The story is told using three diverse perspectives:
- Edie is the owner of The Blue Lion, a floundering historic hotel that is on the procession route and has been in her family for generations. Edie is compassionate (almost to a fault) and her entire life is focused around the hotel.
- Stella has just moved to London from Italy and bears the scars of war and loss. She is staying at The Blue Lion and works as a newspaper photographer who is tasked with documenting the procession.
- Jamie is a Scots war hero and artist who has been commissioned to paint the Queen on her royal route. He faces his own troubles with PTSD and racism and was truly the gem of this book.
In the first part of the book readers get to know Edie, Stella, and Jamie, as well as a gaggle of eclectic hotel boarders, hotel staff and two characters from The Gown who make a cameo. Through her characters Robson introduces themes of racism, the on-going effects of the war and the weight of familial responsibility. A mystery is later added into the mix, but I found it to be the weak point of the story. It felt contrived with its obvious culprit and a resolution that wasn't quite satisfying.
Overall, this was an enjoyable, quiet read and Robson beautifully captures the historic period and eager mood of the world for the impending royal coronation. I enjoyed its focus on a cast of ordinary characters whose lives collide in the lead up to an extraordinary event and is a great pick for fans of a HEA (happily ever after).
Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to William Morrow for my advanced digital copy which was provided in exchange for my honest review.
My Rating: 3 stars
Author: Jennifer Robson
Genre: Historical Fiction
Type and Source: ebook from publisher via NetGalley
Publisher: William Morrow Books
First Published: April 4, 2023
Book Description from GoodReads: 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.
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