Hours of the Night

by Sue Gee

In a quiet valley on the Welsh borders the lives of six people meet and cross. At their centre is Gillian, virginal and reclusive, a poet of literary descent and of distinction who lives in an uneasy alliance with her widowed mother. Gillian's late discovery of love is both rapturous and tragic.

Genres: Fiction

345 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Sue Gee was born in India, where her father was an Army officer. She had a her elder brother, Robert, now a retired radiographer living in Spain. She grew up on a Devon farm, and in a village in Leicestershire, before instaled in Surrey in 1960. She lived in north London for 27 years with the journalist Marek Mayer, they had a son, Jamie. She married Mayer in November 2003, less of two years before his death on 23th July 2005. Now, she lived in the town of Hay-on-Wye in the Welsh borders.

Published since 1980, her novel Letters From Prague, was serialised on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour and Her play, Ancient and Modern, was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2004, with Juliet Stevenson in the lead role. Her novel The Hours of the Night which received wide critical acclaim and was the controversial winner of the 1997 Romantic Novel of the Year Award, an award she won again in 2004 by her novel Thin Air.

She was Programme Leader for the MA Writing programme at Middlesex University from 2000 to 2008. She is currently reading for a PhD in Creative and Critical Writing at the University of East Anglia. She has been awarded a Royal Literary Fund Fellowship.

Reviews

[Tina Tamman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I often wonder where authors get their characters from, who they are based upon. I do not know, have not known anybody like these people in the book but my interest was held all the same, wanted to know what the author would do with them. All this exquisite writing, even love scenes - the Welsh village came to life. I am not a dog lover but I loved Tarn, the way Sue Gee described her.
However, did not like the ending - too neat. Altogether close to 5 stars but the beautiful descriptions that for the bulk of the book were fine, even impressive, felt like intrusion towards the end.

[Sally Wragg · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of those books I didn't want to finish for the sheer pleasure of reading it. Sue Gee's characters aren't squeaky clean but they're all the more plausible for that - I did however want to shake Gillian, the central character for her treatment of her mother when she was dying of cancer but the fact she was going through some kind of a breakdown at the time was a mitigating factor. A wonderfully evocative and detailed read. I can't really understand why I haven't read any of this author's work before but I certainly shall be reading more in future.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tale of damaged people in awkward relationships told in Sue Gee's usual delicate and lyrical style. Set in Wales. I love the way Sue Gee writes about the countryside. It's like being there and she has the knack of raising a feeling of beautiful sadness in your solar plexus as you read.
Five stars again.

[Annalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

11 years after reading this book, I still often found myself thinking about the characters. I recently reread it and found it a wonderful experience; somewhat similar to seeing old friends again after a long separation! Apparently there was some controversy when it received the "Romantic Novel of the Year" award. It's not really a conventional love story.

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! This was so not what I thought it was going to be! This was extremely well written with an unusual plot. Definitely not your typical "romance" novel. Really liked this one, but then I was ready for something light but not fluffy light.

[Julie Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written and very moving

[Lea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story set in a remote village community on the border of Wales & England. The story unfolds gently and flawlessly, its style reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day.) Phoebe, a master gardener with a no-nonsense temperament lives with her daughter Gillian, a poet on who 'falls the mantle'of her dead poet father. Gillian lives in another, sometimes rapturous world, which is at odds with the practical world of her brusque mother. Visitors from London arrive, and the story moves delicately through the seasons, as the dramas and characters unfold. Each character has a personal story, and the writing moves from one point of view to another, and the writer has achieved this difficult method seamlessly. I loved the writing of the unspoken dialogue, the voices in the head that come from one's parents, or even somewhere else again. Gillian, awkward, without social skills, learns love, and finally receives love appreciation and friendship. She is finally contained in these relationships, in ways that are so moving I have been unable to read anything since; I have so wanted to hold this story for some time before submerging it in a new read.

