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The Silent Hours
An epic, sweeping tale of love and loss inspired by heartrending true events in the Unoccupied Zone of wartime France.
The Silent Hours follows three people whose lives are bound together, before war tears them apart:
Adeline, a mute who takes refuge in a convent, haunted by memories of her past;
Sebastian, a young Jewish banker whose love for the beautiful Isabelle will change the course of his life dramatically;
Tristin, a nine-year-old boy, whose family moves from Paris to settle in a village that is seemingly untouched by war.
Beautifully wrought, utterly compelling and with a shocking true story at its core, The Silent Hours is an unforgettable portrayal of love and loss.
Praise for The Silent Hours:
'Absorbing and - ultimately - horrifying. A gripping, fictional account of a real event in war-time France, told with a sensuous clarity. A haunting and illuminating debut novel' Wendy Wallace
The Silent Hours follows three people whose lives are bound together, before war tears them apart:
Adeline, a mute who takes refuge in a convent, haunted by memories of her past;
Sebastian, a young Jewish banker whose love for the beautiful Isabelle will change the course of his life dramatically;
Tristin, a nine-year-old boy, whose family moves from Paris to settle in a village that is seemingly untouched by war.
Beautifully wrought, utterly compelling and with a shocking true story at its core, The Silent Hours is an unforgettable portrayal of love and loss.
Praise for The Silent Hours:
'Absorbing and - ultimately - horrifying. A gripping, fictional account of a real event in war-time France, told with a sensuous clarity. A haunting and illuminating debut novel' Wendy Wallace
320 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
May 3, 2018
The story opens in 1952 in St Cecilia Nunnery in France where the mute Adeline has taken refuge. Despite various encouragement and medical interventions, words will not come back to Adeline,. They appear to have deserted her because of some traumatic experience in the past. Other main characters in the books are Sebastien, a young Jewish banker who is in love with Isabelle. And then there is Tristan, a nine year old, who moves with his family from Paris to a village that is seemingly untouched by war. But nothing is quite as it seems. Over the course of the story the reader get chapters and letters from Adeline, Sebastien, and Isabelle, Isabelle’s brother Paul who is away at war and Tristan. Sometimes having so many changes of point of view proved distracting.
Again I learnt things I never knew before about things that happened during the war. It was only after I reached the end and the author’s note that I found out that though the characters were fictional, the horror that occurs in the book is based on a real event.
Although I found this book interesting, the story does meander around a bit before the threads of the various lives of these characters are woven together. It is also a very sad tale of love and loss. The ending was not as I would have wished. But that often happens in real life.
I picked this up after having read this author’s later book The Last Night, which I loved. This one is her debut novel and so perhaps that explains some of the technical issues I had with this one. Still it was an interesting read that highlights the atrocity of war and the way lives are changed.
Again I learnt things I never knew before about things that happened during the war. It was only after I reached the end and the author’s note that I found out that though the characters were fictional, the horror that occurs in the book is based on a real event.
Although I found this book interesting, the story does meander around a bit before the threads of the various lives of these characters are woven together. It is also a very sad tale of love and loss. The ending was not as I would have wished. But that often happens in real life.
I picked this up after having read this author’s later book The Last Night, which I loved. This one is her debut novel and so perhaps that explains some of the technical issues I had with this one. Still it was an interesting read that highlights the atrocity of war and the way lives are changed.
April 17, 2023
I hadn't realised when I started reading that this is based on a true story. It is told from multiple viewpoints, starting with Adeline, in the early 1950's at St Cecilia Nunnery in south-west France. Adeline is mute and by having access to her thoughts and memories it would seem that a traumatic event has rendered her speechless, although at this stage we don't know what has happened or how she fits in to the story. She has been given sanctuary by the nuns, and has been there for several years.
All the main characters tell their story in the first person narrative - this works very well as you really do feel as though you are privy to their every thought. Besides Adeline, other main voices include Isabelle and her brother Paul, who was away fighting. They write letters to each other, Isabelle in particular, pours out her hopes and fears together with the minutiae of daily life to her brother. Sebastian, a young Jewish banker, who can have no idea of the way his life will change; and Tristin, a 9 year old boy, too young to really understand why he and his family have to move from Paris to a small village many miles away, or why classmates suddenly disappear from lessons.
The switching of voices may sound confusing but I can assure you it isn't. As the story progresses, it becomes clear how the characters connect. The romance between Isabelle and Sebastian starts very gently, by 'coincidental' meetings and develops into a love that neither could have anticipated. I don't want to give away any spoilers so that is all I am going to tell you - you need to read this wonderful book for yourself.
This is Cesca Major's debut novel and it is truly stunning. She writes beautifully, drawing the reader in by superb characterisation and a sense of place. I became so completely engrossed in the story that I was desperate to read on to the next chapter to find out more. The fictionalised lives of the characters and the reality of war form a story that is both emotional and shocking. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to see what Cesca produces next.
All the main characters tell their story in the first person narrative - this works very well as you really do feel as though you are privy to their every thought. Besides Adeline, other main voices include Isabelle and her brother Paul, who was away fighting. They write letters to each other, Isabelle in particular, pours out her hopes and fears together with the minutiae of daily life to her brother. Sebastian, a young Jewish banker, who can have no idea of the way his life will change; and Tristin, a 9 year old boy, too young to really understand why he and his family have to move from Paris to a small village many miles away, or why classmates suddenly disappear from lessons.
The switching of voices may sound confusing but I can assure you it isn't. As the story progresses, it becomes clear how the characters connect. The romance between Isabelle and Sebastian starts very gently, by 'coincidental' meetings and develops into a love that neither could have anticipated. I don't want to give away any spoilers so that is all I am going to tell you - you need to read this wonderful book for yourself.
This is Cesca Major's debut novel and it is truly stunning. She writes beautifully, drawing the reader in by superb characterisation and a sense of place. I became so completely engrossed in the story that I was desperate to read on to the next chapter to find out more. The fictionalised lives of the characters and the reality of war form a story that is both emotional and shocking. I absolutely loved it and I can't wait to see what Cesca produces next.
August 18, 2015
Although I didn't realise it when I read this, this book is based on at true life event.
A few days after the D-Day Landings, a wartime atrocity was carried out by German soldiers in a sleepy little French village. I was unaware of this appalling event; had I known it was real and that this story was based upon it, I'd have made much more of an effort to stay with it. As it was, the characters didn't particularly engage me and the story seemed to meander on, and by the half way point I was skimming. As I didn't feel anything for these characters and not realising it was true story, the eventual atrocity made for uncomfortable reading, but left me unmoved.
