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The Return | 
| Author: Victoria Hislop
Publisher: Headline Review
Category: Book
List Price: £17.99
Buy New: £8.99
You Save: £9.00 (50%)
New (26) Used (9) Collectible (3) from £5.60
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 152
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 432
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.7
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.7
ISBN: 0755332938
EAN: 9780755332939
ASIN: 0755332938
Publication Date: June 26, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
 What a disappointment! August 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Victoria Hislop has taken a passionate part of Spanish history and turned it into a disappointing and flat novel. Although the book has been well-researched, it appears to have been a hastily written and none of the characters really spring to life, especially Sonia who is rather a pathetic creature compared to her sensual mother! The use of flashbacks does not work at all and there is a complete lack of suspense. My advice - read 'Winter in Madrid' by C J Sansom.
 Fantastic read! August 13, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought this book was wonderful. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed a book as much and this one kept me up late every night - I just couldn't put it down. The Spanish Civil War has interested me for a long time, but any material I've read on it has been too complex for me. This story gave a remarkable insight into what every Spanish family must have gone through during that terrible time. To me, the characters were very real and I could feel all their pain; particularly that of Concha (being a mother myself). It was heart-breaking to discover such things happened. At the beginning of the story, I thought it strange that Sonia appeared to know very little about her mother's past. I never quite understood why most Spaniards are reluctant to discuss the civil war and their experiences. However, after reading the book, I understand completely. It must have been terrifying to have lived through that; never quite knowing who to trust. Personally, I liked the way the two stories linked together, and having been to Granada I thought that Ms Hislop described the city as it is today, and the people, just perfectly. It answered a lot of questions for me, and at the same time it told a fascinating tale. I would highly recommend it. I'd love to see a follow-up!!
 Just awful August 8, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
What a disappointment if you are expecting a good gripping read! Victoria Hislop's previous book 'The Island' was the best book I'd read in a long time but 'The Return' is dreary and the outcome predictable. I skipped whole sections of the Civil War passages as they slow down the narrative and frankly are boring. I think CJ Samson's 'Winter in Madrid' is a more successful fictional account using the backdrop of events and atmosphere of the Spanish Civil War.
I was also irked by the rather trite style of writing which detracts from the plot.
 A little bit disappointed August 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
After reading the AMAZING book "The Island" I was somewhat disappointed by her second book. With "The Island" I wanted the book to go on forever and with "The Return" I wanted to reach the end already. The book is very interesting in its descriptions of Spain, its people and the war, but halfway through you begin to get tired of it. It's too much war! I would have liked alittle more story and less war. At one point I just skipped to the end and read the last few chapters
Disappointing August 3, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved The Island and was really looking forward to this book. However, I found it hard work and implausible. From very early on you can tell that Mercedes is Sonia's mother and I was irritated at how far fetched the whole story was. I did however find the detials of the Spanish Civil War very interesting and distressing but would have preferred to have read about them in their own right. A great writer but disppointing story.
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