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The Island
 
 

The Island (Paperback)

by Victoria Hislop (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (259 customer reviews)
RRP: £7.99
Price: £5.26 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Product details

  • Paperback: 496 pages
  • Publisher: Headline Review (10 April 2006)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0755309510
  • ISBN-13: 978-0755309511
  • Product Dimensions: 18.8 x 12.8 x 3.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (259 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 314 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #2 in  Books > Fiction > Authors, A-Z > H > Hislop, Victoria

Product Description

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 )

'This is a vivid, moving and absorbing tale, with its sensitive, realistic engagement with all the consequences of, and stigma attached to leprosy, elevating it beyond holiday literature.' 

(Observer )

'Gently gripping tale'

(Scotsman on Sunday )

'Brings dignity and tenderness to her novel' 

(Telegraph )

'a compelling story that has rarely left the bestseller list this year and deservedly so'

(Sunday Express )

Product Description
On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother’s past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more.

Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone’s throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga – Greece’s former leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip... (20060416)

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

The Island
88% buy the item featured on this page:
The Island 3.6 out of 5 stars (259)
£5.26
The Return
6% buy
The Return 3.0 out of 5 stars (72)
£3.86
The Villa in Italy
3% buy
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The Forgotten Garden
2% buy
The Forgotten Garden 4.2 out of 5 stars (154)
£3.99

 

Customer Reviews

259 Reviews
5 star:
 (104)
4 star:
 (57)
3 star:
 (26)
2 star:
 (23)
1 star:
 (49)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (259 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
136 of 153 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth our reading group's time, 14 Feb 2007
By Beverly (Essex) - See all my reviews
We read this in tandem with Under Their Skin by D.L. Kung, and concluded that Hislop's efforts to capture the pathos of Spinalonga and the problems of leprosy were admirable, but let down by her bad writing and clunky plotting. Under Their Skin was a very modern story, and although the ending didn't suit everyone, its background on leprosy was breathtaking--you really finished knowing how things have changed.
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130 of 147 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Different books for different types of readers, 20 Feb 2007
I enjoyed The Island but I think it has to be admitted that it cast leprosy in an "old" light: a book mentioned below, John Tayman's The Colony was aimed at the serious reader who wants to know about leprosy from a non-fiction viewpoint, and Dinah Kung's Under Their Skin offers readers a more complex, engrossing novel where leprosy medicine is in the fabric of the story, but isn't the focus. The Island was obviously meant for beach reading, even said so on the cover. I'm studying public health so I'm thrilled to see authors looking at medicine this way for all kinds or levels of reading!
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling read, 19 Aug 2006
By Beverley White "bev" (stafford, uk) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Not my usual pick for holiday reading but I was glad I changed my usual choices. I couldn't put this book down and finished it in an afternoon. The characters were likeable and the plot well crafted. Hislop's style is easy and captured my imagination. Look forward to more from her.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Island
A fantastic book which rips your heart out. I had to stop reading a few times because I cried so much. It certainly makes you appreciate your life. A wonderful read.
Published 1 day ago by Goobycat

4.0 out of 5 stars Such a beautiful and captivating story
The background to this story is so well researched that you feel as if it is a truthful account of events surrounding the lives of those suffering from leprosy in Crete during the... Read more
Published 5 days ago by Lance Mitchell

5.0 out of 5 stars For goodness sakes its fictional NOT out of the BMJ !!!
This is one of the best books I have read in years, I got to the point where I limited myself to only one chapter a day towards the end as I couldn't bear to finish it !!!! Read more
Published 7 days ago by Gerrymouse

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent summer read
I bought this book on the recommendation of a friend and I was not disappointed. Having been on holiday to Crete and visited Spinalonga, it brought back lots of happy holiday... Read more
Published 8 days ago by L. Pritchard

1.0 out of 5 stars Dull and insipid writing
I came to this book having had some very good recommendations of it. I was really disappointed. The story could be good in another writer's hands but in Hislop's, it is clunky,... Read more
Published 17 days ago by Laura Atkinson

5.0 out of 5 stars A really good read
I had just visited Spinalonga Island in Crete when I read this book so was able to identify with all the places. Read more
Published 19 days ago by Mrs. R. Shepherd

5.0 out of 5 stars holiday read
I read this book overlooking the very island in the book. The view was beautiful, the book was great. A good time in Crete. JULIA
Published 20 days ago by Kosullivan

5.0 out of 5 stars A great read
This 'faction' type novel is very moving. Not brilliantly written, it still conveys the sheer drama and importance of the creation of anti-leprosy drugs. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ann Douglas

4.0 out of 5 stars plods along nicely
A lot of people seem to have marked this book down based on it's portrayal of leprosy. My review of this book is based on the fact that it is a work of fiction which happens to... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Louise

5.0 out of 5 stars If you have EVER been to Crete.......
If you have ever been on holiday to Crete as I have many times, then you can not help but picture the places that are descibed to you. Read more
Published 2 months ago by H. Beaudin

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