M.J. Greenwood – The Blue Hour

‘The Blue Hour’ by M. J. Greenwood is a debut novel that spans decades in the telling of it. I was swept away in Tilly and Ava’s worlds as soon as I began reading and didn’t arrive back to my own life until I had finished it. Well, it felt like that anyway!

We are introduced to Ava, a heartbroken woman whose life fell apart when her husband left her. She needs a place to recuperate and heal if she can. Tilly is a cantankerous elderly lady who needs a carer. Ava gains the position of carer to Tilly and travels to the picturesque Trevone Bay in Cornwall to be met by one of the villagers who informs her the three previous carers have been hounded out by Tilly within days. They even have bets on how long Ava will stay!

Ava arrives at the house before Tilly is allowed home. That same day she ends up almost in an accident which highlights her fragility still. As Ava is introduced to her new charge, she discovers pretty quickly that Tilly is not a mild-mannered old lady in any way, shape or form. Her chain-smoking, brandy drinking loud and very outspoken charge is going to be more of a challenge than she first thought!

A beautiful book that timeslips back to Tilly in 1944 and we follow her life that begins in Liverpool her love for Jack an American pilot. The story unfolds through letters and diary entries given to us at the beginning of every chapter and shows us how Tilly has become the woman she is today.
Not just a romance it is a story of the many different forms of love there are through life. We see the friendship begin to blossom of the foundations of trust, love and understanding of each other. Tilly helps Ava gain a second chance in life and it was so good to see.
MJ Greenwood has created an amazing character in Tilly. This almost 90-year-old has an outlook on life that I find so good. She had me chuckling within the first chapter or so.

A story that is full of such skilled descriptive writing along with humour too. There are moments where you are laughing one minute and close to crying the next. An immersive and emotional reading experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and will easily recommend to anyone.

Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Bad Ink Press for the copy of this book.