The story of three generations of a family forced together by an 80th birthday and then death and funeral. While the characters and the story were believable, I did not develop a strong empathy for any of them. The story relied very heavily on back flashes that broke the story line. ( )

I started this book yesterday and have no desire to go back and read anymore. My favorite character and the only one I thought that had any redeeming qualities has already died so I have even less of a desire to get back to it. Not every book needs to be super fast paced but this one is so slow. Not my cup of tea. Gave up on it.

Received it from NetGalley

An uneven first novel - too many themes, characters, and time shifts; plus the writing is at times lovely, and at others pedestrian.

At first it seems the book will be about the older characters, Abe and Cassandra, as the book opens with their epic fight and subsequent separation. But the most powerful relationships that Hill examines are those between mother and daughter. I was amazed that one so young could be so perceptive about the feelings of mothers with successful adult daughters - something I only now am beginning to understand. For example:

"Somehow, in the years since she'd left home, Elizabeth had become an intimidating creature, prone to flashes of disdain that were capable of momentarily, but regularly, breaking her mother's heart. Between Harvard and med school she'd developed a sense of certainty that was unforgiving, and it seemed that the more she achieved, the more Cassandra fell short ... It was a painful new experience to find herself censured, even casually, by her daughter, whom she very much still wanted to advise."

Perhaps Hill, in her next book, will hone the plot so her perceptiveness is not lost in the other relationship peregrinations. ( )

This book did not capture me as I had hoped. Stopped reading after 100 pages.

*I was provided with an electronic copy of this book from the author and Scribner in return of an honest review. No monetary compensation was provided in this exchange.*

The Violet Hour is the story of doctor Abe and sculptor Cassandra Green, a married couple in San Francisco. Their daughter is attending Harvard, and despite the occasional difficulties that the couple has faced, they have been able to stay together. Until one day when Abe and Cassandra get into a fight, and Cassandra's infidelity comes into light. And all of a sudden Abe is throwing himself off his new boat, and into the cold waters of San Francisco Bay.

Abe and Cassandra go through their years - from each of them growing up, to meeting one another in a clinic. As they revisit their histories both together and apart, Abe and Cassandra come into terms with their lives and their relationship, and all of the mistakes and flaws that they find in between the past and the future.

This was pretty hard to read. The plot is really only related to Abe and Cassandra's relationship, and I found both characters bland and unlikable. I had no attachment to any other characters in the story, and for that reason it was a difficult read for me. I felt that the events within the stories overlapped and I thought that too much was being thrown the the readers at once.

I do think that The Violet Hour will prove to be a wonderful read for readers who are interested in relationship-based stories, as well as any who are family oriented as well. ( )