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The Golden Hour

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The Golden Hour

August 2019

In THE GOLDEN HOUR, Beatriz Williams once again delves into historical fiction with two well-drawn storylines. One opens in 1900, and the other takes place in 1941.

In 1900, Elfriede von Kleist is in a mental institution in Switzerland recovering from severe postpartum depression. There she meets a fellow patient and falls for him. But her life is complicated; she is summoned home as her husband becomes ill, and there she discovers how he has betrayed her.

The second setting is Nassau in the Bahamas in 1941. The location alone is reason enough to read this book. Then layer in the idea that the recently appointed governor of Nassau is the Duke of Windsor, and he is living there with his wife, Wallis Simpson, and the draw to read it gets ratcheted up a notch.

Leonora “Lulu” Randolph is a recently widowed journalist from New York who is in Nassau. She is looking for the perfect story to make her career, and knows that an interview with the Windsors is the most coveted. She tries to cozy herself into their world by endearing herself to those around them.

Elfriede and Lulu both have different men named Thorpe in their lives. Readers get to explore how they are connected, and it’s a well-woven thread.

THE GOLDEN HOUR shows readers once again that Beatriz writes gorgeous prose. Her descriptions are so detailed; you will feel transported to each location that she depicts.

As an example, she has this lovely line that describes “the golden hour,” which is my favorite time of day. It is “when everything looks the most beautiful, just before the sun sets. This luminous air turning everything to gold…and then it’s gone, just like that. The sun disappears. The night arrives.”

It’s just one beautiful detail that you will walk away remembering. THE GOLDEN HOUR is a sumptuous summer read.

The Golden Hour
by Beatriz Williams