The Thread by Victoria Hislop. A beach book?
I've heard Victoria Hislop's novels referred to as 'beach books' on several occasions and I'd like to quickly explore this concept. To some, this term may evoke feelings of intellectual inadequacy (perhaps in the same category as 'chic lit'), but to others it is exactly what they look for in a novel - a well-written, absorbing story. To me - and particularly in this case - it is the latter. The Thread is the second novel I've read by Hislop and it did not fail to disappoint; the narrative is indeed free-flowing and the end result inevitable, but to write a good novel of this kind is no mean feat and it would do Hislop a discredit to categorise her purely in the 'beach book' genre. I believe her novels have depth without the need to discover the 'hidden meaning' and this is so refreshing for me after studying English at degree level, where it is assumed that you must find symbolism where (arguably) there just isn't any!
After re-reading my last blog post I realised that I failed to mention what the novel was about in any great detail, which is extremely unhelpful if you haven't read it and probably doesn't encourage you to do so! So I will now endeavour to give a brief overview of The Thread (in my own words and from my own interpretation!) -
Based in Thessaloniki in Greece, this novel begins in the present day as Dimitri Komninos tries to persuade his Grandparents to move to Britain so they can be looked after by their family. Katerina and Dimitri (senior) are all too keen to share the reasons why they will never leave Greece and to explain their unfaltering attachment to their country (thank goodness, otherwise there would be no storyline!). The novel then jumps to 1917 as their enchanting story of love and war, family and friendship begins.
Prior to reading this, my knowledge of Greek/Thessaloniki history was limited and I was interested to discover that they've had quite a shitty time. There was a big fire that wiped out a lot of Thessaloniki in 1917 and it was pretty downhill from then onwards. The whole world (as the title 'world war' would suggest) was affected by the atrocities that occurred during this time and the devastation of Greece is covered in detail and makes up a lot of Katerina and Dimitri's narrative. The aftermath of WWII in Greece saw extreme civil unrest and the political tension, along with a couple of natural disasters, forms the backdrop for this story of attachment and devotion.
Essentially, you want Katerina and Dimitri to fall in love and marry and to live happily ever after etc., and you know that this will happen eventually, but their story is rich with culture and I think that the history is intertwined carefully into the storyline, mixing both fact and fiction in a pleasing and complimentary way. It's important to remember that this is a story and although the events may be factual, the characters and their journey certainly aren't, so when things seem to fall into place in an unrealistic way don't get too bogged down - this isn't a biography! I can't comment on the authenticity of the Greek within the novel, although I've certainly read some dodgy reviews, but in my opinion this is a well-written, well-researched book and I would certainly recommend that you read it! A great story.
If you do end up reading it then let me know what you think! Or if you've read it already - what are your thoughts?
Alice x
P.s. How beautiful is Greece?!
After re-reading my last blog post I realised that I failed to mention what the novel was about in any great detail, which is extremely unhelpful if you haven't read it and probably doesn't encourage you to do so! So I will now endeavour to give a brief overview of The Thread (in my own words and from my own interpretation!) -
Based in Thessaloniki in Greece, this novel begins in the present day as Dimitri Komninos tries to persuade his Grandparents to move to Britain so they can be looked after by their family. Katerina and Dimitri (senior) are all too keen to share the reasons why they will never leave Greece and to explain their unfaltering attachment to their country (thank goodness, otherwise there would be no storyline!). The novel then jumps to 1917 as their enchanting story of love and war, family and friendship begins.
Prior to reading this, my knowledge of Greek/Thessaloniki history was limited and I was interested to discover that they've had quite a shitty time. There was a big fire that wiped out a lot of Thessaloniki in 1917 and it was pretty downhill from then onwards. The whole world (as the title 'world war' would suggest) was affected by the atrocities that occurred during this time and the devastation of Greece is covered in detail and makes up a lot of Katerina and Dimitri's narrative. The aftermath of WWII in Greece saw extreme civil unrest and the political tension, along with a couple of natural disasters, forms the backdrop for this story of attachment and devotion.
Essentially, you want Katerina and Dimitri to fall in love and marry and to live happily ever after etc., and you know that this will happen eventually, but their story is rich with culture and I think that the history is intertwined carefully into the storyline, mixing both fact and fiction in a pleasing and complimentary way. It's important to remember that this is a story and although the events may be factual, the characters and their journey certainly aren't, so when things seem to fall into place in an unrealistic way don't get too bogged down - this isn't a biography! I can't comment on the authenticity of the Greek within the novel, although I've certainly read some dodgy reviews, but in my opinion this is a well-written, well-researched book and I would certainly recommend that you read it! A great story.
If you do end up reading it then let me know what you think! Or if you've read it already - what are your thoughts?
Alice x
P.s. How beautiful is Greece?!
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