This is a lovely historical family saga based over many years- beautiful written and very vivid descriptions of Greece and the way of life. . I loved following the courageous story of Themis and her family and learnt so much about the history of Greece - I was totally ignorant to how much they struggled with extreme hardship and famine. I very nearly gave up about 40% through as I felt the balance tipped more towards giving a political history of Greece rather than telling the story of Themis.. but I persevered and I’m so glad I did. I know many of my book club friends will love this and will certainly be recommending.

An absolutely stunning read that I just loved . Victoria Hislop has yet again written a superb book that tells the reader about a family divided by war in Greece . I was enthralled by this book and would highly recommend this book .

An incredible story!
Victoria Hislop catapults the reader from 2016 - 1930's Athens, Greece to follow the main protagonist, Themis, through the time of Nazi occupation, civil war and military dictatorship.
Through this period Themis experiences, hunger, cruelty, loss and humiliation. But, she also finds friendship, love and purpose.
Aside from Themis, this story includes lots of great characters, well described and thought out, especially through the years.
Victoria Hislop writes scenes of brutality and cruelty that are so vivid I rooted for Themis.
Whilst fiction, this story covers a piece of history not to be forgotten, and I found myself searching about it on the internet.
I will most certainly recommend this book!
Thank you to Netgalley,, Headline & Victoria Hislop for an advance e-book in exchange for an honest review ,

First of all, many thanks to NetGalley, Victoria Hislop and Headline Review for a free digital copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

I have read all of Victoria's other books so I knew that this was going to be a riveting and fascinating read, and I was not disappointed. The tale of Themis and her family plus her friends in Greece from the 1930's to present day helped to educate me as to how difficult the lives of the Greek people really were, not just whilst under German occupation. I have holidayed in various parts of Greece a number of times and it really made me re-evaluate the places I visited and what the families had to endure.

I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who has loved Victoria's other books and suggest new readers give it a go as well! Ideal for taking on your summer holiday.

Thank you to NetGalley, Victoria Hislop and Headline Review for a digital review copy.

I would like to give this book a 5 star rating. As an avid reader of Victoria Hislop's books, this is as well written and descriptive of life as her previous books are. It is the story of Themis and her family and her friends in Greece starting in 1930 to the present day.

Despite having visited Greece four times, I was unaware of how life changed for the Greek people after the German and Italian troops left in 1945.

This book brings Themis and her family to life beautifully and the reader is left wanting more - I was saddened when I suddenly reached the end of the book (a digital book doesn't give as much warning it is nearly at the end as a paper copy).

A must read for the summer of 2019.

My review: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Those who are loved by Victoria Hislop has settings throughout Themis's life, who is in her 90s in the modern day Greece.

It's a family saga, as we see Themis growing up with siblings with very different political views. Themis and her brother Panos support communism, and Margaretha and Thanassis support the right wing, which includes fascists.

The beginning has us meeting Themis telling her story to two of her grandchildren, and the majority of the rest of the book is going through her life, and the life of Greece as it roils under the Nazi's, fascism and civil war.

This was such an education in what happened in Greece in the 20th century. It put historical events into context, and as we could see both political sides, we could see more of the suffering, and the celebration.

Victoria Hislop also wrote The Island, about a family's link to a leper colony, which I read in 2009 (hurrah for GoodReads!), and enjoyed!

Those who are loved is published on 30th May 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Headline Review (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

A book that really makes you think and a highly emotional read. Wonderful characters set against the backdrop of Greece's turbulent history. Another cracking read from Victoria Hislop.

An epic family saga in Greece, I was hooked from the description alone. A wonderful book that makes you think, brings many tears and is full of strong women. I can’t emphasise enough how good this book is. Victoria Hislop is amazing. You need to read this.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Victoria Hislop never disappoints and this book is no exception.
A family saga beginning with the German occupation of Greece and the subsequent civil war right through to the later end of the 20th century.
An engrossing story which I’d both a history lesson and social commentary on the land which most people go for their holiday.
It is a real eye opener to realise what this hospitable nation had to under go to get where it is today and what cruelties people under went to live the life they do today.
A truly remarkable read.

