The five star ratings I have given out so far this year have all been for debut novels. This pattern has been interrupted by this exquisite work, the third novel from British author Megan Hunter.
I haven’t read any of her previous books. Her own debut “The End We Start From” was a well-received dystopian novella which was made into a 2023 film starring Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch. Second novel “The Harpy” (2020) sported a striking cover and was described as a contemporary fable. Something very different for this third work as she has delved into the past. It spans from 1938-99, sixty-one years in the life of main character Ivy.
Sixty-one years depicted in 6 days, all over the Easter period, two from 1938, then 1944,1956, 1965 with a closing section from Easter Sunday at the very end of the twentieth century.
The novel begins when Ivy is 19, anticipating the arrival on Easter Sunday of her brother’s first girlfriend, Frances. Joseph, two years older than Ivy has come back from college in love, an event which really marks the end of the childhood at Cressingdon, the family home where Frances is due to arrive for lunch. Ivy wonders how she will fit in with her very untraditional family, her artist mother and step-father; a man rumoured to be his lover; her novelist aunt and uncle and her father also travelling down for the day, a Bohemian set-up with echoes of The Bloomsbury Group.
Later that day Joseph makes a suggestion which changes all of their lives. I was drawn in right away by the atmosphere, the pitch-perfect depiction of Easter with its emphasis on spring and new beginnings together with the religious elements which have a different pull for different characters. Easter always feels an odd holiday, compared to Christmas and I think the author got the sense of this just right.
There are references made on the book cover to Virginia Woolf, an author who, I must admit, my only experience of reading was a bit of a limp through “To The Lighthouse” and so whilst I get the comparison this is not the reason I found myself liking this so much.
It is the quality of the writing, the excellent use of light throughout, in itself suggestive of the Easter period, with its emergence from the darkness of winter to its presence in the story of the Easter miracle. Here it is used as something Ivy experiences on that Sunday in 1938 which she can never explain nor come to terms with but which is significant for the rest of her life and which permeates this novel both literally and metaphorically. I found myself picking up on references to light throughout.
Every time we visit Ivy over the decades there isn’t a vast amount of plot but there is always a surprise, a turning point at Easter time which radiates from that Easter when Frances was expected. It is often beautiful, touching and sensitive and the author is able to sustain such qualities on these Easter days over the decades producing a work which feels extraordinary and totally satisfying. It drew me in from the opening pages with Ivy’s wistful anticipation of the day until the closing words. Six days over 61 years could be a risky structure but I was brought along easily with each jump to a new date, wanting to know what had happened as well as been drawn deeper into these characters’ lives.
Days Of Light is published by Picador on 17th April 2025. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

I was hooked from the first day we met Ivy and found myself voraciously devouring this book in a matter of hours. A human story spanning six decades that had me in tears by the end. Sobbing. It won’t be for everyone and I kinda wish it had been more of a sapphic love story than it was, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. That cover needs an honourable mention too, it takes you right to Cressingdon, so vivid and bright!

Begining in 1938 when Ivy is 19 ,the book visists her across six days of her life. Looking at the long term impact of grief, I though this was clevery done

However while I liked the concept and the writing was very good, I just didn't 'connect' with Ivy and I felt some of the story especially in her interactions and relationships lacked a bit of depth. That lack of connection made it hard to care what happened to her across the years and though it's not a particularly long book it did feel like it for me.

I can see the merits of the writing and the structure and am sure it will be a popular read with many but sadly it was just not for me

The measured tempo and recurring theme of light, whether embracing loss, love, grief, prayer, is soothing and evocative. Five significant days encompass a life contoured by the first day. All the characters are affected by that day and the gently evocative writing places the reader into the heart and soul of the main character, Ivy. The eras embraced capture both Bohemian arty attitudes and the now old-fashioned atmosphere to particularly good effect, where one might think nothing happens but which is far from the case. Literary, understated, gorgeous.

'Days of Light' is a beautiful, lyrical novel that follows the life of one woman from the 1930s to the 1990s by describing six days brightly illuminated in her memory.

