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.

I was hooked from the beginning!
This family’s story starts in 1923 when in the commotion of the Italians invading Corfu leads to 9 year old Billy going missing.
We learn about Dulcie, the mother, and the anguish, horror and sadness that possesses her and also Thirza, the sister, who at 16 has to deal with not only her brother being lost, but also herself being abandoned by her grief stricken parents.
Eventually Thirza finds love, but even that doesn’t come problem free.
This all sounds like it’s doom and gloom, but it’s not. It’s set on the beautiful island of Corfu with stunning scenery and you can almost smell the fragrant flowers and trees.
Wonderful descriptions and the powerful feeling of love flow throughout this book.

Thanks to Netgalley.co.uk, HarperCollins UK and Harper Fiction for a copy of this book in return of an honest review. All comments are my own views or opinions.

For me, this book was a bit of a conflict.
In part one, the story was beautiful. It was engaging and had me relating to its characters. The plot was interesting, moving and deeply thought out. The descriptions of the landscapes were beautifully laid down, and the details of the historical events were interesting.
But in the second part, it felt as though the author had departed, and another had stepped in. Whilst the story was still engaging, I found the detail and depth that the relationship was presented with was unnecessary and, for me, a little off-putting. I'm by no means prudish, (I'm a 61 year old mother and grandmother - I've lived a life), but I did find myself wishing a lot of what was written could have been presented more sensitively, and left to the readers imagination. This is the first book I've read by this author, and maybe it is their style of presenting intimacy, but I didn't think that aspect of it was for me.
However, the story did progress well, the plot unfolded, and there were many wonderful reasons to continue reading when the writer I had enjoyed in the first part returned.
In the end section, we were back to the gorgeous writing of the beginning of the book, and the final chapters were emotional and wonderful. I will read more by this author, I'm sure.
3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This was the first Dinah Jeffries book I've read so I didn't know what to expect. I'm not a fan of romantic fiction, and was concerned that this would be of that genre, although the synopsis sounds more interesting than that.
And luckily, it was. Set on a Greek island in the 1930's, the characters are well-drawn and as the story develops, you begin to see the cracks and wonder where it's going.

Part of the story is a little predictable, but enjoyably so. Secrets are discovered and uncovered throughout the story, the end leaves you satisfied that everything has been explained.

It was an interesting read, and I would be happy reading more from this author.

A beautiful old house, not used by the owners since the disappearance of their son years ago. Thirza returns, to clean the family's house and make it habitable again. She meets and falls in love with Emilio but their relationship is blocked by family secrets which gradually unfold. Ideal holiday or wet day reading.

The book starts in 1923 when the island of Corfu is invaded by Italian troops. In the confusion, Thirza's little brother Billy disappears and all that of him is found is a pile of bloodstained clothing. Thirza's mother, Dulcie, takes her daughter home to England. Thirza comes back to the family home, Merchant's, many years later with her cousin Ianthe and they set about restoring the house. Thirza meets the older, but handsome Emilio, and they start a passionate relationship, but Emilio has secrets that Thirza knows nothing about.

I loved this book. I wasn't sure I was going to when it started with the invasion, as I am not a particular fan of historical fiction or war fiction. However, they are not the emphasis of the book. In fact, this novel is all about relationships and secrets and almost all the characters have something to hide. The ongoing grief over the loss of Billy permeates the story and is beautifully handled. This is a compelling novel to read and was responsible for some late nights because I wanted to read just a little bit more, and a little bit more...! This would be perfect to take on holiday - particularly if you were visiting Corful or another Greek island this summer.

I was undecided about this having read some of other readers reviews but as I was given the opportunity to read an advance copy and it was set in Corfu I went for it , and I’m glad I did. Very well written , lovely descriptions of the island and its people . Set at the time of political unrest it was nevertheless an enjoyable read with good characters.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Netgalley for this advance e-copy.

The Greek House is set on the island of Corfu, in the 1920-30s. Billy goes missing on one eventful day in 1923 and the book tells the story of his family as they deal with the aftermath. There’s some mystery surrounding this as we try to work out what happened but we are left guessing until the very end.

I loved the setting of the book; it’s made me want to visit Corfu one day. The descriptions of island life and the beautiful scenery is perfect.

The story moved fast and I enjoyed this quick read. I struggled with believing that this book was supposed to be set in the early 1900s. The characters, in particular Theresa, felt so modern. I enjoyed following her story and her growth. Her relationship with her mother was poignant and a lot of people will find this relatable I’m sure.

The ending was tied up very conveniently and neatly. If you are looking for a mystery, this book is not the one for you. This is a nice family drama, a perfect summer read, that will have you dreaming on living on a beautiful island.

A Great emotional story line with fantastic characters, had me reading well into the night. So sad to finish but really hope there is another book to follow.

I found the beginning part of the story with Dulcie rather intense, but once things moved on to concentrate on her daughter Theresa's story it became much more enjoyable. Some weird coincidences were woven into the story that needed resolving. I was interested to read that the author has written another book involving the characters that we have got to know in this book.

The Greek House is the second book I have read by Dinah Jefferies and I really enjoyed the setting of Corfu as I have been on holiday there on many occasions so it was wonderful to be able to see the places in my mind as I read the book. It was also interesting that the book was set in the 1920’s so that the reader learns some of the history of the island.
As a number of Italian warships drop anchor near Corfu Town and start shelling the fortress Dulcie and her family start to run to the British Embassy but in the confusion her son Billy becomes separated from his sister Thirza who were both in the care of Dulcie’s cousin Columbine.
The story moves forward seven years and Thirza arrives back in Corfu from London with her cousin, Ianthe to open up their old home, Merchant House. She is hoping that her mother will return to Corfu even though she has sad memories of Billy going missing there. As Thirza prepares the house for her mother’s return she meets an older Italian man, Emilio and falls deeply in love. Nothing can prepare Thirza for the family secrets that unfold as her mother arrives on the island and discovers her relationship with Emilio.
The Greek House is a gripping family drama with interesting characters with a satisfying ending as all the loose ends come together. I throughly enjoyed it.