The Children's Hour

by Marcia Willett

In their comfortable old family home overlooking the sea, two sisters, Nest and Mina, live in solitude with memories of a once-idyllic childhood, and of the enchanted "children's hour" when their mother would regale them with tales of fantasy and delight. But the make-believe world of the story spinner didn't protect them from the reality of a shocking family tragedy best forgotten.

But when their estranged sister Georgie comes to stay, she brings unwelcome memories of her own, and long-buried secrets yet to be revealed. Now three sisters will engage in the most intimate children's hour of all-the story of their own lives, of a first love never-forgotten, of a passion that tore them apart, of a death that still casts its shadow of guilt and recrimination. And the truth of a fateful night that shattered their past, and still holds the power to define their future...

Genres: Fiction, British Literature, Historical Fiction, Book Club, Contemporary, Womens Fiction, Adult Fiction

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 4, 2003

About the author

Marcia Willett began her career as a novelist when she was fifty years old. Since that first novel Marcia has written twenty more under her own name as well as a number of short stories. She has also written four books under the pseudonym "Willa Marsh", and is published in more than sixteen countries.
Marcia Willett's early life was devoted to the ballet, but her dreams of becoming a ballerina ended when she grew out of the classical proportions required. She had always loved books, and a family crisis made her take up a new career as a novelist - a decision she had never regretted.

Reviews

[Gina House · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg, this book blew me away!

Although her writing is not exactly the same as Rosamunde Pilcher, Marcia Willett gets the gold medal for giving me the same cozy, family-saga vibes—especially with this novel.

The Children's Hour is a wonderful book for so many reasons:

❊ Compelling writing
❊ Family secrets and hidden mysteries
❊ True-to-life characters (that you wish you could meet in real life!)
❊ Drama and joy
❊ Realistic plot
❊ Perfect ending

and, most of all, Mina! (my favorite character)

Many, many thanks to my dear friend Caro (@carosbookcase here and on Instagram) for recommending this book to me. Her #marciawillettwednesday posts always inspire me to pick up a new Marcia Willett book—with wonderful results!

I highly, highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a story to snuggle down with for several days, characters to cherish and a really good cry at the end. This is a new forever favorite book that I see myself reading over and over every year. Please give it a try, friends!

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! An emotionally rich family story full of love, secrets, heartbreak, and hope, spanning 50 years and all set in a big, cozy house on the Devon coast. If you love Rosamunde Pilcher's novels like Winter Solstice and The Shell Seekers, I highly recommend giving this book a try.

[Mary Atchison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost decided that I wasn’t going to finish this book, but since I was almost half way into it, I decided to finish it. An amazing thing happened, as I got deeper into it, I grew attached to each of the characters and their lives. I love that there were dogs in it, and that they were mentioned quite often. I also love the English setting, as I lived in England for 10 years. When it ended I was sad to lose touch with the characters.

[DubaiReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Old folk reminiscing.

Marcia Willet started writing at the age of fifty and has since written 20 novels. It is not surprising then, that this book was peopled with old folk, all churning up distant memories. I listened to the Audible version, read by June Barry, who is also getting on in years, and by the end I could feel my hair greying. Admittedly, there are some young folk in the narrative and flashbacks to when those whose memories we shared, were young, but overall, it was if I'd walked into a nursing home.
The language was also 'of an age', people spoke on telephones rather than 'phones, for example. And I struggled with the lengthy descriptions and unnecessary naming of cultivated garden flowers.

There was a cast of thousands and I had to draw up a family tree in the early stages of the book as it is impossible to refer back, when listening to an audiobook.
The oldest generation were the children of the title, five girls and one boy, who passed much of their childhood in a large house in Ottocombe, with their mother, an avid reader of stories. As they grew and matured there were various love stories and tragedies, misunderstandings and secrets. Much is made of these secrets, which are gradually revealed over the course of the book. The next generation grows, all cousins and spouses, with more problems to overcome - and that's about it.

It helped pass the time as I sewed into the night on my daughter's wedding dress but I shan't be in a hurry to purchase further books by this author.

