Description

‘I’m overjoyed to have this . . . The Golden Hours is a wonderful read’ – Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina

*One of The Times’ 40 books not to miss this autumn*

Continuing the story of one of the most beloved families in British literature, The Golden Hours is the brilliant new novel in Elizabeth Jane Howard’s iconic Cazalet Chronicles written by her niece, the bestselling author Louisa Young.

Our lives have changed so much . . .

It’s December 1962, and the Cazalet family are gathering to celebrate Christmas. With the family’s beloved Home Place long sold, Polly and Gerald have offered up their rambling stately pile, Fakenham Hall in Norfolk, to parents, siblings, cousins and children.

The old guard – brothers Hugh, Edward, Rupert and their sister Rachel – look on as the England they knew and understood fades from view. Cousins Polly, Louise and Clary, all now on the brink of turning forty, are struggling to balance the demands of midlife with their personal desires – however secret. And then there are the young – a new generation growing up in a society on the cusp of real change.

In this spellbinding novel, familiar faces reappear, newcomers are introduced, and the legacy of the Cazalets carries on into the Swinging Sixties.

‘Effortlessly authentic, pitch-perfect, funny, sexy and heart-wrenching, I can’t remember the last time I lost myself so deliciously in a novel!’ – Julie Myerson, author of Something Might Happen

Publisher Review

I’m overjoyed to have this new volume in the Cazalet Chronicles. The Golden Hours is a wonderful read — Nina Stibbe, bestselling author of Love, Nina Effortlessly authentic, pitch-perfect, funny, sexy and heart-wrenching, I can’t remember the last time I lost myself so deliciously in a novel! — Julie Myerson, author of Something Might Happen A book full of pleasures — Susie Boyt, author of Loved and Missed Magnificent – a sweeping, arresting continuation of a dearly beloved series, and a majestic tribute to Elizabeth Jane Howard — Stacey Halls, bestselling author of The Familiars A formidable task to undertake, Louisa Young has triumphed. The Golden Hours is so beautifully written and emotionally acute, it had me enraptured. The Cazalets live again, summoned into being by the surest and cleverest of authors — Elizabeth Buchan, author of Bonjour, Sophie The Golden Hours is quite simply marvellous. By some magic, Louisa Young has acquired Elizabeth Jane Howard’s touch. It seemed impossible that I would love these Cazalets as much as I love the originals, but I honestly do — Christobel Kent, author of The Loving Husband Louisa Young is the great chronicler of romantic love and the pain of its loss — Linda Grant, author of When I Lived in Modern Times, on Twelve Months and a Day Young possesses in abundance emotional conviction, pace and imaginative energy * The Guardian * The Cazalets have earned an honoured place among the great saga families * Sunday Telegraph * Maybe my favourite books ever — Marian Keyes, bestselling author of My Favourite Mistake, on The Cazalet Chronicles