Cassandra Green has everything - beauty, wealth, a loving husband and a clever daughter. But is it enough?
Cassandra and her husband Abe are on the deck of their boat on a summer afternoon in the San Francisco Bay. There is a terrible row. Cassandra has been unfaithful. Again. In a fit of rage, Abe throws himself off the boat.
So begins The Violet Hour, an unsettling story of a marriage, of rich lives and the American dream, squandered. In this mesmerising novel, Katherine Hill reveals our darkest desires and how we can so easily tear the threads of the perfect life.
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
ISBN: 9780241964132
Number of pages: 368
Weight: 500 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 35 mm
A rewarding family saga reminiscent of Anne Tyler's novels . . . Wonderfully witty - Washington Post
Hill handles the intimacy of family ties with care and tenderness . . . Readers who enjoyed Jonathan Franzen's Freedom will relate as Hill's characters similarly and systematically unravel from each other - Booklist
An affecting tale about decent but flawed people - Publishers Weekly
The Violet Hour succeeds in nearly every measure . . . the story of this family - at once alien and familiar, pitiable and impressive - is rendered with candor and economy - Colorado Review
A bittersweet tale of breakup and forgiveness - O, The Oprah Magazine
An unusual retrospective of a family torn apart . . . A bleak and disturbing story but one that offers a glimmer of hope - Kirkus Reviews
An absorbing read . . . very good on the unspoken nuances of family life and the irrational irritations we often feel for those we love - Daily Mail
Splices humorous set pieces with gently searing revelations . . . a sophisticated saga, offering easy pleasures with no easy truths - Observer
I got the book as part of Waterstones review programme. The blurb on the book sounded like it might be quite good. However, that turned out not to be the case. Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable enough, but... More
When I read what the book was about, it made me want to read the whole book. Having now completed the book, I was hoping for a more exciting conclusion, but was rather disappointed. It was very much about the lives of... More
The story's main focus is on one family: Cassandra, the mother and an artist, Abe, the father and a doctor, and their daughter Elizabeth. The book starts at a moment when their picture perfect family... More
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