I'll say from the start that I don't usually read "great summer read" novels like this, but this book was recommended and loaned to me by a friend at work so I thought I would keep an open mind and give it a try.
The book is about a woman called Angie. She is going to get married and has Cretan heritage, however when she asks her mother about her family her mother becomes very upset and refuses to tell her anything about her roots. So, she decides that before she gets married she will go to Crete and find out about her family.
There is a second underlying story in the book, and for me this was the only thing of importance. This is the story of what happened in Crete in World War II, as told to Angie by her dying grandmother.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the family's past. It was very shocking to me as I have only a basic education of what happened in World War II, and most of what I know about that time is based around Britain, France, Germany and the US. Where I mistakenly thought most of the war had taken place. I had no idea how far reaching the devastation of that time was and how much it affected civilians and families in many different countries. The story shows how, even many years later and generations down the line, what happened during wartime tore the family apart and had changed everything about the family and the individual family members. It is a beautiful story and very well told, and also quite exciting in parts as the family members open up and confess secrets they have been hiding for a lifetime.
What I sadly didn't enjoy was the main character in the book, Angie. I found her to be a complete bore. All she did was complain and fret about her own situation and how selfish she was. She added absolutely nothing of worth to the story, and I found her constant wondering about what would happen next in her grandmother's story to be annoying, to put it politely. Just get back to telling the actual story already! I realise that as this book is not aimed at my particular demographic, others (perhaps middle-aged housewives - no offence!) might enjoy her overly-emotional thought process and perhaps relate to her, but I just didn't get it.
Overall, I was touched by the painful truth of this story and I did enjoy it for the most part. It was worth the read just to learn a little bit about what happened to the poor Cretan civilians of World War II. That part will stick with me for a while. And the rest? I can't forget it soon enough.
The book is about a woman called Angie. She is going to get married and has Cretan heritage, however when she asks her mother about her family her mother becomes very upset and refuses to tell her anything about her roots. So, she decides that before she gets married she will go to Crete and find out about her family.
There is a second underlying story in the book, and for me this was the only thing of importance. This is the story of what happened in Crete in World War II, as told to Angie by her dying grandmother.
I thoroughly enjoyed the story of the family's past. It was very shocking to me as I have only a basic education of what happened in World War II, and most of what I know about that time is based around Britain, France, Germany and the US. Where I mistakenly thought most of the war had taken place. I had no idea how far reaching the devastation of that time was and how much it affected civilians and families in many different countries. The story shows how, even many years later and generations down the line, what happened during wartime tore the family apart and had changed everything about the family and the individual family members. It is a beautiful story and very well told, and also quite exciting in parts as the family members open up and confess secrets they have been hiding for a lifetime.
What I sadly didn't enjoy was the main character in the book, Angie. I found her to be a complete bore. All she did was complain and fret about her own situation and how selfish she was. She added absolutely nothing of worth to the story, and I found her constant wondering about what would happen next in her grandmother's story to be annoying, to put it politely. Just get back to telling the actual story already! I realise that as this book is not aimed at my particular demographic, others (perhaps middle-aged housewives - no offence!) might enjoy her overly-emotional thought process and perhaps relate to her, but I just didn't get it.
Overall, I was touched by the painful truth of this story and I did enjoy it for the most part. It was worth the read just to learn a little bit about what happened to the poor Cretan civilians of World War II. That part will stick with me for a while. And the rest? I can't forget it soon enough.