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On the brink of a life-changing decision, Alexis Fielding longs to find out about her mother's past. But Sofia has never spoken of it. All she admits to is growing up in a small Cretan village before moving to London. When Alexis decides to visit Crete, however, Sofia gives her daughter a letter to take to an old friend, and promises that through her she will learn more. Arriving in Plaka, Alexis is astonished to see that it lies a stone's throw from the tiny, deserted island of Spinalonga - Greece's former leper colony. Then she finds Fotini, and at last hears the story that Sofia has buried all her life: the tale of her great-grandmother Eleni and her daughters and a family rent by tragedy, war and passion. She discovers how intimately she is connected with the island, and how secrecy holds them all in its powerful grip...
| ISBN | 0755309510 | | Pages | 496 | | ISBN13 | 9780755309511
(What's this?) | | Weight (grammes) | 340 | | Publisher | Headline Publishing Group | | Published in | London | | Imprint | Headline Review | | Height (mm) | 198 | | Format | Paperback | | Width (mm) | 130 | | Publication date | 10 Apr 2006 | | Spine width (mm) | 32 | | DEWEY | 823.92 | | Academic level | General | | DEWEY edition | DC22 | |
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'Adding depth and colour to the story is the description of Cretan life... in particular, the vividly detailed account of life on Spinalonga... It is one of the achievements of this thoughtful novel that it presents the lives of the island's inhabitants with such empathy. The result is a fascinating work that combines a moving love story witha plea for more understanding about this most cruel of diseases.' -- The Times 20060417 'This is a vivid, moving and absorbing tale, with its sensitive, realistic engagement with all the consequences of, and stigma attached to leprosy, elevating it beyond holiday literature.' -- Observer 20060416 'Gently gripping tale' -- Scotsman on Sunday 20060416 'Brings dignity and tenderness to her novel' -- Telegraph 20060430 'a compelling story that has rarely left the bestseller list this year and deservedly so' -- Sunday Express 20061203 Beautifully written.I had visited this area before i read the book.Reading this brought back the smells and sights of Elounda, Plaka and Spinalonga.It was deeply moving, sad and beautiful all in one. - nicola lyall Write a review
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