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The Golden Hours
The Golden Hours is the brilliant new instalment in the beloved Cazalet Chronicles, started by Elizabeth Jane Howard and now continued by bestselling author - and Elizabeth Jane Howard's niece - Louisa Young.
It's Christmas, 1962, and the Cazalet family are gathering to celebrate. With the family's beloved Home Place long sold, Polly and Gerald have offered up their rambling stately pile, Fakenham Hall, to cousins, parents, siblings and children.
The old guard - Hugh, Edward, Rupert and Rachel - look on as the England they knew and understood fades from view. Cousins Polly, Louise and Clary, now all 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 Louisa Young's spellbinding new novel, familiar faces will reappear, newcomers will be introduced, and the legacy of the Cazalets will continue on into the swinging sixties . . .
The Golden Hours is the sixth novel in Elizabeth Jane Howard and Louisa Young's Cazalet Chronicles. Read from the beginning of the The Light Years, Marking Time, Casting Off, Confusion, and All Change.
It's Christmas, 1962, and the Cazalet family are gathering to celebrate. With the family's beloved Home Place long sold, Polly and Gerald have offered up their rambling stately pile, Fakenham Hall, to cousins, parents, siblings and children.
The old guard - Hugh, Edward, Rupert and Rachel - look on as the England they knew and understood fades from view. Cousins Polly, Louise and Clary, now all 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 Louisa Young's spellbinding new novel, familiar faces will reappear, newcomers will be introduced, and the legacy of the Cazalets will continue on into the swinging sixties . . .
The Golden Hours is the sixth novel in Elizabeth Jane Howard and Louisa Young's Cazalet Chronicles. Read from the beginning of the The Light Years, Marking Time, Casting Off, Confusion, and All Change.
419 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 3, 2026
About the author
Louisa Young
19 books183 followersLouisa Young is a history graduate, and worked as a journalist for British national newspapers and magazines for some years. Her first book was A Great Task of Happiness (1995), the life of Kathleen Bruce, her grandmother, the sculptor and wife of Scott of the Antarctic. She followed that with her Egyptian trilogy of novels: Baby Love (which was listed for the Orange Prize), Desiring Cairo and Tree of Pearls. They were followed by The Book of the Heart, a cultural history of our most symbolic organ. She has also published the Lionboy trilogy of children’s novels, written with her then ten-year-old daughter under the pseudonym Zizou Corder and two further children's novels, Lee Raven Boy Thief and Halo. .
,
Her 2011 bestseller My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You, which was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2011 and the Wellcome Book Prize, was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice, and the first ever winner of the Galaxy Audiobook of the Year. It was followed by two sequels, The Heroes' Welcome and Devotion, and a memoir, You Left Early: A True Story of Love and Alcohol, about her relationship with the composer Robert Lockhart.
Her most recent book is a novel, Twelve Months and a Day.
She lives in London.
http://www.louisayoung.co.uk/about.html
,
Her 2011 bestseller My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You, which was shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award 2011 and the Wellcome Book Prize, was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice, and the first ever winner of the Galaxy Audiobook of the Year. It was followed by two sequels, The Heroes' Welcome and Devotion, and a memoir, You Left Early: A True Story of Love and Alcohol, about her relationship with the composer Robert Lockhart.
Her most recent book is a novel, Twelve Months and a Day.
She lives in London.
http://www.louisayoung.co.uk/about.html
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
'The Golden Hours' picks up with the sprawling Cazalet clan at Christmas 1962 – which is fitting, because getting my hands on an advance reader copy felt like waking up on Christmas morning! As a huge fan of the original Chronicles, I felt excited, nervous and secretly a bit sick about the potential disappointment of not quite getting what I had wished for in my stocking…
With that said, I’m relieved to report that this latest instalment is a more than worthy continuation of the incomparable Elizabeth Jane Howard’s saga. There are a few teething problems as the series evolves into new territory with a cast of less familiar characters, but 'The Golden Hours' is consistently compelling and emotionally poignant in a way that feels uniquely Cazalet in its soul. I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest of Louisa Young's trilogy. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!
My in-depth thoughts as a Cazalet super-fan below (mostly spoiler-free)…
What I loved:
Rather than trying to imitate a perfect replica of her aunt’s prose, Louisa Young brings her own unique style that’s more emotionally expressive and modern, which feels right for this new era of the story as we enter the Swinging Sixties. More importantly, Young nails her predecessor’s uncanny ability to give insight into the internal hopes, dreams and fears of a vast cast of characters. There are still a lot of people jostling for a voice here, but Young does a stellar job of keeping the competing narratives under control through deft shifts in perspective.
For me, the beating heart of 'The Golden Hours' is Louisa Young’s respectful stewardship of the characters Elizabeth Jane Howard created. Young treats them with a deep empathy and respect, whilst never feeling slavish to the past material. She dares to dive into parts of their psyches not covered in the original books and challenge them in new ways, whilst still making sure they always feel like themselves. This is no mean feat, and she does it with real grace. This particularly applies to the cousin trio – Clary, Polly and especially Louise – whose stories feel satisfyingly authentic as they grapple with new challenges as grown women, no longer the girls whose childhoods we’ve followed through previous volumes.
On another positive note, the pacing actually feels tighter than the original Chronicles, with fewer sagging sections of narrative and a bigger sense of forward-moving plot. There’s even (gasp) a cliffhanger at the end, which genuinely makes me want to time-travel into the future and read the next volume immediately! The previous books were utterly magical but not exactly page-turners in a 'have-to-find-out-what-happens' way, so this shift is a welcome change for me: and perhaps necessary for a newer generation of readers to lock into the revived series.
What I didn’t love:
Along with many die-hard Cazalet fans, some of the narrative decisions in the fifth book ('All Change') didn’t quite sit right with me. One of its biggest issues – the sudden influx of new characters through a dreaded time-skip – means that Louisa Young inherited the daunting task of having to flesh out all these characters we *kind of* know but don’t have much of a connection with, without the comparative freedom of a total blank slate. For the most part, I think Young handles this admirably in 'The Golden Hours': choosing wisely to hone in on just a few newcomers, rather than trying to cram all of them in with individual arcs. It does mean, however, that while it can’t really be helped, there are still quite a lot of peripheral children who we don’t really know being posh and vaguely annoying around the edges! And while Young valiantly attempts to fix certain niggling plot issues that didn’t age so well from the previous book (Neville and Juliet – if you know, you know), the treatment tends to feel a bit too modern and emotionally literate for the notoriously repressed Cazalets, which was a little jarring for me.
Finally – plot-wise, I honestly wished a bit more would *happen* to the older Cazalets in this volume. The real action often lies with the newer generations, who I just couldn’t quite bring myself to care about as much as the old guard (which isn’t to say Young does a bad job in handing over the baton and establishing the newbies – I just still feel so attached to the OG family, and am not quite ready to let go yet!). The material we do get doesn’t disappoint. Louisa Young gives dear Aunt Rachel – my most beloved character from the entire series – a more introspective and emotionally-open internal monologue than she ever got in the original books, which I found enchanting. But the tentative steps towards change we see her thinking about don’t actually seem to lead anywhere in 'The Golden Hours', and she stays quite static. We’re similarly teased with Villy, whose exciting new life is mainly referred to by other characters rather than told from her actual perspective. While I get that the series needs to be gradually handed over to a new generation, I’m hoping the trademark slow-burn of the Cazalets will reward us with more material for these stalwart characters as the trilogy goes on. Fingers crossed!
With that said, I’m relieved to report that this latest instalment is a more than worthy continuation of the incomparable Elizabeth Jane Howard’s saga. There are a few teething problems as the series evolves into new territory with a cast of less familiar characters, but 'The Golden Hours' is consistently compelling and emotionally poignant in a way that feels uniquely Cazalet in its soul. I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest of Louisa Young's trilogy. Thank you to NetGalley for my ARC!
My in-depth thoughts as a Cazalet super-fan below (mostly spoiler-free)…
What I loved:
Rather than trying to imitate a perfect replica of her aunt’s prose, Louisa Young brings her own unique style that’s more emotionally expressive and modern, which feels right for this new era of the story as we enter the Swinging Sixties. More importantly, Young nails her predecessor’s uncanny ability to give insight into the internal hopes, dreams and fears of a vast cast of characters. There are still a lot of people jostling for a voice here, but Young does a stellar job of keeping the competing narratives under control through deft shifts in perspective.
