The Island: The million-copy Number One bestseller 'A moving and absorbing holiday read' (English Edition) Kindle电子书

From Publishers Weekly
Travel writer Hislop's unwieldy debut novel opens with 25-year-old Alexis leaving Britain for Crete, her mother Sofia's homeland, hoping to ferret out the secrets of Sofia's past and thereby get a handle on her own turbulent life. Sofia's friend Fortini tells Alexis of her grandmother Anna, and great-aunt Maria. Their mother (Alexis's great-grandmother) contracted leprosy in 1939 and went off to a leper colony on the nearby island of Spinalonga, leaving them with their father. Anna snags a wealthy husband, Andreas, but smolders for his renegade cousin, Manoli. When philanderer Manoli chooses Maria, Anna is furious. Conveniently, Maria also contracts leprosy and is exiled, allowing Anna to conduct an affair with Manoli. Meanwhile, Maria feels an attraction to her doctor, who may have similar feelings. Though the plot is satisfyingly twisty, the characters play one note apiece (Anna is prone to dramatic outrages, Maria is humble and kind, and their love interests are jealous and aggressive). Hislop's portrayal of leprosy—those afflicted and the evolving treatment—during the 1940s and 1950s is convincing, but readers may find the narrative's preoccupation with chronicling the minutiae of daily life tedious. (July)
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From Booklist
When beloved schoolteacher Eleni is diagnosed with leprosy, she is exiled to the Greek island of Spinalonga. Left behind on Crete are her husband and two beautiful daughters, headstrong Anna and dutiful Maria. Years later, Eleni's great-granddaughter Alexis returns to Crete to find answers to her family's mysteries. Conveniently, a witness to her family history is still alive to tell her—and us—the dark story. The novel is a romantic page-turner, but a little shallow. For example, the Nazi occupation of Crete becomes a plot device to turn the boy next door into a hunk, and, after much tribulation, the good are rewarded and the bad punished. The novel, successful in Britain, will probably be a popular beach read and book club selection this summer. There's little to object to in this historical romp. Block, Marta Segal
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Passionately engaged with its subject...the author has meticulously researched her fascinating background and medical facts (The Sunday Times)

Adding depth and colour to the story is the description of Cretan life... in particular, the vividly detailed account of life on Spinalonga... A fascinating work that combines a moving love story witha plea for more understanding about this most cruel of diseases (The Times)

This is a vivid, moving and absorbing tale, with its sensitive, realistic engagement with all the consequences of, and stigma attached to leprosy (Observer)

War, tragedy and passion unfurl against a Mediterranean backdrop in this engrossing debut novel (You magazine)

A page-turning tale that reminds us that love and life continue in even the most extraordinary of circumstances (Sunday Express)

Hislop's deep research, imagination and patent love of Crete creates a convincing portrait of times on the island... Moving and absorbing (Evening Standard)

Wonderful descriptions, strong characters and an intimate portrait of island existence (Woman & Home)

A beautiful tale of enduring love and unthinking prejudice (Express) --此文字指其他 kindle_edition 版本。