This is a great story which is multi generational. It is set in both Greece and the UK.
The story is moving and emotional.
A great book.

Greek Island Escape is the latest novel from Patricia Wilson, a passionate and accomplished storyteller. From the opening lines, we are swept away on a romantic yet heart-wrenching journey. Wilson skillfully crafts the narrative of Sofia, a Greek singer searching for her daughter after a cruel twist of fate tore them apart forty-seven years ago. Through her poignant descriptions and vivid depictions, the author takes readers to the beaches of Crete and the streets of London. The lives of the two women and their need to reunite become interlinked in a touching story of courage, determination, and hope. This is an outstanding holiday read, brimming with emotion and beautiful characters, that will surely touch the hearts of fans of Santa Montefiore and Lucinda Riley.

A lovely read, charming and heart warming and loved the setting. A great summer read and a great escape.

A lovely story with twinges of sadness woven throughout. I also liked the dual timeline, which was written really well and perfectly portrayed the poverty Greek people lived through in the 1970s. A moving read with a stunning location.

3.5*
The novel opens in the present in Chania, Crete, as an older woman (who seems unable to speak) is accosting strangers and holding out a card to anyone who will look. On the card she draws attention to the fact that she is searching for her daughter whom she last saw many years ago. Contemporaneously in England Zoë is utterly preoccupied with her daughter Megan, who has been missing now for seven months.

The reader is taken on a trawl through the very difficult periods of Greek history, through WW2 forward to the right wing military junta (Regime of the Colonels) 1967-1974. There was displacement, famine, torture and it was clearly a very difficult period to navigate in the history of the nation. There was inevitably a large, communist resistance movement and part of the story is of the lives of Sophia and Markos, and Markos in particular suffered severely at the hands of the junta for his political beliefs.

Zoë follows the trail of her daughter to Manchester and she also begins to uncover why Megan had chosen to disappear. She is aghast when she becomes aware of the life she is leading - to wit her daughter is a vagrant earning a pittance by juggling - and she is beside herself. She then discovers that Megan has gone to Greece in search of her missing grandmother, someone with whom she always had a strong bond.

Naturally towards the end, all the strands dovetail. I warmed to the narrative because it is very creative and nicely put together but ultimately for me there was almost a surfeit of life events, there were so many breathless strands determined to keep the reader entertained as the story line zipped between past and present. There is also quite a lot of 'telling' rather than 'showing' - for me, the emotional responses to terrible trauma and cruelty were a bit thin and simple. Whizzing through the story, there are twists, turns and serendipitous happenings and fortuitous encounters that ease the story into the next part of the storyline. All the threads come together nicely at the end. Predictable as it was at times, it nevertheless made for an engaging read.

Absolutely stunning book and what a captivating storyline. I was hooked form Chapter One. There are 3 main characters: Sofia, Zoe and Megan and all of them had their own stories which were binding. After reading this I researched the troubles that happened in Greece on the 70's and was astonished at the hardship the people had
to endure. I was in tears at the end of the book. Simply brilliant story.

From the title and the cover, I thought GREEK ISLAND ESCAPE would be a nice light read but it actually turned out to be a tragic and moving story that was so beautiful and heartbreaking it brought me to tears many times throughout. I cannot say how much I truly loved this book!

Crete, present day: The story opens with Sofia, an 85 year old woman, who has been unable to speak for over forty years. Her life has been one of tragedy and heartbreak and now she is continuing her search for her daughter she gave up for a better and safer life just a few days after she was born. Each day, she travels around Athens and journeys to Crete handing out a handwritten message she has toiled over to everyone she meets.

"I am Sofia, searching for my daughter, born in Korydallos prison, Athens, 1st November 1972. Can you help me?"

Some people give her money, some ignore her but for the locals of the island of Crete as well as in parts of Athens, they know her as Yiaya (meaning grandmother). To them she is a local identity, a once well known singer before she lost her voice and quite possibly her mind. But no one knows her story - her real story - or why she hands out hundreds of slips of paper to locals and tourists every day of every month of every year searching for a child that, by all accounts, she was never known to have had.

Crete, 1944: Dressed in an emerald green taffeta dress, 10 year old Sofia Bambaki is excited to hear her mother Alexa perform a collection of Christmas carols and popular songs before some visiting British dignitaries. She couldn't wait to make her way through the front of theatre to the seat reserved for her alongside her father and brothers to watch her mama. But she was late making her way in and could only watch from rear wall. As her mother ended her final song, there was huge eruption and noise and Sofia found herself buried under a mountain of bodies as she called for her mama. But as she looked around, only the wall she'd been standing against remained...the rest of the theatre was gone, along with her entire family.

