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The Twilight Hour
Eleanor Lee has lived a fiercely independent existence for over ninety years, but now it's time to tidy her life away - books, photographs, paintings, letters - a lifetime of possessions all neatly boxed up for the last time. But amongst them there are some things that must be kept hidden. And, nearing blindness, Eleanor needs help to uncover them before her children and grandchildren do.
416 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2013
27 people are currently reading
694 people want to read
About the author
Nicci Gerrard
21 books181 followersHalf of the writing team known as Nicci French . Nicci Gerrard & Sean French also write separately.
Gerard still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials.
Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007), The Winter House (2009) and Missing Persons (2011).
Gerard still works as a journalist for the Observer, covering high-profile trials.
Novels include Things We Knew Were True (2003), Solace (2005) and The Moment You Were Gone (2007), The Winter House (2009) and Missing Persons (2011).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
January 21, 2020
5 sterren - Nederlandse Paperback 🌹🌹🌹
*** Kom bij me, als de kweeperenboom in bloei staat, de bloemen open, de bloemblaadjes ontvouwen, dat ben ik, dat ben ik die zich eindelijk opent. Het verstrooide zonlicht door de jonge bladeren, in bloesemblaadjes van licht naar de grond dwarrelend. Grassprieten tegen tere huid. De sporen van zwaluwen tegen een lucht waar geen einde aan komt. Schitterend blauw. Je ogen en inval naar boven, verdrink. Ga niet weg. Raak me nu aan.****
Een schitterende roman over een “verboden liefde” en de inpact die deze heeft op iedereen die er mee te maken had. In de zijlijn spelen ook beide wereld oorlogen mee. Ze drukken een stempel op het verhaal van Eleanor. Ze worden stromen tot poëzie op de bladzijdes die je maar wil blijven lezen. Genoten van dit boek. Zeker een aanrader. 🦋🦋🦋
*** Kom bij me, als de kweeperenboom in bloei staat, de bloemen open, de bloemblaadjes ontvouwen, dat ben ik, dat ben ik die zich eindelijk opent. Het verstrooide zonlicht door de jonge bladeren, in bloesemblaadjes van licht naar de grond dwarrelend. Grassprieten tegen tere huid. De sporen van zwaluwen tegen een lucht waar geen einde aan komt. Schitterend blauw. Je ogen en inval naar boven, verdrink. Ga niet weg. Raak me nu aan.****
Een schitterende roman over een “verboden liefde” en de inpact die deze heeft op iedereen die er mee te maken had. In de zijlijn spelen ook beide wereld oorlogen mee. Ze drukken een stempel op het verhaal van Eleanor. Ze worden stromen tot poëzie op de bladzijdes die je maar wil blijven lezen. Genoten van dit boek. Zeker een aanrader. 🦋🦋🦋
October 17, 2018
For the most part I read what is generally known as literary fiction - fiction that has not just the surface story but layers beneath dealing with themes, psychology and anything else the writer is really writing about. And this means that I rarely encounter such a beginning as the one in The Twilight Hour. It’s not really surprising though as Nicci Gerrard is one half of the husband and wife team writing as Nicci French - very skilled writers no matter how you classify them.
“At the dawn of the Second World War, Eleanor is a fiercely independent young woman, determined to write her own future, rejecting marriage for passion, security for adventure. But now seventy years later, alone in her big house, she is anxious to erase the past.
Peter Mistley, a young man escaping his own ghosts, is employed to help Eleanor sort through her life of possessions. For amongst them are things that her children and grandchildren must never find.”
Here is that beginning which draws you in. Of course after that you can’t put the book down trying to work out what actually happened to the young Eleanor and being concerned about the much older Eleanor with a lot to hide.