[Fi · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the first couple of chapters or so I didn't think I was going to like this book: the main characters were introduced in a rather higgledy-piggledy manner, & I was struggling to work out who were the peripheral characters (I wrongly categorised one as such!), who were the main characters, & how they fitted in with one another.
BUT, I soon found myself being drawn in to a thoroughly absorbing tale, with likeable (but not *too* nice!), well-drawn characters.
I was sorry when I came to the end of the book, & will definitely be watching out for more by Marcia Willett

[Brandie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book here or there.
I did not like this book anywhere.

So many secrets. So many things that "circled back" but it felt forced.
It felt fake and sugar coated and frankly, it just bored me.

I picked it up and read because I confused it with another book of the almost same name.

And ugh. I did not like this one bit.

Sorry Willett. I'm sure you are a lovely person and we can have tea together, but your book was just not for me.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming story about dealing with love, loss and family. Sort of "Rosamund Pilcher light". Brave use of present tense for the flashback scenes of wartime England, but it works. Believable characters, nice character development arcs, satisfying resolutions without being overly saccharine. I would definitely read more by this author. I find this type of story to be good "summer reading".

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that I had read most of Marcia Willett’s books but surprisingly found this one at the library.
I really enjoyed these characters. It was a little confusing with all the children and all the weird dog names to figure out who was who. I found myself going back a few pages to see if I missed something. Overall it was very good and I love. happy ending.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I picked up this book because it sounded like it was about an idyllic childhood. It was. It takes place in England in the 1930s and there are five children in a big old house near the sea. Their mother enchants all of them when she reads to them. It was a lovely picture, so far removed from our world at the moment.

It was enchanting, but the tale became so much more. Two of the children are now elderly ladies still living in the same house. They feel threatened when their older sister who is in the early stages of dementia comes to stay. They fear she may reveal their secrets.

And there are a lot of secrets which are eventually revealed and the sisters won me over.

Even an idyllic childhood in an idyllic setting is not free from outside forces.

I think every family should have an enchanting children's hour.

[Gribouille Lechat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Après un début un peu laborieux parce que j'avais l'impression qu'il ne se passait rien, j'ai compris que le charme et l'intérêt de ce roman ne se situait pas dans les actions ou les rebondissements (quoi qu'il y a quand même quelques bonnes "révélations"), mais dans son ambiance et ses personnages.
Il faut dire aussi que j'ai été un peu induite en erreur par le résumé qui laissait entendre que l'ambiance allait être tendue, voire grinçante (au minimum) entre les personnages, à cause de cette soeur aînée, Georgie, qui perd peu à peu la tête et menacerait de révéler des secrets que chacun aurait voulu garder... secrets.
Mais en fait ce n'est pas du tout ce genre d'ambiance, bien au contraire !
En fait, l'atmosphère qui règne dans ce roman est vraiment chaleureuse, et malgré leurs caractères bien distincts, on sent qu'une immense affection lie tous les membres de cette famille nombreuse.
Et du coup, le titre qui, je pense, se voulait ironique, ne l'est pas du tout.
Cela aurait pu me causer une déception, mais ça n'a pas été le cas car j'ai adoré que les personnages soient plutôt dans la compréhension, la tolérance et soient attentionnés les uns envers les autres et non pas dans les reproches ou les rancunes.
Bien sûr, les deux soeurs qui accueillent Georgie chez elles ont des secrets qui pèsent sur leurs épaules depuis des décennies, et le fait que leur soeur pourrait les connaître et les révéler les angoisse, mais pas au point de les rendre méchantes ou de plomber complètement l'ambiance.
Et je vous rassure, il se passe des choses ! Et même des choses pas toujours drôles ! Et il y a eu des révélations auxquelles je ne m'attendais pas.
Mais quoi qu'il arrive aux personnages, quelles que soient les coups durs qu'ils subissent, ce qui ne change pas c'est l'amour, la solidarité et le soutien qu'il y a entre eux. Et il n'y a pas de réelle méchanceté, même quand les protagonistes sont en désaccord ou se chamaillent.
Et c'est ça que j'ai vraiment aimé dans ce roman.
L'autrice a su rendre cette famille incroyablement vivante, au point que je me suis énormément attachée aux personnages principaux, et que je ne pouvais pas rester indifférente à leurs soucis ou leurs peines, et que je me réjouissait quand ils étaient heureux.
La grande maison familiale, également, est un personnage à part entière car c'est là que se passe presque tout le roman, et les personnages y sont tellement attachés que l'on ne peut s'empêcher de s'y sentir bien aussi.
Une autre chose que que j'ai beaucoup aimé, ce sont toutes les descriptions de la nature qui entoure le domaine familial, ainsi que de la région.
J'adore tous les romans qui se passent dans la campagne anglaise, et là, j'étais comblée.
Et enfin, ce que je tiens à souligner, c'est que ce roman parle avec beaucoup de justesse et de pudeur de la maladie d'Alzheimer, et surtout des difficultés que rencontrent les proches des malades, de leur sentiment d'isolement, de perte, du fait qu'ils se sentent souvent démunis et impuissants face aux avancées de la maladie. J'ai trouvé que cet aspect-là était très bien traité, tout en finesse et en humanité, et c'était important pour moi de le dire.
C'est donc un roman qui ne plaira pas à tout le monde car il est assez lent et repose surtout sur les personnages et l'ambiance, mais qui ravira ceux qui tombent sous le charme de cette famille réellement délicieuse.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried reading The Children's Hour for a Bookcrossing bookring because it came so highly recommended and because the blurb on the back of the book sounded interesting: "...But when their sister Georgie, now somewhat frail and forgetful, comes to stay at Ottercombe, memories of their past start to revisit them. As a child, Georgie claimed to know all their secrets — secrets that she now wants to share..."