Sofia's childhood was harsh having been sent to an orphanage, from which she escaped, to starving on the streets. She meets 14 year old Markos who takes pity on her and gives her some food before he disappears again. She is caught stealing a loaf of bread but begs for leniency from the bakery owner before he takes her in...and teaches her how to knead dough and bake bread. But her life continues to be harsh from the night she was made an orphan to the most harrowing days of all, imprisoned inside Korydallos prison. There she meets Anna Despotakis and her gunta colonel husband, who runs the prison, and her life changes forever.

London, present day: Despite her successful career as a youth magistrate, Zoe Johnson's life is falling apart. Seven months ago her 16 year old daughter Megan ran away from home, leaving her mother a vague note telling her not worry and not to look for her. Then her ailing mother who had lived with them returned to Crete shortly after Megan's disappearance and then her husband left her. Now today is Megan's 17th birthday and what would have been a joyous occasion brings only sadness from her memories of happier times and grief for what she now misses.

Then Zoe receives a call from police in Manchester to say they have her daughter in custody for suspected shoplifting. Manchester? What is Megan doing there? But when she arrives she is devastated to learn that it wasn't her daughter, but someone who looked a lot like her who had possession of Megan's rucksack which held her birth certificate, her passport and a family photo of Zoe, Frank, Megan and her brother Josh. If this girl wasn't Megan, then she must know her.

Using her experience as a youth magistrate, Zoe questions the young woman and manages to get her name, Emily, and how she knew Megan. Emily is released into Zoe's custody and the two visit shelters and old haunts in their search for Megan...but it all goes horribly wrong. And Zoe finds herself in a pit of despair, unable to continue her search.

After spending seven months on the streets, Megan wants nothing more than to save enough money to buy her a ticket to Crete to stay with her Granny Anna. Having been questioned by police for possession of drugs, she was released with her rucksack containing her passport and with enough money she has saved from busking, Megan makes her way to Crete. When she arrives, she finds the mention of her granny's name brings frowns and anger from locals that she cannot understand. Her Greek is very poor so she is unable to decipher why her kind and caring granny, who would not hurt a soul, appears to be so hated here.

WOW! While may be a rather comprehensive outline of the tapestry of stories, it does not even begin to come close to all the threads that will ultimately weave them all together. Steeped in modern Greek history that I had no idea about that just breaks your heart at the atrocities dealt many Greek people who just wanted a fair and free life of equality for their country...and got tortured for their troubles. At the height of the gunta regime, these soldiers made the Nazis' treatment of the Jews pale in comparison. It was heartwrenching to read of their harsh treatment for doing nothing wrong but fight for fairness and freedom for their people.

The characters of Sofia and Markos were expertly drawn and I felt an affinity to them, despite wanting to smack Markos about the head at times for his stubbornness. And I loved the character of Zacharia, the baker who took the young Sofia in and gave her a purpose in life. He was like a father to her and she, a daughter to him. Their relationship was a special one that brought tears to my eyes.

I loved Zoe and Megan in the present day storyline, as they both search for the answers that would bring them together again. And despite the fact Sofia was unable to speak, the grief she carried with her, her anguish for all she had loved and lost over the years, her character shone through the strongest. Although this story is of all three women, it is Sofia's that is the most defining. And the most heartbreaking.

Told in dual timelines, which I absolutely love, Sofia's first person narrative to Zoe and Megan's third person are woven together beautifully, making GREEK ISLAND ESCAPE a beautiful, yet heart wrenching, escapism read that left me bereft when it came to an end. For I never wanted it to. I was in tears for the entire final chapters.

Be prepared to reach for the tissues with this one for the story is both poignant and harrowing that makes GREEK ISLAND ESCAPE as moving as it is unforgettable.

My first read by Patricia Wilson, GREEK ISLAND ESCAPE has a mix of contemporary, chick lit, family and historical fiction, with a little mystery thrown in, making it a recommended read that will truly leave you breathless. Honestly, it is THAT good. What a read.

I would like to thank #PatriciaWilson, #NetGalley and #ZaffreBooks and #BonnierBooksUK for an ARC of #GreekIslandEscape in exchange for an honest review.

On the beautiful beaches of Crete, an old woman is handing out scraps of paper. Sofia, eighty-five years old, unable to speak, is desperate to find a daughter she has never known. After a tragic childhood in Athens and a soaring career as a singer, the brutal treatment of the man she loved by a tyrannical regime forced her to give up her daughter mere days after her birth. Now she longs to be reunited with her child before it's too late. Meanwhile in London, Zoe is searching too. In the months since the disappearance of her teenage daughter, Zoe's life has crumbled apart. Her husband has left her, her son feels forgotten, and every day is a struggle. But Zoe is desperate to track her daughter down, even if she doesn't want to be found.