“Eleanor woke to what was not there. Outside, the wind still roared, dashing pellets of rain against the windows; inside it was too silent, not a breath or a heartbeat save hers. The darkness felt uninhabited. Before she reached out her hand, groping past the water jug and the vase of dying flowers to touch the bed and find it empty, the blanket thrown back and the pillow dislodged, she knew she was alone. She let fear seep through her, into every space in her body. She could taste the muddy, metal ache of it in her mouth; feel it in the palms of her hands and the base of her spine and in her throat like a rippling, oily snake; she could smell it on her skin, sour as spoilt milk.”
Gerrard writes some of the most vivid writing I’ve come across; writing that concerns how a character is feeling. Here is a favourite passage:
“Eleanor swam upstream, beyond the group, and lay on her back in the dusky silence. She closed her eyes and saw the pattern of leaves against her eyelids. She must not. No, she must not. Monstrous, unthinkable. She must not think it. Or feel it or even let the thought touch her body. She swam further up the river, against the tug of the water.”
Descriptions aside, what ultimately ensured I really enjoyed this book is that it concerns characters I wanted to spend time with.
“At the dawn of the Second World War, Eleanor is a fiercely independent young woman, determined to write her own future, rejecting marriage for passion, security for adventure. But now seventy years later, alone in her big house, she is anxious to erase the past.
Peter Mistley, a young man escaping his own ghosts, is employed to help Eleanor sort through her life of possessions. For amongst them are things that her children and grandchildren must never find.”
Here is that beginning which draws you in. Of course after that you can’t put the book down trying to work out what actually happened to the young Eleanor and being concerned about the much older Eleanor with a lot to hide.
“Eleanor woke to what was not there. Outside, the wind still roared, dashing pellets of rain against the windows; inside it was too silent, not a breath or a heartbeat save hers. The darkness felt uninhabited. Before she reached out her hand, groping past the water jug and the vase of dying flowers to touch the bed and find it empty, the blanket thrown back and the pillow dislodged, she knew she was alone. She let fear seep through her, into every space in her body. She could taste the muddy, metal ache of it in her mouth; feel it in the palms of her hands and the base of her spine and in her throat like a rippling, oily snake; she could smell it on her skin, sour as spoilt milk.”
Gerrard writes some of the most vivid writing I’ve come across; writing that concerns how a character is feeling. Here is a favourite passage:
“Eleanor swam upstream, beyond the group, and lay on her back in the dusky silence. She closed her eyes and saw the pattern of leaves against her eyelids. She must not. No, she must not. Monstrous, unthinkable. She must not think it. Or feel it or even let the thought touch her body. She swam further up the river, against the tug of the water.”
Descriptions aside, what ultimately ensured I really enjoyed this book is that it concerns characters I wanted to spend time with.
August 16, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2014
Brilliant! Evocative, graceful,powerful,WONDERFUL!
My View:
“The past never removes itself to a distance...”
This is a finely drawn, exquisite look at relationships and love, the heroine a strong feminist before the word was popular. I have not read any Nicci Gerrard books before but have read and been impressed by several by Nicci French (the pseudonym for writers Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) who write psychological crime thrillers together , I love these works. I was very impressed with the quality of the writing in this novel; the evocative language, the realistic settings, the honest, powerful, passionate and strong female protagonist and her moving story. I was moved by this narrative, so much so I read the last few pages through teary eyes and thinking of this book even now, a week or so after I read this book has me choking up. An exquisite read, an author I will be adding to my must read list.
My View:
“The past never removes itself to a distance...”
This is a finely drawn, exquisite look at relationships and love, the heroine a strong feminist before the word was popular. I have not read any Nicci Gerrard books before but have read and been impressed by several by Nicci French (the pseudonym for writers Nicci Gerrard and Sean French) who write psychological crime thrillers together , I love these works. I was very impressed with the quality of the writing in this novel; the evocative language, the realistic settings, the honest, powerful, passionate and strong female protagonist and her moving story. I was moved by this narrative, so much so I read the last few pages through teary eyes and thinking of this book even now, a week or so after I read this book has me choking up. An exquisite read, an author I will be adding to my must read list.
