One August Night: Sequel to much-loved classic, The Island

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The historical element which gives us details regarding the island where the leprosy patients were treated has taught me something also that i didnt know. Manolis suddenly caught the opening notes of a zeibékiko song and felt something inside him stir. The lyrics of this particular song seemed to mirror his life, jabbing at his heart. As if possessed by the power of the music, he rose from his seat… The movements were personal but the tradition of the zeibékiko was known to everyone. It was a dance that should only be performed by a man, and only by a man with grief to express. As the musicians played and the insistent beat thumped and repeated and thumped again, Manolis revolved slowly in a trance-like state, his eyes glazed, unfocused. Someone threw a plate at his feet and one of the girls tossed a flower that she had been wearing in her hair. He was aware of neither.” The story itself had a very relaxed,well written and enjoyable story. Even with tragic elements. Even though this was filled with scandal, heartache and kindness I loved the characters and each one brought a great deal to the story which kept us interested and didnt loose any strength. Having never been to greece i adored the writters imagery and longed to book a holiday to view this for myself!! Hislop expertly delves into the complex history of a fascinating country in this beautifully written family saga’

An excellent story if you have read The Island this is the sequel and well worth a read An excellent story if you have read The Island this is the sequel and well worth a read From the synopsis I expected there to be drama, suspense (from the confrontation of the stigma and scandal) and lively dialogue. Focusing particularly on the lives of Maria and Manolis in the years that follow, the author takes the reader beyond Plaka, and indeed beyond the island of Crete, as both Maria and Manolis struggle with the legacy of that eventful August night. Feeling she must find a way to repay the good fortune that saw her cured of leprosy and married to Nikos, Maria’s solution involves a breathtaking act of forgiveness. But despite being fully cured, the stigma of her leprosy remains although, as she observes, stigma can be a weapon in the right circumstances. Manolis’s solution is to try to banish the past and the memories that haunt him by seeking a new life away from Crete.Our servers are getting hit pretty hard right now. To continue shopping, enter the characters as they are shown The beauty of The Island is the way it immerses the reader into the life and world of the Spinalonga colony, its effects on the with leprosy and the communities it impacted. It also drew you into the Cretan culture. However this novel barely touches on the leprosy/Spinalonga - I was hoping to read more about how the advent of the cure and the closure of the colony impacted Plaka (as promised), the cured and the community. Other than a few mentions - it hardly comes up at all, and certainly isn’t a feature of the story. For me, it failed to captivate my imagination and whisk me away to Crete, circa 1950. August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences. Product Features. We're happy to help. We provide the best support. Is Our Priority. Carefully crafted by Kepa Design. This novel focuses on the story of Anna, Manolis, Andreas and Maria - maybe because I wasn’t invested in any of the characters enough (even Maria, who was so central to The Island), it felt like I was reading a novel based on a soap, or something a lot less substantial. The characters were mostly one dimensionally, and not fully developed enough for the reader to care about the outcome for any of the characters.

When time stops dead for Maria Petrakis and her sister, Anna, two families splinter apart and, for the people of Plaka, the closure of Spinalonga is forever coloured with tragedy. A very well told story of love, jealousy and forgiveness. It is a sequel to ‘The Island’, but provides little in historical information, mainly focussing on Manolis and leprosy survivor, Maria, and their learning to survive tragic events. The novel is set in Crete in the 1950s and in Australia. Drago mi je što sam ovaj dio pročitala odmah nakon Otoka i što sam odlučila pročitati Otok prije Jedne ljetne noći. Na taj sam način dobila najbolji uvid u sve likove, njihove karaktere i sve događaje opisane u knjigama. Great book and long awaited if you have already read her earlier book the Island but you need to have read that to put this one into context Victoria Hislop έγραψε τη συνέχειά του κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας του 2020, όπου βίωσε, όπως κι όλος ο κόσμος, μια σειρά από ομοιότητες ανάμεσα στους ανθρώπους που ζούσαν στο άσυλο της Σπιναλόγκας και στη σημερινή εποχή: «Δεν ήμασταν μεν ασθενείς… όμως νιώσαμε στο πετσί μας την απομόνωση και τις ελλείψεις σε είδη διατροφής… και βιώσαμε τον φόβο απέναντι σε μια ασθένεια για την οποία δεν υπάρχει θεραπεία» (σελ. 10). Η συγγραφέας λοιπόν, συνειδητοποιώντας πως προσπέρασε αρκετούς από τους χαρακτήρες στο κλείσιμο του πρώτου βιβλίου, διερευνά τώρα σε μεγαλύτερο βάθος τα συναισθήματα και την κατάληξη κάποιων από αυτούς.A follow up from The Island, this answers many questions and is well written and keeps you gripped throughout. Again there is a lot of historical knowledge shown in the novel about the facts of leprosy and the cure for it. As well as the feeling of somebody who knows about the culture of the area. In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past.

Since I first read The Island, a book passed to me by my mother, I have been a Victoria Hislop fan. Her books are always interesting and informative of events that have taken place. The affair has consequences and the book goes on to show the life that is lead due to the consequences.One August Night focuses on events just prior to and after the return of those exiled on the island, a return made possible by the discovery of a cure for leprosy. You might think it a cause for celebration and indeed for some it is, bringing the prospect of being reunited with relatives and friends, and a return to something like a normal life, albeit that many bear the physical and mental scars of their illness. However, the return of others means bringing to the surface a tangled web of relationships, both past and present. Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth Hislop expertly delves into the complex history of a fascinating country in this beautifully written family saga' Maybe I’m being harsh in my review, because my expectations were too high and I’m feeling disappointed that this book didn’t deliver (hence the two stars rather one). However, anyone who has read Hislop’s previous novels will have the same expectations of a deep, history rich, evocative story - and this book is nowhere near that league.

Usual Victoria Hislop standard, really compelling reading. Usual Victoria Hislop standard, really compelling reading. Victoria Hislop read English at Oxford, and worked in publishing, PR and as a journalist before becoming a novelist. She is married with two children. Hardcover. Condition: New. 1st Edition. A brand new signed first edition copy of Victoria Hislop's 'The Figurine'. Signed by Author(s). Anna is not looking forward to being a mother nor is she looking forward to her sister, Maria, being released from the island. It is Maria's return to Crete that triggers a violent act that will change the lives of the two families forever.

One August Night

Posve mi je razumljivo zašto je gđa Hislop dobila počasno državljanstvo Grčke, njene knjige koje sam pročitala na zanimljiv i pristupačan način opisuju razdoblja iz povijesti ove zemlje (Oni koji su voljeni, Otok, Jedne ljetne noći).