The Children's Hour

This story unfolds gently, with secrets being gradually revealed for the main characters: three elderly sisters. There are inevitably many flashbacks to their childhood and early adult life, but rather than being intrusive or annoying, they work extremely well. Marcia Willett adopts the present tense in the memories or dreams from the past, which makes it all the more real.

I found the characters believable and three-dimensional, and the story often moving. On re-reading, four and half years after the first time, I found that I had only remembered one or two of the plot points, and enjoyed it just as much second time around. One of the best by Marcia Willett. Definitely recommended.

I stumbled on this book by accident trying to find a last minute replacement for the scheduled title for our book club. Although the first chapters were slow reading I'm glad I hung in there as it proved to be a wonderful story about love, family, and all the ties that bind the past to the present. Willett weaves a skillful mystery into her tale that keeps the reader interested even when the story moves a bit slowly. And she ties it all together in the end in a satisfying way. Her characters are people I came to care about and I was genuinely sad when the book ended. I really would have liked to remain at the family homestead and continue to watch all their lives unfold.

I love Willett's books and I say that every time I read another one of them. I hope she is writing constantly because I will be so sad when I run out of them to read! Willett has a wonderful way with story-telling. You become completely absorbed with her characters and their individual lives and there are always several events occurring with usually inter-related family members. I can hardly wait to have another of her books in my hands!

Childhood is full of secrets and, for the health of everyone involved, those secrets have to come out at some point. This is the story of a family and the secrets that have been concealed for decades.

Marcia Willett does characters exceedingly well. It was a little difficult to get into at first, but I cared so much about the characters at the end of the book that I didn't want it to end.

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 show more 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. show less

Not very good did not finish