Review
'Adding depth and colour to the story is the description of Cretan life... in particular, the vividly detailed account of life on Spinalonga... It is one of the achievements of this thoughtful novel that it presents the lives of the island's inhabitants with such empathy. The result is a fascinating work that combines a moving love story witha plea for more understanding about this most cruel of diseases'
( The Times 20060417)'This is a vivid, moving and absorbing tale, with its senstive, realistic engagement with all the consequences of, and stigma attached to leprosy, elevating it beyond holiday literature.'
(Observer 20060416)'Gently gripping tale'
(Scotsman on Sunday 20060416)'Brings dignity and tenderness to her novel.'
(Telegraph 20060430)Review
'Hislop carefully evokes the lives of Cretans between the wars and during German occupation, but most commendable is her compassionate portrayal of the outcasts' Guardian -- Guardian 20050723 'Hislop is an exceptional writer with a strong voice who completely deserves rich success with this debut... Beautifully balanced, vivid and atmospheric prose' Newbury Weekly News -- Newbury Weekly News 20050811 'War, tragedy and passion unfurl against a Mediterranean backdrop in this engrossing debut novel' You magazine -- You magazine 20050811 'Wonderful descriptions, strong characters and an intimate portrait of island existence' Woman & Home -- Woman & Home 20050811 'Passionately engaged with its subject...the author has meticulously researched her fascinating background and medical facts' The Sunday Times -- The Sunday Times 20050811 'A page-turning tale that reminds us that love and life continue in even the most extraordinary of circumstances' Sunday Express -- Sunday Express 20050811 'Hislop's deep research, imagination and patent love of Crete creates a convincing portrait of times on the island. She writes evocatively of the minutiae of traditional life... She...manages to milk the dramatic potential of each unexpected twist and broken engagement, of the ruined and resurrected lives of her characters... A moving and absorbing holiday read that pulls at the heart strings' Evening Standard -- Evening Standard 20050606 'At last -- a beach book with a heart... Meticulous research into Cretan culture...packed with family sagas, doomed love affairs, devastating secrets... She also forces us to reflect on illness, both the nasty, narrow-mindedness of the healthy and the spirit of survival in the so-called "unclean". Her message seems as relevant today as it would have been a century ago' Observer -- Observer 20050606 'A moving and atmospheric tale' The Scotsman -- The Scotsman 20050606 'A promising debut' Grazia magazine -- Grazia 20050606
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