October 26, 2014
Eleanor Lee is in her nineties and blind. She has finally decided that the time has come for her to go into a care home but first she needs to sort through the lifetime's accumulation of paperwork, letters, books and photographs. She doesn't want her relatives doing this and one of her grandsons recommends Peter, a friend of his, who is recovering from a failed love affair.
As Eleanor's past is gradually revealed through photographs and letters Peter grows closer to the elderly lady and finds his own life starts to make more sense. This book is well written though low key. The plot lies in what happened in Eleanor's life and is told in flashbacks as she answers Peter's questions.
I thought the atmosphere of an old house full of memories was very well done and I could almost feel I was there with Peter going through the detritus of Eleanor's life. I also liked the sympathetic way the relationship between Peter and Eleanor was developed.
If you enjoy books which make you think and which may well cause you to discover more about them on second reading then this may be the book for you. I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley for review purposes.
As Eleanor's past is gradually revealed through photographs and letters Peter grows closer to the elderly lady and finds his own life starts to make more sense. This book is well written though low key. The plot lies in what happened in Eleanor's life and is told in flashbacks as she answers Peter's questions.
I thought the atmosphere of an old house full of memories was very well done and I could almost feel I was there with Peter going through the detritus of Eleanor's life. I also liked the sympathetic way the relationship between Peter and Eleanor was developed.
If you enjoy books which make you think and which may well cause you to discover more about them on second reading then this may be the book for you. I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley for review purposes.
June 4, 2022
4 sterren - Nederlandse paperback
Als een 94-jarige dame op het punt staat naar een verzorgingshuis te gaan, komt de 25-jarige Peter haar helpen om haar boeken, foto's en paperassen uit te zoeken. En dat zijn er heel wat. En aan alles kleeft een herinnering.
Door de gesprekken die de twee voeren, kom je steeds meer te weten over het leven van de oudere dame. Waar je normaal gesproken gemakkelijk oordeelt als je een situatie van buitenaf bekijkt, word je hier meegenomen in de emoties van de situatie De wanhoop de gevoeld wordt, liefde die wel of niet beantwoord wordt, boosheid, onrecht en onmacht. Ik kreeg hierdoor zeker meer begrip voor mevrouw.
De interactie tussen de jonge man en de bejaarde vrouw geeft een extra mooie laag aan het geheel. Er kunnen meerdere generaties tussen mensen zitten maar dat maakt niet dat er geen goede band kan ontstaan.
Als een 94-jarige dame op het punt staat naar een verzorgingshuis te gaan, komt de 25-jarige Peter haar helpen om haar boeken, foto's en paperassen uit te zoeken. En dat zijn er heel wat. En aan alles kleeft een herinnering.
Door de gesprekken die de twee voeren, kom je steeds meer te weten over het leven van de oudere dame. Waar je normaal gesproken gemakkelijk oordeelt als je een situatie van buitenaf bekijkt, word je hier meegenomen in de emoties van de situatie De wanhoop de gevoeld wordt, liefde die wel of niet beantwoord wordt, boosheid, onrecht en onmacht. Ik kreeg hierdoor zeker meer begrip voor mevrouw.
De interactie tussen de jonge man en de bejaarde vrouw geeft een extra mooie laag aan het geheel. Er kunnen meerdere generaties tussen mensen zitten maar dat maakt niet dat er geen goede band kan ontstaan.
January 17, 2015
These are my favourite books, they make me think of the choices I made. Loved it!
