Those Who Are Loved

Victoria Hislop combines the telling of Greece's modern history through the lives and differing beliefs of her characters in an absorbing, often harrowing way. There are the underlying strong family bonds, but also the strong bonds to their country, expressed in different ways. VH mentions the title of the book 'Those Who Are Loved' is from a poem by Yannis Ritsos, who was imprisoned for his views, but the next line is "they shall not die". The memories and actions of those gone before will be remembered and not forgotten, and live on in the lives of future generations. Great read 10/10. Jo M

Hislop uses a family to explain the range of political thought in Greece just after WW2. Two children support the left and two the right. I think this shows the division in the country. The novel shows the harsh times the Greeks faced. Childhood friends die of starvation, and the main character ends up in brutal prison camps. I learned a great deal about Greece and its internal struggles. A compelling and often difficult read. 8/10 Linda B

I’m not a fan of historical novels, but this one was so well written. It portrays 20th-century Greek history accurately through the lives of one fictional family with widely differing political views, beginning shortly before Greece was invaded by Mussolini and Hitler’s army and finishing in modern-day Greece. I couldn’t put this book down. 9/10 Catherine B