For me, the beating heart of 'The Golden Hours' is Louisa Young’s respectful stewardship of the characters Elizabeth Jane Howard created. Young treats them with a deep empathy and respect, whilst never feeling slavish to the past material. She dares to dive into parts of their psyches not covered in the original books and challenge them in new ways, whilst still making sure they always feel like themselves. This is no mean feat, and she does it with real grace. This particularly applies to the cousin trio – Clary, Polly and especially Louise – whose stories feel satisfyingly authentic as they grapple with new challenges as grown women, no longer the girls whose childhoods we’ve followed through previous volumes.
On another positive note, the pacing actually feels tighter than the original Chronicles, with fewer sagging sections of narrative and a bigger sense of forward-moving plot. There’s even (gasp) a cliffhanger at the end, which genuinely makes me want to time-travel into the future and read the next volume immediately! The previous books were utterly magical but not exactly page-turners in a 'have-to-find-out-what-happens' way, so this shift is a welcome change for me: and perhaps necessary for a newer generation of readers to lock into the revived series.
What I didn’t love:
Along with many die-hard Cazalet fans, some of the narrative decisions in the fifth book ('All Change') didn’t quite sit right with me. One of its biggest issues – the sudden influx of new characters through a dreaded time-skip – means that Louisa Young inherited the daunting task of having to flesh out all these characters we *kind of* know but don’t have much of a connection with, without the comparative freedom of a total blank slate. For the most part, I think Young handles this admirably in 'The Golden Hours': choosing wisely to hone in on just a few newcomers, rather than trying to cram all of them in with individual arcs. It does mean, however, that while it can’t really be helped, there are still quite a lot of peripheral children who we don’t really know being posh and vaguely annoying around the edges! And while Young valiantly attempts to fix certain niggling plot issues that didn’t age so well from the previous book (Neville and Juliet – if you know, you know), the treatment tends to feel a bit too modern and emotionally literate for the notoriously repressed Cazalets, which was a little jarring for me.
Finally – plot-wise, I honestly wished a bit more would *happen* to the older Cazalets in this volume. The real action often lies with the newer generations, who I just couldn’t quite bring myself to care about as much as the old guard (which isn’t to say Young does a bad job in handing over the baton and establishing the newbies – I just still feel so attached to the OG family, and am not quite ready to let go yet!). The material we do get doesn’t disappoint. Louisa Young gives dear Aunt Rachel – my most beloved character from the entire series – a more introspective and emotionally-open internal monologue than she ever got in the original books, which I found enchanting. But the tentative steps towards change we see her thinking about don’t actually seem to lead anywhere in 'The Golden Hours', and she stays quite static. We’re similarly teased with Villy, whose exciting new life is mainly referred to by other characters rather than told from her actual perspective. While I get that the series needs to be gradually handed over to a new generation, I’m hoping the trademark slow-burn of the Cazalets will reward us with more material for these stalwart characters as the trilogy goes on. Fingers crossed!
August 23, 2026
Thank you to Pan Macmillan for getting in touch to offer me an early Proof of The Golden Hours by Louisa Young which comes out on 3rd September.
It continues The Cazalet Chronicles, which tells the story of one of the most beloved families in British literature from the 1930s to the 1950s, written by Elizabeth Jane Howard, and rather fittingly Louisa Young is her niece.
Having wanted to read Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles for such a long time, this was the year that I finally picked all five volumes off my TBR and embarked upon a really immersive back to back read.
Like many a reader before me, I found them to be compelling, addictive, satisfying reads, and absolutely loved the story, the characters, and the setting.
With such a much-loved, popular and precious series, picking up the threads and continuing the characters' journey into the 1960s must have felt such a formidable and daunting task, and given that EHJ was Louisa Young's aunt, possibly like she was handling sacred texts!
So much so that I think like any prospective reader, I might be forgiven for any slight misgivings felt when embarking upon a read of The Golden Hours, even though Louisa Young is a particularly fine writer in her own right.
I need not have worried though, because within a few pages of starting it, it felt like being back in familiar territory, with characters who I've come to know almost as well as my own family!
Louisa Young has succeeded beautifully in capturing the original, unmistakable tone of her Aunt's original series, and realising the spirit and essence of her characters, bringing the reader a wonderfully satisfying continuation of the Cazalet family story.
I was equally as transfixed and invested with this continuation of multi-generational family which has felt the impact of change at both personal and societal levels. Gone is the security of the old and familiar, and the family has been spun as if in a centrifuge, with various members shooting off in many different directions. The tethering effect of Home Place and the family business is no more, and the nearest the family now has as a focal point is Polly and Gerald's stately home, Fakenham Hall.
But change, as we know, is ongoing. The family has buckled and fractured already, because of history and because of choices made in the past. Now the cousins and the youngest generation are facing the seismic changes of the Swinging Sixties, and some family members adapt to all this change easier than others.
The Golden Hours is a fascinating, absorbing, and brilliantly written exploration of societal change, individual choices and mis-steps, and the effects they will have, both in the present, and the future.
it is a fantastic continuation of a much-loved series, and I adored it - hats off to Louisa Young. As a confirmed Cazalet fan I'm overjoyed to discover that this is the first of three planned follow-ups, and I'm very excited for the next instalment!
It continues The Cazalet Chronicles, which tells the story of one of the most beloved families in British literature from the 1930s to the 1950s, written by Elizabeth Jane Howard, and rather fittingly Louisa Young is her niece.
Having wanted to read Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles for such a long time, this was the year that I finally picked all five volumes off my TBR and embarked upon a really immersive back to back read.
Like many a reader before me, I found them to be compelling, addictive, satisfying reads, and absolutely loved the story, the characters, and the setting.
With such a much-loved, popular and precious series, picking up the threads and continuing the characters' journey into the 1960s must have felt such a formidable and daunting task, and given that EHJ was Louisa Young's aunt, possibly like she was handling sacred texts!
So much so that I think like any prospective reader, I might be forgiven for any slight misgivings felt when embarking upon a read of The Golden Hours, even though Louisa Young is a particularly fine writer in her own right.
I need not have worried though, because within a few pages of starting it, it felt like being back in familiar territory, with characters who I've come to know almost as well as my own family!
Louisa Young has succeeded beautifully in capturing the original, unmistakable tone of her Aunt's original series, and realising the spirit and essence of her characters, bringing the reader a wonderfully satisfying continuation of the Cazalet family story.
I was equally as transfixed and invested with this continuation of multi-generational family which has felt the impact of change at both personal and societal levels. Gone is the security of the old and familiar, and the family has been spun as if in a centrifuge, with various members shooting off in many different directions. The tethering effect of Home Place and the family business is no more, and the nearest the family now has as a focal point is Polly and Gerald's stately home, Fakenham Hall.
But change, as we know, is ongoing. The family has buckled and fractured already, because of history and because of choices made in the past. Now the cousins and the youngest generation are facing the seismic changes of the Swinging Sixties, and some family members adapt to all this change easier than others.
The Golden Hours is a fascinating, absorbing, and brilliantly written exploration of societal change, individual choices and mis-steps, and the effects they will have, both in the present, and the future.
it is a fantastic continuation of a much-loved series, and I adored it - hats off to Louisa Young. As a confirmed Cazalet fan I'm overjoyed to discover that this is the first of three planned follow-ups, and I'm very excited for the next instalment!
September 16, 2026
This was my first dip into the world of the Cazalets and I wasn't disappointed. Having been totally captured by the wonderful writing of Louisa Young, I'm in for the rest of the journey.
Although there are a lot of characters to remember I certainly now have a desire to start fron book one to get a flavour of what went before.
A great family saga, told in a cool, humourous and contemporary fashion.
Although there are a lot of characters to remember I certainly now have a desire to start fron book one to get a flavour of what went before.
A great family saga, told in a cool, humourous and contemporary fashion.
September 16, 2026
Con “Le ore d’oro”, primo volume di un nuovo ciclo di tre romanzi, Louisa Young raccoglie l’eredità della zia Elizabeth Jane Howard e torna nel mondo dei Cazalet, una famiglia che i lettori conoscono bene, perché ha attraversato decenni di storia trasformandosi insieme alla società che la circonda
La narrazione prende avvio alla Vigilia di Natale del 1962, a Fakenham Hall, nel Norfolk (la dimora che ha preso il posto di Home Place), trasformata in un contenitore affettivo dove replicare i vecchi riti, il luogo in cui passato e presente continuano a incontrarsi.
