In ten powerful stories, Victoria Hislop takes us through the streets of Athens and into the tree-lined squares of Greek villages. As she evokes their distinct atmosphere, she brings vividly to life a host of unforgettable characters, from a lonesome priest to battling brothers, and from an unwanted stranger to a groom troubled by music and memory.
These bittersweet tales of love and loyalty, of separation and reconciliation, captured in Victoria Hislop’s unique voice, will stay with you long after you reach the end.
Three of these stories were previously published in Victoria Hislop’s ebook collection, One Cretan Evening.
Praise for “The Last Dance”
Intricate, beautifully observed and with a painter’s eye for imagery, in these stories Hislop evokes Greece, its people, its customs and traditions with a sensitivity that reveals her deep knowledge of not just the place but also the human condition.
Sunday Express
These short stories, which are about Greece, are written in a style that reminds me of Louis de Bernières or Andrew Nicoll – laden with a sort of beguiling innocence. There’s a sweet one about two Greek brothers; they are twins, and run a restaurant. But they have slightly different ideas, and split it in half, In another story, a talking parrot reveals the secret of a love-struck priest In one I really liked, a mother and a daughter run a bakery, and it’s the mother’s frustration that enables her to make such good bread. A single moment in daughter’s life makes you think the bread will be good for years to come.
Evening Standard