Then I read the author's note at the end of the book detailing the true-life event and followed that up by reading the full account on Wiki. Shocked at such brutality, I went back and read those final chapters again, and this time, knowing it was real, the fictionalised account was powerful, devastating. It didn't matter that I didn't care for these made-up characters, I cared because it really happened.
I wish the author could have made her characters more real, more readable; had she done that, this would have been an incredibly emotional book. However, I'm glad I now know the true story of that little French village; their sacrifice should be heard and never forgotten.
Hard to rate given the terrible history, but I'll stick with my original thoughts of 2 stars despite the powerful re-read of the final chapters as the overall writing just didn't engage me as a piece of fiction.
A few days after the D-Day Landings, a wartime atrocity was carried out by German soldiers in a sleepy little French village. I was unaware of this appalling event; had I known it was real and that this story was based upon it, I'd have made much more of an effort to stay with it. As it was, the characters didn't particularly engage me and the story seemed to meander on, and by the half way point I was skimming. As I didn't feel anything for these characters and not realising it was true story, the eventual atrocity made for uncomfortable reading, but left me unmoved.
Then I read the author's note at the end of the book detailing the true-life event and followed that up by reading the full account on Wiki. Shocked at such brutality, I went back and read those final chapters again, and this time, knowing it was real, the fictionalised account was powerful, devastating. It didn't matter that I didn't care for these made-up characters, I cared because it really happened.
I wish the author could have made her characters more real, more readable; had she done that, this would have been an incredibly emotional book. However, I'm glad I now know the true story of that little French village; their sacrifice should be heard and never forgotten.
Hard to rate given the terrible history, but I'll stick with my original thoughts of 2 stars despite the powerful re-read of the final chapters as the overall writing just didn't engage me as a piece of fiction.
June 12, 2015
I've finished this book a week or more ago and yet, every time I think about it, I can feel my eyes welling up with tears. I really can't comprehend that "The Silent Hours" is a debut novel by Cesca Major, such beautifully and neatly written it is. It is for sure going to leave you in pieces - such powerful and moving it is. Cesca Major has incredibly well took a fact and around it built a hunting, powerful story that is going to tug at all the right heart - strings. She has incredible way with words and she has described all the things and situations in the book in amazingly vivid yet gentle way. And you know you can really hear this silence through the whole story.
Even though the story is told through more voices, there are three main characters, and all the three stories are incredibly heart - breaking. There is everything in them: love, hope, feelings, and all of this just gone after this one tragic event. I might have been waiting long, but I eventually loved how those stories intertwined and how the people were connected to each other even if they didn't realise this. All the stories are also written with incredible gentleness to them, in a beautiful and moving way, with a lot of feelings and empathy. We have Adeline who's living in a convent in France. She's mute and nobody knows her story, although it's obvious that she's been through a great trauma in the past. Slowly her story unfolds, and, as well as the other ones, it was a tragic one.
Sebastian is a Jew, working in his father's bank, and meeting Isabelle turned his whole world upside down. He loves her incredibly, unselfishly and innocently, but in the war reality a relationship between a Jew and a French woman was unthinkable, especially with the Germans regime and attitude towards Jews.
There is also Tristin, a 9 - year - old boy whom we meet when his family is flying from Paris and arriving in this small, relatively calm and peaceful village. I don't know, but now, when I think about it, it looks like those were Tristan's words to his father that started off this hell - I am wrong of course, because we know from the historical note at the end of the book that the Germans has just arrived in the village, without a particular reason, but it just seems so... too coincidental?
Isabelle's story is told mostly through the letters to her brother, Paul, who's in war but has been taken prisoner. Paul and Isabelle were incredibly close to each other and she finds a consolation in writing to him. Isabelle met a boy - Sebastian - but in those times such relationship was perceived as a very dangerous one. Against all odds, Isabelle is determined to be with Sebastian and she even sacrifices her own happiness to save him. But Sebastian leaves a small surprise behind him...
There were also other characters telling their story, and not only their stories but also those people were incredibly realistic and wonderfully portrayed. We have stories told from children's point of view and from adults' point of view and it was absolutely heart - wrenching to see how all of them were perceiving the war and the ever - changing situation, and how from nothing the hatred, distrust was growing between them. And also, as much as some of the characters might have seem insignificant to the story, seemed as being introduced to show us how different people dealt with the situation, in the end it turns out that all of them have their significant place and all of them were needed to so beautifully and neatly wrap up the story.
Yes, I must admit, that somewhere around the middle of the book I felt a little impatient, especially because of the chapter told from every character's POV (every chapter was told from the first person's point of view, no matter which character was speaking, and for me it was very confusing. Yes, of course, every chapter was titled with the name of the character, but nevertheless, I find this way of narrating confusing and hard to follow), and I really didn't know where it was going. It was like those people were telling their own stories, but I couldn't see any connection between them, they seemed to have nothing in common. But slowly all the stories started to connect and intertwine, leading to an amazingly mind - blowing finish.
What hurts so much is that it is based on a real fact. I know that the war teemed with uncountable dramatic situations that we know about, but reading about this, a fact I have never heard before, it made it just much, much worse, just imagining it, imagining how those people felt, and suffered at the unneeded, beyond reason cruelty.
Everything in this story is so genuine and honest - the characters, the feelings between them. I especially adored the romance element between Isabelle and Sebastian because it was so heartbreakingly genuine and innocent, and it so wonderfully showed how the war left those young people confused and not understanding in what kind of world they're living now.
But those are the last chapters that made the book. I couldn't speak after finishing this novel, I couldn't breath, the emotions that were spinning inside me couldn't settle for a long time. This must be this famous book - hangover. I though I had it few times but it was really nothing compared to this what I felt after finishing this book. This was one of the most beautiful, heart - breaking, unforgettable novels I have ever read.
It is this rare gem of a book that you are going to lose yourself in and forget about everything that's surrounding you. It's going to leave a large impact on you and your feelings. Even though we know that there isn't going to be a happy end, I still found myself hoping for a miracle, unwittingly keeping my fingers crossed and willing the history to change. This book is unforgettable and it's for certain going to stay with you. The author has done an incredible job with writing this novel and I am not sure if any words are able to do this story justice. I can't praise it enough - but I truly recommend it to you.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for a review.
