The Olive Tree: The bestselling story of secrets and love under the Cyprus sun

Product Information

Though she brought up her four children mostly in Norfolk in England, in 2015 she fulfilled her dream of buying a remote farmhouse in West Cork, Ireland, which she always felt was her spiritual home, and indeed this was where her last five books were written. At the difficult age of thirteen, Alex is torn between protecting his beloved mother, and growing up. And equally, desperate to learn the truth about his real father ... Paris. A boy is found, moments from death, and taken in by a kindly family. Gentle, precocious, talented, he flourishes in his new home, and the family show him a life he hadn’t dreamed possible. But he refuses to speak a word about who he really is. Tengo que decir que Lucinda Riley sigue sorprendiéndome, a pesar de estar escrita hace diez años según comenta ella, es una historia que te atrapa enseguida, tenemos unos personajes muy reales y humanos, con sus defectos, con sus problemas y muchos secretos. Secretos que en mayor o menor medida afectan a todos. Me ha gustado mucho la forma en que está contada, transcurre en Pandora, una casa antigua situada en un pueblo de Chipre, entre viñedos y olivos y ha sido muy fácil imaginarlo todo, era como estar viéndolos entrando y saliendo, en la piscina, en la playa, etc.. It is set on the idyllic island of Cyprus and takes us into the lives of two main families who on the surface seem to have it all, great relationships, beautiful houses, and good kids, but over the course of one hot summer marriages will be tested, secrets will be revealed, love will be found, love will be lost, and lives will be changed forever.

En cuanto a la construcción de la historia y personajes, definitivamente la recomiendo, porque en parte recuerda a una obra teatral, cuyos personajes a simple vista, se ve que tienen una función concreta que interpretar, pero el talento de Lucinda hace que nos sorprendamos para bien con varios de ellos, al salirse del molde. En especial, destaco a Chloe y Jules, por la evolución que tienen. The narration of the audiobook is superbly performed by Lucinda Riley herself and her son, Harry Whittaker. There is also an interesting discussion between the two at the end of the audiobook where they discuss Lucinda's writing. In collaborazione con suo figlio Harry Whittaker, ha anche ideato e scritto una serie di libri per bambini chiamata My Angels. I suoi libri sono stati nominati per numerosi premi, tra cui il premio Bancarella in Italia, il Lovely Books in Germania e il premio per il Romanzo Romantico dell’anno. Nel 2020 ha ricevuto il Dutch Platinum per aver venduto oltre 300.000 di un singolo romanzo in un anno – premio vinto l’ultima volta da J. K. Rowling per Harry Potter.Yet Helena knows that the idyllic beauty of Pandora masks a web of secrets she has kept from William, her husband, and Alex, her son. At the difficult age of thirteen, Alex is torn between protecting his beloved mother, and growing up. And equally, he is desperate to learn the truth about his real father . . . THE AUTHOR: Lucinda Riley is an Irish author of popular historical fiction and a former actress. She spent the first few years of her life in the village of Drumbeg near Belfast before moving to England. At age 14 she moved to London to a specialist drama and ballet school. She wrote her first book aged twenty four. Lucinda died in June 2021. When Helena meets Alexis, her first love, it destabilises her relationship with her husband. Do you think this is a common phenomenon? ABOUT 'THE OLIVE TREE': Please be aware that in some parts of the world, this book is published under the title 'Helena's Secret'.

Many different types of loving relationships are represented in this book – love for a child, for a husband, a parent, or a friend. Which one spoke to you most? Why do adults tell kids such ridiculous stories? It only leads to trouble. For myself, I never believed any of them? As he grows into a young man, falling in love and taking classes at the prestigious Conservatoire de Paris, he can almost forget the terrors of his past, or the promise he has vowed to keep. But across Europe an evil is rising, and no-one’s safety is certain. In his heart, he knows the time will come when he must flee once more.Though she brought up her four children mostly in Norfolk in England, in 2015 Lucinda fulfilled her dream of buying a remote farmhouse in West Cork, Ireland, which she always felt was her spiritual home, and indeed this was where her last five books were written. Lucinda was diagnosed with cancer in 2017 and died in June 2021 The book touches on issues of class in the different ways that Alex and Rupert are raised, and the lifestyle that Sacha has created for his family. How do class constraints affect the characters? Al principio tenemos a Álex que en 2016 llega a Pandora y al encontrar su viejo diario comienza a recordar lo que ocurrió 10 años atrás, en aquel verano y esta contado en primera persona, son unos meses de descubrimientos, situaciones dolorosas, un primer amor, recuerdos del pasado e incluso aventuras. Me ha encantado su visión de las cosas, es un niño superdotado, pero a pesar de ello, no deja de ser un niño y tener 13 años, maduro para algunas cosas, pero para otras se ve su inocencia, su sarcasmo y tiene sentido del humor. Did your feelings towards the characters stay the same throughout the novel, or did your loyalties shift? Which characters did you find the most intriguing?

Secretele nu au făcut bine nimănui, niciodată. Cei care le păstrează sunt măcinați de ele, iar cei care până la urmă le află sunt de cele mai multe ori șocați. Totul se schimbă atunci când se secretele nu mai sunt…secrete. Trecutul, cu greșelile lui cu tot, e o umbră care ne însoțește pretutindeni. Un alt eu, din alte timpuri, de care nu ne-am lepădat niciodată. Ce am făcut în trecut ne definește și ne influențează atât prezentul, cât și viitorul. Aproape niciodată nu găsim momentul potrivit pentru a dezvălui un secret care știi sigur că ar schimba totul. Pentru că nu există momentul potrivit. Adevărul este dureros de cele mai multe ori, însă e singura cale de urmat. Până la urmă toate drumurile duc acolo, direct sau indirect, mai devreme sau mai târziu. It's a conversation I am determined to have during this holiday. I don't care how many times she tries to wimp out of it and conveniently changes the subject. A gooseberry bush for a father is no longer satisfactory. Her son from a previous relationship Alex has never known the identity of his father and neither does her husband. Between them they also have a son and a daughter, Helena goes ahead to Cyprus with Alex and little by little secrets are starting to unfold.

Yet, as soon as Helena arrives at Pandora, she knows that its idyllic beauty masks a web of secrets that she has kept from William, her husband, and Alex, her son. At the difficult age of thirteen, Alex is torn between protecting his beloved mother, and growing up. And equally, desperate to learn the truth about his real father... And above all, this book is purely misogynistic. Why did the author feel the need to give her male characters permission to treat their women like that? All the male characters are judgemental creeps, including Alex. It feels like the women don't have the right to have a life outside of their family. "Oh, you had sex with another man before you were my wife/my mother? You depraved whore!"