Island of Secrets
by
Patricia Wilson
Blurb
All her life, London-born Angelika has been
intrigued by her mother's secret past. Now planning her wedding, she feels she
must visit the remote Crete village her mother grew up in.
Angie's estranged elderly grandmother, Maria, is dying. She welcomes Angie with open arms - it's time to unburden herself, and tell the story she'll otherwise take to her grave.
It's the story of the Nazi occupation of Crete during the Second World War, of horror, of courage and of the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her children. And it's the story of bitter secrets that broke a family apart, and of three enchanting women who come together to heal wounds that have damaged two generations.
Angie's estranged elderly grandmother, Maria, is dying. She welcomes Angie with open arms - it's time to unburden herself, and tell the story she'll otherwise take to her grave.
It's the story of the Nazi occupation of Crete during the Second World War, of horror, of courage and of the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her children. And it's the story of bitter secrets that broke a family apart, and of three enchanting women who come together to heal wounds that have damaged two generations.
Review
I am a huge fan of Victoria Hislop and when I read
the blurb about this book I knew I was going to enjoy it, but when I kept
reading on social media how fantastic this book was, I had to resist the urge to read it straightaway as I wanted to save it for my holiday in Turkey!
Angelika is in the middle of organising her wedding
to the lovely Nick when she decides to go to Crete to try to mend the pieces of her broken family. Her mother Maria has had no contact with her mother and
brothers for nearly 40 years after she fled Crete one day and never returned and
Angelika doesn’t know the reason why.
On arriving on the island of Crete, Angelika meets
her Grandmother who is prepared to tell her everything on the promise that she
tells her story in a book. Her Grandmother begins her story during the German occupation of
Crete during WWII and tells Angelika the atrocious stories of how the Germans
treated the local people, including herself and her children and what they had
to do to survive those harrowing times.
The author did an amazing job with her research and
her attention to detail is second to none. It can be a harrowing read at times,
but when you think that a lot of what was written was true, it makes it all the
more interesting.
I cannot praise this book enough and just hope that
the author writes another book soon. It was a fabulous read and will definitely
be one of my books of the year. I read this book on holiday in Turkey and it
was just perfect for a summer read. If
you haven’t read it yet, why not!!
To order a copy of Island of Secrets click here
To order a copy of Island of Secrets click here
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