William e Kitty Cazalet, il Generale e la Duchessa, sono morti da tempo; i loro figli sono ormai sulla sessantina e il centro della storia si sposta soprattutto sulla generazione dei quarantenni e sui nipoti, che portano con sé aspirazioni e inquietudini appartenenti a una nuova epoca
Fuori e dentro la famiglia, tutto sta cambiando. Gli anni Sessanta portano nuovi modelli culturali, nuove musiche, nuovi rapporti tra uomini e donne, una diversa idea di libertà, di sessualità, di lavoro, di identità personale: temi che Young sviscera con maestria attraverso i personaggi della saga
Clary e Polly mostrano ancora un forte bisogno di ritualità per contenere l'ansia da separazione dal passato, ma ogni membro della famiglia vive il tempo e i lutti in modo del tutto personale: se Rachel misura con nostalgia il tempo che scorre, altri avvertono la morsa di aspettative familiari ormai anacronistiche
L'arco temporale della narrazione, che va dal Natale 1962 alla primavera del 1966, fa da sfondo all'ingresso irruento della modernità e dei fenomeni che l’accompagnano: la musica dei Beatles, i nuovi capi di moda, le Alfa Romeo e le icone come Twiggy, segnali di un cambiamento culturalpop che penetra nella vita quotidiana e occupa il teatro emotivo e sociale su cui si consuma la crisi di identità delle nuove generazioni
Uno dei personaggi che meglio incarna l’inquietudine dei nuovi tempi è Juliet, attraversata da un conflitto di autonomia: vive la tipica dinamica giovanile dello "sgancio" dalla famiglia d'origine, usando la casa dei genitori come "rifornimento affettivo". Il confronto con i nuovi canoni estetici del tempo ne rivela la fragilità interiorizzata, mentre oscilla tra il desiderio di carriera, di indipendenza economico-emotiva e la nostalgia per il primo amore, Neville. Juliet incarna la confusione identitaria di una generazione femminile sospesa tra il modello precedente e la liberazione personale. Allo stesso modo, la figura di Simon introduce la delicata esplorazione dell'identità sessuale e della ricerca di validazione in un'epoca in cui l'omosessualità muoveva i primi, faticosi passi verso la libertà, in assenza di modelli preesistenti attraverso cui comprendere sé stesso
La struttura del romanzo, articolata in diverse parti, segue il movimento stesso del tempo. Non assistiamo a un'unica grande vicenda, ma a un flusso di esistenze: il tempo passa, e con lui cambiano le persone e le relazioni. Alcuni personaggi cercano di opporsi al cambiamento, altri lo inseguono, altri ancora lo subiscono senza sapere bene che cosa desiderino
Il vero protagonista del romanzo è dunque il tempo che scorre
La narrazione procede da un personaggio all'altro e ogni nuova focalizzazione aggiunge un frammento alla grande storia familiare e sociale di quegli anni. Buttercup, Clary, Louise, Georgie, Rachel, Rupert e tutti gli altri portano dentro di sé una diversa versione della famiglia e del mondo. Louisa Young sceglie infatti di alternare il punto di vista dei diversi personaggi e lascia che siano le loro esperienze, i ricordi, i desideri e le inquietudini a costruire progressivamente il ritratto della famiglia, entrando nella loro mente e osservando il mondo attraverso il loro sguardo. Anche i dialoghi svolgono un ruolo importante: le parole scambiate tra i personaggi mostrano i rapporti, le tensioni, le affinità e le distanze
I Cazalet diventano una lente attraverso la quale osservare i primi anni Sessanta: una società in cui il passato è ancora fortemente presente, ma al contempo emergono nuovi modi di amare, di lavorare, di divertirsi, insomma, di vivere e, soprattutto, di concepire la propria libertà
Un affresco penetrante sull'adattamento al cambiamento, che invita a riflettere su quanto del nostro passato continuiamo a portare dentro di noi mentre tentiamo di costruire il futuro
#louisayoung #leoredoro #fazieditore #lestrade #letteraturastraniera #cazalet
La narrazione prende avvio alla Vigilia di Natale del 1962, a Fakenham Hall, nel Norfolk (la dimora che ha preso il posto di Home Place), trasformata in un contenitore affettivo dove replicare i vecchi riti, il luogo in cui passato e presente continuano a incontrarsi.
William e Kitty Cazalet, il Generale e la Duchessa, sono morti da tempo; i loro figli sono ormai sulla sessantina e il centro della storia si sposta soprattutto sulla generazione dei quarantenni e sui nipoti, che portano con sé aspirazioni e inquietudini appartenenti a una nuova epoca
Fuori e dentro la famiglia, tutto sta cambiando. Gli anni Sessanta portano nuovi modelli culturali, nuove musiche, nuovi rapporti tra uomini e donne, una diversa idea di libertà, di sessualità, di lavoro, di identità personale: temi che Young sviscera con maestria attraverso i personaggi della saga
Clary e Polly mostrano ancora un forte bisogno di ritualità per contenere l'ansia da separazione dal passato, ma ogni membro della famiglia vive il tempo e i lutti in modo del tutto personale: se Rachel misura con nostalgia il tempo che scorre, altri avvertono la morsa di aspettative familiari ormai anacronistiche
L'arco temporale della narrazione, che va dal Natale 1962 alla primavera del 1966, fa da sfondo all'ingresso irruento della modernità e dei fenomeni che l’accompagnano: la musica dei Beatles, i nuovi capi di moda, le Alfa Romeo e le icone come Twiggy, segnali di un cambiamento culturalpop che penetra nella vita quotidiana e occupa il teatro emotivo e sociale su cui si consuma la crisi di identità delle nuove generazioni
Uno dei personaggi che meglio incarna l’inquietudine dei nuovi tempi è Juliet, attraversata da un conflitto di autonomia: vive la tipica dinamica giovanile dello "sgancio" dalla famiglia d'origine, usando la casa dei genitori come "rifornimento affettivo". Il confronto con i nuovi canoni estetici del tempo ne rivela la fragilità interiorizzata, mentre oscilla tra il desiderio di carriera, di indipendenza economico-emotiva e la nostalgia per il primo amore, Neville. Juliet incarna la confusione identitaria di una generazione femminile sospesa tra il modello precedente e la liberazione personale. Allo stesso modo, la figura di Simon introduce la delicata esplorazione dell'identità sessuale e della ricerca di validazione in un'epoca in cui l'omosessualità muoveva i primi, faticosi passi verso la libertà, in assenza di modelli preesistenti attraverso cui comprendere sé stesso
La struttura del romanzo, articolata in diverse parti, segue il movimento stesso del tempo. Non assistiamo a un'unica grande vicenda, ma a un flusso di esistenze: il tempo passa, e con lui cambiano le persone e le relazioni. Alcuni personaggi cercano di opporsi al cambiamento, altri lo inseguono, altri ancora lo subiscono senza sapere bene che cosa desiderino
Il vero protagonista del romanzo è dunque il tempo che scorre
La narrazione procede da un personaggio all'altro e ogni nuova focalizzazione aggiunge un frammento alla grande storia familiare e sociale di quegli anni. Buttercup, Clary, Louise, Georgie, Rachel, Rupert e tutti gli altri portano dentro di sé una diversa versione della famiglia e del mondo. Louisa Young sceglie infatti di alternare il punto di vista dei diversi personaggi e lascia che siano le loro esperienze, i ricordi, i desideri e le inquietudini a costruire progressivamente il ritratto della famiglia, entrando nella loro mente e osservando il mondo attraverso il loro sguardo. Anche i dialoghi svolgono un ruolo importante: le parole scambiate tra i personaggi mostrano i rapporti, le tensioni, le affinità e le distanze
I Cazalet diventano una lente attraverso la quale osservare i primi anni Sessanta: una società in cui il passato è ancora fortemente presente, ma al contempo emergono nuovi modi di amare, di lavorare, di divertirsi, insomma, di vivere e, soprattutto, di concepire la propria libertà
Un affresco penetrante sull'adattamento al cambiamento, che invita a riflettere su quanto del nostro passato continuiamo a portare dentro di noi mentre tentiamo di costruire il futuro
#louisayoung #leoredoro #fazieditore #lestrade #letteraturastraniera #cazalet
September 10, 2026
Louisa Young captures the voice and writing style of E.J. Howard really well.Her sixth installment is a page turner. The Cazalets find themselves in a new decade, the sixties, and Young describes that decade well.
The only quibble I have is the psycho analysis of Neville, which I did not like
The only quibble I have is the psycho analysis of Neville, which I did not like
July 23, 2026
I have been a massive fan of The Cazalets since I first read them as a teenager so was always pre-disposed to enjoy this. It took me a little while to get into it as some of the new characters threw me off a bit (I haven’t read the final Cazalets book written by Howard) but once I got a bit further in I was completely hooked and enjoyed being back with both familiar and new characters.
