Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson: Book Review

Coronation Year is the latest release from best-selling author Jennifer Robson. Released on April 4, 2023, by William Morrow, Coronation Year is a historical fiction set in 1953 with a bit of romance and mystery. Edie, Jamie, and Stella are relative strangers when they find themselves working together to save the Blue Lion.

I want to thank William Morrow, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Coronation Year. All opinions presented here are solely mine.

CW/TW: racism, Holocaust, war, mild violence

Synopsis from Goodreads

It is Coronation Year 1953, and a new queen is about to be crowned. The people of London are in a mood to celebrate, none more so than the residents of the Blue Lion hotel.

Edie Howard, owner and operator of the floundering Blue Lion, has found the miracle she needs: on Coronation Day, Queen Elizabeth in her gold coach will pass by the hotel’s front door, allowing Edie to charge a fortune for rooms and, barring disaster, save her beloved home from financial ruin. Edie’s luck might just be turning, all thanks to a young queen about her own age.

Stella Donati, a young Italian photographer and Holocaust survivor, has come to live at the Blue Lion while she takes up a coveted position at Picture Weekly magazine. London, in celebration mode, feels like a different world to her. As she learns the ins and outs of her new profession, Stella discovers a purpose and direction that honor her past and bring hope for her future.

James Geddes, a war hero and gifted artist, has struggled to make his mark in a world that disdains his Indian ancestry. At the Blue Lion, though, he is made to feel welcome and worthy. Yet even as his friendship with Edie deepens, he begins to suspect that something is badly amiss at his new home.

When anonymous threats focused on Coronation Day, the Blue Lion, and even the queen herself disrupt their mood of happy optimism, Edie and her friends must race to uncover the truth, save their home, and expose those who seek to erase the joy and promise of Coronation Year.

My Opinions

Coronation Year is a story told using three different points of view. Typically, such a method of storytelling can be confusing, but not here. Each chapter is told from a different POV, and the characters are different enough not to cause confusion. Edie owns the Blue Lion and has lived there her entire life. Jamie moves into the hotel to work on an art commission of the building across the street from the hotel. Stella is a survivor moving from Italy to England for a new job and a new future.

Coronation Year is set in the first six months of 1953, the months leading up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The book is broken up into months, and within each month are different chapters that occur on different days.

The book’s first half establishes the characters and their story, both past and present. The second half of the book is where the mystery starts. I must say I guessed early on who the culprit was, but I was still stunned to learn the reason behind their actions.

Initially, I was drawn to this book because it was a look at Her Majesty, the Queen. I actually added it to my TBR before her passing. And reading the book mere weeks before the coronation of King Charles in May makes me interested in what will be the same and what will be different in the 70 years that separate the two events.

Do you enjoy reading historical fiction with a touch of romance and drama? Are you curious about the royal family and other people’s feelings about them? Then I think you should give Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson a read.

Looking for some more books to read? Check out my bookish lists, book reviews, and monthly reading wrap-ups.