In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past. For me, it felt like the story didn’t go anywhere... the story was told through a great deal of narration, with swathes of time being written off, as ‘a year later...’. The dialogue was mostly gentle and sanguine - no family dramas, despite the fact the families had been ‘splintered’.

Since I first read The Island, a book passed to me by my mother, I have been a Victoria Hislop fan. Her books are always interesting and informative of events that have taken place.One August Night is the Sequel to Victoria Hislop’s previous book The Island, about the Leper colony on the island of Spinalonga in Greece. Great book and long awaited if you have already read her earlier book the Island but you need to have read that to put this one into context Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth

Hislop expertly delves into the complex history of a fascinating country in this beautifully written family saga’ Usual Victoria Hislop standard, really compelling reading. Usual Victoria Hislop standard, really compelling reading. Manolis suddenly caught the opening notes of a zeibékiko song and felt something inside him stir. The lyrics of this particular song seemed to mirror his life, jabbing at his heart. As if possessed by the power of the music, he rose from his seat… The movements were personal but the tradition of the zeibékiko was known to everyone. It was a dance that should only be performed by a man, and only by a man with grief to express. As the musicians played and the insistent beat thumped and repeated and thumped again, Manolis revolved slowly in a trance-like state, his eyes glazed, unfocused. Someone threw a plate at his feet and one of the girls tossed a flower that she had been wearing in her hair. He was aware of neither.”Victoria Hislop read English at Oxford, and worked in publishing, PR and as a journalist before becoming a novelist. She is married with two children. An excellent story if you have read The Island this is the sequel and well worth a read An excellent story if you have read The Island this is the sequel and well worth a read A very well told story of love, jealousy and forgiveness. It is a sequel to ‘The Island’, but provides little in historical information, mainly focussing on Manolis and leprosy survivor, Maria, and their learning to survive tragic events. The novel is set in Crete in the 1950s and in Australia. August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences. The historical element which gives us details regarding the island where the leprosy patients were treated has taught me something also that i didnt know.

Haven't had time to read it yet, but I am sure it will be as good as her other books. She is an amazing author!

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From the synopsis I expected there to be drama, suspense (from the confrontation of the stigma and scandal) and lively dialogue. The beauty of The Island is the way it immerses the reader into the life and world of the Spinalonga colony, its effects on the with leprosy and the communities it impacted. It also drew you into the Cretan culture. However this novel barely touches on the leprosy/Spinalonga - I was hoping to read more about how the advent of the cure and the closure of the colony impacted Plaka (as promised), the cured and the community. Other than a few mentions - it hardly comes up at all, and certainly isn’t a feature of the story. For me, it failed to captivate my imagination and whisk me away to Crete, circa 1950. Hardcover. Condition: New. 1st Edition. A brand new signed first edition copy of Victoria Hislop's 'The Figurine'. Signed by Author(s). Product Features. We're happy to help. We provide the best support. Is Our Priority. Carefully crafted by Kepa Design. Im big fan of Victoria Hislop right from her lst book "The Island" I had no idea this island exsisted for real and she had written a 2nd to continue the story "One August Night".

Jako sam uživala čitajući ove dvije knjige, prateći obitelji Petrakis i Vandulakis, upoznavajući uz njih puno o povijesti Grčke i Krete. Voljela bih da sam ih pročitala prije nego što sam posjetila Kretu, (Otok je objavljen 2005, a ja sam na Kreti bila 2006) ali bolje ikad nego nikad. A follow up from The Island, this answers many questions and is well written and keeps you gripped throughout. This novel focuses on the story of Anna, Manolis, Andreas and Maria - maybe because I wasn’t invested in any of the characters enough (even Maria, who was so central to The Island), it felt like I was reading a novel based on a soap, or something a lot less substantial. The characters were mostly one dimensionally, and not fully developed enough for the reader to care about the outcome for any of the characters.

Customer reviews

This book follows the characters and the life of the families from the first book, their hopes and dreams, tragedies and the terrible consequences of their actions. The story itself had a very relaxed,well written and enjoyable story. Even with tragic elements. Even though this was filled with scandal, heartache and kindness I loved the characters and each one brought a great deal to the story which kept us interested and didnt loose any strength. Having never been to greece i adored the writters imagery and longed to book a holiday to view this for myself!! budget, την ιδανική συντροφιά και μια λίστα με πράγματα που θες να κάνεις και μέρη που θες να επισκεφτείς. Και πράγματι, το πραγματοποιείς το ταξίδι. Και πράγματι, αποδεικνύεται υπέροχο. Και πράγματι, σε σημαδεύει και το θυμάσαι για χρόνια μετά...