Hislop, Victoria "The Return"

Hislop, Victoria "The Return" - 2008

I loved "The Island" so much that I had to read Victoria Hislop's next book. After this one, I completely fell in love with this writer. She has a way of drawing you into her stories, it's amazing. And she didn't disappoint with this one. "The Return" leads us to another place and another time in history but one that is just as exciting. A young woman discovers not only the terrible history of the Spanish Civil War but also her own. Along with her, the reader is forced to learn more about this awful part of history through this gripping account.

The characters are just as vivid and alive as the whole story, you feel yourself compelled back into that time when brothers fought each other over an ideology. The author also manages to describe Granada so well that you believe you are there with the protagonist of the story. I certainly would love to visit it after having read this book. I am still thinking about it days after having finished it and I am sure I will still think about it for a long, long time. And I definitely want to read Victoria Hislop's next books.

An excellent novel.

From the back cover:

"Beneath the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada's cobbled streets resonate with music and secrets. Sonia Cameron knows nothing of the city's shocking past; she is here to dance. But in a quiet café, a chance conversation and an intriguing collection of old photographs draw her into the extraordinary tale of Spain's devastating civil war.

Seventy years earlier, the café is home to the close-knit Ramírez family. In 1936, an army coup led by Franco shatters the country's fragile peace, and in the heart of Granada the family witnesses the worst atrocities of conflict. Divided by politics and tragedy, everyone must take a side, fighting a personal battle as Spain rips itself apart."

Find the other Victoria Hislop books I read here.