s story interested me more. Iona Grey does an excellent job of telling both. She also spends brief snippets of time inside other characters’ heads as well, giving us a full painting of the 1930s. While I disliked Alice’s governess, for example, it was interesting to see what she was up to when Alice wasn’t in the room.
I definitely recommend The Glittering Hour, especially if you like books like The English Wife by Lauren Willig. (This is another book I highly recommend. The combination of forbidden romance and mystery solving is also built into it. Clearly a combination that I adore.)