Review By Kayleigh
Coronation Year is filled with history, excitement and a mystery that could change the future.
Favourite Quote:
“She watched him slip out of the office, the door shutting softly in his wake. Her sudden realization that she was in love with him, quite hopelessly so, was a truth she could not ruminate over now. Not until the coronation was over and done, the hotel was back on an even keel, and she had time to think, and dream, and wonder.”
Goodreads Synopsis:
It is Coronation Year, 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. The people of London are in a mood to celebrate, none more so than the residents of the Blue Lion hotel.
Edie Howard, owner and operator of the floundering Blue Lion, has found the miracle she needs: on Coronation Day, Queen Elizabeth in her gold coach will pass by the hotel’s front door, allowing Edie to charge a fortune for rooms and, barring disaster, save her beloved home from financial ruin. Edie’s luck might just be turning, all thanks to a young queen about her own age.
Stella Donati, a young Italian photographer and Holocaust survivor, has come to live at the Blue Lion while she takes up a coveted position at Picture Weekly magazine. London in celebration mode feels like a different world to her. As she learns the ins and outs of her new profession, Stella discovers a purpose and direction that honor her past and bring hope for her future.
James Geddes, a war hero and gifted artist, has struggled to make his mark in a world that disdains his Indian ancestry. At the Blue Lion, though, he is made to feel welcome and worthy. Yet even as his friendship with Edie deepens, he begins to suspect that something is badly amiss at his new home.
When anonymous threats focused on Coronation Day, the Blue Lion, and even the queen herself disrupt their mood of happy optimism, Edie and her friends must race to uncover the truth, save their home, and expose those who seek to erase the joy and promise of Coronation Year.
Jennifer Robson does not disappoint with Coronation Year, a story about a seemingly quiet old hotel that’s run into some hard times. What does the hotel owner, a war hero and an Italian photographer have to do with the coronation? Robson once again excels in her storytelling here of seemingly simple people living their ordinary lives who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.
The story centers around Edie, the owner of the historic Blue Lion Hotel in London. Once famed and now struggling, Edie is hopeful that the Queen’s coronation, whose path will travel right by her hotel, will lift the hotel out of its potential ruin. She can’t explain why the hotel is struggling per se, but she is determined to try her best to keep her family heritage alive. With her parents gone and no other family and very few friends, the hotel is her whole life. The coronation draws some long-term borders to the hotel, including Stella Donati, a character readers will remember from Our Darkest Night. I was so delighted to see Stella again and see how she had not just survived but was learning to thrive after the terrors of the war. James Geddes, a war veteran and talented painter also moves in.
The borders are drawn into the inexplicable occurrences that are happening at the hotel as they seek to help out Edie. Edie, who is not used to depending on anyone, learns what it means to trust others. As she opens herself up to others she discovers that there’s more to life than just doing her duty and fulfilling her family obligations. There can be fun, kindness and even love. Against her own will she falls for James, even though she can’t imagine how her life would look with someone in her life. Their romance is sweet and made my heart ache. They both have histories to overcome and trauma that they carry. I loved watching Edie learn to be vulnerable with James. He allowed her to discover herself and to dream about more than just the hotel.
Like The Gown, another favourite of mine by Jennifer, this book is not focused on the queen and pomp and circumstance, but rather about the ordinary people that live their lives, do their jobs and do their best to provide for their own lives and their country. Part mystery and part romance, Coronation Year is the perfect read as we prepare for another Coronation Year.
Thank you to William Morrow, an Imprint Of HarperCollins, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