Even though the story is told through more voices, there are three main characters, and all the three stories are incredibly heart - breaking. There is everything in them: love, hope, feelings, and all of this just gone after this one tragic event. I might have been waiting long, but I eventually loved how those stories intertwined and how the people were connected to each other even if they didn't realise this. All the stories are also written with incredible gentleness to them, in a beautiful and moving way, with a lot of feelings and empathy. We have Adeline who's living in a convent in France. She's mute and nobody knows her story, although it's obvious that she's been through a great trauma in the past. Slowly her story unfolds, and, as well as the other ones, it was a tragic one.
Sebastian is a Jew, working in his father's bank, and meeting Isabelle turned his whole world upside down. He loves her incredibly, unselfishly and innocently, but in the war reality a relationship between a Jew and a French woman was unthinkable, especially with the Germans regime and attitude towards Jews.
There is also Tristin, a 9 - year - old boy whom we meet when his family is flying from Paris and arriving in this small, relatively calm and peaceful village. I don't know, but now, when I think about it, it looks like those were Tristan's words to his father that started off this hell - I am wrong of course, because we know from the historical note at the end of the book that the Germans has just arrived in the village, without a particular reason, but it just seems so... too coincidental?
Isabelle's story is told mostly through the letters to her brother, Paul, who's in war but has been taken prisoner. Paul and Isabelle were incredibly close to each other and she finds a consolation in writing to him. Isabelle met a boy - Sebastian - but in those times such relationship was perceived as a very dangerous one. Against all odds, Isabelle is determined to be with Sebastian and she even sacrifices her own happiness to save him. But Sebastian leaves a small surprise behind him...
There were also other characters telling their story, and not only their stories but also those people were incredibly realistic and wonderfully portrayed. We have stories told from children's point of view and from adults' point of view and it was absolutely heart - wrenching to see how all of them were perceiving the war and the ever - changing situation, and how from nothing the hatred, distrust was growing between them. And also, as much as some of the characters might have seem insignificant to the story, seemed as being introduced to show us how different people dealt with the situation, in the end it turns out that all of them have their significant place and all of them were needed to so beautifully and neatly wrap up the story.
Yes, I must admit, that somewhere around the middle of the book I felt a little impatient, especially because of the chapter told from every character's POV (every chapter was told from the first person's point of view, no matter which character was speaking, and for me it was very confusing. Yes, of course, every chapter was titled with the name of the character, but nevertheless, I find this way of narrating confusing and hard to follow), and I really didn't know where it was going. It was like those people were telling their own stories, but I couldn't see any connection between them, they seemed to have nothing in common. But slowly all the stories started to connect and intertwine, leading to an amazingly mind - blowing finish.
What hurts so much is that it is based on a real fact. I know that the war teemed with uncountable dramatic situations that we know about, but reading about this, a fact I have never heard before, it made it just much, much worse, just imagining it, imagining how those people felt, and suffered at the unneeded, beyond reason cruelty.
Everything in this story is so genuine and honest - the characters, the feelings between them. I especially adored the romance element between Isabelle and Sebastian because it was so heartbreakingly genuine and innocent, and it so wonderfully showed how the war left those young people confused and not understanding in what kind of world they're living now.
But those are the last chapters that made the book. I couldn't speak after finishing this novel, I couldn't breath, the emotions that were spinning inside me couldn't settle for a long time. This must be this famous book - hangover. I though I had it few times but it was really nothing compared to this what I felt after finishing this book. This was one of the most beautiful, heart - breaking, unforgettable novels I have ever read.
It is this rare gem of a book that you are going to lose yourself in and forget about everything that's surrounding you. It's going to leave a large impact on you and your feelings. Even though we know that there isn't going to be a happy end, I still found myself hoping for a miracle, unwittingly keeping my fingers crossed and willing the history to change. This book is unforgettable and it's for certain going to stay with you. The author has done an incredible job with writing this novel and I am not sure if any words are able to do this story justice. I can't praise it enough - but I truly recommend it to you.
Copy received from publisher in exchange for a review.
February 20, 2020
Um livro comovente, uma história de amor inocente. Cada vez que leio um livro sobre o holocausto fico sempre perplexa com a capacidade humana para praticar o mal. Algo incompreensível 😥. Como foram capazes de matar mulheres e crianças inocentes? Não consigo compreender. O livro está muito bem escrito e deixa nos sempre agarrados ás próximas páginas para sabermos como termina esta história de amor
March 31, 2015
The Silent Hours is a story that is told in threads, and each thread is expertly woven together to create an unforgettable, and quite stunning story that has such impact, and such power. It really is quite incredible that this is a debut novel, the story is haunting and beautiful and just knowing that it is based on a real story adds volumes to what really is a gripping read.
The Silent Hours is told in multiple voices and opens just after the war in the early 1950s in a nunnery in south-west France. Adeline is a mysterious woman, a mute who arrived on the doorstep of the nunnery some years ago. Nobody knows where she came from, or her story, or why she cannot, or will not speak. The reader is allowed into Adeline's thoughts, and her story slowly unfurls - with a gentle pace, and links in to the other voices of this novel.
The other main characters are Isabelle and her brother Paul, their stories are told in the main through the letters that they write to each other during the war years. Paul is held prisoner, Isabelle remains in their small village, and waits patiently for him to return. Sebastian is a young Jewish man, his family are successful bankers, but the war and the impact of the Nazi regime on the Jews in France alter his life dramatically. He and Isobelle meet and fall in love, and their story is the foundation of the whole novel.
The reader also hears from Tristan, a young schoolboy whose family have fled Paris, and now reside in the same small village. Tristan is naive, sometimes selfish and very well protected from the horrors of war. This is his coming of age story.
Cesca Major is a huge talent, and I am certain that The Silent Hours is the start of a very successful writing career for her. She has an incredible way with words and has created a love story that is memorable. She has skilfully incorporated the horrors of war and the devastating events that happened in this village in unoccupied France into the story, and whilst the love story is strong, it is the real-life events that she so skilfully portrays that really leave an impact.
There are comparisons to Louisa Young's My Dear I Wanted to Tell You, and I agree. The Silent Hours has the same shock factor that Young's novel delivered so well. This is an incredible story, one that will affect the reader for a long time after the final page is turned.
May 2, 2019
Lindíssimo
Arrebatou-me completamente.
Isabelle e Sebastian irão permanecer comigo, sem qualquer dúvida.
Uma leitura a não perder.
Arrebatou-me completamente.
Isabelle e Sebastian irão permanecer comigo, sem qualquer dúvida.
Uma leitura a não perder.
November 15, 2016
Un libro que prometía mucho pero que se ha quedado en nada. Ambientado en la Francia invadida por los alemanes en la II Guerra Mundial no aporta nada nuevo al género. Entretenida sin más.