If there were any secrets worth sharing, I didn't last long enough in the book to find out what the secrets were. I made it to page 112 of 442 and each new page became more and more of a chore to read. I seem to be the only person who hasn't enjoyed this book but I am often a contrarian reader. Given the over powering domesticity to this book, I think this is the closest I've gotten to an "Aga Saga" and I hope it's my last.

I don't like stories where the characters do nothing but sit around and talk about their feelings and that was all the characters did in the quarter of the book that I read. I also don't particularly like weird sounding nicknames that aren't explained. Weird character names are harder to remember and are annoying. So having a character nicknamed "Nest" didn't help my souring view of The Children's Hour.

I did skip ahead to read the last three chapters, a trick I often do when I'm feeling doubtful about my interest in finishing a book. The last three chapters are just as schmaltzy and upbeat as the first three chapters are. In other words, there is no change and no sign of progress. The characters worry about stuff, reminisce about stuff, have secret stuff revealed (apparently) and have good stuff come about in a nice tidy way. Whoopee.

[Vicky · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is I am afraid only one word to describe this book and that is tedious. There is far too much 'bulking out', and far too little story. It is a shame because the concept of secrets unraveling, sometimes by the 'revelations' of a woman suffering from dementia, others just coming out for no particular reason, was interesting. It could have been a much better book if substantial parts had been drastically cut back.

[Susan Barton · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually didn't finish this book found it very dull and slow I was halfway through and nothing had happened I tried reading a few chapters from the end but still no spark. It is a family story about present and past beautiful old house lovely gardens and walks on the beach and dogs with funny names. Some will love this book I know just not for me.

[Clarice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Before I begin, I should point out that I have read the 2007 German paperback edition of Willett's 'The Children's Hour', titled 'Das Spiel der Wellen'.

The book turned up in my kitchen after it was cleared out by one of my neighbours. He left it with me, since I am the only German speaker in the neighbourhood.

I was not overly keen to start reading The Children's Hour, and so the book lingered together with the other titles he dropped off that day on my kitchen shelf. I picked it up six months ago, finished other books in-between and eventually completed it last Thursday. The time it's taken me to get through this novel (333 pages), suggests that this was a less than gripping read.