The best compliment I can give is that it felt like it was written by the original author. Really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more as they are released. Many thanks for the review copy.
The best compliment I can give is that it felt like it was written by the original author. Really enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading more as they are released. Many thanks for the review copy.
September 18, 2026
De Cazalets zijn terug!
Wie had dat gedacht, de serie rond de familie Cazalet van Elizabeth Jane Howard (1923 -2014) heeft een vervolg gekregen! Onlangs verscheen deel 6 Het gouden uur. Auteur van dit vervolg is Louisa Young (1960), een nicht van Howard. Hoewel ze geen bloedverwanten waren – Howard was in de Tweede wereldoorlog getrouwd met een broer van Youngs vader – hadden ze een warme band en is er altijd contact gebleven tussen Young en ‘tante Jane’. Young zelf is ook geen onverdienstelijk auteur. Ze schreef dertien romans maar is ook bekend van verschillende memoires, biografieën en historische non-fictie. Haar werk werd in 32 talen vertaald. Het gouden uur werd in het Nederlands vertaald door Inge Kok en het is de bedoeling dat er nog twee delen van de hand van Young gaan volgen.
Het is kerst 1962. De hele familie is weer bij elkaar. Niet meer op Home Place, wat in de jaren vijftig verkocht moest worden toen de houthandel van de familie Cazalet ter ziele ging. Dit jaar zien ze elkaar in het deftige landhuis van Polly en Gerald. Hugh, Edward, Rupert en Rachel zien in hun hoedanigheid als ‘de oude garde’ dat Engeland verandert. De nichtjes (de meisjes) Polly, Louise en Clary zijn nu allemaal bijna veertig en nemen het geregel binnen de familie langzaamaan over, naast de uitdagingen van hun drukke gezinnen en carrières. Hun kinderen groeien nu op in de jaren zestig waarin seks, drugs en rock & roll hun levens zullen gaan bepalen.
Na het lezen van de eerste pagina’s van dit nieuwe deel zit je er als lezer weer helemaal in. Na een lijst van personages, een stamboom en een kort voorwoord weet je weer wie wie ook weer is en word je weer direct meegesleurd in het verslavende leven van al deze bijzonder gewone mensen uit de hoge Engelse middenklasse. Want verslavend blijft het, het wel en wee van al deze oude bekenden.
Het gouden uur speelt zich af tussen kerst 1962 en voorjaar 1966. Roerige jaren waarin vanuit Amerika nieuwe muziek en lossere zeden overwaaien. Er begint een nieuwe oorlog, in Vietnam. De familie lijkt hun leven rustig aan voort te zetten maar door de verlokkingen van de nieuwe tijd zien ze hun kinderen en kleinkinderen steeds meer veranderen en zich overgeven aan de nieuwe manier van leven. Het is dan ook geen wonder dat er af en toe verzet komt als de kinderen iets verboden wordt of als de veertigers ineens geconfronteerd worden met behoorlijk lastige familiegeheimen. Want die blijven bestaan, ondanks de veranderende tijden.
Het is verbazingwekkend om te lezen hoe goed Young de schrijfstijl van haar tante weet voort te zetten. Het is te merken dat zijzelf ook een getalenteerd schrijver is en dat zij veel kennis heeft van de familie van haar tante, waarop de verhalen van de Cazalets zijn gebaseerd. De stijl is iets losser en soms iets meer met humor geschreven maar dit kan ook te maken hebben met de nieuwe tijd. Praten over seks en relaties werd steeds gemakkelijker en je merkt dat Young de personages dit laat overnemen. Ook rassenverschillen komen aan de orde, het donkere vriendinnetje Lola van Buttercup, Clarys jongste spruit, is zo schattig, die twee verdienen bijna hun eigen boek! Lola, afkorting voor Omolola Omole, gaat voor het eerst mee vanuit Londen naar het landgoed van Polly en Gerald in Fakenham en heeft nog nooit een echte koe gezien:
‘Wat is ie GROOT,’ gilde Lola
‘Zo groot als een koe’, zei Buttercup.
‘Ik heb alleen plaatjes gezien’, zei Lola, die maar bleef staren. Ze beet vrolijk op haar lip. ‘Ik dacht dat ze even groot waren als een hond.’ [...] ‘Wat voor hond’, zei Buttercup. ‘Een...chihuahua!’
Maar als de twee zesjarigen daarna snoep gaan kopen in bij de plaatselijke kruidenier, krijgt het winkelechtpaar bijna een hartverzakking als ze voor het eerst in hun leven een zwart mens zien. De reactie van Buttercup hierop is zo nuchter als een zesjarige maar kan zijn:
‘Dat was raar. Ik wist niet dat er mensen waren die geen mensen hadden gezien.’
En zo zit het hele boek vol kwinkslagen en steken onder water, iets wat bij Howard wat stijver overkwam, als ze ze al gebruikte,
Young heeft zich bewezen als een behoorlijke opvolger van haar tante. De volgende delen kunnen niet snel genoeg uitkomen!
Met dank aan De Club van Echte Lezers van Uitgeverij AtlasContact voor het recensie-exemplaar.
Wie had dat gedacht, de serie rond de familie Cazalet van Elizabeth Jane Howard (1923 -2014) heeft een vervolg gekregen! Onlangs verscheen deel 6 Het gouden uur. Auteur van dit vervolg is Louisa Young (1960), een nicht van Howard. Hoewel ze geen bloedverwanten waren – Howard was in de Tweede wereldoorlog getrouwd met een broer van Youngs vader – hadden ze een warme band en is er altijd contact gebleven tussen Young en ‘tante Jane’. Young zelf is ook geen onverdienstelijk auteur. Ze schreef dertien romans maar is ook bekend van verschillende memoires, biografieën en historische non-fictie. Haar werk werd in 32 talen vertaald. Het gouden uur werd in het Nederlands vertaald door Inge Kok en het is de bedoeling dat er nog twee delen van de hand van Young gaan volgen.
Het is kerst 1962. De hele familie is weer bij elkaar. Niet meer op Home Place, wat in de jaren vijftig verkocht moest worden toen de houthandel van de familie Cazalet ter ziele ging. Dit jaar zien ze elkaar in het deftige landhuis van Polly en Gerald. Hugh, Edward, Rupert en Rachel zien in hun hoedanigheid als ‘de oude garde’ dat Engeland verandert. De nichtjes (de meisjes) Polly, Louise en Clary zijn nu allemaal bijna veertig en nemen het geregel binnen de familie langzaamaan over, naast de uitdagingen van hun drukke gezinnen en carrières. Hun kinderen groeien nu op in de jaren zestig waarin seks, drugs en rock & roll hun levens zullen gaan bepalen.
Na het lezen van de eerste pagina’s van dit nieuwe deel zit je er als lezer weer helemaal in. Na een lijst van personages, een stamboom en een kort voorwoord weet je weer wie wie ook weer is en word je weer direct meegesleurd in het verslavende leven van al deze bijzonder gewone mensen uit de hoge Engelse middenklasse. Want verslavend blijft het, het wel en wee van al deze oude bekenden.
Het gouden uur speelt zich af tussen kerst 1962 en voorjaar 1966. Roerige jaren waarin vanuit Amerika nieuwe muziek en lossere zeden overwaaien. Er begint een nieuwe oorlog, in Vietnam. De familie lijkt hun leven rustig aan voort te zetten maar door de verlokkingen van de nieuwe tijd zien ze hun kinderen en kleinkinderen steeds meer veranderen en zich overgeven aan de nieuwe manier van leven. Het is dan ook geen wonder dat er af en toe verzet komt als de kinderen iets verboden wordt of als de veertigers ineens geconfronteerd worden met behoorlijk lastige familiegeheimen. Want die blijven bestaan, ondanks de veranderende tijden.
Het is verbazingwekkend om te lezen hoe goed Young de schrijfstijl van haar tante weet voort te zetten. Het is te merken dat zijzelf ook een getalenteerd schrijver is en dat zij veel kennis heeft van de familie van haar tante, waarop de verhalen van de Cazalets zijn gebaseerd. De stijl is iets losser en soms iets meer met humor geschreven maar dit kan ook te maken hebben met de nieuwe tijd. Praten over seks en relaties werd steeds gemakkelijker en je merkt dat Young de personages dit laat overnemen. Ook rassenverschillen komen aan de orde, het donkere vriendinnetje Lola van Buttercup, Clarys jongste spruit, is zo schattig, die twee verdienen bijna hun eigen boek! Lola, afkorting voor Omolola Omole, gaat voor het eerst mee vanuit Londen naar het landgoed van Polly en Gerald in Fakenham en heeft nog nooit een echte koe gezien:
‘Wat is ie GROOT,’ gilde Lola
‘Zo groot als een koe’, zei Buttercup.
