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I was reluctant to ready this book. Why ? Well, I have read a lot of books about this era of Greek history, but other than Louis de Bernieres, never one written by a British author. She does seem to stereotype Spaniards as being dark and fiery with ‘typical’ Mediterranean features, which doesn’t sit well with me. It sometimes reads like a tourist’s understanding of Spain — yes, flamenco is based in Andalucía but that doesn’t mean that *everyone* there is going to like it, does it? The body of this book consists the story of the Ramirez family of Granada during the Spanish Republic, the Civil War and the ensuing years. It is a tremendously powerful narrative and cannot fail to stir the emotions. The detail reflects the huge effort that the author must have put into her research. The plot develops without leaving any emotional mark, through very unlikely situations (e.g. a mother who NEVER bothers to go and visit her lost daughter, a father who NEVER shows any sign of compassion toward his son, a murder by bad diet, come on) and it is pretty much devoid of soul as, I suppose, the author doesn't have any intimate knowledge of Greece, of his people, of his history or the imagination to make up for it.
Foster, Sophie (16 June 2019). "Victoria Hislop: 'Ian was in a different league to me at Oxford - he charged me 50p to borrow his essays' ". The Sunday Telegraph . Retrieved 18 June 2019.I really enjoyed The Thread, and am giving it five stars -- not because it is a literary treasure, but rather because it does such a good job at historical fiction. I learned so much about the history of Thessalonika and modern Greece in general, and enjoyed myself while reading. The Thread is set in Thessaloniki, Greece and follows the slow-burning romance between Katerina and Dimitri, the former a poor refugee from Asia Minor, the latter the son of a wealthy textile merchant. While Katerina supports her family as an expert seamstress, Dimitri angers his father by siding with the resistance against the occupying German forces in World War II, as the city, once devastated by fire, is torn apart by the Nazi persecution of its thriving Jewish community. This book has expectations to be epic but the sad reality is that it looks like a book written by a tourist who wanted to stage some kind of story in a place she fancied. Quanto a Sonia, gostei da parte dela mas foi curta. Ainda bem que, no final, teve a coragem de começar uma nova vida.
The absorbing story of the Cretan village of Plaka and the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga – Greece’s former leprosy colony – is told to us by Maria Petrakis, one of the children in the original version of The Island. She tells us of the ancient and misunderstood disease of leprosy, exploring the themes of stigma, shame and the treatment of those who are different, which are as relevant for children as adults. Gill Smith’s rich, full-colour illustrations will transport the reader to the timeless and beautiful Greek landscape and Mediterranean seascape. Recuerdos: Basque Children Refugees in Great Britain – Edited by Natalia Benjamin (BASQUE CHILDREN OF 37 ASSOCIATION)Thessaloniki, 1917. As Dimitri Komninos is born, a fire sweeps through the thriving multicultural city, where Christians, Jews and Moslems live side by side. It is the first of many catastrophic events that will change for ever this city, as war, fear and persecution begin to divide its people. Five years later, young Katerina escapes to Greece when her home in Asia Minor is destroyed by the Turkish army. Losing her mother in the chaos, she finds herself on a boat to an unknown destination. From that day the lives of Dimitri and Katerina become entwined, with each other and with the story of the city itself. Philby, Charlotte (3 January 2009). "My Secret Life, Independent Magazine 3 January 2009". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022 . Retrieved 5 January 2009.
Um relato fantástico do que terá sido a Espanha da primeira metade do século XX: como se viveu durante a Segunda República e a Guerra Civil, as touradas e o flamenco. Helena’s attempt to make amends for some of her grandfather’s actions sees her wrestle with the meaning of ‘home’, both in relation to looted objects of antiquity … and herself. Why is the book not "literary?" Well, there's way too much of "tell" rather than "show". Some paragraphs use the same adjective twice. However, this is all forgivable because the author attempted to describe such a grand swath of history, and did such remarkable research. The quest for Javier never sinks into sentimentality. Hislop avoids, too, the temptation of a chocolate-box ending. Less successful is Sonia's too-hurried assimilation of everything she has learned from Miguel, given that it leads her to change her life completely. Perhaps warmer memories of her mother are needed, a stronger sense of connection to both mother and father. Our parents' lives, before they had us, can seem like another country, and it requires a deep longing to reach out across the years in understanding to give the quest real meaning. As the novel ends, Sonia's voyage of discovery has maybe just begun.
The Figurine
Hislop says at the end of the novel, published in 2008, that the Pacto del Olvido is finally being broken. There’s been some slight change but it seems that Spain definitely hasn’t had much introspection as a result of this pact — some people still sympathise with Franco (how people can honour a dictator I do not know) and perform the Fascist salute, for example. I have been suffering from breast cancer and am unable to enjoy many of my usual hobbies, so I have been reading even more than usual. With that in mind, my friend Jill gave me The Thread by Victoria Hislop. She had really enjoyed it and so passed it on. I had never read any books by Hislop, but I had heard of her. She is an English author who was born in London, England in 1959 but was raised in Tonbridge, Kent, and attended Tonbridge Grammar School before she read English at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University, Oxford, England. It was while at University in Oxford that she met her husband, the comedian and journalist Ian Hislop. He read English Literature at Magdalen College, Oxford. They married in Oxford on 16 April 1988 and now live in Sissinghurst with their two children. Despite all of this, The Return, is just such a wonderfully moving story, and every single atom of the trials and tribulations of the Ramirez family is totally believable. In fact, it was so believable that I could almost feel the pain and passion that I imagined the members of that family must have felt. I have always been a big fan of historical fiction as it really brings the past to life in a way that dry school books could never do. This story, with all of its sadness and joy, is just SO moving. When Helena inherits her grandparents’ apartment in Athens, she is overwhelmed with memories of the summers she spent there as a child, when Greece was under a brutal military dictatorship. Her remote, cruel grandfather was one of the regime’s generals and as she sifts through the dusty rooms, Helena discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. How did her grandfather amass such a trove? What human price was paid for them?
In the picture book of marriage, they were the perfect married couple. It was a story told for an audience.' What does this extract tell us about Sonia and James's relationship? What changes between them as the novel progresses? Is James a villain? What tactics does he employ to control Sonia? Hislop's heroes are trying to survive - not always with success - through all these difficult times. Their lives get tangled up with each other's history and the author does a really good job in unfolding her characters during such an era. Author rec'd letters from people who recalled and confirmed the brutal details of that era, and these add grace to the end of the story.I am going to give the Spanish Civil War theme one more try. I will read Stone in a Landslide next. Maybe I will not be satisfied until I have read Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through a Country's Hidden Past, but I have told myself to stop buying books ...... Thessaloniki, 2007. A young Anglo-Greek hears the life story of his grandparents for the first time and realises he has a decision to make. For many decades, they have looked after the memories and treasures of people who have been forcibly driven from their beloved city. Should he become their new custodian? Should he stay or should he go? The saints and martyrs with their painted on blood and theatrical stigmata had once been part of her life. Now she saw the church as a sham, a cupboard full of redundant props'. Why does Mercedes lose her faith? How does The Return portray religion and particularly the Catholic Church?
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