October 21, 2018
Eleanor Lee is approaching the end of her life and will soon have to give up her independence to move into a home. Before she does she must sort out all she has accumulated over the years, and this includes letters and papers from her early life – a life she has kept hidden from her family and which she doesn’t want them to know about. She employs a young man called Peter to go through her papers and as their relationship develops she gradually reveals to him the story of her past. It’s a slow burn of a novel, for sure, and I didn’t really becomes involved until about half way through, but once I was hooked into Eleanor’s revelations I became totally absorbed and found it a moving tale of “what might have been”, the other life perhaps many of us might have had and still sometimes wonder about. The suspense was cleverly maintained right to the end with some skilful pacing and Eleanor is a memorable character indeed. A gripping and atmospheric novel of love and loss.
September 18, 2021
“The Twilight Hour” was an emotional, heart-wrenching story of loss, secrets, and what might have been; but it is also a story of the beautiful gifts that come to those who choose to be happy.
Nicci Gerrard created a vivid character Eleanor who has a depth and realism that makes you want to exchange places with Peter and be her companion on her path back into the past. Ferociously independent, even on the eve of her 95th birthday she refuses to be a burden declaring ‘she would rather be dead’ than move in with any of her children.
The pace is perfect with the breaks in the story being supplemented with more perfectly observed details about Eleanor’s life and the relationships she has with various other family members. Aside from the touching relationship that grows between Eleanor and Peter, the supporting characters are well-defined despite the fact that in keeping with the novel, they are the background to the main events.
A delightful story, brilliantly told starring a fantastic cast of character!!
June 18, 2023
Kind of trashy but still really lovely with a big emotional kick. And it made me think. So who’s to say what’s trashy?
March 23, 2024
Mooi boek heel verschillende stukken.
Read
September 24, 2020Beautifully written, poignant, loved it.
October 23, 2014
Gerrard normally writes as part of her partnership with Sean French, under the pen name Nicci French. In The Twilight Hour we meet Eleanor Lee, an elderly blind woman of ninety-four coming to terms with the fact that her life is nearly over she doesn’t want her papers, of which there are lots to be sorted out by her children. She is so concerned that they will learn more about her than she wishes that she attempts to burn the evidence, an act that causes her children to take a stand and insist that she move from her isolated house. Eleanor decides that before she goes someone independent should sort through all her possessions and Peter is employed to carry out the task. Peter is taken into her confidence as he catalogues her books, her photos and her private papers while her children organise the distribution of the larger items.
Ultimately the core of the book is the secrets that Eleanor doesn’t want revealed, even after she has gone but there is so much more to this book than that with themes of guilt, loss and love vying with the trusting and very touching relationship that builds between Eleanor and her keeper of secrets, Peter. Peter is a young man just starting out in life whilst Eleanor looks back over her life wishing that it had been different despite to all outward appearances it having been a good life; she had a loving marriage, four children and now there is a large collection of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her secret dates back to the days leading up to WWII when Eleanor was a young teacher, soon to be waving off her charges on a train to wherever they were being evacuated to and I was eager to find out what had happened that caused such an impact even over seventy years later.
Nicci Gerrard paints a picture of a wonderful large and shabby house full to the brim with relics from Eleanor’s life, the rocking horse and dolls house vying for attention alongside the grandfather clock and the piano. Eleanor herself dresses up in vintage clothes each day, not realising that the velvet skirt has worn patches or that the hem is crusted with dirt from her beloved garden. The method of revealing what actually happened all those years before is done using flashbacks as Eleanor recounts her story to Peter. The pace is perfect with the breaks in the story being supplemented with more perfectly observed details about Eleanor’s life and the relationships she has with various other family members. Aside from the touching relationship that grows between Eleanor and Peter, the supporting characters are well-defined despite the fact that in keeping with the novel, they are the background to the main events.
A delightful story, brilliantly told starring a fantastic cast of characters, if you love tales of passion betrayals and consequences, try this one.
I’d like to thank the publishers Penguin Books (UK) for allowing me to read this book in return for this honest review.