We first meet Ivy on Easter Sunday in 1938 aged 19 at her beautiful family home in Sussex, where her bohemian family awaits the arrival of her brother Joseph's girlfriend Frances. But this day will end in tragedy, and over the course of the other five 'days of light', we witness Ivy's experiences of grief, love and faith. The same characters loom large in life and memory over the course of the novel - Joseph, Frances, her artist mother Marina, her father's friend Bear, the family's loyal servant Anne.

The structure, reminiscent of David Nicholls's 'One Day', allows us an effective window into Ivy's development at different stages in her life. I found this a moving and quietly captivating novel. Many thanks for NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC to review.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book.

This is a great read, 6 days overs the years of the life of Ivy starting on a fateful day in 1938 when she is 19 and ending in 1999. Ivy is a from a bohemian family where love affairs and fluid sexuality are accepted as part of life. All the adults in and connected to the family are talented and her older brother Joseph is doing well at Oxford. Ivy feels that she has no talents and wonders what will happen to her in life. In Day 1, as it says in the blurb, a terrible thing happens and although the family come to terms with it, they never really get over it.

The other 5 days tell us about Ivy, her life, her loves, her experiences. Some of these are fairly mundane and ordinary but the author writes so well about these things that Ivy could almost represent Everywoman at least in her early to middle years. No spoilers but more unusual things happen to her. As we get to know Ivy over the years, we feel her uncertainties, her joys, her surprises, her sorrows, her disappointments, her stoicism. I found day 5 to be especially moving but every day resonates.

The book is infused with light, lots of beautiful descriptions, but not over done and no purple prose, of Spring and weather and the healing qualities of light and lightness of being. I feel that this is definitely a book to re-read and enjoy all over again.

I see the book has been compared to Mothering Sunday and I suppose it shares a similar atmosphere in parts but I did not like Mothering Sunday whereas I loved this book.

I never knew what to expect while reading Days of Light. I didnt find it easy to like Ivy and maybe I never really did, but I did care.

I loved the structure of the story and how it was almost a whole life overview, using 6 days in Ivy's life to root us in her story. There are moments that felt so alive, the senses absorbed in the everyday action of the book.

I loved the use of art to explore the characters, their motivations, their feelings; it adds another layer for me.

I wish I understood more, particularly what happened to Joseph on that first Easter Sunday...and what happened to Ivy. I'll look forward to hearing other peoples perspectives. This book is a slow burn, but passionate, it's exploration of life is both simple and wide ranging. I'm grateful to Pan MacMillan for the digital ARC to read.

✨ REVIEW ✨

Days of Light by Megan Hunter
Release Date: 17th April

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5

📝 - Easter Sunday, 1938. Ivy is nineteen and ready for her life to finally begin. At Cressingdon, her sprawling, bohemian family and their friends gather for lunch and to await the arrival of a longed-for guest. Britain is on the cusp of war, but in the idyllic Sussex countryside anything feels possible. It is a single, enchanted afternoon that ends in tragedy and will change Ivy’s life forever. Chronicling six pivotal days across six decades, Days of Light moves through the Second World War and into the twentieth century on a radiant journey through a life lived in pursuit of love and in search of an answer.

💭 - The synopsis really doesn’t give much away in terms of the story, and at first I did struggle to get into the plot, finding the first two chapters a little too slow for me, especially due to the style of writing. However, the second half did keep me more engaged which is against the norm for me at least, so I was glad to have pushed through. This is also where some unexpected things happen, and so it definitely kept me interested to see how Ivy’s life would turn out. With themes of family tension, love, religion, and sexuality, I definitely recommend this one for those who like a quiet character-oriented literary novel.