Reseña: http://contandoteunlibro.blogspot.com...
Reseña: http://contandoteunlibro.blogspot.com...
May 4, 2015
I'm not sure what to say...I've just finished and I"m stunned. Brilliant and heart breaking.
September 28, 2019
Em 1944, em Oradour-sur-Glane, os soldados nazis separaram as mulheres e as crianças dos homens, levando os primeiros para a igreja e os homens para diferentes locais da aldeia. Às 15,30h todos os homens foram fuzilados em simultâneo e a igreja explodida.
Houve no entanto uma única sobrevivente. Baseada neste facto verídico Cesca Major constrói de modo comovente e magistral uma história de amor e de guerra sobre quem não está directamente no seu cenário e quer viver dentro da maior normalidade possível.
Uma história de amor entre religiões diferentes.
Há algum tempo que uma história fictícia não me comovia tanto. Recomendo.
Houve no entanto uma única sobrevivente. Baseada neste facto verídico Cesca Major constrói de modo comovente e magistral uma história de amor e de guerra sobre quem não está directamente no seu cenário e quer viver dentro da maior normalidade possível.
Uma história de amor entre religiões diferentes.
Há algum tempo que uma história fictícia não me comovia tanto. Recomendo.
October 21, 2015
The team at Corvus all fell in love with this haunting debut novel. Set in Unoccupied war-time France, it follows three characters whose lives are bound together by war.
For fans of 'My Dear I wanted to Tell You' by Louisa Young.
For fans of 'My Dear I wanted to Tell You' by Louisa Young.
August 10, 2020
Gulp! This book will stay with me for a long time. Don't read any of the info about it - just take in the story as it happens. Incredibly well written.
February 7, 2020
(4.5) pouco gente fala neste livro, e não percebo porquê.Que história comovente e bem escrita! Cesca Major conta um episódio marcante da II Guerra Mundial através da história de Tristan, um menino que foge de Paris com a família depois da Ocupação; de Isabelle e Paul, dois irmãos que vivem na aldeia; e Sebastian, um banqueiro judeu que se apaixona por Isabelle. O livro também nos dá a conhecer Adeline que, em 1952, vive no Convento de Santa Cecília e que não fala.
A história oprime-nos, em crescendo, pois ficamos cientes que as personagens vão viver uma tragédia. E a descrição da tragédia é sublime e comovente. Deixa-nos as emoções à flor da pele. Recomendo!
A história oprime-nos, em crescendo, pois ficamos cientes que as personagens vão viver uma tragédia. E a descrição da tragédia é sublime e comovente. Deixa-nos as emoções à flor da pele. Recomendo!
January 29, 2016
I thought The Silent Hours was an amazing book. It took me a while to establish in my head who the characters were and at first it does seem as though they aren't connected. Adeline is being cared for in a convent and has been mute since her arrival 8 years previously. She is obviously troubled and traumatised by something which has happened during the war. As we read more of her chapters, we start to see glimpses of her previous life and begin to piece together what has happened to her. There are also chapters told from the viewpoints of Sebastien and Isabelle, two young people falling in love during the war. Isabelle's brother Paul is a soldier and we learn about him through his letters home. A young schoolboy, Tristan, provides the final voice in the book.
Through the perspectives of these characters we see what life was like in a French village Oradour, in a part of France which in unoccupied and has been largely untouched by the war. Cesca Majors weaves the chapters together beautifully building up a picture of the relationships and connections between the characters. She has described so vividly the village and surroundings that I could picture them clearly in my mind. Her account of the deepening relationship between Sebastien and Isabelle, despite the difficulties and constraints of wartime, was utterly convincing. The love between Isabelle and her brother Paul shines through too in their letters to one another. I wasn't very fond of Tristan initially and wondered what his part in the story would be though it did, of course, become clear. As all the chapters were written in first person, I really got a feel for each character's thoughts and emotions. For me this first person narrative worked particularly well as the story reached its conclusion in differing ways for the different characters.
There are many books set in this historical timeframe but what made The Silent Hours stand out as something special for me was discovering the true story at its heart. It's not an episode in history I had been aware of before and as a result, the incident came as quite a shock. No wonder Adeline was struck dumb by the horror she had been through. This book shows once again the futility, atrocity and tragic human cost of war. A beautifully written, powerful and poignant debut novel.
Through the perspectives of these characters we see what life was like in a French village Oradour, in a part of France which in unoccupied and has been largely untouched by the war. Cesca Majors weaves the chapters together beautifully building up a picture of the relationships and connections between the characters. She has described so vividly the village and surroundings that I could picture them clearly in my mind. Her account of the deepening relationship between Sebastien and Isabelle, despite the difficulties and constraints of wartime, was utterly convincing. The love between Isabelle and her brother Paul shines through too in their letters to one another. I wasn't very fond of Tristan initially and wondered what his part in the story would be though it did, of course, become clear. As all the chapters were written in first person, I really got a feel for each character's thoughts and emotions. For me this first person narrative worked particularly well as the story reached its conclusion in differing ways for the different characters.
There are many books set in this historical timeframe but what made The Silent Hours stand out as something special for me was discovering the true story at its heart. It's not an episode in history I had been aware of before and as a result, the incident came as quite a shock. No wonder Adeline was struck dumb by the horror she had been through. This book shows once again the futility, atrocity and tragic human cost of war. A beautifully written, powerful and poignant debut novel.
April 10, 2018
Recensione completa qui: https://onceuponatimeabooklove.blogsp...
E niente, io ho ancora i brividi per questo meraviglioso libro. Basterebbe questa frase per trasmettere la bellezza di questo romanzo. Devo essere sincera, all’inizio non capivo bene cosa stessi leggendo perché ci sono davvero tanti personaggi. Ma è stato proprio questo a rendere memorabile e indimenticabile la storia. L’autrice è stata davvero bravissima ad intrecciare le vicende di tutte queste persone. forse, con queste parole a trasmettervi la bellezza di questo romanzo. Ma posso davvero assicurarvi che non è che merita, di più. E finirete anche voi per avere i brividi lungo la schiena, quando leggendo le note storiche, capirete che tutto quello che leggerete è successo davvero. Non la storia vera e propria ma tutto il contorno, tutto il mondo nel quale si baseranno gli eventi del nostro romanzo. E questo renderà tutto terribilmente veritiero.
È una storia che rimane dentro. Sono passate più di 24 ore e ancora non riesco a togliermi la sensazione di tristezza che le storie ambientate in questo periodo riescono a trasmettere. Che altro c’è da dire? LEGGETELO.