Ultimately the core of the book is the secrets that Eleanor doesn’t want revealed, even after she has gone but there is so much more to this book than that with themes of guilt, loss and love vying with the trusting and very touching relationship that builds between Eleanor and her keeper of secrets, Peter. Peter is a young man just starting out in life whilst Eleanor looks back over her life wishing that it had been different despite to all outward appearances it having been a good life; she had a loving marriage, four children and now there is a large collection of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her secret dates back to the days leading up to WWII when Eleanor was a young teacher, soon to be waving off her charges on a train to wherever they were being evacuated to and I was eager to find out what had happened that caused such an impact even over seventy years later.
Nicci Gerrard paints a picture of a wonderful large and shabby house full to the brim with relics from Eleanor’s life, the rocking horse and dolls house vying for attention alongside the grandfather clock and the piano. Eleanor herself dresses up in vintage clothes each day, not realising that the velvet skirt has worn patches or that the hem is crusted with dirt from her beloved garden. The method of revealing what actually happened all those years before is done using flashbacks as Eleanor recounts her story to Peter. The pace is perfect with the breaks in the story being supplemented with more perfectly observed details about Eleanor’s life and the relationships she has with various other family members. Aside from the touching relationship that grows between Eleanor and Peter, the supporting characters are well-defined despite the fact that in keeping with the novel, they are the background to the main events.
A delightful story, brilliantly told starring a fantastic cast of characters, if you love tales of passion betrayals and consequences, try this one.
I’d like to thank the publishers Penguin Books (UK) for allowing me to read this book in return for this honest review.
October 24, 2017
This was a very touching book, alternating between Eleanor's life around the time of the 2nd world war and the present day, when she is an old women. Eleanor has a secret that she doesn't want her family to uncover and Peter is enlisted to help clear out her things so the family don't have to do it. This aspect is slightly implausible as, if Eleanor is anxious to avoid her family finding out about her past, why would she be happy to employ someone who is connected to her grandson. However, if this is overlooked the book was well written and enjoyable.
February 15, 2015
I won this at the end of last year on the goodreads giveaways. Nicci Gerrard is actually half of Nicci French, who writes thrillers (I think I read one of those a few years ago...). Anyway, this book is quite different in tone to the thrillers.
Eleanor Lee (nee Wright) is a very old and virtually blind lady. After an accident she agrees with her family that she can no longer live alone in her country home, and will move into a home after her birthday. In the meantime she hires a young man, Peter, to go through all of her papers, letters, books, photographs etc to sort through what should be kept, thrown out etc. She wants a stranger to do this job, not family. Partly this is because there are a few letters none of the family know about - Eleanor's private life from her youth - that she wants to be found and destroyed. And through these, she shares the story of her younger days with Peter.
The Twilight Hour obviously refers to Eleanor in her last phase of life, reflecting back. So it's got a rather melancholic twinge, not just because she is dying, but because it's looking back over a long life and everything that is now done and finished, lost to the past. I think it's also a reminder that we shouldn't patronise and baby the eldery as if they know nothing of life. Just because they're old now, it doesn't mean they weren't young once.
It's also a reminder that life isn't easy, doesn't run smoothly and we don't always get what we want. I really liked Eleanor, she was brave enough to face up to that fact and the fact that life keeps on moving no matter what. In contrast, her younger step sister, Merry, never wanted to accept reality and ended up as this rather insipid doll princess that has just skipped out of the playroom. With occasional flashes of self absorbed viciousness. I suppose you have to pity her, because in clinging to these fantasies and not leaving fairybook land, she never got to live a real life. Still, there are lots of Merrys out there.
Light but pleasant reading, with sadness, so perhaps not one to read if you're feeling blue.
Eleanor Lee (nee Wright) is a very old and virtually blind lady. After an accident she agrees with her family that she can no longer live alone in her country home, and will move into a home after her birthday. In the meantime she hires a young man, Peter, to go through all of her papers, letters, books, photographs etc to sort through what should be kept, thrown out etc. She wants a stranger to do this job, not family. Partly this is because there are a few letters none of the family know about - Eleanor's private life from her youth - that she wants to be found and destroyed. And through these, she shares the story of her younger days with Peter.
