‘This is one of the most touching, gripping and inspiring books that I have ever read. Hislop seamlessly weaves an accurate history of a Greek island with a forbidden love story’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
This was not the start of a short trip to deliver supplies. It was the beginning of a one-way journey to start a new life. Life on a leper colony. Life on Spinalonga.
Fifty years later, making a life-changing journey of her own, Alexis Fielding feels the pull of the abandoned island. A distant shadow off the coast of Crete, she knows it holds the secrets of her mother’s past, buried for so long but surely not forgotten . . .
‘Passionately engaged with its subject . . . meticulously researched’ The Sunday Times
‘Hislop carefully evokes the lives of Cretans between the wars and during German occupation, but most commendable is her compassionate portrayal of the outcasts’ Guardian
‘A page-turning tale that reminds us that love and life continue in even the most extraordinary of circumstances’ Sunday Express
‘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
‘Vivid, moving and absorbing’ Observer
‘A deeply moving, captivating, humane and beautiful story of enduring love, and life’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘The most powerful and gripping story I’ve ever read!’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘An intriguing and unusual story that keeps you turning the pages . . . The descriptions of Crete are beautiful, and you can just imagine yourself there with the blue sea and sun shining. It is a triumph in many ways, and a part of history I was unaware of’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘Victoria Hislop has created a collection of wholly believable characters woven around the factual history of Spinalonga . . . A gripping and moving tale’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
INSPIRED BY TRUTH, THE STORY THAT HAS CAPTIVATED THE WORLD.
This was not the start of a short trip to deliver supplies. It was the beginning of a one-way journey to start a new life. Life on a leper colony. Life on Spinalonga.
Fifty years later, making a life-changing journey of her own, Alexis Fielding feels the pull of the abandoned island. A distant shadow off the coast of Crete, she knows it holds the secrets of her mother’s past, buried for so long but surely not forgotten . . .
Discover for yourself why 10 million readers and critics worldwide love Victoria Hislop’s books . . .
‘Passionately engaged with its subject . . . meticulously researched’ The Sunday Times
‘Hislop carefully evokes the lives of Cretans between the wars and during German occupation, but most commendable is her compassionate portrayal of the outcasts’ Guardian
‘A page-turning tale that reminds us that love and life continue in even the most extraordinary of circumstances’ Sunday Express
‘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
‘Vivid, moving and absorbing’ Observer
‘A deeply moving, captivating, humane and beautiful story of enduring love, and life’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘The most powerful and gripping story I’ve ever read!’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘An intriguing and unusual story that keeps you turning the pages . . . The descriptions of Crete are beautiful, and you can just imagine yourself there with the blue sea and sun shining. It is a triumph in many ways, and a part of history I was unaware of’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
‘Victoria Hislop has created a collection of wholly believable characters woven around the factual history of Spinalonga . . . A gripping and moving tale’ Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
*Victoria Hislop’s most recent novel, THE FIGURINE, is out now.*
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Reviews
A moving and absorbing holiday read that pulls at the heart strings
Passionately engaged with its subject
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
Hislop carefully evokes the lives of Cretans between the wars and during German occupation, but most commendable is her compassionate portrayal of the outcasts
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
A page-turning tale that 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
Wonderful descriptions, strong characters and an intimate portrait of island existence
A moving and atmospheric tale
A compelling story that has rarely left the bestseller list this year and deservedly so