This is the first time I have read a Dinah Jefferies novel, I am almost ashamed to say, but what a treat it was. This family saga spans the years from 1920's to the 30's and is set in the glorious island of Corfu, where we witness an invasion of Italian naval troops. Mayhem ensues and a young boy, Billy Caruthers, goes missing. His family stay away for some years from the island and move back to the UK as they try to restore some semblance of their previous lives. while dealing with their grief and guilt over what happened. Thirza, the boy's sister returns seven years later with their cousin, and sets about restoring their family home that had been damaged by the marauding Italians. Her heart has always been in Corfu. Will she find true happiness and contentment after the traumatic events in 1923?
This is a beautifully written book, a great read full of intrigue, dynamic family relationships, love, tragedy and a great ending.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. I loved it!

Set in wonderfully portrayed Corfu the story of a family with secrets kept hidden . The storyline takes place in the 1920s and 30s. It centres round the disappearance of the child Billy at the time of the Italian invasion of the island and tears the family apart . On returning to the island Thirza , his sister, tries to immerse herself in painting but as her time continues she becomes embroiled in the secrets around her brother’s disappearance. The main thrust of the tale is in the complex human relationships

I’ve read other books by this author so was excited to receive “The Greek House” as a review copy. Set in the 1920s and early 1930s on the Greek Island of Corfu this is the story of Dulcie and her daughter, Thirza, both strong female characters.
On a day of turmoil when Italian soldiers invade the island of Corfu, Dulcie’s 9 year old son, Billy disappears and is eventually presumed dead. Dulcie’s marriage to Piers has always been difficult and this completely destroys them. Dulcie leaves Corfu and their beautiful house, never to return whilst Piers remains on the island.
Thirza misses her home and feels that she has also lost her mother who continues to mourn her missing son. She cannot settle in England and eventually she decides to return to Corfu to rid herself of the ghosts of her brother and spruce up the family home in the hope her mother will return there.
She finds her father whom she has seen little of, a completely changed man and they gradually start to form a relationship. Then she meets her new neighbour and things change once again. Romance is in the air but with many difficulties along the way.
This is a family saga with a tragedy at its heart, a tragedy that has an effect on all the characters and changes them in unimaginable ways. They have to learn to live again after the terrible event and this proves hard, particularly for Dulcie, Billy’s mother. She is the least likeable of the characters and has made some strange decisions but I can see why she withdraws after losing her son.
I really liked the character of Thirza who grows from a grieving teenager to become a strong and successful woman in the course of the novel.
I enjoyed the setting of Corfu, somewhere I’ve never visited and it definitely made me want to book a holiday to explore the island. This would be a great Summer read, perfect to keep you occupied on a sunny beach!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

A really great story from start to finish keeping you in suspense for much of it. I am not normally a fan of anything written in the past however this was a great combination of modern writing reflective of 100 years ago.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was a nice feel good read with great characters and a good storyline. I enjoyed it.

I had high hopes for this book but unfortunately it fell a bit flat. It is not a bad book, I just think I expected more. That said, the beautiful description of the setting is fabulous and makes you yearn to get on a plane to Corfu.

Dinah Jefferies is someone who always goes straight on my to-read list and so when I was offered a pre-release copy of The Greek House, I was very excited, especially since I will be spending time in Greece this summer!
The story is told in third person in two different time periods. The first section is told from Dulcie's point of view and opens moments before the Italian bombardment and occupation of Corfu in the 1920s. Dulcie's son Billy, who is 9, disappears from her view and is not seen again. The fall-out brings to light some difficult family issues between Dulcie, her husband and her cousin Columbine.
The second section is told several years later from the point of view of Dulcie's daughter Thirza. 16 when her brother disappeared, she returns to Corfu to try to find some peace and restore the family house that has been locked up for years. She embarks on a passionate affair that has huge consequences for everyone involved.
Although the style of Jefferies writing remains the same, lush descriptions of exotic locations and food, I found these characters hard to relate to. I grew impatient with Dulcie and found that I coudn't really 'settle' into the story - some of it dragged and then other sections were wrapped up so quickly I was surprised.
All in all, a pleasant read but not my favourite of this author - it won't stop me reading her next one though!

Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

An atmospheric story set in beautiful Corfu. A little slow in places, but a lovely read- secrets and dark issues abound.

Set on the island of Corfu, during a time of political turmoil, the new Dinal Jefferies is a good read, albeit a bit slow in places. Good plot and characters. Worth reading.

It’s 1923 and Mussolini has invaded the island of Corfu. In the confusion a young boy goes missing. His loss pulls a family apart. With twists and turns this is a good read of heartbreak, love, family and friendship.

Great book, lots of twists and turns. Kept me guessing until the end. The first Dinah Jefferies I have read, Now into the second!

An absolutely gorgeous setting but not my favourite book by Dinah. It seemed rather slow and a bit unbelievable but overall a nice read!

Another great read from Dinah Jefferies. This time it is set in beautiful Corfu with insightful imagery which made me feel I was actually there. It was a real page turner for me with a great cast of characters. Sit back and be transported!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

This wasn't one of her best and I've read quite a few of Dinah's books and enjoyed them. This one had far too many characters and the story seemed very muddled. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

A great description of Corfu but a very slow read.
Thurza's family live on Corfu when her nine year old brother goes missing in 1923 when the Italians invaded and the family got torn apart.
Thurza returns to the island years later as she has happy memories there and tries to do up the villa hoping her mother will return, but her father who works on the island has moved on and has a younger girlfriend who he hopes to marry.
Thurza meets an older man Emilio who she gets pregnant by.
Lots of twists but a bit unbelievable for me.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review

I love anything set in Greece and Corfu is one of my favourite islands. The descriptions of the island were wonderful and made me want to return. Sadly the characters I didn’t warm to at all. The “twist” in the story was fairly obvious very early on. I found the beginning of the book dragged on but it did pick up eventually. A little far fetched but readable.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for this ARC

A family bereaved when their young son / brother disappears and is presumed dead navigate bereavement and lose through different generations and cultures. Plenty of characters and family interactions with some being English and others Greek and Italian. As usual a great book from Dinah and her publisher. Many thanks and a must read. Thanks also to NetGalley.

The island of Corfu provides the background to this complicated, and, at times, unbelievable, story about an extended family and their love / hate relationship with the family home on the island, Merchants.

Dulcie is the family matriarch, Piers is a distant husband, Billy is a son who disappears in 1923 following a short lived Italian invasion of the island and Thirza is the daughter, and the person who holds the story together.

The first part of the story is about the disappearance and the subsequent grief, rage and blame which tears the family apart in 1923. The rest of the book is about Thirza’s attempts to make a life back there and what happens.

A series of increasingly improbable events bring the story to a crisis. Along the way Thirza falls in and out love with the same person three times, Dulcie appears to have several nervous breakdowns, Piers has a new girlfriend and everybody sobs. And, that is only the part of it!

Fans of Dinah Jefferies will enjoy the travelogue aspect and she clearly has a love of Corfu and a considerable knowledge of the island. Fans of her previous books will probably go along with the crazy twists and turns in this one – and it does have a happy ending!

For me, the ‘willing suspension of disbelief’ which was required was a bit too much!

"The Greek House" is an epic tale of family relationships, set on the glorious Greek island of Corfu in the 20's and 30's. Near the beginning of the tale there is a historic incident (of which I was not aware) which has a major impact on the family. The storytelling is wonderfully descriptive and for example, lets you imagine the oppressive heat which helps to fray tempers. The characters are memorable and the plot is nicely convoluted, especially the denouement at the end.

This should be another success for Dinah Jeffries, queen of family dramas in exotic locations.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thirza hasn't been back on Corfu since her brother Billy disappeared. Her mother has sent her back to clean up the house. She meets Emilio who she has feelings for. Her cousin Ianthe's come with her.