The Twilight Hour obviously refers to Eleanor in her last phase of life, reflecting back. So it's got a rather melancholic twinge, not just because she is dying, but because it's looking back over a long life and everything that is now done and finished, lost to the past. I think it's also a reminder that we shouldn't patronise and baby the eldery as if they know nothing of life. Just because they're old now, it doesn't mean they weren't young once.
It's also a reminder that life isn't easy, doesn't run smoothly and we don't always get what we want. I really liked Eleanor, she was brave enough to face up to that fact and the fact that life keeps on moving no matter what. In contrast, her younger step sister, Merry, never wanted to accept reality and ended up as this rather insipid doll princess that has just skipped out of the playroom. With occasional flashes of self absorbed viciousness. I suppose you have to pity her, because in clinging to these fantasies and not leaving fairybook land, she never got to live a real life. Still, there are lots of Merrys out there.
Light but pleasant reading, with sadness, so perhaps not one to read if you're feeling blue.
October 22, 2014
I was sent this unexpectedly as a review book from Real Readers. It's not my usual read based on cover and synopsis, but I decided to give it a try.
It was easy enough to read, to get involved with. It reminded me a lot of The Shell Seekers, older people in the present looking back at their long ago past, with hidden secrets slowly revealed. It's all revealed here to a much younger person.
Eleanor is 94, and readying herself to leave her longtime home and give away all her possessions among the family. Not wanting her private documents to be revealed she employs a stranger to come and sort her things. Peter is 70 years younger than Eleanor, and soon uncovers mysterious letters that indicate long-kept secrets.
The book flits between Eleanor and Peter and her recollections that she reveals to him over several weeks. I must say I was more interested in Peter in the present than much of the past. I didn't find anything surprising, I could see what was going to happen in the past. There's a love triangle suspected from the start and I didn't actually see the 'other man's charms. Gil I quite admired, the dependable and loyal fiancé. I hated Eleanor's sister quite passionately and hated how Eleanor treated her and humoured her, causing many ongoing problems that did neither of them any favours.
The time period is evoked well, in the early days of World War 2, and I did keep reading to see what would happen, but more in the present.
The picture of Eleanor in old age makes a moving portrait of last days. Her swansong is sad and again, I'd like to have seen more of her in the present. Her thoughts in the past are narrated but the present is Peter.
It's a pleasant enough read, moving at times but it's one I won't dwell on or remember.
Review of a Real Readers advance copy.
It was easy enough to read, to get involved with. It reminded me a lot of The Shell Seekers, older people in the present looking back at their long ago past, with hidden secrets slowly revealed. It's all revealed here to a much younger person.
Eleanor is 94, and readying herself to leave her longtime home and give away all her possessions among the family. Not wanting her private documents to be revealed she employs a stranger to come and sort her things. Peter is 70 years younger than Eleanor, and soon uncovers mysterious letters that indicate long-kept secrets.
The book flits between Eleanor and Peter and her recollections that she reveals to him over several weeks. I must say I was more interested in Peter in the present than much of the past. I didn't find anything surprising, I could see what was going to happen in the past. There's a love triangle suspected from the start and I didn't actually see the 'other man's charms. Gil I quite admired, the dependable and loyal fiancé. I hated Eleanor's sister quite passionately and hated how Eleanor treated her and humoured her, causing many ongoing problems that did neither of them any favours.
The time period is evoked well, in the early days of World War 2, and I did keep reading to see what would happen, but more in the present.
The picture of Eleanor in old age makes a moving portrait of last days. Her swansong is sad and again, I'd like to have seen more of her in the present. Her thoughts in the past are narrated but the present is Peter.
It's a pleasant enough read, moving at times but it's one I won't dwell on or remember.
Review of a Real Readers advance copy.
