Otok
Often compared to de Bernieres' "Captain Corelli's Mandolin", this novel of love, misfortune and passion brings another appealing picture of the Mediterranean.
At the crossroads of important life decisions, twenty-year-old Alexis Fielding wants to learn more about her mother's carefully hidden past. All she knows is that Sofija grew up in a small fishing village in Crete, and when she finally decides to visit that Greek island, her mother gives her a letter for her old friend Fotini - a letter that should offer answers to all her questions.
But the first thing Alexis discovers is the island. Opposite her mother's native village of Plake, separated only by a thin strip of sea, she will be greeted by Spinalonga, a former leper colony. When Alexis finds Fotini, she will finally discover the story that Sofia has been hiding all her life: the story of her great-grandmother Elena, her two daughters, a shocking saga of a family destroyed by accidents, war and passions.
The story of the family will thus become the story of the island, and through it Alexis will discover the secret of the family's past, but also of her own future. A poignant story of love and misfortune, which took the world by storm, and for which Victoria Hislop won the award for best literary debut, British Book Awards 2007!
One copy is available