"London born Angelika has been intrigued by her mother’s secret past and now planning her wedding she has decided to visit the remote Crete village her mother grew up in and left 20 years before, never to return. She meets her grandmother Maria who decides it’s time to unburden herself and tell her story before she dies.
It is the story of the German occupation of Crete during World War 2 of horror, courage, survival, secrets and lies. It is the story of secrets that broke a family apart and of how Maria, her daughter Poppy and granddaughter Angelika can bring the family back together."
I had little knowledge of the involvement of Crete in World War 2 and so was intrigued to delve back in history through historical fiction, which is, in fact, based on the personal story of Patricia Wilson, and this is what inspired her to write the novel in the first place, as we find out in a short additional section at the end of the book.
I found this book to be an amazing incredible journey through history told in such a way that I felt I was actually there going through the terrible times with poor Maria, and her two sons Stavro and Matthia when they were forced to flee their home in the village of Amiras in September 1943 and head to the hills for survival. She is forced to leave without poor baby Petro who had been massacred with all the other men and children by the Nazis in front of her very eyes. Her husband Vassili was away fighting and she was alone, with two children to look after and she needed to keep her children and herself alive despite the hardships that were to come.
When Angelika meets Maria her Grandmother (or Yiaya as she comes to call her) she senses that the old lady needs to tell the story of what happened all those years ago, and she is happy to do so as long as Angelika promises to write it all in a book and publish it after her death, so that people know what the island of Crete and its inhabitants went through.
We flip between present day when Angie is planning her wedding to Nick in London and trying to help her mother Poppy to regain her health and reunite with her Greek family, and Yiaya telling the story of September 1943 when her life changed forever, and this is beautifully done.
I have visited Crete a few times and also most of the other Greek Islands so I already had a sense of the Greek way of life, the smells and sounds, the friendliness of the people and the stunning scenery from the hills to the beaches and the pretty villages dotted around the islands, and these are all described to perfection by the author. The way the story weaves through the horrors of 1943 to Poppy fleeing the island to the present day, I felt like I was sitting chatting with the Greek old ladies who perch on stools outside their homes crocheting lace into tablecloths for future brides, while the men sat in the Kafenion drinking Greek coffee and clacking their worry beads. I could smell the lemon trees and bouganvillia, could imagine eating the olives, rustic bread with feta cheese, followed by baklava pastries drenched with honey washed down with coffee, watching the men in the late evenings dance to Zorba the Greek with their arms over each other’s shoulders.
The story has so much heartache for Maria and her husband Vassili when he returns from the war, as well as Poppy and her bridegroom Yeorgo years later as well as her brothers Stavros and Matthia and other families in the village of Amiras. Secrets are kept, lies are told and misunderstandings abound, which leads to so many years of separation and loneliness. However, in addition to that we have the love story of Angelika and Nick running through the whole book proving that love will find a way to heal things and bring a family together with forgiveness, understanding and hope for the future.
This book is the first I have read by Patricia Wilson, but it certainly will not be my last. A brilliant read for anyone who loves historical fiction, tales with the setting of beautiful Greek islands or just a gentle love story that is based on actual events. My only criticism would be that 472 pages is slightly too long for a light summer read so may put some people off.
It is the story of the German occupation of Crete during World War 2 of horror, courage, survival, secrets and lies. It is the story of secrets that broke a family apart and of how Maria, her daughter Poppy and granddaughter Angelika can bring the family back together."
I had little knowledge of the involvement of Crete in World War 2 and so was intrigued to delve back in history through historical fiction, which is, in fact, based on the personal story of Patricia Wilson, and this is what inspired her to write the novel in the first place, as we find out in a short additional section at the end of the book.
I found this book to be an amazing incredible journey through history told in such a way that I felt I was actually there going through the terrible times with poor Maria, and her two sons Stavro and Matthia when they were forced to flee their home in the village of Amiras in September 1943 and head to the hills for survival. She is forced to leave without poor baby Petro who had been massacred with all the other men and children by the Nazis in front of her very eyes. Her husband Vassili was away fighting and she was alone, with two children to look after and she needed to keep her children and herself alive despite the hardships that were to come.
When Angelika meets Maria her Grandmother (or Yiaya as she comes to call her) she senses that the old lady needs to tell the story of what happened all those years ago, and she is happy to do so as long as Angelika promises to write it all in a book and publish it after her death, so that people know what the island of Crete and its inhabitants went through.
We flip between present day when Angie is planning her wedding to Nick in London and trying to help her mother Poppy to regain her health and reunite with her Greek family, and Yiaya telling the story of September 1943 when her life changed forever, and this is beautifully done.
I have visited Crete a few times and also most of the other Greek Islands so I already had a sense of the Greek way of life, the smells and sounds, the friendliness of the people and the stunning scenery from the hills to the beaches and the pretty villages dotted around the islands, and these are all described to perfection by the author. The way the story weaves through the horrors of 1943 to Poppy fleeing the island to the present day, I felt like I was sitting chatting with the Greek old ladies who perch on stools outside their homes crocheting lace into tablecloths for future brides, while the men sat in the Kafenion drinking Greek coffee and clacking their worry beads. I could smell the lemon trees and bouganvillia, could imagine eating the olives, rustic bread with feta cheese, followed by baklava pastries drenched with honey washed down with coffee, watching the men in the late evenings dance to Zorba the Greek with their arms over each other’s shoulders.
The story has so much heartache for Maria and her husband Vassili when he returns from the war, as well as Poppy and her bridegroom Yeorgo years later as well as her brothers Stavros and Matthia and other families in the village of Amiras. Secrets are kept, lies are told and misunderstandings abound, which leads to so many years of separation and loneliness. However, in addition to that we have the love story of Angelika and Nick running through the whole book proving that love will find a way to heal things and bring a family together with forgiveness, understanding and hope for the future.
This book is the first I have read by Patricia Wilson, but it certainly will not be my last. A brilliant read for anyone who loves historical fiction, tales with the setting of beautiful Greek islands or just a gentle love story that is based on actual events. My only criticism would be that 472 pages is slightly too long for a light summer read so may put some people off.