August: - The Island by Victoria Hislop
Chosen by Sarah: Average score 7.5
Meeting on 31/08/12
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The Petrakis family lives in the small Greek seaside village of Plaka. Just off the coast is the tiny island of Spinalonga, where the nation's leper colony once was located—a place that has haunted four generations of Petrakis women. There's Eleni, ripped from her husband and two young daughters and sent to Spinalonga in 1939, and her daughters Maria, finding joy in the everyday as she dutifully cares for her father, and Anna, a wild child hungry for passion and a life anywhere but Plaka. And finally there's Alexis, Eleni's great-granddaughter, visiting modern-day Greece to unlock her family's past.
Victoria Hislop - official website here
Click image below to hear Victoria Hislop talking about "The Island" on BBC's Bookclub
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Victoria Hislop’s first novel The Island is an international bestseller. It was selected for the Richard and Judy Summer Read, and won Victoria the “Newcomer of the Year” Award at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2007.
Keen to preserve the integrity of the book and to give something back to the Mediterranean island on which it is based, Hislop spurning Hollywood, the author settled for “far less” from Mega, the Greek broadcaster, which adapted The Island as the 26-part drama To Nisi which was broadcast in 2010-2011, becoming the most successful television series ever broadcast in Greece. The series has since been sold for syndication to Turkey and Croatia.
The Island has been translated into more than twenty languages, and has been a bestseller in many countries around the world.
Biography: Born in Bromley, she was raised in Tonbridge, Kent and attended Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls. She read English at St Hilda's College, Oxford and worked in publishing and as a journalist before becoming an author. She lived in London for over 20 years, and now lives in Sissinghurst. She married Private Eye editor Ian Hislop on 16 April 1988 in Oxford. They have two children, Emily Helen (born 1990) and William David (born 1993).
Keen to preserve the integrity of the book and to give something back to the Mediterranean island on which it is based, Hislop spurning Hollywood, the author settled for “far less” from Mega, the Greek broadcaster, which adapted The Island as the 26-part drama To Nisi which was broadcast in 2010-2011, becoming the most successful television series ever broadcast in Greece. The series has since been sold for syndication to Turkey and Croatia.
The Island has been translated into more than twenty languages, and has been a bestseller in many countries around the world.
Biography: Born in Bromley, she was raised in Tonbridge, Kent and attended Tonbridge Grammar School for Girls. She read English at St Hilda's College, Oxford and worked in publishing and as a journalist before becoming an author. She lived in London for over 20 years, and now lives in Sissinghurst. She married Private Eye editor Ian Hislop on 16 April 1988 in Oxford. They have two children, Emily Helen (born 1990) and William David (born 1993).
Bookworms' Verdicts
Sarah
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Read the book before and found it better the 2nd time through. Liked the factual side of the book and found it very emotional in places. It would be interesting to visit the island. Shocked to know that the cure for leprosy was so recent
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8
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Ceri
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It was a good holiday read, interesting story and not demanding. Well researched and with a sprinkling of Greek words to add to the atmosphere. Women's magazine style - and a bit irritating. "Spinalonga. She played with the word, rolling it round on her tongue like an olive stone." A lengthy yarn and maybe a female book
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6
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Nick
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Also felt it was like a holiday read. Got into the characters and found the various stories of Spinalonga and family relationships interesting. Liked the factual background. Thought the background story of Alexis and her boyfriend to be weak.
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7
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Lisa
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Read and finished it on holiday. Not fantastic literature but was interested in the culture. Found it very evocative of Greece. The book would be better if it concentrated more on the island. Didn't think it realistic to portray the two sisters as one totally bad and the other totally good. Interested in the leprosy story and social issues. Enjoyed as a summer read.
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7
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Matt
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Didn't finish. Was interested in leprosy but the book didn't grab me. Not a wonderful writer. More like travel writing. Wanted more about the characters. Got fed up with all the description about the arrival of the Athenians. Too much factual stuff.
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3
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Angela
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Easy read and finished easily. Alexis story was irrelevant to the book. Felt as though it was written to a formula. The basic background was OK but everything happens quickly. One minute they are in a run down hovel and the next chapter the sun streams in through the window onto the vase of flowers on the table. But enjoyed it as a holiday read.
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7
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Tony
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Like the book and read it twice. Found it all believable. Worked on an island in Hong Kong that was an ex-leper colony. It showed the shame and superstition attached to leprosy Liked the characters of the two doctors and also Fontini.
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8
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John
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From the first page found the book to be poorly written. One episode went onto the next with no real development. Tension seems to build up but then goes nowhere. Very little was made of the German occupation in the war. It was easy to see where each thread of the story was going. Better if the the book had not spread over such a long time period.
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5
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Marilyn
Ab |
I read the book a couple of months ago and enjoyed it - a good summer read and an interesting story although the ending was rather predictable.
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Jackie
Ab |
I enjoyed it and found it extremely interesting in respect of the leprosy aspect, and the fact that it was still prevalent up until 1957. Again, a touching love story. A simply written book. Not much more than that though.
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7
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