Book description
On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find
out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she
admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to
London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her
daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through
her she will learn more. Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see
that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of
Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at
last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her
great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy,
war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the
island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip...
The acclaimed million-copy number one bestseller and winner of
Richard & Judy's Summer Read 2006 from Victoria Hislop is a
dramatic tale of four generations, rent by war, illicit love,
violence and leprosy, from the thirties, through the war, to the
present day.
On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find
out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she
admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to
London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her
daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through
her she will learn more.
Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's
throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former
leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at last hears the story that
Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni
and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She
discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how
secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip... Gently gripping tale'
Victoria Hislop read English at Oxford, and worked in publishing, PR and
as a journalist before becoming a novelist. She is married with two
children. Her first novel, THE ISLAND, held the Number One slot in the
Sunday Times paperback chart for eight consecutive weeks and has sold
over two million copies worldwide. Victoria acted as script consultant
on a 26-part TV adaptation in Greece, which achieved record ratings for
Greek television. Victoria was the Newcomer of the Year at the Galaxy
British Book Awards 2007, and her second novel, THE RETURN, was also a
Number One bestseller. THE THREAD spent nine weeks in the Sunday Times
hardback chart, and was widely acclaimed. Her books have been translated
into more than 25 languages. Victoria also writes short stories and her
first collection, ONE CRETAN EVENING, is available as an ebook.
