Reviews

Greek Island Escape by Patricia Wilson

theverybookish's review against another edition

emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

curlypip's review against another edition

3.0

Hmm. My library recommended this book, and, it was ok. Just ok.
The good - the story. Inspired by real life events it’s tragic, heartbreaking but with a positive ending. A shame it wasn’t better written because it’s a great story. Search online for Manolis Glezos for more info.
The bad - the actual writing. You can see the ending coming a mile away, it’s not cleverly written, some points were just ridiculous. The idea that Megan could earn a living from juggling?! Come on!
The ugly - Zoe’s constant mention of perfectionism, which made my skin crawl. Her perfect kids, perfect husband, perfect life, perfect hair and make-up and clothes which masked the pain on the inside. Excruciating

erinicole's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0

tinaleser's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious relaxing

3.5

angiem92's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful sad tense slow-paced

4.5

hollytori's review against another edition

adventurous emotional lighthearted mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

sarracenia's review against another edition

4.0

I was lucky to win this book in a competition. From the title and cover I had expected Greek Island Escape to be a relaxing holiday read, but right from the beginning the novel is full of action. Steeped in fascinating Greek history, the book tells of two mothers searching for their daughters in very different circumstances. As we move between Sofia's story of freedom fighters, imprisonment and terrible sacrifice and Zoe's present-day search for her teenage runaway daughter Megan, the two stories gradually move closer until they finally coincide in a wonderful denouement.

I've given four stars instead of five as I felt that the character of Megan was not as well developed as Sofia or Zoe. Also I thought there were a few incidents that were made to seem significant (the kri-kri encounter, Emily getting shot) but didn't actually serve much of a purpose in the plot.

Overall, this is a captivating novel that highlights the strength of family relationships. It goes far beyond the average holiday read, and you might even learn some Greek history, too.

vic_the_postie's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

karenmitchl's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Overall this book was fairly decent. The story was quite predictable and some of the character choices bothered me but still was a good enough read. I think the weakness of the story rested with Megan and Zoe stories. They're story development was a bit clunky and strange at parts, especially Zoe's relationship with her husband and the situation with Emily. Sofia's story was the stronger part of the story overall. 

valeriereadingnook's review against another edition

5.0

This book is incredibly moving. It tells the story of three strong women, Sofia, Zoe and Megan. The journey starts in Greece at the end of the second world war, with the tragic death of Sofia’s mother and the life of Sofia enfolds through the troubled times of the junta regime in Greece, marked with pain and suffering, but also amazingly strong relationships and redemption. Zoe’s story takes place in the present time, also going through pain and suffering with her daughter Megan gone missing. These story lines are crisscrossing all along the book, going back and forth in time, towards a heartwarming end. The book is based on various elements of real stories which the author has pulled together into a work of fiction. And in the background, the reader is treated to lovely texts about Greece and Crete where we can almost hear the cicadas and smell the nature. It was my first read by this author and I will definitely want to read more.

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