#daysoflight #meganhunter #literaryfiction #bookreview #bookstagram #bookreviewer #bookstagrammer #historicalfiction #bookrecommendation

This feels like a huge step up from the previous Hunter work I’d read, The End We Start From, which was a very slim, entirely unsurprising work of speculative climate change fiction featuring a new mother and her infant trying to navigate a flooded Britain. She’s written a second novel since, which didn’t appeal, but I’m glad I took a punt on this, her third. Told in six segments, each focusing on a single day, it traces the life of Ivy from the drowning death of her brother Joseph on Easter Sunday 1939 (barely a spoiler) to her own death in the ‘90s. Something I haven’t seen in any reviews so far is that Days of Light edges into theological/speculative territory, too, with Ivy distracted from Joseph at a crucial moment by the appearance of an entrancing, mysterious light that she can’t take her eyes off. Later in life she is drawn by religious faith and makes what might be considered a life-altering decision, only to discover later what she truly wants and take steps towards it. (Sorry for the inevitable coyness, but it’s best to come to these moments in the novel un-forewarned.)

Hunter’s prose here is much more accomplished than in her debut. She’s particularly good at portraying subtle movements of a character’s mind, and at establishing place; I really felt I knew Cressingdon, Ivy and Joseph’s childhood home, and its population of bohemian artists, writers, not-so-secret paramours, and servants. The family setup in Days of Light is a little reminiscent of the Bloomsbury Circle (their mother, Marina, could be Vanessa Bell; their aunt, Genevieve, isn’t quite Virginia Woolf but certainly stands in that position) and the way Hunter combines close attention to atmosphere, light and materiality with a sort of literary impressionism will probably earn Woolf comparisons, although I think stylistically they’re quite different writers. I also found the lesbian romance far better integrated and more convincing than in Mere, my most recent historical-lesbian novel; Ivy’s attraction to Frances is subtly telegraphed from the moment they meet, when Frances is still Joseph’s girlfriend. Days of Light didn’t disappoint, and I’ll certainly try Hunter’s next book.

I found this book a,meander through a young woman's life - slow and dreamy - but gave up after reading two thirds of the wat through.

From the very outset, this writing had a very ethereal and contemplative feel to it. It's not a story where the action drives the narrative, rather by the main character's thoughts, feelings, and emotions generated by the events which occur. There are still however, a few twists and turns that one does not predict at the start, which keeps the story fresh and interesting. Although not my usual kind of novel, sometimes it's good to go beyond one's usual choices. This is a story where the reader immerses themselves in the characters and descriptions and really feel that they are seeing the story unfold while standing as an unnoticed bystander in the room. Wonderful!

Hunter has gone for an interesting structure for this novel, snapshotting a single day from various points in Ivy's life all of which relate to a single event which happens on the first day.

Ivy's family was an interesting bunch and I enjoyed the eccentricities and intensity of the various characters. Ivy herself was by far the least interesting of the bunch. Although she was the main focus of the novel I felt I was least invested in her story; she felt very passive and dispassionate. Several interesting things happened throughout Ivy's life and yet there never seemed to be much thought behind it on her part. Particularly the period of her life in which she became a nun seemed very out of place for me and seemed to be more about her not wanting to have to think for herself rather than a genuine devotion to that lifestyle.

I would have liked a little more variation in pace and deeper explorations behind Ivy's motivations and feelings.

This is a beautifully written, lyrical book following Ivy's life over six decades. She often sees things in a different way to the rest of her family and the world in general and Ms Hunter is able to describe these thoughts in beautiful detail and make the reader see things in a different way too.. Love, grief and hope combine to help make sense of her life and decisions and Light is almost a character in itself.
I feel sure I will be thinking about the characters for some time to come.
Thank you to netgalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy of this book.

This was a beautiful novel that I could hardly bear to end. Such an achingly sad story and yet full of hope. I've not read anything else by this author but will now search out her previous books. The story had a touch of the Cazelet Chronicles for me ( which is a compliment) and I would love there to be a sequel.

NO SPOILERS:

Days of Light is a beautiful, beautiful book, written with true literary skill. Rythmic sentences punctuated to perfection.

We follow Ivy, over six days spanning 1939 – 1999, a time of much change in the world, but here we focus on the change in Ivy, with the one constant, recurring theme being light. Light in everything. Sun, God, mystic, love, inner, peace, shadows, luminosity, art. And it is so beautifully, gently and carefully written.

Through Ivy, Hunter’s writing details all the senses, evoking so many emotions. There are intricate observations and sweeping generalisations finding joy in all things. I could feel the damp grass and smell the air. Whilst Ivy is the protagonist, life happening all around is the main character.

