The Golden Hour is an epic dual timeline story which interweaves glory-seeking desert archaeologists, priceless treasures, Nefertiti’s tomb and the decadent cabarets of WW2 Cairo with restless expat lives in bohemian Beirut.
Archaeologist Lucie Fitzgerald's mother is dying – she's also been lying. As her home, the 'Paris of the East', Beirut, teeters on the brink of war in the ‘70s, Polly Fitzgerald has one last story to tell from her deathbed. It’s the story of her childhood best friend Juno and their life in 30s Cairo. Lucie travels home to be with her dying mother and discovers the truth about her family, Juno's work and their shared search for the greatest undiscovered tomb of all - Nefertiti's.
From the cities to the deserts, this transporting and moving story of a lost generation transformed by war is a study of great love and sacrifice in all its forms, the perfect novel for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.
What did I think?
I love ancient Egyptian history so The Golden Hour was an absolute must-read for me and it completely exceeded my expectations, absolutely blowing me away with its amazing setting and its intriguing storyline.
With a dual timeline set in Egypt 1939 and Lebanon 1975, Kate Lord Brown sweeps the reader away to distant shores and introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters. Juno and Polly have been friends since their childhood in England and the pair are reunited as married women in 1939 in Egypt. Now that Polly is terminally ill, it is time to tell her daughter Lucie about the past and the story is quite emotional and shocking but it is also courageous and empowering.
The characters are so well developed and I adored Juno who refused to take no for an answer as she forced her way into the male-dominated world of archaeology. It is Juno's dream to discover Nefertiti's tomb and I loved the portrayal of Nefertiti as a strong woman in her own right rather than the wife of Akhenaten and stepmother/mother-in-law of Tutankhamun.
I thoroughly enjoyed the archaelogical part of the story but it is Juno and Polly's history that kept me completely riveted to the pages. I was devastated more than once by this moving tale but I also felt uplifted and empowered by the strong female characters.
Poignant and powerful, The Golden Hour is a sweeping story that took my breath away with its exotic setting and rendered me speechless with its stunning plot. It is giving me goose bumps just thinking about it now and I will be recommending it and reading it many many times. Unmissable and unputdownable; an easy five stars.
I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.
My rating:
Buy it from:
Follow the tour:
No comments:
Post a Comment