This novel is an epic saga of a family whose lives are inextricably interlaced with the turbulent history of modern Greece.

The main protagonist is the younger daughter Themis and the events in the novel are seen through her eyes. Interestingly, in Greek mythology, Themis is the personification of fairness and natural law. Her symbol – the scales of justice.

This is an engaging and engrossing tale – as we see the family swept along and torn apart by war, occupation and civil war. Themis’ older brother and sister, Thanassis and Margaretha are fervent right-wingers who readily embrace fascism, both native and foreign. When the Germans invade, they eagerly adapt to the new regime and its extreme ideology. The younger siblings, Panos and Themis, are totally opposed to this, becoming more radical as they engage with the Resistance and then the Communist uprising. Through the warring brothers and sisters, we see the great opposing ideologies of the twentieth century played out, and we witness the destruction of a family and a nation.

Themis, like her country, endures war and a bitter peace when she and those like her are savagely punished for their "crimes" and imprisoned on "islands of exile". It is a cruel and brutal regime. Many do not survive. Through her eyes from childhood to maturity, we see the plight of the Smyrna refugees, the discrimination they suffer, and the abject poverty war brings as the Nazi occupiers systematically strip Greece of food and fuel. In one winter alone, fifty thousand Athenians died of malnutrition and cold.

Hislop charts the history of modern Greece through the lives of her characters – from the harsh regimes of German and Greek fascists to the political oppression of the Colonels – until, at last, Themis reaches a time of reconciliation and civil accord. Victoria Hislop does this with great skill, painstakingly revealing this turmoil as it affects the lives of her characters, so this is never a dull treatise on a little known history, but always a vivid and real depiction of people’s lives, the only history that matters.

Themis lives on from youth to age, through hardship and imprisonment, forming loves and friendships on the way. She is Scarlett O’Hara with a conscience. Sensitive and intelligent, she absorbs the attributes of those she has loved and lost, proving the truth and wisdom of the title – a quotation from an elegy written by the Greek poet Ritsos, “Those who are loved/Shall never die.”

This is a profoundly moving and instructive book. Hislop is a good writer rather than a great one, and she cannot come close to the searing prose of Kazantzakis, but her handling of historical material, interwoven with colourful and engaging characters, is masterful and assured.

I think this is one of the most interesting books I have read in a long time. It compelled my attention throughout its long story, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.

Melanie

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Another masterpiece from Victoria Hislop who always seems to get to the heart of the characters as they confront the horror and deprivation suffered in the Greek civil war.

A wonderfully engaging story set in wartime Greece.

Renowned author Victoria Hislop returns to early to mid 20th century Greece to introduce us to the life of heroine Themis, who begins the story as a young woman and as her life story opens up we follow her into her future as Greece struggles with the occupation of her country by Germans. Greece is split in two by politics and war and I wondered if the historic political details may make this book a touch difficult for me to follow. However I found it is superbly easy to engage with such a likeable protagonist as Themis and I slid into her life like a bath of warm olive oil, was drawn into her world, redolent with the aromas and arguments of Greek family life and swept along by the barrage of events occurring in what begins as a simple life and builds into one of remarkable heroism, determination and selfless compassion.

As I am part of the Blog tour for this book, I will wait until my blog post goes live before posting the remainder of my review online and will share my links at that point.

I have always enjoyed Victoria Hislop's books, and this was not an exception. It has felt like a long wait for this new novel, and I can see why. 'Those That Are Loved' strikes a good balance between providing a lot of historic information and the story of one woman and her family living through the many challenges in Greece in the Twentieth Century.
I really liked the character of Themis. She is a strong and brave. She loves her family despite their political differences and their complicated history. She endures extreme hardship, but still has to potential to love. I am sure there are many women in Greece who lived through the terror and hardship of occupation, civil war, and then a cruel dictatorship who must have many stories to tell. It felt like Themis was providing them with a voice.
I knew about the Nazi occupation (largely thanks to Captain Corelli's Mandolin) but so much of the history was new to me. Themis is inspiring and an excellent female role model.
For me this is a 4.5* review.
Thank you to #NetGalley and Victoria Hislop. I really enjoyed #ThoseWhoAreLoved and I will recommend it.

Victoria Hislop has always loved Greece - but unlike many authors who write summer reads set in sun-drenched locations, it's the country's history and its people which fascinates her. This time she looks at Greece's troubled 20th Century, focusing on bright, fair-minded Themis and her family - divided by extremism and war but still held together by love - and their grandmother's resourceful cooking skills.

As the dust settles on World War Two political divisions deepen and everyone is forced to pick a side - stand with the right wing authoritarians or fight for individual freedom and Themis makes a decision which will change her life forever. A sweeping story which unfolds over decades, Those Who Are Loved opens your eyes to Greece's history through characters you'll fall in love with.

I had no idea of this part of Greeks history, The book is set before and during world war two up to more recent times. It is a family saga describing the struggles caused by civil unrest and the German occupation. The family is torn apart by different political allegiances and their consequences. I absolutely loved this book and have no hesitation in giving it 5*

An amazing read. This story had me near to tears so many times. I did not know anything about this part of Greek history. There is so much heartache in this book but there is a lot of love as well. I love reading historical fiction and this book has obviously been very well researched. I was totally immersed in this book from the start and got totally caught up in everything that was happening to Themis and her family.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

An extremely powerful and beautiful novel, well researched and masterfully written. I hesitated before embarking on it, as I feared that it would be distressing and disturbing. It was indeed, but it was also immensely moving and positive. The power and strength of love lifts it from depressing to inspiring. The history is painstakingly researched and the characters magnificently drawn. Victoria Hislop writes thought provoking novels that will linger in the mind long after you turn the final page. It is a long time since I have been moved to tears by the written word in a novel. This book moved me profoundly, taught me about what was, for me, an unknown period of history, and filled me with a deep sense of hope. It is a must read.

Those Who Are Loved is a powerful, compelling novel that immerses the reader in the life of Themis and her family, raised from early childhood by her matriarch grandmother. The novel steps back in time to Themis early childhood, living under Nazi occupation in Athens, but that is only the beginning of Themis story, and we follow her journey through adulthood, one where she will face many challenges, angry at her fellow Greeks who collaborated with the Nazis, she makes the life changing decision to fight alongside the communists during the civil war. This is a story of one ordinary woman who lived an extraordinary life.

Rather like real life Themis story is one of heartbreak, joy, regrets, and the moments in life that will haunt her until her dying day. I felt I was living and breathing Themis’s story, although I didn’t agree with some of her choices and actions, her story is an incredible one. It was interesting to see how a young timid Themis overshadowed by her older brothers and sisters grew into a feisty, resourceful and determined woman who showed great courage throughout her life. Although Themis story is fiction, it’s one built around true life events, I’m sure there are many Greeks who can relate to the atrocities Themis witnessed throughout her life. Victoria Hislop brings each character deftly to life, some like Themis will remain with you long after you reach the last page of this compelling novel.

Victoria Hislop sheds light on the complexity and trauma of Greece’s past, it’s obvious she has meticulously researched her subject, and thanks to her descriptive prose It’s easy to summon up images of a Greece that was once a country blighted by poverty and hardship, it’s people divided by politics. The author weaves an epic tale of family, adversary, and the difficulties faced by thousands of Greeks from 1941 onwards. This is definitely one for those who love historical fiction, or those who enjoy a rich in detail family sagas. Personally I found Those Who Are Loved a delightful and engrossing read. Highly recommended

This is an epic story of war torn Greece, both World Wars and Civil wars, through the eyes of one woman. The book starts at the time of the most recent financial crisis and the storyteller then reminisces, to the surprise of some of the younger generation. As well as being a tale of a country finding it's own identity, this is about the struggle of women who want to be more than homemakers. I was surprised and shocked at some of the events which are recounted, particularly starvation and senseless cruelty. There was a bit too much politics for me, but otherwise a marvelous read.

Thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Having read all of this paddy's books was delighted to get an early copy one once again was totally delighted I love how she can portray the hard ship that Greece has gone through. this book has been extremely well researched and delivers 100%. Can highly recommend