The story takes place in the British countryside in the late 1990s / early 2000s but covers a period of roughly 65 years from the late 1930s onwards. At the centre of the novel are sisters Mina and Nest, who share the family home in Ottercombe. A visit by their older sister Georgia, who suffers from dementia, not only prompts Mina and Nest to reminisce about the past, but also to confront deeply buried family secrets and to deal with a host of issues affecting them and their niece Lyddie.

Considering the overall length of the book, the vast number of characters and the time span covered, Willett attempts to cram an awful lot into a rather tight space. The characters and issues she explores (dementia, disability, infidelity and adoption) remain by and large on the surface. As a result of the constant flashbacks the story lacks an overarching plot line, which would have provided Willett's narrative with a sense of direction. The incorporation of surprising twists and turns right at the end felt - like other parts of the book - contrived, rushed and engineered.

Willett is often compared to author Rosamunde Pilcher. Never having read anything by Pilcher, The Children's Hour nevertheless reminded me of the ubiquotous Pilcher TV adaptations on German TV. Set against the backdrop of picturesque English countryside and populated with bland characters, Willett's book appears to be as formulaic as the Pilcher adaptations. My copy will be handed in at the nearest charity shop. One to be missed.

[Kamilla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gosto desse tipo de romance familiar, que lida com as histórias e os segredos de várias gerações de uma família, mas achei esse romance mal executado.

Em primeiro lugar, há um excesso de personagens e até mesmo de pets que acaba tirando a atenção dos pontos realmente importantes da história, os capítulos paralelos de Lydia também foram bastante dispensáveis, creio que seria melhor que ela já começasse a história na casa antiga da família depois de todos aqueles eventos ao perder tempo acompanhando tudo acontecer.

Senti bastante pena de Georgie, já que era a personagem mais isolada e que não tinha com quem conversar sobre os acontecimentos que presenciou antes de enfim perder a senilidade, creio que ela não teve a chance de colocar seus pontos de vista a pratos limpos.

No final das contas, apesar de ter me distraído em alguns trechos, eu realmente não gostei muito do estilo de escrita da autora e não creio que irei retornar aos romances dela.

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was OK. The story is quite interesting but it was spoilt by the painfully slow build up. The author was obviously trying slowly to develop the characters but it began to become annoying with the constant references and descriptions of dogs, going for walks and cups of tea. I liked the switching between the past and present and I was keen to know what all the 'secrets' were. It was almost like a grown up version of an Enid Blyton book!

[Jean Baxter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! It tells of a family of siblings, going back and forth between their very young years as children, to their young adult lives and then their later years in life. Family secrets swirl around throughout the book, especially when one of the sisters develops dementia and keeps uttering "I have a secret" and the others live in fear of what she actually knows and might come spilling out. It's sad and sweet and kept me wanting more.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful multigenerational "aga saga" style read. The unveiling of family secrets across the decades was cleverly and sympathetically retold by a cast of relatives providing revelations and resolutions in abundance.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a particularly challenging book but an easy read .

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not too bad a story at all. I nearly dumped it half way through as I thought it a tad boring but I persevered and it finished up quite ok

[Aimee Richards · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderfully written as always. A nice feel good story with a few twists and turns. An all around great book

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

About half way through, I became interested... I think I must have been trying to keep all the family members straight...

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the two sisters care for their other sister while waiting for her place in her home her dementia threatens to reveal past family secrets.

[Avril Caryer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this, mainly because it is set in a part of Exmoor which I know well and love. It's an easy read, good for holidays.

[Sue Houghton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely story great to go through the trials & happiness of the family. Got me teary at times🤗 but easy to read.

[Kathy Spann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweeping family saga with many generations. Mina and Nest live alone at Ottercombe. A house by the sea. Long ago family secrets.

[Jane Gregg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vintage middle brow

[LisaMarie Mercier · Rating 1 out of 5]

1 star ... DNF .... could not FORCE myself to Finish .... bummer

[Michi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ein absolut toll geschriebenes Buch ❤️

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the sweet family relationships in this story, and the twist in the last chapter really surprised me!