E niente, io ho ancora i brividi per questo meraviglioso libro. Basterebbe questa frase per trasmettere la bellezza di questo romanzo. Devo essere sincera, all’inizio non capivo bene cosa stessi leggendo perché ci sono davvero tanti personaggi. Ma è stato proprio questo a rendere memorabile e indimenticabile la storia. L’autrice è stata davvero bravissima ad intrecciare le vicende di tutte queste persone. forse, con queste parole a trasmettervi la bellezza di questo romanzo. Ma posso davvero assicurarvi che non è che merita, di più. E finirete anche voi per avere i brividi lungo la schiena, quando leggendo le note storiche, capirete che tutto quello che leggerete è successo davvero. Non la storia vera e propria ma tutto il contorno, tutto il mondo nel quale si baseranno gli eventi del nostro romanzo. E questo renderà tutto terribilmente veritiero.
È una storia che rimane dentro. Sono passate più di 24 ore e ancora non riesco a togliermi la sensazione di tristezza che le storie ambientate in questo periodo riescono a trasmettere. Che altro c’è da dire? LEGGETELO.
February 12, 2021
Conhecia a priori os acontecimentos verídicos por detrás desta história, o segredo de Adeline. A história em si não foi surpreendente, aliás, foi um pouco penoso para mim ler este livro. Não porque não seja interessante, que é, mas talvez mesmo por já saber em que factos se baseava.
Tornou-se uma leitura um pouco frustrante porque sabia o que eventualmente acabaria por acontecer, e aquilo que eu esperava nunca mais acontecia. O final foi obviamente arrebatador.
Acredito que seja uma melhor experiência de leitura para quem não saiba o que está por detrás da história.
Dentro da imensidão que é a 2ªGM, é um tema pouco explorado, capaz de impressionar qualquer pessoa que goste de ler sobre este tema. Aconselho :)
Tornou-se uma leitura um pouco frustrante porque sabia o que eventualmente acabaria por acontecer, e aquilo que eu esperava nunca mais acontecia. O final foi obviamente arrebatador.
Acredito que seja uma melhor experiência de leitura para quem não saiba o que está por detrás da história.
Dentro da imensidão que é a 2ªGM, é um tema pouco explorado, capaz de impressionar qualquer pessoa que goste de ler sobre este tema. Aconselho :)
January 3, 2018
Perfect reading for Remembrance Sunday and a novel I read in one mesmerised sitting. I know the history behind the book, having visited the places mentioned, and Cesca Major, writing beautifully, does justice to their memory.
It's worth saying that I was initially put off the hardback because I thought it was a wartime romance. It is no such thing. I'm very glad I returned to the paperback.
It's worth saying that I was initially put off the hardback because I thought it was a wartime romance. It is no such thing. I'm very glad I returned to the paperback.
March 29, 2019
Beautiful and heart breaking
Read
March 4, 2016The following review first appeared on our blog, where Cesca talks to us about how Oradour-sur-Glane inspired the story... http://www.tripfiction.com/novel-set-...
Novel set in a French village (A moving tale of French WWII tragedy)
This moving book follows 5 main characters living in a small French village that is unoccupied by the Nazis. The story starts when war in France is declared, and takes the reader up to near the end of the war – when a true event takes place.
The story is told in short chapters from each of the main character’s viewpoints. This form of narration works well and does not disrupt the flow of the story at all. The main characters are:
Adeline, who does not speak and is residing in a convent, who talks of the present (1952) and the past.
Isabelle, Adeline’s adored teenage daughter
Paul, Adeline’s son who goes off to fight in the war
Sebastien, the son of a Jewish banker
Tristan, a 9 year old boy whose family moves from Paris to the village to escape the war.
The narrative steadily builds a story of village life, including romance, prejudice, childish innocence, war and different perspectives. The reader is gradually pulled into the characters’ lives – it is like a puzzle being gradually filled in, with the reader becoming mesmerised as the picture become ever more complete.
This story is fiction, but based around a real event that took place on 10 June 1944. The village, Oradour-sur-Glane, where the action takes place, is a real place (now a permanent memorial and museum). I strongly recommend that you do not look up the event until you have finished the book. All the characters are fictional, but I imagine their lives are typical of those that would have been taking place in this village at that time – the author is a historian. Hopes and fears, loves and disappointments are drawn well – as the characters come to life and struggle in these times of hardship and restrictions.
For me the story from Tristan’s 9 year old point of view was particularly strong – having the full facts withheld from him, he imagines scenarios with himself as the hero who brings an end to the war. However his innocent imaginings and actions have far reaching outcomes in the real world.
The book flowed well, and kept me gripped. It gave me a very powerful image of what a village such as this would have been like at that time, with all the serious worries and fears of war, and the petty arguments etc that continue in any small community. There is a useful “Historical Note” at the end, which clarifies how much of the book is fiction and how much based on real life events.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in French village life during WWII, or just wants a great engaging read.
It is suitable for all the family.
Novel set in a French village (A moving tale of French WWII tragedy)
This moving book follows 5 main characters living in a small French village that is unoccupied by the Nazis. The story starts when war in France is declared, and takes the reader up to near the end of the war – when a true event takes place.
The story is told in short chapters from each of the main character’s viewpoints. This form of narration works well and does not disrupt the flow of the story at all. The main characters are:
Adeline, who does not speak and is residing in a convent, who talks of the present (1952) and the past.
Isabelle, Adeline’s adored teenage daughter
Paul, Adeline’s son who goes off to fight in the war
Sebastien, the son of a Jewish banker
Tristan, a 9 year old boy whose family moves from Paris to the village to escape the war.
The narrative steadily builds a story of village life, including romance, prejudice, childish innocence, war and different perspectives. The reader is gradually pulled into the characters’ lives – it is like a puzzle being gradually filled in, with the reader becoming mesmerised as the picture become ever more complete.
This story is fiction, but based around a real event that took place on 10 June 1944. The village, Oradour-sur-Glane, where the action takes place, is a real place (now a permanent memorial and museum). I strongly recommend that you do not look up the event until you have finished the book. All the characters are fictional, but I imagine their lives are typical of those that would have been taking place in this village at that time – the author is a historian. Hopes and fears, loves and disappointments are drawn well – as the characters come to life and struggle in these times of hardship and restrictions.
For me the story from Tristan’s 9 year old point of view was particularly strong – having the full facts withheld from him, he imagines scenarios with himself as the hero who brings an end to the war. However his innocent imaginings and actions have far reaching outcomes in the real world.
