Coronation Year

 

Coronation Year

Jennifer Robson

Publication Date: April 4, 2023 by William Morrow Paperbacks

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 🍷🍷🍷🍷🍷

Summary: The USA Today bestselling author of The Gown returns with another enthralling and royal-adjacent historical novel—as the lives of three very different residents of London’s historic Blue Lion hotel converge in a potentially explosive climax on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s Coronation.

It is Coronation Year, 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. The people of London are in a mood to celebrate, none more so than the residents of the Blue Lion hotel.

Edie Howard, owner and operator of the floundering Blue Lion, has found the miracle she needs: on Coronation Day, Queen Elizabeth in her gold coach will pass by the hotel’s front door, allowing Edie to charge a fortune for rooms and, barring disaster, save her beloved home from financial ruin. Edie’s luck might just be turning, all thanks to a young queen about her own age.

Stella Donati, a young Italian photographer and Holocaust survivor, has come to live at the Blue Lion while she takes up a coveted position at Picture Weekly magazine. London in celebration mode feels like a different world to her. As she learns the ins and outs of her new profession, Stella discovers a purpose and direction that honor her past and bring hope for her future.

James Geddes, a war hero and gifted artist, has struggled to make his mark in a world that disdains his Indian ancestry. At the Blue Lion, though, he is made to feel welcome and worthy. Yet even as his friendship with Edie deepens, he begins to suspect that something is badly amiss at his new home.

When anonymous threats focused on Coronation Day, the Blue Lion, and even the queen herself disrupt their mood of happy optimism, Edie and her friends must race to uncover the truth, save their home, and expose those who seek to erase the joy and promise of Coronation Year.

My thoughts: I had this one on my shelf for a while. I then read it on the coronation day of King Charles III. That was apparently what I was waiting for. Robson has a remarkable ability to take a monumental event and make it about the everyday people who were impacted by it. 

Three lives converged on a common goal in this easy to read and delightfully immersive story. Robson allowed each character to portray a significantly different class of British citizen. Edie represented the "old guard" the established regime as it were. Stella encapsulated all of the struggles of Holocaust survivors as they attempted to redefine themselves and their lives in the aftermath of WWII. James highlighted the undercurrent of bigotry and distrust of those identified as "other". Each of the main characters' stories showcased how people can come together in ways that they couldn't dream of. Reignited friendships, unexpected relationships, and an exposed mystery twisted together to provide readers with a wonderful story.  

I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.