‘Ik heb alleen plaatjes gezien’, zei Lola, die maar bleef staren. Ze beet vrolijk op haar lip. ‘Ik dacht dat ze even groot waren als een hond.’ [...] ‘Wat voor hond’, zei Buttercup. ‘Een...chihuahua!’
Maar als de twee zesjarigen daarna snoep gaan kopen in bij de plaatselijke kruidenier, krijgt het winkelechtpaar bijna een hartverzakking als ze voor het eerst in hun leven een zwart mens zien. De reactie van Buttercup hierop is zo nuchter als een zesjarige maar kan zijn:
‘Dat was raar. Ik wist niet dat er mensen waren die geen mensen hadden gezien.’
En zo zit het hele boek vol kwinkslagen en steken onder water, iets wat bij Howard wat stijver overkwam, als ze ze al gebruikte,
Young heeft zich bewezen als een behoorlijke opvolger van haar tante. De volgende delen kunnen niet snel genoeg uitkomen!
Met dank aan De Club van Echte Lezers van Uitgeverij AtlasContact voor het recensie-exemplaar.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I am a latecomer to the world of the Cazalets, devouring the entire series in a matter of months within the last year, then listening to the BBC Radio drama. I was therefore delighted to find out that I would be able to find out what happens next to the family in a new continuation by Elizabeth Jane Howard's niece, and even more pleased to be given an ARC by the publishers (thank you!). I was a little hesitant, I have to say. The amazing thing about this family that Howard has created is how real the people in it are, with their foibles, their strengths, their quirks, and in my imagination they are as real as any of the other characters who have been living there for much longer. Therefore I was so relieved to immediately sink into Christmas at Fakenham and to become reacquainted with Clary, Louise, Polly, and not only their parents and aunt but their children, there in the life just as they were at the end of 'All Change'.
Although no one can write with quite the elegance and flair of Howard, Young's style is not at all jarring or obtrusive, and she has caught and picked up the characters astonishingly well. Very few things felt out of kilter to me, and the narrative felt pretty seamless all in all. I've always wanted to know what happened to Jessica's daughter who married the war veteran in order to look after him in a convalescent home (can't remember her name) but I suppose the problem with this saga is that the family tree is so sprawling that it's impossible to keep up with all the characters, and in fact Howard herself didn't attempt to do so with her final book in the series either. I really appreciated Villy getting a bit of a second wind and am interested to see what happens to her next; on the other hand I found Rupert extremely boring for most of this book, though I can see why he behaves as he does.
I didn't mind the jumping around between perspectives as I felt this fit in well with the later books in the series, although I could have done without the chapters from Tonbridge's perspective, or from Juliet's some time landlady. I'm too young to have experienced the sixties and actually feel I know little about it as a decade, but it did seem to be reflected in some of the topics brought up and some of the social scenarios the characters find themselves in.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will certainly be looking forward to reading Young's continuation of the series, especially after such a cliffhanger!
Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
Although no one can write with quite the elegance and flair of Howard, Young's style is not at all jarring or obtrusive, and she has caught and picked up the characters astonishingly well. Very few things felt out of kilter to me, and the narrative felt pretty seamless all in all. I've always wanted to know what happened to Jessica's daughter who married the war veteran in order to look after him in a convalescent home (can't remember her name) but I suppose the problem with this saga is that the family tree is so sprawling that it's impossible to keep up with all the characters, and in fact Howard herself didn't attempt to do so with her final book in the series either. I really appreciated Villy getting a bit of a second wind and am interested to see what happens to her next; on the other hand I found Rupert extremely boring for most of this book, though I can see why he behaves as he does.
I didn't mind the jumping around between perspectives as I felt this fit in well with the later books in the series, although I could have done without the chapters from Tonbridge's perspective, or from Juliet's some time landlady. I'm too young to have experienced the sixties and actually feel I know little about it as a decade, but it did seem to be reflected in some of the topics brought up and some of the social scenarios the characters find themselves in.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will certainly be looking forward to reading Young's continuation of the series, especially after such a cliffhanger!
Thank you again to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
September 2, 2026
It’s December 1962, and the Cazalets are gathering for Christmas. Polly and Gerald have opened their rambling Norfolk pile, Fakenham Hall, to parents, siblings, cousins and children.
The old guard – Hugh, Edward, Rupert and Rachel – watch as the England they knew begins to disappear. Polly, Louise and Clary, all approaching forty, are trying to reconcile the demands of midlife with desires they don’t always admit to. And the younger generation are growing up in a world on the brink of profound change.
I loved Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles, and approached Louisa Young's continuation with equal parts excitement and apprehension. The Cazalet family history was modelled on EJH's own, so Young, family by marriage, is uniquely suited to continue it.
After the downbeat fracturing of All Change, the least beloved of the original series, Young brings us a family struggling to find its feet.
She beckons us in with a “Light Years” template: the family together at Christmas, reflecting on past gatherings, absences and new arrivals.
Like the Brig and Duchy before them, Hugh, Edward, Rachel and Villy are relatively dim presences here, noted more for their previous influence than their current agency. Young, however, as she concetrates on the children and the evolving realtionships among their parents, plants enough seeds to suggest there’s more to come for the older Cazalets as they confront their mortality.
This telling benefits from a modern author's eye, reshaping EJH's paradigm with a contemporary tone, vocabulary and sensibility. Young captures the changes of the times without making the Cazalets feel out of place, or overdoing the "Swinging Sixties". She has the same eye for detail in the rituals and rites required to maintain relationships and families: the points of connection, the unspoken avoidances, the endless abrasion of give and take which keeps everything moving, but which can also spoil the fit.
These are the same Cazalets we know and love, and Young provides the connection and immersion we expect from a Cazalet novel, delivering something fresh, yet wonderfully familiar.
A new verse in the same song.
Quite remarkable, really.
The old guard – Hugh, Edward, Rupert and Rachel – watch as the England they knew begins to disappear. Polly, Louise and Clary, all approaching forty, are trying to reconcile the demands of midlife with desires they don’t always admit to. And the younger generation are growing up in a world on the brink of profound change.
I loved Elizabeth Jane Howard's Cazalet Chronicles, and approached Louisa Young's continuation with equal parts excitement and apprehension. The Cazalet family history was modelled on EJH's own, so Young, family by marriage, is uniquely suited to continue it.
After the downbeat fracturing of All Change, the least beloved of the original series, Young brings us a family struggling to find its feet.
She beckons us in with a “Light Years” template: the family together at Christmas, reflecting on past gatherings, absences and new arrivals.
Like the Brig and Duchy before them, Hugh, Edward, Rachel and Villy are relatively dim presences here, noted more for their previous influence than their current agency. Young, however, as she concetrates on the children and the evolving realtionships among their parents, plants enough seeds to suggest there’s more to come for the older Cazalets as they confront their mortality.
This telling benefits from a modern author's eye, reshaping EJH's paradigm with a contemporary tone, vocabulary and sensibility. Young captures the changes of the times without making the Cazalets feel out of place, or overdoing the "Swinging Sixties". She has the same eye for detail in the rituals and rites required to maintain relationships and families: the points of connection, the unspoken avoidances, the endless abrasion of give and take which keeps everything moving, but which can also spoil the fit.
These are the same Cazalets we know and love, and Young provides the connection and immersion we expect from a Cazalet novel, delivering something fresh, yet wonderfully familiar.
A new verse in the same song.
Quite remarkable, really.
September 14, 2026
Ci sono famiglie letterarie in cui si entra quasi in punta di piedi, aprendo un libro, e dalle quali, pagina dopo pagina, si finisce per non voler uscire mai più. I Cazalet, nati dalla penna di Elizabeth Jane Howard, rappresentano uno degli esempi più interessanti di questa magia. Hanno accompagnato i lettori attraverso i decenni, superando due guerre mondiali, cambiamenti sociali epocali e le intime, innumerevoli rivoluzioni del cuore. Ma cosa succede quando l'autrice originale ci lascia e i personaggi hanno ancora tanta vita da vivere? È qui che entra in gioco Louisa Young con Le ore d'oro. Prendersi in carico l'eredità di una saga così amata era un rischio enorme, eppure Young, che della Howard fu intima amica e parente acquisita, raccoglie il testimone con una grazia e un rispetto assoluti. La storia riprende nei primissimi anni '60.