October 20, 2017
I found this a gentle read. It was a lovely story of an elderly lady's memories that she couldn't share with her family. Her developing relationship with Peter, who is bought in to sort out her paperwork, is a lovely thing.
The final denouement is wonderful and makes a beautiful ending.
All in all it is a feel good novel.
The final denouement is wonderful and makes a beautiful ending.
All in all it is a feel good novel.
October 17, 2014
Eleanor finally agrees to leave the family home - but only after her next birthday and only after the 92yr old finds someone to help pack up her papers, books and photographs.
The family recruits Peter - a young man at a loose end who finds himself enchanted by the old woman – as she is now and as she was decades before.
As their time together passes Eleanor shares with Peter details of her past - stories she’s never told anyone; long-hidden family secrets.
Summary - a subtly addictive novel and both Peter and Eleanor are loveable characters.
3.5 stars
Read the full review in my blog: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
The family recruits Peter - a young man at a loose end who finds himself enchanted by the old woman – as she is now and as she was decades before.
As their time together passes Eleanor shares with Peter details of her past - stories she’s never told anyone; long-hidden family secrets.
Summary - a subtly addictive novel and both Peter and Eleanor are loveable characters.
3.5 stars
Read the full review in my blog: http://www.debbish.com/books-literatu...
February 13, 2015
De goede en vlotte schrijfstijl van Nicci Gerrard weegt echt niet op tegen het voorspelbare -excusez moi le mot- flutverhaal. Het kon me absoluut niet boeien, het is een verhaal van dertien in een dozijn. Er zit absoluut geen spanning of verrassing in het boek, en ook de verschillende karakters spraken me niet aan. Omdat het vlot leest had ik het gelukkig vlug uit, maar ik was blij toen er een einde aan kwam. Persoonlijk snap ik dan ook niet waar al die lofzangen op dit boek vandaan komen, maar dat zal wel aan mij liggen :-)
March 26, 2020
A beautiful, quiet, thoughtful read that tells the story of Eleanor Lee – a 95 year old lady at the end of her life, packing and sorting her life in preparation for the end. When we meet her, she is nearing blindness and wants to make sure that some of her memories are kept hidden, after she has gone. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
October 20, 2017
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
Eleanor Lee is fiercely independent. She has lived alone well into her nineties, despite her now near-total blindness. Now, finally, she has been persuaded by her children to move into a home.
She employs Peter, a recent graduate nursing a broken heart, to spend the summer sorting through her attic - papers, photographs, books and letters - ahead of the move.
These fragments of her own history unleash in Eleanor a long-concealed story of forbidden love, betrayal, passion, grief and self-sacrifice; and in their unlikely friendship, something is unlocked in Peter's heart, too.
Let me start by saying that I can see why this book rates so well - a beautiful story of an aging woman who reminisces on her past loves, betrayals, scandals and grief - and how this sort of story-telling resonates with millions of people. I see that, completely.
What I didn't get was any real sense of anticipation. The problem, when looking back at her life, we know she survives whatever life threw at her - she is telling the story, after all. So, while the prose was beautiful and the heart of the story was engaging, I just felt like nothing really happened for 400+ pages...
Paul
ARH
Eleanor Lee is fiercely independent. She has lived alone well into her nineties, despite her now near-total blindness. Now, finally, she has been persuaded by her children to move into a home.
She employs Peter, a recent graduate nursing a broken heart, to spend the summer sorting through her attic - papers, photographs, books and letters - ahead of the move.
These fragments of her own history unleash in Eleanor a long-concealed story of forbidden love, betrayal, passion, grief and self-sacrifice; and in their unlikely friendship, something is unlocked in Peter's heart, too.
Let me start by saying that I can see why this book rates so well - a beautiful story of an aging woman who reminisces on her past loves, betrayals, scandals and grief - and how this sort of story-telling resonates with millions of people. I see that, completely.
