The Blue Hour Paperback – 19 May 2021

A beautifully written book with characters that stay with you. Set in a stunning location that is so easy to picture and love. A unique and special story that made me laugh, cry and reflect on the untold stories our relatives must hold dear to themselves and that we may never know about but should. Cannot recommended this highly enough and am looking forward to reading future books by such a gifted writer.

I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in two sittings, one of which saw me glued to the page long into the night! A really enjoyable read, beautifully written and featuring a great cast of characters. I particularly enjoyed the pace of this book and the clever intercutting of the two main protagonists' storylines, and like others have said, could really see it translating to the screen - small or large. I look forward to another book from this author!

I really enjoyed this story I thought Tilly was a great character and even though she was old she stuck up for herself and spoke her mind.the ending was beautiful too,I will be looking forward to more books by this author a very enjoyable book.

This wonderful book chronicles the intense love affair between Tilly and Jack during the war. Tilly is an unforgettable character, now irascible in old age but nevertheless tugs at the heartstrings. It’s heartbreaking to read of the outcome of their relationship but there so much more to it than this. All the characters are well drawn and I literally did not want to put the book down but didn’t want to finish it either! I agree with all the other reviewers that it would make a wonderful TV series but cannot imagine it would be anything as good as the book. I wish I hadn’t yet read it as it’s a treat to be savoured.

Enjoyed from start to finish ,I don't normally like books that go back and forth in time but it fit with the main character, and I loved the ending.

A gentle love story spanning three generations and two continents.We move between the Second World War and (almost) present day.Some interesting, well drawn characters and a wonderful account of the blossoming relationship between heartbroken Ava and sharp tongued Tilly.Unfortunately the slightly cliched ending of happily ever after tied in a nice neat bow, was slightly disappointing.Thanks to Pigeonhole and Melanie Greenwood for an enjoyable read.

This is a real page turner. A well-constructed story that moves back and forth over a three quarters of a century exploring and vividly recounting two intertwining love affairs. Full of insight into the passions, the emotional high and lows of what it is to be in love. Graphic in parts though never failing to ring true. There is warmth and humour that allied to the excellent descriptive passages makes you resentful of any interruption.

A brilliant first novel. M J Greenwood deserves to be loudly applauded for such an excellent piece of writing. It was an extremely tricky topic which she bravely tackled with candour and humour. Her language and descriptive passages are worthy of the sorts of praise heaped upon classic authors and I am sure that a second novel would place her firmly in such a category. Really looking forward to hopefully reading another Greenwood novel in the not too distant future.

The story is well-researched and interesting. I liked the place and date at the beginning of letters or chapters which is very helpful to place the setting. I liked the change in Ava after spending time with Tilly and how Tilly came to like her and be kinder. A very satisfying read!