[Tereza · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful novels I have ever read. Gee's style of writing is similar to Iris Murdoch's. The story of a poet living in a small village on Welsh border is delicate and silent but it leaves you with a tender feeling in your heart. The main character, Gillian Traherne, is emotionally inexperienced woman who lives with her pragmatic and cold mother. Gillian is awaken by a newcomer who stirs up her feelings and under his influence she somehow opens herself to her surroundings.

[Woollyworld · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but something made me start it! I haven't enjoyed descriptive writing like this for a long, long time, it was something really special. It had its drawbacks, but they were few and far between. The descriptions of nature were extraordinary and often I felt like I was in Phoebe and Gillians' house

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to Sara. for the third time! Beautifully written, so descriptive. Set on the borders of Wales. The seasons are marked by changing flowers and hedgerows and the lambing season - loved it!

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is beautifully written and the descriptives used makes the book come alive. I loved the characters and the setting, and the interweaving individual stories. This is my first Sue Gee book, and will certainly be reading more.

[Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first of Sue Gee's books that I have read & I will definitely read more. The characters are haunting and at times sad. Leaves some questions unanswered but in a satisfying way. Very evocative descriptions of life on the Welsh borders

[Mand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another beautifully-written and realised story by Sue Gee. Like others, I have no idea why she is not more widely-known and discussed. I discovered her a short time ago, quite by accident, and am hooked. I can hardly bear to read anyone else

[Gilly G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautifully written with some of the best lyrical prose I've encountered in a novel. That said I couldn't get along with most of the characters - could not engage at all with Gillian. Found the story a bit drawn out and depressing ultimately. Sorry.

[Martinxo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine book from Sue Gee. Read two so far, both very good.

[Ruby Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feeling very conflicted about this book. Whilst I enjoyed the writing style, the deep thoughts and sensitivities of the characters and the setting I'm really glad I've finished the book.
The last third of the book became a chore. I became really irritated with the pathetic nature of Edward and Gillian ... characters I didn't care much for or even like. I sympathised with them but didn't really relate to them. At times it felt like I was in a Thomas Hardy novel ... bad stuff just keeps happening ... I guess this is real life ... and the longing, loss, sense of despair just went on and on.
Overall, I'm glad I read the book, Sue Gee does offer something excellent in her novel, well thought out, researched, detailed and a softness throughout ... the Acknowledgements at the end are a testament to what a lovely lady she must be.

[Ro Hart · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an unexpected delight.
Glad to find this new author.
Beautiful writing.

[Kathy Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Beautifully written.

[Andrew]

And

[Julie B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish

[J E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful prose a gentle story

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Hours of the Night by Sue Gee is one of those novels that can take a while to get into but stays with you long after the final page. Set in the beautiful countryside on the border of Wales and England, it is the story of eccentric poet Gillian Traherne and her strained and awkward relationship with her practical and no-nonsense mother Phoebe.

As the opening line of the book states, “Phoebe was fact and Gillian fiction: together, mother and daughter uneasily inhabited the damp, grey stone house which stood just over the border from Herefordshire to Wales.”

Thrown into the mix are two newcomers to the area, corporate Londoner Edward who is trying his hand at sheep farming, and recently widowed Nesta who is coming to terms with her new life. The poetry in the novel (written by Gillian) is beautiful and Gee’s talent is immense.

In 1997 the book won the UK Romantic Novelist’s Association major award, the Parker Romantic Novel of the Year. But this is not a typical romance book and I would recommend it to both men and women as a study of life in a small village. If you love that fly on the wall feeling you will love this book.

FULL REVIEW
The Hours of the Night is an award-winning romance novel with a difference set in the remote countryside on the border of England and Wales. At the heart of the story is the relationship between the lonely and eccentric poet Gillian Traherne and her straight-talking mother Phoebe; solid as a rock and a genius in the garden.