What I didn't get was any real sense of anticipation. The problem, when looking back at her life, we know she survives whatever life threw at her - she is telling the story, after all. So, while the prose was beautiful and the heart of the story was engaging, I just felt like nothing really happened for 400+ pages...
Paul
ARH
August 7, 2019
Gekocht in de Kringwinkel, Roeselare.
Omdat ik haar graag lees.
Voor mij is zij de beste helft van Nicci French. Ik vind haar boeken zelfs beter dan deze die als duo geschreven worden en haar partner, Sean French, mag van mij het rijtje afsluiten.
Schitterend boek over een gepasseerd leven, vol herinneringen en geheimen. Zo één van die boeken waar er eigenlijk niets in gebeurt. Een jonge man mag heel het hebben en houden van een oude vrouw helpen klasseren omdat ze naar een een verzorgingstehuis vertrekt.
Zeer mooi!
Omdat ik haar graag lees.
Voor mij is zij de beste helft van Nicci French. Ik vind haar boeken zelfs beter dan deze die als duo geschreven worden en haar partner, Sean French, mag van mij het rijtje afsluiten.
Schitterend boek over een gepasseerd leven, vol herinneringen en geheimen. Zo één van die boeken waar er eigenlijk niets in gebeurt. Een jonge man mag heel het hebben en houden van een oude vrouw helpen klasseren omdat ze naar een een verzorgingstehuis vertrekt.
Zeer mooi!
July 28, 2017
the idea of a novel about a long lost love and spanning several decades isn't a new one, but this book surpasses a number of that ilk that I have read, I found myself weeping at the end, for all Eleanors past and her secrets and how she was looking back yet also knowing that she didn't realistically have much longer to live, determined not to forget her true love but wanted to tell her story to a stranger before it was too late
November 23, 2025
Listened to this on borrow box. A gentle thought provoking story about a 94 year old lady who realises that she needs to go into a care home. She doesn’t want her family to go through her private papers as she has a secret. She employs a young man to go through her papers and photos in order to destroy and preserve her secret. She develops a touching friendship with the young man as he uncovers her life story.
January 18, 2017
A gripping story about love and loss, and dealing with feelings. The contrast between the old Eleanor who has a whole life behind her and the 25 year old Peter who still has his life ahead of him makes for an interesting reading angle. I really loved the last paragraph of the book, almost like poetry!
August 3, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was extremely well written with really good, interesting and well constructed characters. I would have probably given it 5 stars but I didn’t like the ending which I felt to be far too saccharine and sentimental which the overall feel of the book was anything but. However, despite that a very good read.
July 25, 2022
Found this an emotional heart pull of a story of love, death and living life without your true love and soul mate.
Fascinating lifetime secrets told to a stranger as Eleanor neared her 95th birthday giving her peace and contentment knowing that her family would not find these secrets as she continued in her twilight years….to her death and reunion with her true love & soul mate.
Fascinating lifetime secrets told to a stranger as Eleanor neared her 95th birthday giving her peace and contentment knowing that her family would not find these secrets as she continued in her twilight years….to her death and reunion with her true love & soul mate.
April 22, 2023
Other reviewers called it gentle - I found it very slow. I read to page 134 and only ten pages earlier did old Eleanor start to tell her story. That has to be the longest introduction to a story I have ever ploughed through. There are hints about an affair, but one would have to plough through another 100 pages to get there. It’s all too dull …. I am sorry to have wasted time on this.
September 3, 2019
A lovely book about 94 year old Eleanor. Eleanor employs a stranger, Peter, to help sort out her paperwork etc, but also tells him her own story, a story that she wanted to keep secret from her family.
October 3, 2021
The Twilight Hour was a sweet read which focuses on the last phase of Eleanor's life. As Peter packs up her life, Eleanor reveals her past to him, telling him secrets no-one else in the family is aware of. At time sad and melancholy, this was a gentle novel about a life well lived.
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