Those Who Are Loved

Description:

'She brings Greek history to compelling life' The Sunday Times

'Hislop has done her research and handles the great sweep of complex Greek history with skill and confidence' Daily Mail

Athens, 1941. Nazi forces occupy Greece ... and a nation falls apart. Victoria Hislop's NEW Sunday Times Number One bestseller takes you into the darker days of Greek history and, through the eyes of its extraordinary heroine, illuminates the courage it takes to live in peace.

After decades of political uncertainty, Greece is polarised between Right- and Left-wing views when the Germans invade.

Fifteen-year-old Themis comes from a family divided by these political differences. The Nazi occupation deepens the fault-lines between those she loves just as it reduces Greece to destitution. She watches friends die in the ensuing famine and is moved to commit acts of resistance.

In the civil war that follows the end of the occupation, Themis joins the Communist army, where she experiences the extremes of love and hatred and the paradoxes presented by a war in which Greek fights Greek.

Eventually imprisoned on the infamous islands of exile, Makronisos and then Trikeri, Themis encounters another prisoner whose life will entwine with her own in ways neither can foresee. And finds she must weigh her principles against her desire to escape and live.

As she looks back on her life, Themis realises how tightly the personal and political can become entangled. While some wounds heal, others deepen.

This gripping new novel from bestselling author Victoria Hislop sheds light on the complexity and trauma of Greece's past and weaves it into the epic tale of an ordinary woman compelled to live an extraordinary life.

Victoria Hislop. Discover for yourself why 10 million readers worldwide love her books...

Here's what the critics said about Those Who Are Loved:

'A searing and powerful story full of passion, showing how one woman's ideals and beliefs shape everything that she becomes. It's both a beautifully woven love story and a spellbinding, heart-breaking depiction of a country torn apart by hatred' Daily Express

'A glorious Greek setting and rich historical detail form the backdrop of this captivating and poignant story' Woman & Home

'An eye-opening and moving read' Mirror

'Anyone who reads Victoria Hislop's novels falls in love with Greece ... A moving read that sweeps you through time' S Magazine

'A wonderfully researched and beautifully written piece of historical fiction' CultureFly

Review: 'Nobody writes about Greece quite like Victoria Hislop' * Red magazine *
'She brings Greek history to compelling life.....there is deep historical research here, but it never bogs down her story' * The Sunday Times *
'A beautifully woven love story and a spellbinding, heart-breaking depiction of a country torn apart by hatred' * Daily Express *
'Hislop has done her research and handles the great sweep of complex Greek history with skill and confidence. She makes a touching family story out of violent and divisive times and her fans will lap this up' * Daily Mail *
'An eye-opening and moving read' * The Mirror *
'A moving read that sweeps you through time' * S Mag *
'A glorious Greek setting and rich historical detail form the backdrop of this captivating and poignant story' * Woman & Home *

Author Biography: Inspired by a visit to Spinalonga, the abandoned Greek leprosy colony, Victoria Hislop wrote The Island in 2005. It became an international bestseller and a 26-part Greek TV series. She was named Newcomer of the Year at the British Book Awards and is now an ambassador for Lepra. Her affection for the Mediterranean then took her to Spain, and in the number one bestseller The Return she wrote about the painful secrets of its civil war. In The Thread, Victoria returned to Greece to tell the turbulent tale of Thessaloniki and its people across the twentieth century. Shortlisted for a British Book Award, it confirmed her reputation as an inspirational storyteller. Her fourth novel, The Sunrise, about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the enduring ghost town of Famagusta, was a Sunday Times number one bestseller. Cartes Postales from Greece, fiction illustrated with photographs, was a Sunday Times bestseller in hardback and one of the biggest selling books of 2016. Victoria's most recent novel, the poignant and powerful Those Who Are Loved, was a Sunday Times number one hardback bestseller in 2019 and explores a tempestuous period of modern Greek history through the eyes of a complex and compelling heroine. Her books have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. Victoria divides her time between England and Greece. In 2020, Victoria was granted Honorary Greek Citizenship by the President of Greece.