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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
One August Night is Victoria Hislop's long awaited companion novel to the best selling The Island.
Although described as a sequel, it actually fills in the gaps from the original book by exploring what happened between the characters Anna, her sister Maria, Anna's husband Andreas, and Andreas' cousin Manolis, in the days and months before the leper colony on Spinalonga was closed and after the fateful August night when an act of violence changed the course of their lives. In its pages, Hislop takes you right back to the heady days in beautiful Crete that saw Anna and Manolis fall in love and conduct a passionate affair that led to Anna's murder at the hands of her husband Andreas.
Inevitably, there are no huge revelations to be made in this story (bar one at the end of the book), as we already know what happened between the characters from the original novel, but what Hislop does so delightfully here is tell us in more detail about the relationship between the lovers themselves, confirming their affair as true love on both sides, and providing some understanding into the motives of them all. To complete the story, Hislop then goes on to give us an account of what happened to Manolis, and validating everything we already knew about the kind and forgiving heart of Maria as she forges a friendship with Andreas in his final desperate years incarcerated in a hell-hole prison.
It was such a delight to revisit the characters from the original novel, and also get a fascinating glimpse into bustling city life through the eyes of Manolis, as he tries to make a new life for himself in Pireas, which contrasts wonderfully with the quiet, sleepy village life in Crete - and Hislop does it all in her inimitable style, with delicious detail that lets you feel you are actually at the side on her characters as they walk through the streets where they live, work and play. Incidentally, we get a shocking glimpse at the conditions of prisoners being held in prison at the time, and the disturbing treatment of those who try to visit them too.
This gave me a very enjoyable afternoon's reading pleasure in the sunshine, reminding me just how much I loved The Island, and how much I miss spending time in the Greek islands. This really is a book you can only appreciate after you have read The Island, because it is based on detailed knowledge of events and relationships that you can only garner by immersing yourself in the original sweeping novel - and it's marvellous, so why wouldn't you? Grab yourself a slice of something nice and revisit old friends - but make sure you read The Island first!
Although described as a sequel, it actually fills in the gaps from the original book by exploring what happened between the characters Anna, her sister Maria, Anna's husband Andreas, and Andreas' cousin Manolis, in the days and months before the leper colony on Spinalonga was closed and after the fateful August night when an act of violence changed the course of their lives. In its pages, Hislop takes you right back to the heady days in beautiful Crete that saw Anna and Manolis fall in love and conduct a passionate affair that led to Anna's murder at the hands of her husband Andreas.
Inevitably, there are no huge revelations to be made in this story (bar one at the end of the book), as we already know what happened between the characters from the original novel, but what Hislop does so delightfully here is tell us in more detail about the relationship between the lovers themselves, confirming their affair as true love on both sides, and providing some understanding into the motives of them all. To complete the story, Hislop then goes on to give us an account of what happened to Manolis, and validating everything we already knew about the kind and forgiving heart of Maria as she forges a friendship with Andreas in his final desperate years incarcerated in a hell-hole prison.
It was such a delight to revisit the characters from the original novel, and also get a fascinating glimpse into bustling city life through the eyes of Manolis, as he tries to make a new life for himself in Pireas, which contrasts wonderfully with the quiet, sleepy village life in Crete - and Hislop does it all in her inimitable style, with delicious detail that lets you feel you are actually at the side on her characters as they walk through the streets where they live, work and play. Incidentally, we get a shocking glimpse at the conditions of prisoners being held in prison at the time, and the disturbing treatment of those who try to visit them too.
This gave me a very enjoyable afternoon's reading pleasure in the sunshine, reminding me just how much I loved The Island, and how much I miss spending time in the Greek islands. This really is a book you can only appreciate after you have read The Island, because it is based on detailed knowledge of events and relationships that you can only garner by immersing yourself in the original sweeping novel - and it's marvellous, so why wouldn't you? Grab yourself a slice of something nice and revisit old friends - but make sure you read The Island first!
Så mye dårligere enn det jeg forventet…. Hadde håpt på en like god bok som den første, men denne ble bare en skuffelse. Likte ikke hvordan den fulgte opp karakterene fra Øya, med at den bare fortalte om tiden frem mot slutten av den første - dette har jeg jo allerede lest, kinda…. Ble litt lite handling, og alt i alt føltes dette som en filler.
I remember loving the island and was pleased to see a sequel id loved the sense of place the heat the threat and the love in book one and was hoping for more of the same .
I’m afraid to say that I was disappointed by this book it is just rather dull whilst the characters were beautifully drawn I felt the boom was missing threat entirely and because of this it was in no way a worthy successor to The Island .Everything moved too slowly for me rather like a hot bath without the bubbles something was missing .
I’m afraid to say that I was disappointed by this book it is just rather dull whilst the characters were beautifully drawn I felt the boom was missing threat entirely and because of this it was in no way a worthy successor to The Island .Everything moved too slowly for me rather like a hot bath without the bubbles something was missing .
I read and enjoyed the previous book in the series, The Island, some time ago, so I was thrilled to see a sequel. And i wasn't disappointed - this book starts where the previous finished.
The author reminds you of how The Island finished eloquently and without labouring the point or missing any important detail out. Then we move into the swing of the book, and it is another page turner. What makes it even more interesting is the historical detail, which the author has spent a lot of time researching - and it shows.
If you enjoyed The Island, you will enjoy this. If you haven't read The Island, I suggest you read it before this one, as it will make a lot more sense.
Highly enjoyable read - highly recommended.
The author reminds you of how The Island finished eloquently and without labouring the point or missing any important detail out. Then we move into the swing of the book, and it is another page turner. What makes it even more interesting is the historical detail, which the author has spent a lot of time researching - and it shows.
If you enjoyed The Island, you will enjoy this. If you haven't read The Island, I suggest you read it before this one, as it will make a lot more sense.
Highly enjoyable read - highly recommended.
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
3.5 stars
An interesting read but not as good as the first book, The Island.
I liked that you were able to see different perspectives and the lasting impact of Leprosy on not just the patient but the wider community.
I had high expectations after reading the first book a while ago, but this fell a little short.
Its written in 3rd person and at times it feels a little bit like “and then this happens and they said this, then this happened” not giving the story the depth and connection it deserves:
At times the plot felt a like rambling and lost as if there was no direction. Then there was the lack of ending which felt abrupt and a bit like a non-ending.
So in summary, I did enjoy it but it wouldn’t recommend people rush to put it at the top of their TBR pile.
An interesting read but not as good as the first book, The Island.
I liked that you were able to see different perspectives and the lasting impact of Leprosy on not just the patient but the wider community.
I had high expectations after reading the first book a while ago, but this fell a little short.
Its written in 3rd person and at times it feels a little bit like “and then this happens and they said this, then this happened” not giving the story the depth and connection it deserves:
At times the plot felt a like rambling and lost as if there was no direction. Then there was the lack of ending which felt abrupt and a bit like a non-ending.
So in summary, I did enjoy it but it wouldn’t recommend people rush to put it at the top of their TBR pile.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was a good extension to the first book ‘the island’. Leprosy was over by then. It basically zoomed in on manolis’ life and Maria’s after Anna died. It was interesting but I was left annoyed that Maria never found out whose dad Sofia's was. As always I wanted a huge drop or drama but left with the bare minimum. Manolis new love for Zoie wasn’t exactly mentioned in detail but didn’t really care.
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes