A Christmas To Remember- Anton Du Beke-Historical fiction
A truly magical read that made me smile and almost shed a tear (in a good way).
The setting is 1938 at the very smart Buckingham hotel in Berkeley square London.
There are over 1200 staff at the hotel and hence much goes on behind the scenes
led by the director Maynard Charles. The Ballroom has just been refurbished
following a fire last year - Raymond De Guise is the lead professional dancer and
is very much in love with chambermaid Nancy. Ray is really Ray Cohen from the
East end, a non practising jewish family and there are rumours of war. A guest
now finds himself unable to return home as it has been taken over and so moves
into a less expensive suite and lifestyle. Helene the female lead dancer has her
own secrets- a child with a black husband now dead and her family disowned
her as it “would bring shame on their good name”. There are a multitude of
things happening- from a potentially suspicious death to espionage, love,
drama and the thrills and spills of life in a glamorous hotel.
Wow! This is my first book by Anton. There is such an atmosphere of what it
must have been like in that period, from the tension of pre-war, to racism,
misogyny and general life being so very different from today.
This put me in a spin, waltzed me through the era, a little paso of romance
and I quick-stepped through the whole book as I enjoyed it so much!
A totally charming entrancing book beautifully written and evocative of
the era. I look forward to the next one :)
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
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