Expect a skilled, crafted depiction of light in all its forms in a steady plot within a thoughtful, inspiring story. Truly stunning. This should win prizes.

Easter Sunday, 1938. Ivy is nineteen and ready for her life to finally begin. In the idyllic Sussex countryside, her sprawling, bohemian family and their friends gather for lunch, awaiting the arrival of a longed-for guest. It is a single, enchanted afternoon that ends in tragedy.

Chronicling six pivotal days across six decades, Days of Light moves through the Second World War and the twentieth century on a radiant journey through a life lived in pursuit of love and in search of an answer.

SPOILERS BELOW!

Days of Light is a beautiful novel about family love. At the centre of it, Ivy, a young woman who does more watching of the people she loves than most. She’s wildly observant and sees things in her family and friends that they might keep hidden, she can read their faces and body language. It is also a very spiritual book with themes of reflection on the nature of God.

As the novel develops further throughout the decades it turns into more of a love story. We learn about Frances and Ivy’s affair, and we see how it shapes Ivy as she gets older.

I loved this beautiful, tender, elegant short novel.

Megan Hunter’s Days of Light is a book to savour—lyrical, immersive, and profoundly moving. Written in a “One day” style, the novel unfolds over Easter, following a tradegy, through six decades, and carries the weight of an entire lifetime’s emotions, choices, and consequences. Hunter’s prose is spare yet luminous, drawing readers into the quiet intensity of her characters’ inner lives.

Each moment is rich with meaning, inviting the reader to slow down and absorb the beauty in the mundane. It is a story about grief and love and how fleeting yet profound moments shape our lives.

If you enjoy introspective, beautifully crafted fiction, this is a novel not to be missed. Thank you, Pan Macmillan and NetGallery, for the pre-publication read.

Many thanks to the author, Megan Hunter, @netgalley, and the publisher, Pan Macmillan, for a
digital ARC of this book, which is published in the UK on 17 April. It’s the story of 19-year-old Ivy,
who we first meet on Easter Sunday, a day that changes her life. The story then follows Ivy through
another five key days in her life, when she experiences changes and/or has an epiphany.

I liked the premise of this book very much, but I found the execution uneven. The first two sections
felt very slow to me, and I wasn’t really engaged in the book, although I did become more engrossed
as the story progressed. There’s a fundamental problem, too, with basing a novel around the key
moments in a person’s life, in that each day has the same narrative arc. The author sets the scene of
what’s happening to Ivy in that period of her life and catching the reader up on events, before
building to the epiphany or key event of that day, and so the structure feels repetitive.
In addition, there’s the time pressure of cramming all the pivotal events into just six days, which
makes some of what happens feel unrealistic. (For instance, on one day, Ivy is rejected by the love of
her life, turns to church, and has a religious awakening – it just felt too convenient for the second
event to take place immediately after the first.)

I also found that the writing style didn’t resonate with me. It reminded me a little of Alan
Hollinghurst’s style – detached, lush, perhaps too mannered. However, while with Hollinghurst, you
have the sense that he’s found the precise word to encapsulate the situation or express a thought
you’ve had but inchoately, with this book, it feels more like the writing was striving towards that
precision, and missing.

Days of Light isn’t a bad book at all, and I enjoyed the later sections, but I feel that it needed more
work overall.

Days of Light by Megan Hunter

Six days in Ivy's life from being a 19 year old in 1938 to her final moments in 1999. We follow Ivy and her family through WW2 into the changing 1950s/60s and beyond.

Wow, this novel really packs a punch! At first I was thinking A God in Ruins/Cazalet Chronicles but I was surprised again and again - for all its brevity it really encompasses so much in the way of capturing changes in Ivy and her family, along with societal changes over Ivy's life. I could have lived without the religion aspect but that's a personal preference and more than made up for by the rest of the novel. Very highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

I am sure this book will be very well regarded in literary circles and I did request to read the book based on the author's previous work. Despite really trying to understand and enjoy "Days of Light" by Megan Hunter, I found my mind wandering and couldn't keep focus. Not for me.