The opening line of The Hours of the Night is a perfect introduction – “Phoebe was fact and Gillian fiction: together, mother and daughter uneasily inhabited the damp, grey stone house which stood just over the border from Herefordshire to Wales.”

The setting of the story has everything a romance should have – beautiful gardens, picture-perfect countryside, a slow turn of the seasons, endless valleys, isolated villages and secluded cottages with roaring open fires to keep out the cold.

But it is the characters in The Hours of the Night that make this novel such a wonderful read. They are all very different; damaged, eccentric, talented, interesting and very likeable, and the romances and relationships that build between them are at times beautiful and heart-wrenching. Not surprising then that the novel won the UK Romantic Novelist’s Association major award, the Parker Romantic Novel of the Year in 1997.

Gillian is a thirty-something poet who has never had a “real” job and spends most of her day locked up in her room writing poetry and living in a world that is far from the practical one of her mother’s organic vegetable garden. She comes from a long line of poets, the last of which was her father who drowned when she was very young and who she battles to remember as her mother has chosen to forget.

Gillian is naïve about love and has never lived anywhere but in the home she shares with Phoebe. When she does venture out it is on her bicycle in ill-fitting and unfashionable clothes to roam the countryside, but not with the aim of meeting anyone or with the purpose of a visit. She is not familiar with social norms or the realities of the adult world. It is through Gillian’s eyes that Gee allows us to see what we often don’t have the time to take in and appreciate. It is a real treat.

It is while riding that Gillian comes across two newcomers to the area who change her life forever. One is Edward, a ex-Londoner who has returned to country life to take up sheep farming, and the other, Nesta, who is recently widowed and has come to work with disabled children at a special home in a nearby village.

Each character in The Hours of the Night has their own personal story to tell and the novel moves from one to the other seamlessly and without fuss. Edward’s passion for country living is not shared by his partner Rowland, a famous singer who travels widely and is frequently on national radio. While Edwards rebuilds the old farmhouse they have bought together, Rowland visits when he can “get away”. The fear of losing the love of his life is so real that we find ourselves holding our breath with each visit.

Nesta has already lost the love of her life, and it is through her story, that of finding a sense of purpose in the children she works with, and the possibility of a new life, that the reader draws hope and comfort. Phoebe story is of a life drawing to an end and looking back at what it all has meant.
Gillian is the reluctant heroine who holds everyone’s story together. She is one of the most interesting and unusual characters I have ever come across and she has stayed with me long after the last page has been turned.

[Roberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sue Gee's " The Mysteries of the Glass@ is one fo my favourite books. So I had to try other novels from this wonderful author. Sue Gee has a gift for conjuring scenes when it comes to describe the passing of the seasons ( the Christmas part is a pleasure to read. If you are searching a plot full of twists and action, you might be disappointed. But if you want to learn how the stuff of daily life can be turned into art ( as Philippa Gregory said about Sue Gee) this is the author and you will relish how she describe settings, people and feelings.

[sisterimapoet · Rating 3 out of 5]

A seemingly simple story - yet allowing vast depths of exploration of the ways that people struggle in their attempts to survive the challenges of life. The ways they try to cling to each other for support, but are always, ultimately, on their own. Love in different forms. And a strong sense of place throughout.

Something a little dated about the writing, but perhaps that is just for this novel, I'd be keen to try another to be sure.

[Giskin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this, although some scenes and dialogue didn't quite ring true. Pathologically shy people don't tend to start most of their sentences with 'I ...' for example. But well worth reading for interesting characters and it's emphasis on landscape, music, gardening and poetry.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phoebe was fact and Gillian fiction: together, mother and daughter inhabited the damp, grey stone house which stood just over the border from Herefordshire to Wales.

[Sissi · Rating 4 out of 5]

different, prose for poetry lovers

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gee's poetic prose gives a depth and dimension to the souls and landscape of her Welsh brethren. This is one of the most heart-wrenchingly beautiful books I have ever read.