The book flowed well, and kept me gripped. It gave me a very powerful image of what a village such as this would have been like at that time, with all the serious worries and fears of war, and the petty arguments etc that continue in any small community. There is a useful “Historical Note” at the end, which clarifies how much of the book is fiction and how much based on real life events.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in French village life during WWII, or just wants a great engaging read.
It is suitable for all the family.
December 17, 2015
Tears are streaming down my face. I have just finished reading The Silent Hours by Cesca Major. For the past couple of days I have been submerged in mid-west France during the Second World War. Shortages, anti-Semitism, families uprooted and torn apart; you know the kind of stuff but this book slowly reveals deep secrets that came as a revelation to me. Six people narrate the story. Adeline, a mute woman who has been sheltered in a nunnery for eight years. Isabelle, a young teacher, and her brother Paul, who is away fighting for France. Tristan, a nine year old boy who has fled with his family from occupied Paris to the safety of a small village. Sebastien, a young Jewish banker who cannot fight because of a leg injury. Love, loss, romance, prejudice and horror are all revealed to us by their six strong voices. The Silent Hours is one of those books that has you transfixed. That my family have eaten or that my children have got to school is a minor miracle as my nose has barely been out of the book. The six narrators’ stories all lead up to one shocking event that really happened, but which I had no idea had happened before opening the covers this book. When you buy this book, and I urge you to, make sure you buy a large box of tissues at the same time.
May 19, 2015
The story follows three people whose lives are intertwined in wartime France. We meet Adeline, a mute who takes refuge in a convent in South-West in the early 1950s. She is haunted by her past and we hear her story through her thoughts.
Sebastian is a young Jewish banker who lives at home. He meets Isabelle and falls head over heels in love which will change his life forever. Isabelle writes to her dear brother Paul who is first is fighting in the war and then a prisoner of war. They share their lives and their innermost fears.
Tristian, a 9 year old boy moves from Paris with his family to a small village which seems untouched by war. All their stories are weaved together in such an incredible way which made me cry, feel hurt, sad as well as happiness too for the characters. The book is based on a true story. A simply amazing book. One of my favourite reads this year.
Sebastian is a young Jewish banker who lives at home. He meets Isabelle and falls head over heels in love which will change his life forever. Isabelle writes to her dear brother Paul who is first is fighting in the war and then a prisoner of war. They share their lives and their innermost fears.
Tristian, a 9 year old boy moves from Paris with his family to a small village which seems untouched by war. All their stories are weaved together in such an incredible way which made me cry, feel hurt, sad as well as happiness too for the characters. The book is based on a true story. A simply amazing book. One of my favourite reads this year.
August 5, 2015
I met Cesca on a writing retreat in late 2013. The Silent Hours was on its umpteenth draft, an agent had finally sold it, the dream was becoming a reality. It was a good feeling to finally get my hands on the finished thing.
I already knew the true story this novel is based around and if you do too don't let that put you off reading it. Knowing what will happen just adds to the heart rending suspense.
This is one of the "must reads" of 2015. The only thing more shocking than the horrendous things humans do to each other is the fact that this is a debut. It's like the Definitely Maybe of historical fiction ;)
I already knew the true story this novel is based around and if you do too don't let that put you off reading it. Knowing what will happen just adds to the heart rending suspense.
This is one of the "must reads" of 2015. The only thing more shocking than the horrendous things humans do to each other is the fact that this is a debut. It's like the Definitely Maybe of historical fiction ;)
July 14, 2015
What a beautiful book, but oh so sad, I can not give much away, but if you enjoy a really good book, one you can loose yourself in, one that doesn't need sex, or needles violence, to tell a story. a story that will stay with you, this is it! I was lucky, to review this, before it's due date, (June) and one I will be re reading, after my daughter, has finished it,,
November 21, 2015
Beautiful and sensitively written story. A wonderful debut novel for Cesca Major. Though there have been so many novels written about WW2, Major has written an original and compelling story about a true event. All the characters were very believable. She has given us a gentle story about an horrific event.
Read
February 10, 2017Heart-breaking, incredible and one of the most beautiful books I've ever read.
September 8, 2023
Una novela que te dejará con el corazón encogido y en la que sentirás a través de sus personajes. Personajes, súper tiernos, que me han encantado.
La escritora tiene una prosa súper rica y cuidada, buen desarrollo y buena estructura en la historia.
Al principio cuesta engancharse a la historia, describe bastante y deja un final un poco a la imaginación.
Mi opinión en YouTube sin spoilers:
https://youtu.be/B16UVjV4Cm0?si=MLJFu...
La escritora tiene una prosa súper rica y cuidada, buen desarrollo y buena estructura en la historia.
Al principio cuesta engancharse a la historia, describe bastante y deja un final un poco a la imaginación.
Mi opinión en YouTube sin spoilers:
https://youtu.be/B16UVjV4Cm0?si=MLJFu...
June 7, 2015
I still can't quite comprehend that this is the début novel from Cesca Major. The Silent Hours is mind blowingly good and deserves to win awards right across the board. No matter what I say in this review I can never do this book justice. But be warned have copious amounts of tissues nearby as you read. If I felt this emotional reading the book I can only imagine how the author felt writing such a powerful novel. We have had an influx of World War novels in recent months but this alongside Letters to the Lost by Iona Grey has to be the best by miles. I know come the end of the year these two books will be my picks of the year. I flew through this novel in two sittings. The chapters are short and snappy but oh so much is packed in. The writing is rich and fluid and oozes emotion. This a story where you cannot give much away at all but suffice to say I was left haunted and emotionally drained when I read the final line.
There is quite a bit of buzz surrounding the release of this book and I was intrigued could it possibly live up to such high expectations. I will readily admit for the first half of the book I was wondering where is this going and how will things begin to connect. But oh when things connect I was left a complete and utter wreck. I hadn't read the blurb and didn't realise it was based on a real story until I read the historical note at the end. Discovering this made me realise how all the more how powerful this story really was and it made for an even more gripping read. The story has multiple narrators whose stories eventually intertwine but the way they do will not make for easy reading.
Adeline is living in a convent in South West France. It is 1952 and she has been there for several years. Nobody knows where she came from or what her story is as she is mute and refuses to engage with anyone or certain aspects of convent life. She is in danger of being thrown out soon but where will she go if that happens? It's quite clear Adeline has been through a severe trauma and her story unfolds at a gentle pace throughout the novel as we are given an insight into some of her thoughts. Adeline is mysterious and deeply wounded and the reader is constantly questioning what could possibly have happened to her to leave her in this awful silent world? Isabelle is a young woman growing up in a small French village. Her story is told through letters to her brother Paul. Paul had been fighting in the war but has been captured and imprisoned by the Germans. Normally I get bored of reading letters between people throughout an entire novel. But this device worked beautifully here as I felt the two characters were able to write their deepest feelings in the letters where sometimes face to face with people you may be reluctant to do this. It brought a whole new level of understanding to the novel.