Il mondo dei Cazalet, un tempo ancorato alla sicurezza economica dell'azienda di legname e alla confortevole casa di famiglia nel Sussex, Home Place, è andato in frantumi. Eppure, il bisogno di appartenenza non si è spento. Troviamo la famiglia riunita per il Natale a Fakenham Hall, nel Norfolk: una tenuta nobiliare immensa, vagamente assurda e in perenne bisogno di restauri, dove Polly, ora contessa, cerca di tenere uniti i fili sfilacciati del clan. L'atmosfera che si respira nei primi capitoli è ricca di suggestione: la neve che copre le imperfezioni del paesaggio, il budino di Natale con i vecchi ciondoli d'argento nascosti all'interno, il ronzio dei bambini (una nuova, caotica generazione) che si mescola alle conversazioni degli adulti.
Young ricrea in modo impeccabile quella sensazione di intimità e di rituale che i fan della saga conoscono bene, ma con una consapevolezza nuova: il mondo fuori sta cambiando, i favolosi anni '60 bussano alla porta con la loro carica di indipendenza, e la famiglia deve adattarsi o rischiare di perdersi.
Recensione intera sul blog.
Il mondo dei Cazalet, un tempo ancorato alla sicurezza economica dell'azienda di legname e alla confortevole casa di famiglia nel Sussex, Home Place, è andato in frantumi. Eppure, il bisogno di appartenenza non si è spento. Troviamo la famiglia riunita per il Natale a Fakenham Hall, nel Norfolk: una tenuta nobiliare immensa, vagamente assurda e in perenne bisogno di restauri, dove Polly, ora contessa, cerca di tenere uniti i fili sfilacciati del clan. L'atmosfera che si respira nei primi capitoli è ricca di suggestione: la neve che copre le imperfezioni del paesaggio, il budino di Natale con i vecchi ciondoli d'argento nascosti all'interno, il ronzio dei bambini (una nuova, caotica generazione) che si mescola alle conversazioni degli adulti.
Young ricrea in modo impeccabile quella sensazione di intimità e di rituale che i fan della saga conoscono bene, ma con una consapevolezza nuova: il mondo fuori sta cambiando, i favolosi anni '60 bussano alla porta con la loro carica di indipendenza, e la famiglia deve adattarsi o rischiare di perdersi.
Recensione intera sul blog.
September 8, 2026
I love the original four books of the Cazalet Saga. They're the ultimate comfort read despite dealing with terrible things, and over the books the reader follows the progress of the sprawling family through idyllic years and the constant terror of World War Two.
I've only read the fifth book, All Change once, and remember very little about it apart from not enjoying it much - but when I heard that Elizabeth Jane Howard's niece by marriage, author Louisa Young, was writing a sixth book in the saga, I was very excited indeed. I was right to be excited, as her style of writing in The Golden Hours is extremely similar to Howard's without being clunky, and it's an excellent, excellent book.
The author does a remarkable job in bringing the reader up to speed with what's going on in the family in the 1960s without it coming across as information dumping, and we're soon back in the thrall of the Cazalets - now without their family business, that bit older than they were, and with a new generation of children to cause them pain, worries and happiness. The extended list of characters meant that I made liberal use of the character list provided at the front of the book, as sometimes I found it difficult to remember whose child was whose, but once I had it set in my head I was away.
I read The Golden Hours over the course of a blissful weekend, and when I came to the end I gasped out loud. I sincerely hope there will be a seventh book, I would be most upset if the cliffhanger at the end was not resolved!
A huge, huge thanks to Pan Macmillan and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in return for my review.
I've only read the fifth book, All Change once, and remember very little about it apart from not enjoying it much - but when I heard that Elizabeth Jane Howard's niece by marriage, author Louisa Young, was writing a sixth book in the saga, I was very excited indeed. I was right to be excited, as her style of writing in The Golden Hours is extremely similar to Howard's without being clunky, and it's an excellent, excellent book.
The author does a remarkable job in bringing the reader up to speed with what's going on in the family in the 1960s without it coming across as information dumping, and we're soon back in the thrall of the Cazalets - now without their family business, that bit older than they were, and with a new generation of children to cause them pain, worries and happiness. The extended list of characters meant that I made liberal use of the character list provided at the front of the book, as sometimes I found it difficult to remember whose child was whose, but once I had it set in my head I was away.
I read The Golden Hours over the course of a blissful weekend, and when I came to the end I gasped out loud. I sincerely hope there will be a seventh book, I would be most upset if the cliffhanger at the end was not resolved!
A huge, huge thanks to Pan Macmillan and to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in return for my review.
September 20, 2026
Louisa Young, nipote di Elizabeth Jane Howard, prosegue la storia familiare de 𝐼 𝐶𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑡 in una nuova trilogia, partendo dal 1962.
La famiglia Cazalet si ritrova a Natale presso la tenuta di Polly e Gerald, a Fakenham Hall, nel Norfolk dopo la vendita di Home Place. Ritroviamo alcuni dei personaggi che abbiamo imparato a conoscere, tra cui Louise, Clary e Archie, alle prese con l’ingresso negli anni Sessanta e con una serie di avvenimenti che continuano a segnare e trasformare le loro vite.
Non ho riletto i cinque romanzi della serie, ma leggere il riassunto e orientarmi attraverso l’albero genealogico mi ha aiutato a ricostruire la storia della famiglia e a ritrovare i legami tra i vari personaggi. La prima parte del romanzo è un po' lenta ma funge proprio da bussola, aiutando il lettore a riprendere il filo della storia e a riappropriarsi delle vicende de 𝐼 𝐶𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑡.
La parti successive mi hanno coinvolto un po' di più, con una narrazione che ho trovato più scorrevole e che mi ha fatto entrare, maggiormente, nelle vicende della famiglia. Devo ammettere, però, che questo proseguo non mi ha entusiasmato quanto avrei sperato, in alcuni punti mi sono un po' annoiato. Probabilmente perché le mie aspettative erano altissime. Tenendo conto del colpo di scena finale, penso che i romanzi successivi possano essere più centrati e coinvolgenti.
È, tutto sommato, un ritorno che incuriosisce, soprattutto per scoprire come questa grande famiglia affronterà i cambiamenti di un decennio così diverso dai precedenti.
La famiglia Cazalet si ritrova a Natale presso la tenuta di Polly e Gerald, a Fakenham Hall, nel Norfolk dopo la vendita di Home Place. Ritroviamo alcuni dei personaggi che abbiamo imparato a conoscere, tra cui Louise, Clary e Archie, alle prese con l’ingresso negli anni Sessanta e con una serie di avvenimenti che continuano a segnare e trasformare le loro vite.
Non ho riletto i cinque romanzi della serie, ma leggere il riassunto e orientarmi attraverso l’albero genealogico mi ha aiutato a ricostruire la storia della famiglia e a ritrovare i legami tra i vari personaggi. La prima parte del romanzo è un po' lenta ma funge proprio da bussola, aiutando il lettore a riprendere il filo della storia e a riappropriarsi delle vicende de 𝐼 𝐶𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑙𝑒𝑡.
La parti successive mi hanno coinvolto un po' di più, con una narrazione che ho trovato più scorrevole e che mi ha fatto entrare, maggiormente, nelle vicende della famiglia. Devo ammettere, però, che questo proseguo non mi ha entusiasmato quanto avrei sperato, in alcuni punti mi sono un po' annoiato. Probabilmente perché le mie aspettative erano altissime. Tenendo conto del colpo di scena finale, penso che i romanzi successivi possano essere più centrati e coinvolgenti.
È, tutto sommato, un ritorno che incuriosisce, soprattutto per scoprire come questa grande famiglia affronterà i cambiamenti di un decennio così diverso dai precedenti.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
There's a quote from this book that almost sums it up for me: "The little hug that holds the world together". Except, this utterly perfect continuation of the Cazalet chronicles is a big, all-enveloping, cosy bear-hug! For the first time since the final instalment by Elizabeth Jane Howard, I was completely wrapped up in this book. It is the literary equivalent of a comforting mug of hot chocolate when your hands are frozen. I read the original Cazalet chronicles at a difficult time in my life. The characters, and the history they lived through, were and remain my companions. I care deeply about Polly, Louise, Clary – and now Juliet and Harriet too.
