Reviews
'At last - a beach book with a heart... Meticulous research into Cretan culture...packed with family sagas, doomed love affairs, devastating secrets... She also forces us to reflect on illness, both the nasty, narrow-mindedness of the healthy and the spirit of survival in the so-called "unclean". Her message seems as relevant today as it would have been a century ago' Observer, 'A page-turning tale...reminds us that love and life continue in even the most extraordinary of circumstances', 'War, tragedy and passion unfurl against a Mediterranean backdrop in this engrossing debut novel'Youmagazine, 'Hislop's deep research, imagination and patent love of Crete creates a convincing portrait of times on the island... A moving and absorbing holiday read', €~Passionately engaged with its subject...the author has meticulously researched her fascinating background and medical facts'The Sunday Times, 'Passionately engaged with its subject...the author has meticulously researched her fascinating background and medical facts' The Sunday Times, 'Passionately engaged with its subject...the author has meticulously researched her fascinating background and medical facts', 'wonderful Descriptions, Strong Characters and an Intimate Portrait of Island Existence'woman & Home, 'The story of life on Spinalonga, the lepers' island, is gripping and carries real emotional impact. Victoria Hislop...brings dignity and tenderness to her novel about lives blighted by leprosy' Telegraph, 'Hislop's deep research, imagination and patent love of Crete creates a convincing portrait of times on the island. She writes evocatively of the minutiae of traditional life... She...manages to milk the dramatic potential of each unexpected twist and broken engagement, of the ruined and resurrected lives of her characters... A moving and absorbing holiday read that pulls at the heart strings' Evening Standard, €~At last €" a beach book with a heart... Meticulous research into Cretan culture...packed with family sagas, doomed love affairs, devastating secrets... She also forces us to reflect on illness, both the nasty, narrow-mindedness of the healthy and the spirit of survival in the so-called €Œunclean€¥. Her message seems as relevant today as it would have been a century ago'Observer, 'War, tragedy and passion unfurl against a Mediterranean backdrop in this engrossing debut novel' You magazine, €~A page-turning tale that reminds us that love and life continue in even the most extraordinary of circumstances'Sunday Express, 'At last a beach book with a heart... Meticulous research into Cretan culture...packed with family sagas, doomed love affairs, devastating secrets... She also forces us to reflect on illness, both the nasty, narrow-mindedness of the healthy and the spirit of survival in the so-called "unclean". Her message seems as relevant today as it would have been a century ago' Observer, €~Wonderful descriptions, strong characters and an intimate portrait of island existence'Woman & Home, 'This is a vivid, moving and absorbing tale, with its senstive, realistic engagement with all the consequences of, and stigma attached to leprosy, elevating it beyond holiday literature.', €~War, tragedy and passion unfurl against a Mediterranean backdrop in this engrossing debut novel'Youmagazine, 'This is a vivid, moving and absorbing tale, with its sensitive, realistic engagement with all the consequences of, and stigma attached to leprosy, elevating it beyond holiday literature' , 'The story of life on Spinalonga, the lepers' island, is gripping and carries real emotional impact. Victoria Hislop...brings dignity and tenderness to her novel about lives blighted by leprosy' Telegraph , 'Adding depth and colour to the story is the description of Cretan life... in particular, the vividly detailed account of life on Spinalonga... It is one of the achievements of this thoughtful novel that it presents the lives of the island's inhabitants with such empathy. The result is a fascinating work that combines a moving love story witha plea for more understanding about this most cruel of diseases', 'Adding depth and colour to the story is the description of Cretan life... in particular, the vividly detailed account of life on Spinalonga... It is one of the achievements of this thoughtful novel that it presents the lives of the island's inhabitants with such empathy. The result is a fascinating work that combines a moving love story witha plea for more understanding about this most cruel of diseases', 'This is a vivid, moving and absorbing tale, with its sensitive, realistic engagement with all the consequences of, and stigma attached to leprosy, elevating it beyond holiday literature', 'Wonderful descriptions, strong characters and an intimate portrait of island existence' Woman & Home, 'Adding depth and colour to the story is the description of Cretan life... in particular, the vividly detailed account of life on Spinalonga... It is one of the achievements of this thoughtful novel that it presents the lives of the island's inhabitants with such empathy.The result is a fascinating work that combines a moving love story witha plea for more understanding about this most cruel of diseases.', 'A page-turning tale that reminds us that love and life continue in even the most extraordinary of circumstances' Sunday Express, 'Hislop's deep research, imagination and patent love ofCretecreates a convincing portrait of times on the island... A moving and absorbing holiday read'