Sebastian is a young Jewish man working in his father's banking firm which is just on the cusp of expansion but the outbreak of war throws his family's life into chaos. He meets Isabelle and loves young dream ensues. Their relationship was a delight to read, such innocence and purity and such respect and devotion to each other. Little did they realise in the world they inhabit not everything will go to plan. Finally we have Tristan a young boy fleeing Paris with his family. He was the most innocent of all, he knows times are changing but he is kept as sheltered as possible from the realities of what is happening on the world wide stage and at his own front door. When his family travel to a small French village his life is forever altered. He tells us of 'German spies' hiding in a house in the forest and how he will expose them to the village. If only he knew who the German spies really were. For the majority of the novel I felt Tristan had no part to play that the author was just using him as another character to show how the younger generation also had to deal with the horrors of war. But I was deeply satisfied with his outcome.
I cannot say any more for do to do so would ruin a sublime book. All the comments and rave reviews surrounding this book are totally justified. It is brilliantly written not morose or hard work (which the subject matter might implie) but it is devastatingly memorable. You will lose yourself in the story of these characters, rooting for them, hoping and wishing they will have the outcome they deserve. You become so engrossed in what is happening that you really want to reach the end but to do so you leave behind a cast of characters who forever hold a place in your heart.
The Silent Hours is an extraordinary achievement and other books in this genre will be hard pushed to live up to such outstanding writing. So many connections become apparent towards the end and I was glad. Too often authors leave their readers dangling and that is frustrating. Thankfully not here. This a ground breaking, cleverly written, outstandingly heartbreaking piece of work. In years to come I can imagine this book being studied in schools for it is that good and deserves to be read by a wide audience. Cesca Major you are a huge talent and an inspiration for many. Thank you for writing this book and pouring your heart and soul into it. A stunning achievement that cannot be compared to anything else out there.
There is quite a bit of buzz surrounding the release of this book and I was intrigued could it possibly live up to such high expectations. I will readily admit for the first half of the book I was wondering where is this going and how will things begin to connect. But oh when things connect I was left a complete and utter wreck. I hadn't read the blurb and didn't realise it was based on a real story until I read the historical note at the end. Discovering this made me realise how all the more how powerful this story really was and it made for an even more gripping read. The story has multiple narrators whose stories eventually intertwine but the way they do will not make for easy reading.
Adeline is living in a convent in South West France. It is 1952 and she has been there for several years. Nobody knows where she came from or what her story is as she is mute and refuses to engage with anyone or certain aspects of convent life. She is in danger of being thrown out soon but where will she go if that happens? It's quite clear Adeline has been through a severe trauma and her story unfolds at a gentle pace throughout the novel as we are given an insight into some of her thoughts. Adeline is mysterious and deeply wounded and the reader is constantly questioning what could possibly have happened to her to leave her in this awful silent world? Isabelle is a young woman growing up in a small French village. Her story is told through letters to her brother Paul. Paul had been fighting in the war but has been captured and imprisoned by the Germans. Normally I get bored of reading letters between people throughout an entire novel. But this device worked beautifully here as I felt the two characters were able to write their deepest feelings in the letters where sometimes face to face with people you may be reluctant to do this. It brought a whole new level of understanding to the novel.
Sebastian is a young Jewish man working in his father's banking firm which is just on the cusp of expansion but the outbreak of war throws his family's life into chaos. He meets Isabelle and loves young dream ensues. Their relationship was a delight to read, such innocence and purity and such respect and devotion to each other. Little did they realise in the world they inhabit not everything will go to plan. Finally we have Tristan a young boy fleeing Paris with his family. He was the most innocent of all, he knows times are changing but he is kept as sheltered as possible from the realities of what is happening on the world wide stage and at his own front door. When his family travel to a small French village his life is forever altered. He tells us of 'German spies' hiding in a house in the forest and how he will expose them to the village. If only he knew who the German spies really were. For the majority of the novel I felt Tristan had no part to play that the author was just using him as another character to show how the younger generation also had to deal with the horrors of war. But I was deeply satisfied with his outcome.
I cannot say any more for do to do so would ruin a sublime book. All the comments and rave reviews surrounding this book are totally justified. It is brilliantly written not morose or hard work (which the subject matter might implie) but it is devastatingly memorable. You will lose yourself in the story of these characters, rooting for them, hoping and wishing they will have the outcome they deserve. You become so engrossed in what is happening that you really want to reach the end but to do so you leave behind a cast of characters who forever hold a place in your heart.
The Silent Hours is an extraordinary achievement and other books in this genre will be hard pushed to live up to such outstanding writing. So many connections become apparent towards the end and I was glad. Too often authors leave their readers dangling and that is frustrating. Thankfully not here. This a ground breaking, cleverly written, outstandingly heartbreaking piece of work. In years to come I can imagine this book being studied in schools for it is that good and deserves to be read by a wide audience. Cesca Major you are a huge talent and an inspiration for many. Thank you for writing this book and pouring your heart and soul into it. A stunning achievement that cannot be compared to anything else out there.
July 7, 2015
Originally reviewed for Bookaholic Confessions
The Silent Hours tells the story of three lead characters; Adeline, Sebastian and Tristan. Whilst they are three very different people their lives are all intertwined by one thing – the horror of war.
Adeline finds herself living in a convent in south west France during the early 1950s after traumatic events from her past have affected her in ways in which she could never have imagined. Adeline has become mute and cannot find it within herself to form words, so we hear her parts of the story through her thoughts and the memories that she experiences from the past which go on to piece together exactly what happened to her…
Sebastian is a Jewish banker who lives in France and his part of the story recounts him falling in love with a lady that keeps catching his eye who wears an olive coat…a young woman named Isabelle. Whilst Sebastian is persecuted for being Jewish, Isabelle faces horrors of her own as we learn of her brother, Paul’s, struggle as he is out fighting the war. The siblings regularly write letters to one another, explaining their innermost thoughts, feelings and concerns.
Then we have Tristan. A nine year old boy who is forced to flee his home in Paris along with his brothers, sister and parents. His whole life is uprooted as he tries to settle in to the small French village that he must now call home.
I am sat here really struggling to put down in words how I feel about The Silent Hours, because it really was something special and I so badly want to do it justice.
