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In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple open the island’s most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the Özkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city’s façade of glamour and success, tension is building.
When a Greek coup plunges the island into chaos, Cyprus faces a disastrous conflict. Turkey invades to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority, and Famagusta is shelled. Forty thousand people seize their most precious possessions and flee from the advancing soldiers. In the deserted city, just two families remain. This is their story.
When a Greek coup plunges the island into chaos, Cyprus faces a disastrous conflict. Turkey invades to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority, and Famagusta is shelled. Forty thousand people seize their most precious possessions and flee from the advancing soldiers. In the deserted city, just two families remain. This is their story.
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Reviews
A master at evoking a sense of place
Heartbreaking... A fascinating insight into a part of Mediterranean history that isn't often explored
Praise for Victoria Hislop: 'A sweeping, magnificently detailed and ambitious saga that wrestles with the turbulence of the period Hislop covers...All those who loved The Island, her hugely successful first novel, will fall on it'
Fascinating and moving... Hislop writes unforgettably about Cyprus and its people
Hislop's writing effectively weaves the personal into the political without ever becoming overbearing. An informative but equally emotional read
'Hislop's fast-paced narrative and utterly convincing sense of place make her novel a rare treat'
'This is storytelling at its best and just like a tapestry, when each thread is sewn into place, so emerge the layers and history of relationships past and present'
'Vibrant... Hislop brings history to life in this compelling tale'
An absorbing tale about family, friendship, loyalty and betrayal, set during a violent period in the history of Cyprus
'Some beautiful writing about a difficult period in time makes for a great read'
Intelligent and immersive... Hislop's incisive narrative weaves a vast array of fact through a poignant, compelling family saga
An imaginative tour de force, and a great read
Hislop brings her consummate storytelling skills to this enthralling tale of love, marriage and a community all put to the test
Fascinating
One of the best things about this novel is the way Hislop depicts the growing teamwork, love, respect, and trust which two families of opposite persuasions manage to establish... Hislop hasn't of course been into Famagusta - no one may, even now - but has stood near the barbed wire and imagined what life was like there, then and now, with her usual gift for presenting bits of history most of us are unfamiliar with from a fictional point of view
Adroitly plotted and deftly characterised, Hislop's gripping novel tells the stories of ordinary Greek and Turkish families trying to preserve their humanity in a maelstrom of deception, betrayal and ethnic hatred