If like me you’ve always been interested in the Royals, Coronation Year is definitely a novel that should have a place on your must-read list. The book takes place in the year leading up to the late Queen Elizabeth II coronation and follows the lives of three friends, Edie Howard, the current owner of the Blue Lion hotel, Stella Donati, a budding photographer, and Holocaust survivor who takes a position at London magazine, and artist, James Geddes.
Coronation Year novel is full of hope, loss, betrayal, and love… making it one of my favorite books of 2023. Jennifer Robson truly transports us to 1950s London, so much so that you can almost feel the London air on your face (and smell a hint of the scones served up at tea time at the Blue Lion. The cast of characters are sure to ensnare your heart, as you wait for the truth to finally be revealed.
I recently had the chance to do a little Q&A with author Jennifer Robson and I hope you all will enjoy this little inside look into Coronation Year.
When did you first come up with the storyline for your latest novel, Coronation Year?
It was about three years ago now that I first thought of setting a book in the months leading up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. I wanted to understand what it was like to live through that time and, more specifically, what it was like to witness the great coronation procession pass by. I then realized the perfect setting for my novel would be a hotel along the processional route — and that’s when all the pieces of the narrative first came together for me.
Somewhere in France, After the War is Over, Moonlight Over Paris, Goodnight from London, The Gown, Our Darkest Night, and Coronation Year are all set during and after the two world wars. When did your interest in this time period begin?
My work as a doctoral student at the University of Oxford focused on British social history in the first half of the 20th century. It left me with a lifelong passion for the history of those years, and in particular the lives of women during and after the two world wars.
During your time studying at Oxford did you ever attend an event where you caught a glimpse of Queen Elizabeth II?
Sadly I did not, although I was a Commonwealth Scholar and probably could have snagged an invitation to a Buckingham Palace garden party if I’d asked nicely! The only member of the Royal Family I’ve ever seen in person was Prince Harry, and that was only as he drove past me on a road near Kensington Palace. His ginger hair is unmistakable!
Tell me about the research process for the novel.
I spent a lot of time returning to the same primary sources I relied upon as a graduate student: contemporary newspapers and magazines, memoirs and diaries, newsreel footage, and government papers. Nearly everything I needed was available via digitized archives, so I was able to do most of my work at home — and since we were still in lockdown in Ontario for much of that time, it’s a good thing I didn’t need to travel!
Where did you write the majority of Coronation Year?
I wrote Coronation Year in a few different places: in my old office, which was the size of a broom closet before we renovated our house; in the garden at my forever home, as well as the enormous back yard of the rental house we lived in while our home was a building site; and in my makeshift office space at the rental, which was a desk that did double duty as my bedside table. Oh — I also set up shop in the cabin of our very small sailboat when the weather was really nice and I needed a change of pace. Any port in a storm!
Is the Blue Lion hotel based on a real hotel?
I hope this doesn’t disappoint you, but there is no Blue Lion hotel on the spot where I describe it; instead, there is a beautiful historic pub called the Sherlock Holmes. The Blue Lion that exists on the pages of Coronation Year, and otherwise really only in my imagination, is an amalgam of several small hotels I’ve stayed at over the years, most notably Hazlitt’s Hotel in Soho, London. I should clarify that Hazlitt’s is very much a going concern and that their staff members are uniformly lovely people! (And they also have a resident cat named Sir Godfrey.)
Out of the three main characters, which character was the most challenging storyline to write?
I would have to say it was Jamie’s because the place he occupies in the world — as a man, a person of color, a war veteran, and a very talented fine artist — is so different from mine. From the start, his voice was so clear to me. I could see him, hear him, and imagine his thoughts and feelings, and opinions on nearly everything. But was I correct in these assumptions? Or was I imposing my own limited point of view upon him? I did my best to address my worries by reaching out to three friends, all of Indian heritage, who could help me fill in those areas of uncertainty. I am so grateful for their insights and suggestions, and I hope readers will find in Jamie a hero who’s as believable as he is admirable.
Which scene from the book did you enjoy writing the most?
I think it was the coronation itself, which one of my characters witnessed from a very unique vantage point. More than that I cannot say without risking spoilers!
Who are some of the fellow authors that inspire you?
There are so many!! Okay — I’ll pick five women whose historical fiction never fails to compel and enchant me: Kate Quinn and Janie Chang, whose first co-written book, The Phoenix Crown, comes out later this year; Pam Jenoff, who holds down a teaching position at Rutgers Law as well as writing NYT bestsellers; Piper Huguley, whose novel By Her Own Design, a portrait of Ann Lowe, the Black designer who created Jackie Kennedy’s wedding gown, was deservedly acclaimed by critics and readers alike; and Genevieve Graham, whose novels that center on Canadian history are wonderfully researched and beautifully written. All these women inspire me constantly and have become cherished friends, too!
Are you currently writing your next novel, and if so can we get a sneak peek?
I am, but I’m still a little nervous about sharing details with the wider world. As soon as I can say more I will share — that’s a promise!
— About the Author —
“An academic by background, a former editor by profession, and a lifelong history nerd, I’m the author of seven novels set during and after the two world wars: Somewhere in France, After the War is Over, Moonlight Over Paris, Goodnight from London, The Gown, Our Darkest Night, and Coronation Year. I was also a contributor to the acclaimed anthology Fall of Poppies: Stories of Love and the Great War.
I was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario. I studied French literature and Modern History as an undergraduate at King’s University College at Western University, then attended Saint Antony’s College at the University of Oxford, where I obtained my doctorate in British economic and social history. While at Oxford I was a Commonwealth Scholar and SSHRC Doctoral Fellow.
I live in Toronto, Canada, with my husband and children, and share my home office with Bonnie the puppy and her feline companions Sam and Mika.”
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