The Figurine: Escape to Athens and breathe in the Aegean-scented air in the engrossing novel from the much-loved author

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Helena’s desire to find answers about her heritage dovetails with a growing curiosity for archaeology, ignited by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean island. Their finds fuel her determination to protect the precious fragments recovered from the baked earth – and to understand the origins of her grandfather’s collection. First off I really liked the way book flowed though time as Helena grew up. I enjoyed the examination of what home means to people and the commentary on the questionable acquisition of cultural treasures, it was a subject matter I have never really thought about it so found that interesting. I love how Greece and its amazing people are captured so well by the author, you can tell Greece is a place close to her heart. Penny followed by asking Hislop about the mysteries in The Figurine: ‘And in your book, I think I'm right in saying, most of your books, there's a secret waiting to be told?’ In her third novel, The Thread, Victoria returned to Greece to tell the extraordinary and turbulent tale of Thessaloniki and its people across the 20 th century. Published in 2011 to widespread acclaim, it confirmed her reputation as an inspirational storyteller and was shortlisted for a British Book Award. The Thread is currently in development with a British TV production company. readers can’t fail to be swept up in her ongoing love affair with all things Greek and, in The Figurine, the focus turns to the country’s ancient statuettes and the looting trade that surrounds them.[…]a gripping storyline that leaves no stone unturned”

The Figurine by Victoria Hislop | Goodreads

This was the sting in the tail of a year none of us will ever forget. After all, Covid stole months from our lives and, for many of us, loved ones, too. I had lost my mother at the beginning of the pandemic.

The Figurine

So I will be watching dear Annabel and rooting for her. And also for Strictly professional dancer Amy Dowden, who will not be performing this year because she has breast cancer. No doubt she will be missing the intoxication of the dance floor. Indeed, I do myself. The excitement about finding hidden treasures was portrayed really well, not just for fame and fortune, but understanding skills and the life of long ago times. Not the normal happy ever after read, but a book filled with acceptance of faults and failings and their impact upon both people and their culture. As she grows up she realises that her Grandfather is a terrible man but still enjoys her visits to Greece where she starts to the learn the language and connects with her Grandmother. She fears her Grandfather but once he passes away she finds her Grandmother a much lighter person. Yet I felt calm. I was in good hands and was offered surgery — a lumpectomy — a few days before Christmas, which seemed ideal as I wanted it to be over with as soon as possible.

The figurine - Victoria Hislop The figurine - Victoria Hislop

Several years later, Helena is living in her late grandparents apartment and is meeting young people and is slowly becoming aware of the politics that have recently caused great change to the country. Her family history is part of these troubles, and grandfather had a shady past both with his Army career and the antiquities trade.

The book is a treasure of stories-Helena's childhood summer holidays with her grandparents, within the context of a suppressive military regime. The beautiful telling of her relationship with her mother, Hislop is artful in how she explores the slow unfolding of understanding one's parents through childhood and in to adulthood. I'm going to keep this review short and (not) sweet as so many others have given full descriptions of this book.

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A beautifully told story with fabulous characters and a vivid scenery that makes you believe you are in Greece' Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Victoria’s first book for children, Maria’s Island (listed by Waterstones as one of the best children’s books of the year) was also published in 2020 – and is an adaptation of The Island for a younger audience . One of the qualities that shines in her books, is Hislop's ability to weave incredible amounts of research into the story, and with such clear explanations that never alienates her readers. The field of archaeology in The Figurine is advanced, but Hislop just made me fascinated and wanting to learn more. The idea came out of a conversation with some school teachers in Crete.” said Victoria “They commented that there were so many themes in the story that were as relevant to children as to adults but felt that the original novel was a little too grown-up for many of them. I realised that much of the book is actually about children and their experiences of stigma and loss, so this has been a wonderful experience for me, to look at things through their eyes. Writing for children requires a whole different set of skills and I hope they will enjoy reading it.”I can imagine this being a great holiday read with the sights and food of Greece. It is a great idea for a book about where artefacts belong and the complex history that can surround them. Two more of my novels were subsequently televised. After learning Greek during the first adaptation, I had appeared many times on TV before, in 2020, being awarded honorary citizenship by the President for promoting Greece and its culture around the world. All in all, it was more than enough to qualify me as a ‘celeb’ for their Strictly. However, Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway has always been my favourite self-help book. In its spirit, I told myself: ‘Let’s make the biggest reason for saying ‘No’, the best reason for saying ‘Yes!’‘ Our move to Latin dances saw sparks begin to fly — not with passion! — between handsome Tilemachos and me. He expected me to make very fast progress and one day told me to do the splits. This was interesting, gripping in parts near the end, sweet, sad, holiday book bliss and i could go on. I could read it all again already.