The Hours Count: A Novel

(Paperback)

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A spellbinding reimagining of the lives of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. In June 19, 1953, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed for conspiring to commit espionage. The day Ethel was first arrested in 1950, she left her two young sons with a neighbour and never came home to them again. A few years earlier, in 1947, Millie Stein moves with her husband Ed and toddler son David into an apartment in New York's Lower East Side. She also befriends Ethel who is also a young mother. Millie and Ethel's lives as friends, wives, mothers and neighbours entwine - even as the FBI closes in.

Reviews

Taut, atmospheric and absorbing, this story provides an intimate window into a world most people only know from the headlines.
Christina Baker Kline, New York Times-bestselling author of Orphan Train

Fraught with tension and wise with empathy, this is the story of a shameful time in our nations history, but also of friendship, love, and loyalty.
Laura Moriarty, New York Times-bestselling author of The Chaperone

Utterly gripping and almost unbearably moving. A thought-provoking novel about a terrible aspect of Americas recent past, with the pace of a thriller.
Natasha Solomons, New York Times-bestselling author of The House at Tyneford

A deeply compelling retelling of Julius and Ethel Rosenbergs famous betrayal. Beautifully written and meticulously researched, this book will leave you wondering about the intersection of truth and politics, responsibility and love, long after you've finished reading it.
Anton DiSclafani, New York Times-bestselling author of The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

Fact and fiction are blended in a gripping tale of guilt, innocence, and heartbreak. I was bowled over by her intimate portrait of women in crisis. Jillian has torn pages straight from the history books and transformed them into a riveting story of intrigue, desire, and hope.
David R. Gillham, New York Times-bestselling author of City of Women

Flawlessly mixes fact and fiction, drawing the reader into the world of the Lower East Side in the fiftiesand the lives of accused Communist spies Ethel and Julius Rosenberg. A finely drawn portrait of McCarthy-era America, by turns heartwarming and haunting.
Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times-bestselling author of the Maggie Hope novels

"[A]down-to-the-wire thriller."New York Times Book Review

"Confession: We kind oflovehistorical novels, and Cantor's is quickly climbing to the top of our all-time faves list.... It's as much a story of friendship and trust as it is history and spies. You won't be able to put it down."Glamour

"This ambiguity and uncertainty feels true to life and results in a story that is filled with plenty of surprises, where the stakes feel impossibly high and stolen moments mean the most. A domestic spin on a spy thriller, The Hours Countis an affecting and effective piece of historical fiction that begins with readers asking 'What if' and ends with them wondering 'What might have been'"BookPage

"A gorgeous, thrilling novel." Popsugar

This intriguing novel that intertwines facts about the Rosenbergs into the life of an average American housewife is highly recommended for historical fiction fans. Library Journal(STARRED review)

Cantor mixes fact with fiction to create a moving portrait of two of the most vilified figures in modern history. Cosmopolitan

"[A]daring and carefully measured look at the McCarthy Communist witch hunt, including the generalized fear of communists and Russians at that time, as well the omnipresent threat of an atom bomb wiping Manhattan off the map."Jewish Post


Praise for Margot

Inventive... Cantors what-if story combines historical fiction with mounting suspense and romance, but above all, it is an ode to the adoration and competition between sisters.O,The Oprah Magazine

Psychologically subtle, satisfyingly suspenseful, and sensitively written.
Margaret George,New YorkTimesbestselling author ofElizabeth I: The Novel

Author Bio

Jillian Cantorhas a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. She is the author of award-winning novels for teens and adults, including, most recently, the critically acclaimed The Hours Count andMargot, which was a Library Reads pick. Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons.