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shinesalot's review against another edition
5.0
A wonderful historical fiction novel. Alexis' venture to find the truth of her mother's sister is an incredible tale with a fascinating deep dive into leprosy and how these people were treated for decades in Greece.
Highly recommend.
Highly recommend.
sarah_reading_party's review against another edition
4.0
The premise of this story is great. it's definitely a family saga, and is intriguing. Some of the detail is a bit much but all in all it's a good story!
leelee77's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
gemjar321's review against another edition
5.0
I was actually dreading reading this book because I very much judged the book by its cover and thought it would be rather boring. But I enjoyed this book so much! It was a beautiful story and I loved hearing about all the different generations from the family while also learning about leprosy and the colony. I loved it so much!
nikeleest's review against another edition
4.0
I have been to Spinalonga, reading the book made it come to life even more and gave an inside look of the life as a patient and family members. I think our guide at the island gave us a more positive story compared to the book.
anns_book_chronicles's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jaypappy's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Nice book that looks at the different family member behaviours and how lives and futures can be affect by this, set against a scenario that is not used often in storytelling. A very light and easy read, good one for holidays. I think most readers would identify a person from their lives reflected in one of the characters.
sallygilson's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
apageofwordsandwishes's review against another edition
3.0
I have really mixed feelings about this book. I read it as a teen and had a vague memory of being really intrigued by the Island of Spinalonga and the leper colony.
Kind of wish I had left it at that as the re read wasn’t as enjoyable. I didn’t get on with the writing style and was left feeling a bit baffled by some of the authors choices. She obviously spent a lot of time researching and building up some of these characters who are then killed off in a sentence and never mentioned again, yet a minor character who is only in a couple of scenes has a big detailed death with funeral and mourning all described.
It’s a good story but I can’t really say more than that.
Kind of wish I had left it at that as the re read wasn’t as enjoyable. I didn’t get on with the writing style and was left feeling a bit baffled by some of the authors choices. She obviously spent a lot of time researching and building up some of these characters who are then killed off in a sentence and never mentioned again, yet a minor character who is only in a couple of scenes has a big detailed death with funeral and mourning all described.
It’s a good story but I can’t really say more than that.