It was one of those novels that I’d been hearing lots of good things about, there seemed to be a huge buzz surrounding it and as with any novel that comes highly recommended, I really hoped that it lived up to my expectations. However, it completely blew my expectations out of the water because I can safely say that The Silent Hours is probably one of the best books I have read. Ever.
There seem to be many novels set during wartime doing the rounds at the moment, but this one really stands out because everything about it is quite simply RIGHT. The settings, the characters, the format that the novel is written in (having viewpoints from various characters, interspersed with letters sent from one character to another worked so well) and the way in which these characters are linked is brilliant. As you progress through the novel their connections start to become clearer, apart from Tristan – who I thought was just an added character there to give us an understanding of what the war was like from a nine year olds perspective. However, as with other areas of the story things didn’t turn out how I expected and it’s extremely satisfying when everything comes together.
I loved reading from Tristan’s viewpoint and how Cesca managed to capture the thoughts, feelings and concerns of a nine year old boy during this turbulent time is astounding. She gave Tristan a strong and believable voice and it was fascinating to read his side of the story.
I also really enjoyed the romantic aspect of the story. The blossoming relationship between Sebastian and Isabelle will build up your heart and then break it down again into a million pieces. I loved the way that these two characters found one another and how they would arrange their meetings (for example they would never formally arrange to meet; Isabelle would say that she’d be at the library on a certain date at a certain time and as if by coincidence Sebastian would also be there…) The little quirks that they shared really built them up as a strong fictional couple in my eyes and I desperately wanted everything to be ok for them both.
I was desperate to find out what had happened to Adeline to leave her in the state that she is in when we first meet her. My heart was breaking for her and at the same time I couldn’t stop reading in an attempt to fit together pieces of the puzzle. Cesca brings everything to a conclusion in such a satisfying and believable way which will still leave you shocked and almost certainly in tears.
The fact that this is Cesca’s debut novel blows my mind. It’s so accomplished, well written and perfectly formed. The way in which it’s written allows you to just take in the story as it happens and gives you time to process what is going on.
Cesca must have put a huge amount of research into The Silent Hours, as it’s actually a fictionalized account of an event which really happened. It is one of those stories that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the last page and you’ll be thinking about it for a long time to come.
I am confident that this is going to be the start of a hugely successful writing career for Cesca. She has achieved so much with The Silent Hours and must be applauded for the way in which she has woven fact, fiction, heartbreak, horror and romance. Her writing is simply stunning and I can’t wait to read more…
Beautiful, haunting, stunning and engrossing – I could throw all the adjectives in the dictionary at this one and I don’t think I could do it justice. The best piece of advice I could give would be to just read it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean…
The Silent Hours tells the story of three lead characters; Adeline, Sebastian and Tristan. Whilst they are three very different people their lives are all intertwined by one thing – the horror of war.
Adeline finds herself living in a convent in south west France during the early 1950s after traumatic events from her past have affected her in ways in which she could never have imagined. Adeline has become mute and cannot find it within herself to form words, so we hear her parts of the story through her thoughts and the memories that she experiences from the past which go on to piece together exactly what happened to her…
Sebastian is a Jewish banker who lives in France and his part of the story recounts him falling in love with a lady that keeps catching his eye who wears an olive coat…a young woman named Isabelle. Whilst Sebastian is persecuted for being Jewish, Isabelle faces horrors of her own as we learn of her brother, Paul’s, struggle as he is out fighting the war. The siblings regularly write letters to one another, explaining their innermost thoughts, feelings and concerns.
Then we have Tristan. A nine year old boy who is forced to flee his home in Paris along with his brothers, sister and parents. His whole life is uprooted as he tries to settle in to the small French village that he must now call home.
I am sat here really struggling to put down in words how I feel about The Silent Hours, because it really was something special and I so badly want to do it justice.
It was one of those novels that I’d been hearing lots of good things about, there seemed to be a huge buzz surrounding it and as with any novel that comes highly recommended, I really hoped that it lived up to my expectations. However, it completely blew my expectations out of the water because I can safely say that The Silent Hours is probably one of the best books I have read. Ever.
There seem to be many novels set during wartime doing the rounds at the moment, but this one really stands out because everything about it is quite simply RIGHT. The settings, the characters, the format that the novel is written in (having viewpoints from various characters, interspersed with letters sent from one character to another worked so well) and the way in which these characters are linked is brilliant. As you progress through the novel their connections start to become clearer, apart from Tristan – who I thought was just an added character there to give us an understanding of what the war was like from a nine year olds perspective. However, as with other areas of the story things didn’t turn out how I expected and it’s extremely satisfying when everything comes together.
I loved reading from Tristan’s viewpoint and how Cesca managed to capture the thoughts, feelings and concerns of a nine year old boy during this turbulent time is astounding. She gave Tristan a strong and believable voice and it was fascinating to read his side of the story.
I also really enjoyed the romantic aspect of the story. The blossoming relationship between Sebastian and Isabelle will build up your heart and then break it down again into a million pieces. I loved the way that these two characters found one another and how they would arrange their meetings (for example they would never formally arrange to meet; Isabelle would say that she’d be at the library on a certain date at a certain time and as if by coincidence Sebastian would also be there…) The little quirks that they shared really built them up as a strong fictional couple in my eyes and I desperately wanted everything to be ok for them both.
I was desperate to find out what had happened to Adeline to leave her in the state that she is in when we first meet her. My heart was breaking for her and at the same time I couldn’t stop reading in an attempt to fit together pieces of the puzzle. Cesca brings everything to a conclusion in such a satisfying and believable way which will still leave you shocked and almost certainly in tears.
The fact that this is Cesca’s debut novel blows my mind. It’s so accomplished, well written and perfectly formed. The way in which it’s written allows you to just take in the story as it happens and gives you time to process what is going on.
Cesca must have put a huge amount of research into The Silent Hours, as it’s actually a fictionalized account of an event which really happened. It is one of those stories that will stay with you long after you’ve finished the last page and you’ll be thinking about it for a long time to come.
I am confident that this is going to be the start of a hugely successful writing career for Cesca. She has achieved so much with The Silent Hours and must be applauded for the way in which she has woven fact, fiction, heartbreak, horror and romance. Her writing is simply stunning and I can’t wait to read more…
Beautiful, haunting, stunning and engrossing – I could throw all the adjectives in the dictionary at this one and I don’t think I could do it justice. The best piece of advice I could give would be to just read it for yourself and you’ll see what I mean…
November 7, 2019
Moving story of a terrible event.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews