the return book review victoria hislop

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by Victoria Hislop ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 6, 2009

A complex, beautiful tale of loss, loyalty and the past recaptured.

Can a London girl in a miserable marriage find happiness taking dancing lessons in southern Spain?

Partly to escape the dourness of urban life and partly at the insistence of her old friend Maggie, Sonia embarks on a semi-spontaneous trip to Granada to literally kick up her heels. Getting away from her stuffy, usually drunk husband James is an added inducement. Sonia’s sweet father Jack married a Spanish woman in the 1950s, so Iberian fire is to some extent already in her blood. During her brief initial visit to Granada, Sonia finds a spiritual home. While exploring the city, she comes across El Barril, a cozy café run by Miguel, a survivor of the Spanish Civil War, and is intrigued by some posters and photographs of Mercedes, a flamenco dancer, and Ignacio, a young bullfighter. Sonia’s jaunt to Granada frames the main narrative: Miguel’s long reminiscence of life in Spain shortly before and during the Civil War. It turns out that Mercedes and Ignacio were children of the café’s former owners, Concha and Pablo Ramírez, whose family was torn apart by conflicting loyalties during the war. Hislop ( The Island , 2007) uses the Ramírezes to symbolize and personalize the conflict. Miguel takes us back into the past. Along the way he traces the fates of the Pablo, Concha and their four children. Pablo sacrificed himself rather than let his wife go to prison for listening to subversive radio broadcasts; one of their sons was jailed for his sexual orientation as well as his left-leaning politics; Mercedes traveled across the country in search of the love of her life, a flamenco guitarist whose gypsy blood made him of interest to the fascists. Meanwhile, Sonia discovers some secrets that link her family to the Ramirezes.

Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-06-171541-9

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2009

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A LITTLE LIFE

by Hanya Yanagihara ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2015

The phrase “tour de force” could have been invented for this audacious novel.

Four men who meet as college roommates move to New York and spend the next three decades gaining renown in their professions—as an architect, painter, actor and lawyer—and struggling with demons in their intertwined personal lives.

Yanagihara ( The People in the Trees , 2013) takes the still-bold leap of writing about characters who don’t share her background; in addition to being male, JB is African-American, Malcolm has a black father and white mother, Willem is white, and “Jude’s race was undetermined”—deserted at birth, he was raised in a monastery and had an unspeakably traumatic childhood that’s revealed slowly over the course of the book. Two of them are gay, one straight and one bisexual. There isn’t a single significant female character, and for a long novel, there isn’t much plot. There aren’t even many markers of what’s happening in the outside world; Jude moves to a loft in SoHo as a young man, but we don’t see the neighborhood change from gritty artists’ enclave to glitzy tourist destination. What we get instead is an intensely interior look at the friends’ psyches and relationships, and it’s utterly enthralling. The four men think about work and creativity and success and failure; they cook for each other, compete with each other and jostle for each other’s affection. JB bases his entire artistic career on painting portraits of his friends, while Malcolm takes care of them by designing their apartments and houses. When Jude, as an adult, is adopted by his favorite Harvard law professor, his friends join him for Thanksgiving in Cambridge every year. And when Willem becomes a movie star, they all bask in his glow. Eventually, the tone darkens and the story narrows to focus on Jude as the pain of his past cuts deep into his carefully constructed life.  

Pub Date: March 10, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-385-53925-8

Page Count: 720

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015

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by Hanya Yanagihara

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PERSPECTIVES

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE

by J.D. Salinger ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 15, 1951

A strict report, worthy of sympathy.

A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen ) has a compulsive impact.

"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….

Pub Date: June 15, 1951

ISBN: 0316769177

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951

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by J.D. Salinger

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Booklover Book Reviews

THE RETURN by Victoria Hislop, Book Review: Engrossing

The Return (2008) is Victoria Hislop’s second novel. Her debut novel, The Island (2005) was included in The Times ‘100 Books That Defined the Noughties’.

The Return Synopsis

The author of the beloved international bestseller The Island , Victoria Hislop now transports the reader to Granada, Spain, in a time of historic turmoil.

The Return is a colorful and spellbinding saga of a family inspired by music and dance, only to be torn apart by fragile hearts and divided loyalties during the bitter war that brought the dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco to power.

Genre: Historical, Drama, Romance

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BOOK REVIEW

Engrossing. Victoria Hislop captures readers in a trance with The Return , an epic family drama spanning generations, country borders and political affiliations.

This is a story within a story. Ordinarily, I would say “oh no, not again” because we have all seen this novel structure done many times and all too often badly executed – but Hislop’s execution was picture-perfect for me. Hislop lets the reader get to know and empathise with the characters in the outer story well before opening the door to the gritty story within. The linking is not gratuitous – it is well structured and carefully developed.

I listened to this novel on audio and was transfixed, swept away by the imagery, passion and tragedy of the Ramirez family’s plight during the Spanish Civil War. Credit goes to the narrator Judy Bennett for her excellent timing and ability to convey the mood of the characters. I am often moved by works of fiction – but generally only in an introspective sense. As The Return neared its conclusion I found myself so invested in the characters I had become teary (beautiful, but not so great while driving).

One of the wonderful things about historical fiction such as The Return is the history lesson that stays with you long after reading.

I am ashamed to say that I knew little about the Spanish Civil War before reading this novel, and it has sparked my interest in reading more fictional works about this culture and period in European history.

The power and passion of dance is a key element that binds the generations, and the story being told. Those that appreciate the art of dance will respect Hislop’s attention to detail and the beautiful imagery she paints through her words. The same goes for lovers of coffee.

The shocking brutality and suffering contrasted with unflinching strength of human spirit produces a tale with real depth and heart, one that is ultimately inspiring. I highly recommend immersing yourself in The Return .

BOOK RATING: The Writing 4.5 / 5 ; The Story 4.5 / 5

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About the Author, Victoria Hislop

Victoria Hislop is the internationally bestselling author of The Island and The Return . In the United Kingdom, she writes travel features for The Sunday Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, House & Garden, and Woman & Home. The Island sold over a million copies in the UK and has been translated into 24 languages. Victoria’s second novel, The Return , has been published in more than a dozen languages. She lives in Kent, with her husband Ian and their two children.

A booklover with diverse reading interests, who has been reviewing books and sharing her views and opinions on this website and others since 2009.

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Review: The Return by Victoria Hislop

At the risk of sounding pretentious—although it’s no secret to people who know me that I love to travel—I picked up a copy of The Return: A Novel   while wandering the back streets of Antibes seeking shade at the height of the 2019 heat wave ( la canicule, as the French called it). The flamenco dancer on the cover first caught my eye because I love flamenco dancing and I was on the look-out for dance-themed novels for Art In Fiction. I was then fascinated to discover that the novel took place both in the present and during the Spanish Civil War, a time in history of which I have almost zero knowledge. 

In The Return: A Novel , a flamenco guitar player (a tocadores ) and a flamenco dancer (a bailaora ) in 1930s Granada fall in love and are separated during the terrible excesses of the Spanish Civil War. Their journey–with its heartbreaks and redemption—form the core of the novel. The Return: A Novel   is also a dual-time story about a character in contemporary times who longs to dance and travels to Granada, only to uncover an unknown—and explosive—family history. The novel is sweeping in its scope as both an intimate portrait of one family’s survival of a horrific time in history and a broad depiction of the politics leading to the Civil War. I loved this book and, thanks to the compelling descriptions of flamenco woven through the narrative, knew immediately that the novel belonged on Art In Fiction. 

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The Return by Victoria Hislop

• Publication Date: October 6, 2009
• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• ISBN-10: 0061715417
• ISBN-13: 9780061715419
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The Return: A Novel

By Victoria Hislop

Already a #1 bestseller in the UK, The Return is a captivating new novel of family, love, and betrayal set against a backdrop of civil war, flamenco, and fiery Spanish passion. The author of the beloved international bestseller The Island, Victoria Hislop now transports the reader to Granada, Spain, in a time of historic turmoil. The Return is a colorful and spellbinding saga of a family inspired by music and dance, only to be torn apart by fragile hearts and divided loyalties during the bitter war that brought the dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco to power.

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Average rating: 5

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The Return: The 'captivating and deeply moving' Number One bestseller Kindle Edition

'A beautiful book, story, piece of history. From the haunting tones of the flamenco to a country ravaged by fanaticism. Hardly a day goes past since finishing this book that I don't think about some aspect of it. One of the best books I have read in a long time' Real Reader Review, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Granada's cobbled streets resonate with music and secrets and Sonia Cameron is here to dance. She knows nothing of the city's past. But in a quiet café, a chance conversation and a collection of photographs draws her into the tale of Spain's devastating civil war. Seventy years earlier, the café is home to the Ramírez family, when Franco's army coup shatters the fragile peace and they witness the worst atrocities of conflict. Divided by politics and tragedy, everyone must take a side, as Spain rips itself apart.

Discover for yourself why 10 million readers and critics worldwide love Victoria Hislop's books . . .

*victoria hislop's most recent novel, the figurine, is out now.*.

• Print length 596 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Review
• Publication date 10 Feb. 2008
• File size 3039 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• See all details

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From the Publisher

Product description

‘At last – a beach book with a heart’

'A compelling story that has rarely left the bestseller list this year and deservedly so'

From the Back Cover

From the internationally bestselling author of The Island comes a dazzling new novel of family betrayals, forbidden love, and historical turmoil.

Sonia knows nothing of Granada's shocking past, but ordering a simple cup of coffee in a quiet café will lead her into the extraordinary tale of a family's fight to survive the horror of the Spanish Civil War.

Seventy years earlier, in the Ramírez family's café, Concha and Pablo's children relish an atmosphere of hope. Antonio is a serious young teacher, Ignacio a flamboyant matador, and Emilio a skilled musician. Their sister, Mercedes, is a spirited girl whose sole passion is dancing, until she meets Javier and an obsessive love affair begins. But Spain is a country in turmoil. In the heat of civil war, everyone must take a side and choose whether to submit, to fight, or to attempt escape.

About the Author

Product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002S0KBTK
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Review (10 Feb. 2008)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 3039 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 596 pages
• 200 in Women's Historical Fiction
• 252 in Women's Literary Fiction (Kindle Store)
• 263 in Contemporary Literary Fiction

About the author

Victoria hislop.

Victoria Hislop is the international bestselling author of The Island and The Return. In the United Kingdom, she writes travel features for The Sunday Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, House & Garden, and Woman & Home. The Island sold over a million copies in the UK and has been translated into 24 languages. Victoria’s second novel, The Return, has been published in more than a dozen languages. She lives in Kent, with her husband Ian and their two children.

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• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 59% 25% 10% 3% 3% 59%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 59% 25% 10% 3% 3% 25%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 59% 25% 10% 3% 3% 10%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 59% 25% 10% 3% 3% 3%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 59% 25% 10% 3% 3% 3%

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Customers say

Customers find the content colorful, engrossing, and accurate. They also describe the story as delightfully fulfilling and revealing. Readers praise the writing style as erudite, compelling, very readable, and capture the imagination with wonderful descriptions. Opinions are mixed on the narrative, with some finding it fascinating and interesting, while others say it's not quite as compelling. Customers also have mixed feelings about the emotional tone, with those who enjoy the intrigue, romance, and sorrow, while other find the ending corny and predictable.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the story delightfully fulfilling, captivating, and well done. They also mention that the narrative weaves its path through some of the most interesting events in the Spanish Civil War.

"A beautiful story , this author never disappoints." Read more

"...The part dealing with the Spanish Civil War is very interesting and extremely sad..." Read more

"...It's a good read about a conflict not widely known given that as soon as it ended it became overshadowed by the start of WW2...." Read more

"My favourite writer by far!This story has not only been a super read , but has inspired me to go visit some of the places mentioned in this..." Read more

Customers find the book colorful, engrossing, and educational. They also appreciate the research and descriptions of Granada. Readers say it provides an outline of a terrible time in Spanish history and makes them want to visit those places.

"...references to the civil war in everyday life so it was great to gain a better understanding of what people went through not that long ago...." Read more

"...You will learn a lot about that war. There are also some wonderful descriptions of flamenco and bull fighting, although the latter to me seems awful...." Read more

"Didn’t much like the contemporary part of book but the historical bit was awful , harrowing but well written and well researched - really brought..." Read more

"...It is accurate in its historical detail and it also manages to convey some of the human costs involved in the civil war by concentrating on one..." Read more

Customers find the writing style erudite, compelling, and very readable. They say the books captivate the reader and make them want to visit those places. Readers also mention that the books are full of knowledge and empathy.

"...part of book but the historical bit was awful, harrowing but well written and well researched - really brought history to life" Read more

"...It is more palatable than the more scholarly works and the facts may even stick." Read more

"...It is a perfectly readable story of Mercedes and her family, and how they are destroyed, along with millions of other innocents, in the civil war,..." Read more

"...The story is sad, but it it is well written and I felt for the characters and became fascinated by the historical events and really enjoyed it...." Read more

Customers find the characters wonderful and interesting. They also mention that the book moves between characters with ease.

"...created a family that I both love and hate, with such a realistic mix of personalities that I feel I could walk through the front door of "el barril..." Read more

"...sometimes hard hitting plot takes you across Spain and moves between characters with ease telling of their individual fights for survival...." Read more

"...Saying that though I felt the characters came to life and I thoroughly enjoyed the book and feel as if I have learned some history." Read more

"...This book was a revelation- sad but fascinating, with wonderful characters . This author really researches her subjects." Read more

Customers are mixed about the emotional tone. Some find the book enjoyable with intrigue, romance, and sorrow. They also appreciate the satisfying ending. However, some readers feel the ending is corny and predictable. They say the book relies on coincidences a lot.

"...part dealing with the Spanish Civil War is very interesting and extremely sad (but unfortunately true for thousands of families and displaced people)..." Read more

"...The story is sad , but it it is well written and I felt for the characters and became fascinated by the historical events and really enjoyed it...." Read more

"...like the contemporary part of book but the historical bit was awful, harrowing but well written and well researched - really brought history to life" Read more

"...It is a good introduction to that particular war.The story itself is rather cliched , more a vehicle to carry the account of the Civil War and..." Read more

Customers find the narrative fascinating, engrossing, and perceptive. They also say the book is involving, especially main families and background. However, some readers say the authenticity and the reader's involvement wanes at times.

"...nothing about The Spanish Civil War and found this book to be an eye-opener in its description of the atrocities...." Read more

"...takes over the characters lose their authenticity and the reader's involvement wanes ." Read more

"...This book was a revelation- sad but fascinating , with wonderful characters. This author really researches her subjects." Read more

"This is the best book I have read about the Spanish Civil War. Engrossing and moving." Read more

Customers find the plot extremely drawn out, horrible in its cliches and errors, naive, and far-fetched. They also describe the book as condescending, irrelevant, and ruined in their opinion.

"...However the style was sloany and obvious.Pleasant read." Read more

"...thought that the background family storyline was very unlikely and far-fetched ...." Read more

"...-day part of it seem entirely irrelevant, unncessary and ruined it in my opinion ...." Read more

"I didn't think much of this book at first as it seemed a bit trashy and naive , but as the book developed into Part 2 it became more interesting and..." Read more

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ISBN: 0755332946

ISBN13: 9780755332946

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Format: Paperback

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Book Overview

Already a #1 bestseller in the UK, The Return is a captivating new novel of family, love, and betrayal set against a backdrop of civil war, flamenco, and fiery Spanish passion. The author of the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

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Super look at spain, much like memoirs of a geisha introduced us to japan, the return takes us to the time of spain durin, gripping account of the spanish civil war, ole ole, popular categories.

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The Return Hardcover – Import, January 1, 2008

• Print length 384 pages
• Language English
• Publisher HEADLINE REVIEW
• Publication date January 1, 2008
• Dimensions 6.54 x 1.61 x 9.49 inches
• ISBN-10 0755332938
• ISBN-13 978-0755332939
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ HEADLINE REVIEW; First Edition (January 1, 2008)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0755332938
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0755332939
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.72 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.54 x 1.61 x 9.49 inches

About the author

Victoria hislop.

Victoria Hislop is the international bestselling author of The Island and The Return. In the United Kingdom, she writes travel features for The Sunday Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, House & Garden, and Woman & Home. The Island sold over a million copies in the UK and has been translated into 24 languages. Victoria’s second novel, The Return, has been published in more than a dozen languages. She lives in Kent, with her husband Ian and their two children.

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• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 48% 34% 12% 3% 2% 2%

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the storyline compelling, well-researched, and touching. They describe the reading experience as great and the writing style as stilted but very readable. Customers also appreciate the wonderfully developed characters. Opinions are mixed on the pacing, with some finding it excellent and others saying it's slow.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the storyline compelling, fascinating, and well-told. They also say it gives a great insight into the effect of the Spanish Civil War, and it captures Spain with a few words. Readers describe the book as comprehensive, sensitive, and moving. They say it brings them to tears with evocative personal introduction to a horrible historical period.

"...has helped me understand the conflict and at the same time told an interesting story . One of the best novels on this subject." Read more

"... Pretty interesting about the Spanish Civil War , and I read it because much of it takes place in Grenada, and I will be visiting there soon...." Read more

"...It has so many parallels to today, too! Fascinating to see the Spanish immigrants and how they were treated by Europe as the fled their homes to..." Read more

"...characters are wonderfully developed and I will miss them The story is bitter sweet , I couldn't help but grieve for what might have been...." Read more

Customers find the book a great, interesting, and brilliant read. They also say it captures Spain with a few words and makes them feel.

"... One of the best novels on this subject ." Read more

"...A beautiful novel and a fabulous look at the life of Spain, the passion behind flamenco, the risks behind bullfighting, and the trials families face..." Read more

"... Absolutely a great read . Just bought it for my mother for Mother's Day!" Read more

"...Thank, you, Victoria Hislop, for penning this wonderful novel that educates as well as entertains." Read more

Customers find the writing style stilted, but readable and lyrically poetic. They also say the events are drawn with real passion and are thoughtful and moving.

"Well, first of all, the writing was good . The book flowed, and I didn't feel any lagging, which is good...." Read more

"...(especially the dialogue) is a little stilted but it's still very readable ...." Read more

"...The writing is competent if not dazzling , and both the frame story and the historical story embedded in it are quite compelling...." Read more

"...Again it’s deniably great writing ...." Read more

Customers find the characters wonderfully developed.

"...The characters were believable and easy to invest in...." Read more

"...The characters are wonderfully developed and I will miss them The story is bitter sweet, I couldn't help but grieve for what might have been...." Read more

" Good characters . I grew a little impatient with the level of detail simply because it was such a confusing time in Spain...." Read more

"Found it a little dull in middle of book, but a very good story with colorful characters . By far The Is!and was her best book to date." Read more

Customers find the imagery in the book beautiful and inviting. They also say the setting makes them want to visit Spain.

"...I saw the ending from a mile away, it was developed and presented in a very sweet manner , and in no way detracted from the impact...." Read more

"...A beautiful novel and a fabulous look at the life of Spain , the passion behind flamenco, the risks behind bullfighting, and the trials families face..." Read more

"...How nice to be educated while reading for pleasure.The setting was so inviting it made me want to visit Spain...." Read more

"I would recommend this... a great read... full of beautiful imagery and a poignant story line. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did." Read more

Customers find the story in the book hard to put down.

"...I've read all of her books and they were all informative and hard to put down ." Read more

"...A really touching finish. Very hard to put down . A must read." Read more

"...I really enjoyed reading this. it was an easy , quick read." Read more

"...Would recommend it to friends. Very hard book to put down ." Read more

Customers are mixed about the pacing. Some find the book compelling, with an excellent tempo, while others say the story is rather slow and contrived.

"...However, the telling tended to drag a bit . During the story I started to pick up hints about why the story was being told...." Read more

"...The book flowed, and I didn't feel any lagging , which is good...." Read more

"...I gave it only 4 stars because it devotes a little too much time to the Spanish Civil War and not enough to developing the main characters." Read more

"...But the story kept me fascinated, entertained, and turning the pages so fast I couldn't put it down...." Read more

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