Tag: Book Review

Published September 28th, 2023 by Headline
Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Historical Romance

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Figurine, the enthralling new book from Victoria Hislop. Thank you to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation to take part and to Headline for the copy of the book.

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SYNOPSIS:

In her irresistible new novel, Sunday Times No 1 bestselling author Victoria Hislop shines a light on the questionable acquisition of cultural treasures and the price people – and countries – will pay to cling on to them.

Of all the ancient art that captures the imagination, none is more appealing than the Cycladic figurine. An air of mystery swirls around these statuettes from the Bronze Age and they are highly sought after by collectors – and looters – alike.

When Helena inherits her grandparents’ apartment in Athens, she is overwhelmed with memories of the summers she spent there as a child, when Greece was under a brutal military dictatorship. Her remote, cruel grandfather was one of the regime’s generals and as she sifts through the dusty rooms, Helena discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. How did her grandfather amass such a trove? What human price was paid for them?

Helena’s desire to find answers about her heritage dovetails with a growing curiosity for archaeology, ignited by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean island. Their finds fuel her determination to protect the precious fragments recovered from the baked earth – and to understand the origins of her grandfather’s collection.

Helena’s attempt to make amends for some of her grandfather’s actions sees her wrestle with the meaning of ‘home’, both in relation to looted objects of antiquity … and herself.

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MY REVIEW:

“Beauty has always cast its spell, but down the ages has always driven some to crime.”

Smooth, comforting and utterly glorious, The Figurine is a rich tapestry of a novel. Part historical fiction, part love story, part criminal caper, and part wanderlust adventure, this is an absolute masterpiece. It has a bit of everything: love, lies, family, friendship, secrets, betrayal, greed, corruption, death, and vengeance. Plus some history, Greek mythology and nostalgia is thrown in there too. There’s no denying that at 528 pages this book is a chonker, and I’ll admit,I found it intimidating at first. But I needn’t have worried and flew through it quickly, every page holding my attention hostage as I was educated and enthralled by this epic tale.

“They say Greece was created by the gods. But it’s been ruled by devil’s for the past few years.””

When she is eight-years-old Helena goes to visit her grandparents in their Athens apartment for the first time. It is 1968 and Greece is still under a brutal dictatorship so it is a very different place than she is used to. While her grandmother, Eleni, is kind, Helena finds her grandfather, Stamatis, to be severe and cruel. He is also one of the regime’s generals, and over the course of multiple summer visits, Helena witnesses things her young mind doesn’t yet understand. As she gets older, Helena becomes increasingly inquisitive about her heritage, even spending time volunteering on archeological digs on small Greek islands to connect with her mother’s home country. 

But it is when Helena inherits her grandparents apartment years later that the truth about her family’s past will be revealed. While sorting through her grandparents’ possessions she makes a startling discovery that calls into question how her grandfather amassed the vast array of treasures in his home. Determined to do the right thing, she sets out to discover the true origins of these items and make amends for the sins her grandfather and others have committed. 

“Every object, whether it’s old, new, beautiful or even ugly, has a life. A starting point, a journey, a story. Whatever you want to call it. Some have places where they really belong, which is different from the location where they find themselves.”

This book was literary heaven from beginning to end. It’s been a while since I’ve read a book by this author but it has reignited my love of her writing and reminded me why she is still one of my auto-buy authors. Victoria Hislop’s writing is beautiful and evocative, bringing the culture, history and landscape of Greece to life in vivid, meticulously researched detail. The stunning imagery made me feel like I could feel the sun beating down on my skin, see the Acropolis, and taste the bitter coffee. It made me want to immediately book a flight and experience it all for myself – if only my bank account would allow it – *sighs* 

“She found Stamatis Papagiannis quietly sinister, like a dormant volcano. If and when he was going to erupt was unknowable, but the threat felt constant.”

The book contains a cast of detailed and compelling characters that draw you into their lives and make you care about them. Our main character is Helena, and I enjoyed following her for so many years as she grew from little girl to young woman, watching as she faced familiar challenges and experiences such as going to university, falling in love, having your heart broken, and choosing the path you want to take in life. But Helena faces all of these alongside an extraordinary family history that made my heart break for her and her mother. It was a reminder that people who do terrible things have ordinary families who are also affected by their behaviour in many ways. But there were also some really beautiful observations and moments about family relationships in the story. Helena’s parents were great characters and I loved their relationship with Helena. The family trip to Greece was my favourite part of the book and I could have read twice as much of these three together. I also loved Dina, her grandparents’ maid, and the sweet bond she formed with Helena during her summers in Greece. On the opposite end of the spectrum there were some truly vile and evil villains such as Stamis and Arsenis, who turned my stomach every time they were on the page. And then there’s Nick. I couldn’t stand that slimy dirtbag and wanted to shout at Helena to run away from him as she ignored every single red flag he was sending. 

One of the things I love most about reading historical fiction is learning while I read, and I learned a lot while reading this book. I will readily admit that while Greece has long been a country I’m fascinated by and long to visit, I knew nothing about its post-war struggles, civil war and the brutal regime that its people were forced to live under for many years. And while I’d seen Cycladic figurines, I knew very little about them or the illegal trade of priceless artefacts. It is also here that Ms. Hislop’s extensive research shines through, expertly weaving historical fact with fiction to create a truly remarkable story. I was so mesmerised by the topics explored in this book that I’ve been going down rabbit holes googling Greek history, and its ancient artefacts. And after reading small fragments of Medea’s myth, I am bumping up the novel I have about her up my TBR. 

Ambitious, emotional, and utterly gorgeous, The Figurine is a story you won’t be able to put down once you start reading. A must for the TBR of any historical fiction lover.

Rating: ✮✮✮✮✰

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MEET THE AUTHOR:

Victoria Hislop is the international bestselling author of The Island and The Return. In the United Kingdom, she writes travel features for The Sunday Telegraph, The Mail on Sunday, House & Garden, and Woman & Home. The Island sold over a million copies in the UK and has been translated into 24 languages. Victoria’s second novel, The Return, has been published in more than a dozen languages. She lives in Kent, with her husband Ian and their two children.

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BUY THE BOOK:

Waterstone* | Bookshop.org* | Amazon*

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Thanks for reading Bibliophiles xxxx

Please check out the reviews from the other bloggers taking part in the blog tour.

*All purchase links are affiliate links