Along with mutual friends, I had the pleasure of spending some happy New Year’s Eves with lovely Annabel and Mel. He was wonderful. I have a few of this Authors books in my tbr pile and have read August nights so far. For my second read, i can definalty say i will be keeping an eye on anything new from this author from now on. Halfway through the contest, in mid-December, we were voted off — exactly 12 months to the day since my mammogram.

The Figurine: The brand NEW novel from the author of The The Figurine: The brand NEW novel from the author of The

The plot moves to 1980 and Helena is now a young chemistry student at Oxford who takes the chance to return to Greece as a boy she has met is volunteering as an archaeological dig there and persuades her to join him. The plot speeds up in the last half as there is some dastardly business going on with ancients items being illegally removed from the dig. The Figurine shares the story of Helena, who is part Greek and part Scottish. As a young child, she spends her holidays with her mother’s parents in Athens. Her annual visits continue until the political turmoil of Greece in the 1970s and her grandparents passing. When emptying their lavish apartment, she finds evidence of her grandfather’s nefarious past. A past that’s shrouded in violence, corruption, looting, theft and illegal acquisition of Greek treasures. Helena’s attempt to make amends for some of her grandfather’s actions will take her on a journey that will captivate the reader.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.

Victoria Hislop – The Number One Bestselling Author Victoria Hislop – The Number One Bestselling Author

Several years later, Helena is living in her late grandparents apartment and is meeting young people and is slowly becoming aware of the politics that have recently caused great change to the country. Her family history is part of these troubles, and grandfather had a shady past both with his Army career and the antiquities trade. I enjoyed so much love and kindness from family and friends over Christmas I was able to put all anxiety out of my head, until the day of the follow-up appointment, halfway through January. Victoria continued: “I love The Figurine very much. Beneath the surface is a very passionate view I have that we shouldn't half inch things from other countries and then put them in our museums and say, ‘aren't we marvellous? This is ours, come and have a look’, because many of the things that we have in our museums are not ours.” The Letrozole drug I was taking had started to have side-effects, too. My body ached. My concentration was poor. Even if I looked similar on the outside, I had lost my sparkle. Victoria HIslop writes about Greece and Greek history with passion and thorough research. The Figurine is her latest novel which aims to provide the reader with Greek history, language, culture and description wrapped up in a story with interesting characters. This time the tale is told from the point of view of Helena Macleod, daughter of a Scottish father and a Greek mother. As a child Helena makes annual summer visits to her grandparents in Athens where she perfects her Greek language, loves the family housekeeper and finds it difficult to have a relationship with her strict grandfather or her creepy uncle. The political turmoil of Greece in the 1970s put an end to her visits until after the death of her grandparents when she visits again with her parents. She begins to find out more about why her mother left Greece as a young woman never to return until after the death of her parents.The story itself is told through the eyes and life of Helena - a Greek / Scot -where at the age of eight she goes to stay with her mother’s parents in Athens. As annual visits continue, she begins to understand Greece isn’t quite all sunshine and baklava and her Grandfather is a man who is shaping Greece politically, which isn’t for the better.

The Figurine | Victoria Hislop | 9781472263933 | NetGalley The Figurine | Victoria Hislop | 9781472263933 | NetGalley

Many are seen on the UK Strictly as the wardrobe itself tours the world. My first costume, a golden ballgown, had already been worn by Amy Dowden in London.But I don’t want to retell the story. You can read it for yourselves. I want to draw attention to what this book is really about. It’s partly about Helena’s attempts to right the wrongs perpetrated by her grandfather, but it’s mainly about the relics that have been looted from Greece – and other countries – the most famous being the Elgin Marbles, removed from the Parthenon, and now in the British Museum. They are said to ‘represent perhaps the most disputed pieces of cultural heritage’ ever. Many artefacts were also sold overseas for vast sums of money to private collectors. This book discusses the rights and wrongs, with the addition of fictitious heroine Helena to add interest and romance to the story. I really loved it. As I started reading I was a bit like 'is this going to be for me' however, I was soon engrossed in the storyline. I found that I couldn't put it down. They way it was written was just beautiful and I loved that although on the surface it may appear simply about getting 'revenge' almost there was much more to the book.