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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.
sannamarilka's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing, powerful story of love, deception, grief and joy. Absolutely excellent!
sdmomof5boys's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good read. Having lived on Molokai, Hawaii, which also has a leper colony that I have visited and learned some about the history of it, it was interesting to read about another leper colony on the other side of the world near Crete. I enjoyed the back story of Alexis' family and their lives in Plaka and Spinalonga. I thought Alexis' story itself was irrelevant and not that well put together. But that was a short part of the book, so it didn't bother me too much. Overall, I thought this was a good story of family, heartbreak, tragedy, but also hope, love and understanding.