Dimitri Komninos is born as fire devastates Thessaloniki, where Christians, Jews and Muslims live side by side. Five years later, Katerina Sarafoglou loses her mother when their home is destroyed by the Turkish army. She flees across the sea, alone, to Thessaloniki. When she and Dimitri meet, their lives entwine with one another – and the city itself – even as war, fear and persecution divide its people.
Ninety years later, a young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents’ life story for the first time. Should he become the custodian of their legacy and make this city his home, keeping alive the memories of those who were forced to leave?
‘A sweeping, magnificently detailed and ambitious saga’ The Sunday Times
‘Hislop does her research and is very good at interweaving the lives of individuals into the backcloth of great events, giving the reader a history lesson that doesn’t feel like one ‘ Daily Mail
‘Hislop’s fast-paced narrative and utterly convincing sense of place make her novel a rare treat’ Guardian
‘This is storytelling at its best and just like a tapestry, when each thread is sewn into place, so emerge the layers and history of relationships past and present’ Sunday Express
‘Meticulously researched and compellingly told’ Woman & Home
‘Oh what a tangled web she weaves! Hislop has done well to tell a story as diverse and tempestuous as Thessaloniki’s with such lightness of touch’ Spectator
Ninety years later, a young Anglo-Greek hears his grandparents’ life story for the first time. Should he become the custodian of their legacy and make this city his home, keeping alive the memories of those who were forced to leave?
Discover for yourself why 10 million readers and critics worldwide love Victoria Hislop’s books . . .
‘A sweeping, magnificently detailed and ambitious saga’ The Sunday Times
‘Hislop does her research and is very good at interweaving the lives of individuals into the backcloth of great events, giving the reader a history lesson that doesn’t feel like one ‘ Daily Mail
‘Hislop’s fast-paced narrative and utterly convincing sense of place make her novel a rare treat’ Guardian
‘This is storytelling at its best and just like a tapestry, when each thread is sewn into place, so emerge the layers and history of relationships past and present’ Sunday Express
‘Meticulously researched and compellingly told’ Woman & Home
‘Oh what a tangled web she weaves! Hislop has done well to tell a story as diverse and tempestuous as Thessaloniki’s with such lightness of touch’ Spectator
*Victoria Hislop’s most recent novel, THE FIGURINE, is out now.*
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