Sunday 31 May 2015

The Silent Hours – by Cesca Major

Original Cover
My own copy




















The blurb:

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.

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Ok, so I’m usually not really the type to read historical fiction. I had to read a lot of books connected to the war and history at school and at one point it was just too much. Connected to romance it’s a different thing though. I loved the blurb and Cesca is a lovely friend, so I gave it a try and I am so glad I did.

The Silent Hours follows three people, who are all somehow connected to each other. War changes everything for them...

Adeline takes refuge in a convent. That’s where she starts dealingbwith all the sad memories and events connected to the war. It all must have been heartbreaking for her and the connection the especially one of the other characters is deep and it makes the situation even harder for her.

Sebastian, a jewish banker, falls in love with the beautiful Isabelle. I loved reading about their feelings and their relationship. When he and his family are in danger he has to leave her behind. Their story is emotional, touching, sweet and really really sad. They have to deal with the loss, only writing letters and there is something Isabelle can’t just tell him over a letter, but will she be able to?! War is the constant danger surrounding them, him in England and her in France. Isabelle has deep connection to one of the other characters and that fact makes this novel even more special and emotional.

Tristin is a 9 year old boy and it’s quite special to read and see everything about the war and the events from his point of view.

Isabelle gets to share her story over sending letters to her brother Paul. He is held prisoner and the letters are the only way for them to stay in contact, Isabelle tells him everything in them and the letters showed how close the siblings were to each other.

This story is based on true event and I think that Cesca did a marvellous job developing a story around that. It’s a very shocking story and she managed to describe things in a beautiful and yet very touching way, the scenes and moments seem very autentic and it’s truly the only wartime story that really touched my heart. You better have some tissues ready, when reading this compelling and epic story. Cesca has an incredible way with her words and she makes a story special and unique through them.

This book is touching, deep, emotional, shocking and yet so beautiful. Truly unforgettable!!!

Rating:




My possible cast:

Sebastian: Justin Long





























Isabelle: Amanda Seyfried
















Adeline: Michelle Pfeiffer
















Tristin: Andrew Astor












Cesca on Twitter: @CescaWrites
Website: http://cescamajor.com
Goodreads - Amazon UK 

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