Book Synopsis:
Beloved author Victoria Hislop returns to Crete in this long-anticipated sequel to her multi-million-copy Number One bestseller, The Island.
25th August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences.
When time stops dead for Maria Petrakis and her sister, Anna, two families splinter apart and, for the people of Plaka, the closure of Spinalonga is forever coloured with tragedy.
In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past.
Number one bestselling author Victoria Hislop returns to the world and characters she created in The Island – the award-winning novel that remains one of the biggest selling reading group novels of the century. It is finally time to be reunited with Anna, Maria, Manolis and Andreas in the weeks leading up to the evacuation of the island… and beyond.
The Island is available in ebook and hardback now. You can purchase your copy using the link below or by ordering from your local indie bookstore.
My Review:
I was a huge fan of The Island and often credit it as the book that got me back into reading after a long reading slump. I was therefore very excited to learn there was a sequel to it and immediately started reading as soon as I got my copy!
It was wonderful to be back with all the old characters and to see how they had changed, or not in the case of Anna, over the years. The author has created realistic stories for all of the characters which felt like a natural progression from their lives in The Island. I liked that the author doesn’t spend a lot of time recapping the story at the beginning of the book, which can be really annoying, but instead includes facts when necessary. I was actually amazed by how much I remembered from reading The Island all those years ago, it was obviously a story that stayed with me.
Once again the author’s love for Greece is evident from her fantastic descriptions that helped me to imagine the beautiful Greek setting. I loved learning more about the Greek festivals, traditions and dances that the author included in the story. I thought it was very clever how she managed to convey the emotional aspect of the dance through her descriptions so that the reader understands how the dance is meant to look without having seen it.
Overall I enjoyed this absorbing and entertaining read which I loved getting lost in for hours at a time. The story does dip a little in the middle and I was a little confused as to which way the story was going but do keep reading as the story soon picks up. My only small niggle with this book is it would have been nice to see how some of the other former Spinalonga residents get on after leaving the island but maybe that is for another book.
Huge thanks to Headline for my copy of this book via Netgalley. If you were a fan of The Island then you’ll love this book!
About The Author:
Inspired by a visit to Spinalonga, the abandoned Greek leprosy colony, Victoria Hislop wrote The Island in 2005. It became an international bestseller and a 26-part Greek TV series. She was named Newcomer of the Year at the British Book Awards and is now an ambassador for Lepra. Her affection for the Mediterranean then took her to Spain, and in the number one bestseller The Return she wrote about the painful secrets of its civil war. In The Thread, Victoria returned to Greece to tell the turbulent tale of Thessaloniki and its people across the twentieth century. Shortlisted for a British Book Award, it confirmed her reputation as an inspirational storyteller.
Her fourth novel, The Sunrise, about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the enduring ghost town of Famagusta, was a Sunday Times number one bestseller. Cartes Postales from Greece, fiction illustrated with photographs, was a Sunday Times bestseller in hardback and one of the biggest selling books of 2016. Victoria’s most recent novel, the poignant and powerful Those Who Are Loved, was a Sunday Times number one hardback bestseller in 2019 and explores a tempestuous period of modern Greek history through the eyes of a complex and compelling heroine.
Her books have been translated into more than thirty-five languages.
Victoria divides her time between England and Greece.
In 2020, Victoria was granted Honorary Greek Citizenship by the President of Greece.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
I have not heard of this author, Joanna, but it sounds like one I should read. I love the sound of this book, wonderful review.
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I’ve read a couple of her books but… I dunno… she’s not turning me on these days, I’m afraid. The last book of hers I read waffled a bit too much for me.
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