Cover Image: Those Who Are Loved

Those Who Are Loved

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Member Reviews

I read this whilst on holiday in Greece, hooked from the first page. I knew very little about the German occupation of Greece and the civil war that followed. I find Hislop's novels are gripping yet educational, no wonder she is so popular in Greece! Raising awareness of the history of such a beautiful country.

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I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

5 star review!

What an unforgettable read! Absolutely loved this book and you can never go wrong with a victoria hislop novel.

Thank you for giving me this free copy

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I love reading Victoria Hislop, and this novel was no exception. Those who are loved is a beautifully written, moving account of a WW2 we hear little about. The Nazi occupation of Greece. There was so much about this book that I loved, but it's one of those that needs to be explored individually with no spoilers!

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If you’re looking for an atmospheric read steeped in history and vivid with description then look no further than Victoria Hislop. The first book I read from this author was The Sunrise and for weeks afterwards I would google Famagusta to read more about it and look at the images captured that resonated so deeply after reading the book. Those Who Are Loved sparked the same feelings with its rich story telling of the troubles in Greece during the civil war and the recovery of one family in the aftermath.

It’s very easy to immerse yourself in Victoria’s writing and characters as the description is so detailed that it brings the emotions to the very surface. I listened to this on audio which I think enhanced the read overall. Historical fiction isn’t generally speaking my thing but I’ve definitely enjoyed a few of Victoria’s books. The next one on my TBR is One August Night which is a sequel to The Island.

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Those who are loved was a beautifully moving story. I always enjoy Victoria Hislop's historical fiction and this is another excellent trip into the past. Exquisite.

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This book tells the story of the Nazi occupation in Greece
This is so harrowing in places
The author writes this so well and keeps you invested in the story.
Perfect for fans of multi generational stories.

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This is such a late review and once I’d read the novel I was so sorry it had been on the TBR shelf languishing for so long. I loved The Island. It was one of those books that surprised me, because I think I’d dismissed it as holiday fodder, so I read it long after everyone else had. I found it moving, beautifully written and with so much historical and local detail that I almost felt as if I’d been there. This novel set in Athens in 1941 has the same detail and an incredible skill for weaving her story into a complex and volatile history. We follow fifteen year old Themis, resident in Athens, who is becoming aware of tensions within her own family regarding the Nazi occupation of Greece. Greece had suffered political unrest before the invasion and now people have become polarise between the left and right-wing. In the meantime, the country is becoming destitute, and famine starts to steal its way into people’s lives. She sees friends lost to hunger and starts to feel a need to resist the occupation. Then at the end of occupation the country breaks into civil war. Themis becomes a Communist fighter and experiences first hand the horror and complexity of a war where Greek is fighting Greek. People she has known and loved may become her enemy. She is eventually captured and imprisoned on one of the islands reserved for exiles. She meets a prisoner there whose life becomes enmeshed in hers and she will have to make a choice between her political principles and her strong desire to get through this and carry on living.
It took a while for this story to fully come to life for me. There was a lot of history and background to set in place first. I have to own up to being completely ignorant of Greece’s history in the 20th Century. I knew it had been occupied, but I didn’t know about the civil war. The author was trying to explain the fractures within politics and society, within the history of one family and I do normally like that sort of saga. Ironically, I think the book was missing that ingredient I was so dismissive of at the beginning - that feeling of escape that she usually brings to her novels, This was beautifully written and well researched but the story didn’t grab me in the same way as her others,

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Victoria Hislop has written another wonderfully atmospheric historical fiction based in Greece. I was quickly drawn into the life of Themis and I feel that not only have I enjoyed a beautifully crafted piece of fiction but I have also had a real eye opening insight about the fairly recent history of Greece that I was completely unaware of.
Anyone who has enjoyed “The Island” and “The Thread” certainly won’t be disappointed with this book. As always she has woven an in depth, intriguing story around actual historical events which had me mesmerised and enthralled.
I would highly recommend this for historical fiction fans and rated it 5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

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Such a beautifully written book. The characters are really brought to life and you get so engrossed in the whole family from the time of the war right up to date. I don't know much about this part of Greece's history but it sounds so very brutal. I will certainly be reading more by this author.

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I haven’t read a book by Victoria which I haven’t loved yet and this is no different, set in Greece and as usual unputtdownable.

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The book starts in Athens in 2016 where Themis an old lady is surrounded by her family for a birthday gathering. Her last gift to her family is her life story which she starts to tell.

We then go back to the 1930’s where Thesis is growing up with her siblings Thanasis, Panos and Margarita. The family is divided over their beliefs of the war and the communists ruling Greece. Thesis finds it hard to put her point of view across over her head strong brothers who are always arguing!!

Themis joins the communists fighters but ends up as a prisoner enduring physical violence and hard labour. When she is released she later marries and has a family, but what happened to her is always like a black cloud hanging over her.

This book is well researched, it’s characters are well formed especially Thesis who you can’t help but love.

Even if you are not into history this book is a delightful read which is totally engrossing.

Will definitely look out for Victoria Hislop’s next book.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

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While this wasn’t my favourite of Victoria’s books, I still really enjoyed it. If you are feeling down about the state of the world this will definitely help out things in perspective. Set in Greece, it spans years of conflict and its devastating consequences – fear, loss, poverty, hunger and family division. What I really loved was the portrayal of female strength; we really can deal with anything to protect our families.
Thanks to Netgalley and Headline for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

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Another superb story set in Greece. This time the setting is the Nazi invasion of Greece and the civil war that followed. The main character Themis, comes from a family split politically between Nazi sympathisers and communists. Her beliefs are so strong they shape her immediate future but this has consequences for the rest of her life. I didn't want this book to end it was beautifully written and had such a strong main character.

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Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a free copy in return for an open and honest review.

Victoria Hislop is a gifted prolific author, and her books are always of the highest quality. This one didn't disappoint. Her knowledge of Greek History is formidable. Well-researched with good characters. Recommended.

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I have loved all her books and this one is no different. A perfect blend of history and family drama. A story told from the ground up, not from those in power.

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Brilliant!

Once again Victoria Hislop brings Greek history to life and makes its so much easier to grasp and understand, pulling you along with all the emotion and heartache endured by the characters.

I have loved all her previous books and this one did not disappoint!

My thanks to NetGalley and Headline for the opportunity to read and review honestly.

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What an incredibly haunting novel. This is my second time reading one of Hislop’s novels and she is a brilliant writer. This tells the story of Themis, a young girl growing up in Greece during the German occupation and throughout the rest of the 20th century. The novel begins in 2016 when Themis, who is now a grandma, decides to tell two of her grandchildren her life story. A life of hardship, heartbreak, war, politics, family and more.

I loved the beginning of this novel and the depiction of the family dynamics of how Themis’s relationship was with her siblings when younger. From the offset Hislop brilliantly represented the struggles that Greece faced and how political beliefs split the country and families. Themis and her brother Panos believe in the communist regime, whereas her other two siblings begin by praising the German occupation. This family conflict continues throughout the novel, much to the dismay of their grandmother.

Themis goes off and joins the communist army to fight for her nation and her people. This bit was a heavy read, but was so well researched. I did lose a bit of interest in this bit, which was probably due to how heavy it was as I just found it draining to read. But, I think that’s the point, it is meant to be harrowing. Hislop depicts the atrocities to well. I loved how although Themis was a communist, she still acknowledged the faults of this party and the crimes they committed. It showed a level of balance and the reality of war.

When Themis discovered she was pregnant when in the interment camp, my interest was reignited. The love she had for her baby brought me to tears and I rooted for Themis even more. Her journey back to her family was so special and I loved seeing her reunited with them, even if her and her brother Thanasis disagree about politics.

I loved Themis’s dedication to her children and her family and how these became her focus and her life. It was beautiful and showed what she was fighting for whilst in the civil war. I also loved how her and Thanasis eventually overcame their challenges with each other and became closer due to Themis’s children. This was beautiful and it shows how the past can be forgiven and forgotten.

There was a lot of heavy content in this book, so expect torture, death, mentions of rape, and lots of grief. The depiction of grief in this novel was beautifully haunting and so well done. I cried quite a bit during the second half of this book and was so invested in the life of Themis and her family. The ending was perfect and I loved that Themis passed her story on to her grandchildren and future generations. A very special piece of historical fiction and one that I definitely recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley and Headline publishing for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

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This was certainly an enjoyable enough read. The storyline itself was full of historical facts, and carried with it a political theme.
I thought the characters were wonderfully written, and you found yourself easily able to sympathise with them throughout.

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I really enjoy books by this author. This one was too focused on politics for me to really enjoy. It also passed through time quickly in places and went very slowly in others, the pacing off. I think it could have been a shorter book and spent more time focusing on other elements of the sibling relationships. I felt that it didn’t flow well. It could have been better to add more substance and remove the repetition.

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I greatly enjoyed this book, thank you for giving me a preview copy. The plot was interesting and fast paced and I sympathised with the characters. This is the first novel I have read by this author but I hope it will not be the last!

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