I really appreciated reading Louisa Young's foreword, where she describes her approach to the magisterial task of picking up such a beloved series (I could never). Young has managed this feat with aplomb, and so seamlessly – I could swear she is taking dictation from EJH herself! Each family member's perspective rings true, there are Easter eggs galore, and Young carefully lifts into the light the more challenging experiences too – Edward's conduct towards Louisa, Rupert in France, Neville and Juliet's feelings – so that, just like the originals, the saga is not at all saccharine. I loved all the period detail as well - we're now in the sixties, with Liberty tana lawn fabric!
Highly, highly recommended and I hope to goodness that there will be more Cazalet chronicles to come from Young.
I really appreciated reading Louisa Young's foreword, where she describes her approach to the magisterial task of picking up such a beloved series (I could never). Young has managed this feat with aplomb, and so seamlessly – I could swear she is taking dictation from EJH herself! Each family member's perspective rings true, there are Easter eggs galore, and Young carefully lifts into the light the more challenging experiences too – Edward's conduct towards Louisa, Rupert in France, Neville and Juliet's feelings – so that, just like the originals, the saga is not at all saccharine. I loved all the period detail as well - we're now in the sixties, with Liberty tana lawn fabric!
Highly, highly recommended and I hope to goodness that there will be more Cazalet chronicles to come from Young.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I adore the Cazalets and I also adore Louisa Young's sublime My Dear I Wanted to Tell You so you can imagine how excited I was for this continuation of Elizabeth Jane Howard's seminal series. But I was also a little nervous, what if it didn't live up to expectations? And it's a long time since I read the Cazalets, would I know that was going on and remember who was who and what was what? I needn't have worried, Young does a brilliant job of feeding in backstory and grounding the reader (although I did consult the handy character list provided more than once!).
So here we are in the sixties, the world has changed and continues to change at pace and we see this evoked through a vast cast of characters and POV, from patriarchs who fought in the first world war, to those born in a world of pop, TV and mini skirts and everyone in between. Personally, I found the multiple POV aborbing, adding richness, context and a hefy dose of dramatic irony to the narrative and story.
You can be a newcomer to the world of Cazalets and enjoy The Golden Hours but I bet you will go on to read (or in my case reread) the original series while you impatiently await the next book in this enjoyable new trilogy. If you enjoy beautifully written historical family sagas you will love this. Highly recommended.
So here we are in the sixties, the world has changed and continues to change at pace and we see this evoked through a vast cast of characters and POV, from patriarchs who fought in the first world war, to those born in a world of pop, TV and mini skirts and everyone in between. Personally, I found the multiple POV aborbing, adding richness, context and a hefy dose of dramatic irony to the narrative and story.
You can be a newcomer to the world of Cazalets and enjoy The Golden Hours but I bet you will go on to read (or in my case reread) the original series while you impatiently await the next book in this enjoyable new trilogy. If you enjoy beautifully written historical family sagas you will love this. Highly recommended.
September 3, 2026
Yes, I absolutely gobbled this up in a day, after doing a reread of all the Cazalet Chronicles.
How lovely to be back with them all. I feel Louisa Young has done a very good job of continuing the feel and the theme. It’s perhaps a bit soapier maybe?
As with the last of Howard’s original books, this does tend to feel overpopulated with almost identical children and a lot of it is working out which children are sharing a bedroom with whom. So many children. Oh, and which house any of the characters are living in at any one time.
A few boys - Teddy, Roly, Wills - are basically absent from this book, but there’s a letter to Teddy at one point discussing the doings of (let me get this straight…) his cousin’s kids? And I was trying to work out whether, within the world of the books, he’d ever met them.
SLIGHT SPOILER below
No wonder there’s a bit of incest… it’s perhaps the weakest part of the book, I think, although it does pick up on something that Howard started. I particularly disliked and was unconvinced by the cod philosophy dished out by one character in explaining it.
Interesting to see the change in Ladbroke Grove/Notting Hill dealt with.
I enjoyed it greatly, kept having to remind myself whose kids are whose (even the originals - never could remember which families Simon and Teddy belonged to).
How lovely to be back with them all. I feel Louisa Young has done a very good job of continuing the feel and the theme. It’s perhaps a bit soapier maybe?
As with the last of Howard’s original books, this does tend to feel overpopulated with almost identical children and a lot of it is working out which children are sharing a bedroom with whom. So many children. Oh, and which house any of the characters are living in at any one time.
A few boys - Teddy, Roly, Wills - are basically absent from this book, but there’s a letter to Teddy at one point discussing the doings of (let me get this straight…) his cousin’s kids? And I was trying to work out whether, within the world of the books, he’d ever met them.
SLIGHT SPOILER below
No wonder there’s a bit of incest… it’s perhaps the weakest part of the book, I think, although it does pick up on something that Howard started. I particularly disliked and was unconvinced by the cod philosophy dished out by one character in explaining it.
Interesting to see the change in Ladbroke Grove/Notting Hill dealt with.
I enjoyed it greatly, kept having to remind myself whose kids are whose (even the originals - never could remember which families Simon and Teddy belonged to).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I read the Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard over ten years ago and was pleased to see that her niece Louisa Young would be writing a sixth instalment; The Golden Hours.
At the beginning of the book, I appreciated the family breakdown and character list and the reminders. There are a lot of people to keep track of, especially in the early chapters, and I found myself regularly flicking back to remind myself who was who.
Set in the 1960s, the novel focuses more on the cousins and younger generation. For me, though, it felt as though the story moved quickly from character to character without giving me enough time to become fully invested in any of them. As the novel progressed, I found my interest gradually drifting. I struggled to keep track of all the storylines and, unfortunately, never really formed a strong connection with either the characters or where the story was heading.
That said, this doesn’t mean it won’t work for others, particularly long-time Cazalet fans who will enjoy spending time with this family again. It just wasn’t quite the right book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.
At the beginning of the book, I appreciated the family breakdown and character list and the reminders. There are a lot of people to keep track of, especially in the early chapters, and I found myself regularly flicking back to remind myself who was who.
Set in the 1960s, the novel focuses more on the cousins and younger generation. For me, though, it felt as though the story moved quickly from character to character without giving me enough time to become fully invested in any of them. As the novel progressed, I found my interest gradually drifting. I struggled to keep track of all the storylines and, unfortunately, never really formed a strong connection with either the characters or where the story was heading.
That said, this doesn’t mean it won’t work for others, particularly long-time Cazalet fans who will enjoy spending time with this family again. It just wasn’t quite the right book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. This is my honest review.
September 10, 2026
I hadn’t read any of the Cazalet Chronicles, which may well have been part of the problem. This sixth book brings the Cazalet family into 1962, with Polly and Gerald hosting the extended family at Fakenham Hall for Christmas, while the older generation watches the old order disappearing and the younger generation gets to grips with a rapidly changing world.
I did appreciate the recap at the beginning, because there are an awful lot of Cazalets to remember, and the character list was definitely earning its keep. Unfortunately, even with those aids, I found there were simply too many people and too many storylines competing for attention. Things moved from one character and crisis to another at such a pace that I never really got to know anyone particularly well.
I suspect that readers who have followed the Cazalets through all six books will get considerably more out of this than I did. There is clearly a lot of family history and emotional baggage here, but arriving at book six felt rather like turning up late to a very large family gathering and being expected to know who everyone is. I found it all a bit too crowded to become particularly involved in the story.
I did appreciate the recap at the beginning, because there are an awful lot of Cazalets to remember, and the character list was definitely earning its keep. Unfortunately, even with those aids, I found there were simply too many people and too many storylines competing for attention. Things moved from one character and crisis to another at such a pace that I never really got to know anyone particularly well.
I suspect that readers who have followed the Cazalets through all six books will get considerably more out of this than I did. There is clearly a lot of family history and emotional baggage here, but arriving at book six felt rather like turning up late to a very large family gathering and being expected to know who everyone is. I found it all a bit too crowded to become particularly involved in the story.
September 11, 2026
It’s been many years since I read the Cazalet Chronicles, by E. J. Howard. What a pleasant surprise to learn that her niece wrote a continuation novel, set in the 1960s. I was impressed with how well she reflected Howard’s voice. It was such a pleasure to revisit these characters, though it does get so overpopulated with the youngest ones that it’s hard to keep them straight. I appreciated that Young didn’t try to cover every single family member. It would have been an 800-page book and the reader would never be able to keep everybody straight without a fold-out family tree. It’s a bit of a challenge already, and that’s with a compression of the family members.
It’s a believable depiction of how these characters would be in the 1960s and of the London of that time. There is a bit of this book that revisits an unpleasantly surprising theme from Howard’s books, and I could definitely have lived without that. Otherwise, this was an enjoyable new installment in this family saga.
It’s a believable depiction of how these characters would be in the 1960s and of the London of that time. There is a bit of this book that revisits an unpleasantly surprising theme from Howard’s books, and I could definitely have lived without that. Otherwise, this was an enjoyable new installment in this family saga.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Taking on the continuation of the Cazalet saga is an enormous job. Young takes the family into the Sixties with each portion of the book dealing with a season and covering several years. There is quite a lot of scene setting and back tracking to do in the first few sections of the book which means that things don't get going narratively for quite a while. Once the admin is over the book picks up speed and interest. I enjoyed the characters wrangling with the political and social change that the Sixties brings and the challenges to the status quo that throws upon. I felt that one of the main issues of the book was the enormous cast of characters, with a new generation of Cazalets to keep track of. It meant that of necessity there was a lot of short chapters and flitting from person to person. I enjoyed it. I think I will enjoy the next one more.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I absolutely love the Cazalet Chronicles and have read them a few times over the years. I often wondered if someone would be brave enough to continue them.I was really excited and nervous to hear that someone was going to! The fact that Louisa Young has links to the original author made it even more exciting.
I found the list of characters at the start useful( there are many of them!).So that is a positive.
Overall I found it all rather bleak. I felt the characters were self obsessed and I didn't like any of them anymore.
The book just seemed rather dreary and I am now thinking that if I want to read the orginals again they will be tainted by how the characters are in this one.
I believe there are two more books to come. Hopefully they will be better.
Obviously this is just my opinion and others may disagree.
I found the list of characters at the start useful( there are many of them!).So that is a positive.
Overall I found it all rather bleak. I felt the characters were self obsessed and I didn't like any of them anymore.
The book just seemed rather dreary and I am now thinking that if I want to read the orginals again they will be tainted by how the characters are in this one.
I believe there are two more books to come. Hopefully they will be better.
Obviously this is just my opinion and others may disagree.
September 11, 2026
Not quite as good as the real deal but certainly a brilliant attempt! The characters all blended together a little, when Elizabeth Jane Howard was so good at jumping between them and completely making you believe in them all as real living individuals. The paths Louisa Young takes them on are all plausible enough (and I was just as interested as ever to find out what they’d get up to next), but hers was the voice of the book throughout - the tone from one character to the next never really changed. I will still be reading the next instalment and I’ll still recommend others read this because it did manage to feel like a true continuation of the Cazalet Chronicles.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2026
I could not finish this book. I have recently read all of Elizabeth Jane Howard’s Cazalet Chronicles and was so excited at the prospect of reading more about these wonderful characters but for me it didn’t work.
Within the first few chapters I found characters which I knew so well acting and having thoughts which seemed so contradictory to their character and previous experiences. So I stopped reading.
It is a brave author who takes over another’s story. I can understand why it was so tempting, especially with the author’s personal connection to Elizabeth Jane Howard. Personally , I want to keep the wonderful Cazalets as EJH envisaged them for me. Maybe for others it will work.
Within the first few chapters I found characters which I knew so well acting and having thoughts which seemed so contradictory to their character and previous experiences. So I stopped reading.
It is a brave author who takes over another’s story. I can understand why it was so tempting, especially with the author’s personal connection to Elizabeth Jane Howard. Personally , I want to keep the wonderful Cazalets as EJH envisaged them for me. Maybe for others it will work.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I was pleased to be asked by NetGalley to review this book.
I have been a fan of Elizabeth Jane Howard and read The Cazalet Chronicles a long time ago. What was surprising was that her Neice would be writing a sixth book The Golden Hours.
This is set in the 60s and focuses on the younger generation and cousins. There is so much political and social change at this time and the author tackles this well in the novel.
Personally Louisa Young has done a great job here and highly recommend this
Due for publication September 3rd 2026
I have been a fan of Elizabeth Jane Howard and read The Cazalet Chronicles a long time ago. What was surprising was that her Neice would be writing a sixth book The Golden Hours.
This is set in the 60s and focuses on the younger generation and cousins. There is so much political and social change at this time and the author tackles this well in the novel.
Personally Louisa Young has done a great job here and highly recommend this
Due for publication September 3rd 2026
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This book is an almost seamless follow on from Elizabeth Jane Howard's final book in her Cazelet Chronicles. Louisa Young has done so well to echo her aunt's writing style and plots. I just fell quickly back into the Cazelet's world although it is ten years since I read All Change, the last EJH book #5. Quite a nostalgic read as I was a schoolgirl and young teen during the setting of this book. I am looking forward to the next instalment.
With thanks to the publisher and the author, and NetGalley, for the e-ARC to read and review.
With thanks to the publisher and the author, and NetGalley, for the e-ARC to read and review.
September 11, 2026
How wonderful to be back in the world of the Cazalets again. Louisa does a stunning job with the characters- she clearly knows them almost as well as EJH. The prose is not quite as insightful as the original but EJH was the absolute master of that. Great storytelling and a brilliant ending. Cannot wait to read what happens next. I want to stop all my other reading and go back to the Light Years (but I have too much to read so - no)!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I found this book less enjoyable than the first. I feel that the narrative lack some details. I appreciate the depth of the story and the compelling female characters. I am planning to continue following the series to see if I enjoy the next book as much as I did the first.
September 17, 2026
A delight to read. Each chapter is a delicious short story. It was good to catch up with the Cazalets after such a long time, and I was very grateful for the family tree at the start which I referred to constantly.
September 15, 2026
Louisa Young does Elizabeth Jane Howard proud. How wonderful to be back in the world of the Cazalets, as complicated as ever. I immersed myself in this book, such a pleasure.
September 10, 2026
The audible is beautifully narrated by Indira Varma. That is the main reason I got it, although as a fan of the Chronicles I was keen to see how the author dealt with various plot lines and characters. Some things are hard for modern audiences to take. The Cazalets are still interesting, but I would’ve liked more about the nanny. At times, it seems a bit too modern for the 1960s and the cod psychology irritated me. A good cliffhanger ending leading onto the next in the sequel. Would suit those who enjoy a family saga
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
It is a brave writer, even with personal connections, who takes up picks up and runs with it. The plus side of this is that readers will be staunch Cazalet followers and by definition predisposed to love meeting "their" characters again.
From my own perspective, I read the series a while back so reminders as to the background of what has happened to this family is welcome. However, I found that it took more than half the novel for Young to even begin to take ownership of the dramatis personae and let them live from her own imagination and even then, it felt like she was very tightly pulling their strings. I cannot see how, a reader coming to this series cold, would even last that long.
However recently or distantly read, requires the reader to settle into the characters. I found the constant changing viewpoint hugely irritating. Despite loving the idea of The Return of the Cazalets - What Happened Next and wanting to embrace it, I was unable. I may be an outlier but the novel did not work for me.
I looked back to my thoughts on All Change the final (5th by Elizabeth Jane Howard) which had read differently from the previous 4 volumes. To my mind it was the original author closing down the storylines as the heads of the dynasty died off. Instead of longish episodes within a family group, that book used shorter more focused sections and made the reading of it, a little more staccato as the reader is constantly moved around. It also assumed that nobody could remember aspects of the story, which made parts of the narrative seem repetitive. This final volume was set "ten years later"- previous books had formed, largely, a continuum. It seems that Golden Hours is styled from this volume rather than the immersive saga style that I loved.
With thanks to #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan for the opportunity to read and review
From my own perspective, I read the series a while back so reminders as to the background of what has happened to this family is welcome. However, I found that it took more than half the novel for Young to even begin to take ownership of the dramatis personae and let them live from her own imagination and even then, it felt like she was very tightly pulling their strings. I cannot see how, a reader coming to this series cold, would even last that long.
However recently or distantly read, requires the reader to settle into the characters. I found the constant changing viewpoint hugely irritating. Despite loving the idea of The Return of the Cazalets - What Happened Next and wanting to embrace it, I was unable. I may be an outlier but the novel did not work for me.
I looked back to my thoughts on All Change the final (5th by Elizabeth Jane Howard) which had read differently from the previous 4 volumes. To my mind it was the original author closing down the storylines as the heads of the dynasty died off. Instead of longish episodes within a family group, that book used shorter more focused sections and made the reading of it, a little more staccato as the reader is constantly moved around. It also assumed that nobody could remember aspects of the story, which made parts of the narrative seem repetitive. This final volume was set "ten years later"- previous books had formed, largely, a continuum. It seems that Golden Hours is styled from this volume rather than the immersive saga style that I loved.
With thanks to #NetGalley and #PanMacmillan for the opportunity to read and review
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