Wow what an incredible, moving read this is. I was transported to war torn Greece and mesmerised by the beauty of modern day Greece. I fell in love with the characters. My heart broke when theirs did. I felt hope when they did. I cried and laughed with them. I felt every word, every event with them and find myself bereft I have now finished this evocative, beautiful read.

So what does the read entail, well we flit between the past and present day. In the past we follow Sofia as she navigates the dangerous world she finds herself living in. I have to say the chapters set in the past are some of the most intense, painful chapters I have ever read. I found the chapters incredibly moving and full of so much hope and crushing despair. Wilson really captures the feelings of the time and I felt every moment of pain with the truly wonderful characters Wilson has created.

In the present day, we follow Zoe as she desperately searches for her daughter Megan. The present does echo the past but the present day events are not as moving nor desperate but they do serve to bring the read full circle and it did add value to the read. I was however, rushing to get back to the past as this is where the true beauty of the read lies.

I have already touched on the characters but I have to say Sofia and Marcos are two very special characters whom I took into my heart and I will always remember them and their story.

'Greek Island Escape' is exactly that, the most beautiful, heart-wrenching escapism read. Sit back, relax and be prepared to not put this down until you have finished it. Wilson has written a stunning story that will have you reaching for the tissues and holding out for that happy ending. What a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Boonier Books UK for an advance copy.

This book is incredibly moving. It tells the story of three strong women, Sofia, Zoe and Megan. The journey starts in Greece at the end of the second world war, with the tragic death of Sofia’s mother and the life of Sofia enfolds through the troubled times of the junta regime in Greece, marked with pain and suffering, but also amazingly strong relationships and redemption. Zoe’s story takes place in the present time, also going through pain and suffering with her daughter Megan gone missing. These story lines are crisscrossing all along the book, going back and forth in time, towards a heartwarming end. The book is based on various elements of real stories which the author has pulled together into a work of fiction. And in the background, the reader is treated to lovely texts about Greece and Crete where we can almost hear the cicadas and smell the nature. It was my first read by this author and I will definitely want to read more.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre UK and the author Patricia Wilson for the opportunity to read this Advanced Readers Copy of "Greek Island Escape".
#GreekIslandEscape #NetGalley

A lovely yet heartbreaking read.

The author clearly has done a lot of research, used a lot of tissues to mop up her tears and really wrangled with some emotions when writing this. Mothers looking for their children is always going to mess with your head and make you weep and this is no different.

The Crete setting and history is eye opening and very raw. There was so much to enjoy and get involved with with this book. I was tired at the end - in a good way! - tired and emotional.

Recommended

What a wonderful book. It's told through 3 different women. Sofia, Zoe and Megan. I was in tears at the end. You forget that the troubles in Greece were only in the 1970's and the hardship the Greek people had to endure.

What can I say apart from I can't remember the last time I actually cried at the end of a book.

I have absolutely loved reading this book and haven't been able to put it down - perfect escapism during lockdown.

The story is split in the past and present and both sides are equally as enjoyable as each other.

The characters are so real and you feel like you are part of their lives.

I have been fortunate to read all of Patricia's books but this one is definitely my new favourite. Definitely one to add to your "must read" list!

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me an advanced copy of the book.

WHAT A BREATHTAKING BOOK THIS WAS TO READ!

I was hooked from beginning to end.
I smiled in parts, cried in parts.

An absolutely fabulous story following Zoe and Sophia.

Patricia developed the characters so well Whilst reading I felt like they were friends and I loved getting to know them as the story progressed.

Really loved the way plot developed.

This was a really enjoyable story. Highly recommend it.

Oh my goodness, what a breathtaking book this was to read!

I was hooked from start to finish, I smiled, I cried, it was an absolutely stunning story following Zoe and Sophia. The characters were so well developed, I felt like they were friends and I loved getting to know them as the story progressed.

The book was well paced and the plot was perfectly developed.

This was a really enjoyable story, no hesitation at all – it is 5 stars from me – very highly recommended!!

Omg loved this book lovely storyline but as an avid traveller and have been to Crete it felt like I was there again

With grateful thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.
Well having read a few of this author's other books I was delighted with the aspect of reading her new one.
Without giving anything away can I just say this book totally blew my socks off.
With dual time slip of present day and past it was done so effortlessly the story just flowed and what a story unfolded before us like no other book it had me totally captivated and intrigued from the beginning the detailing was just sublime.
Its a story of hope of courage and last but certainly not least of love and trust I can't praise this book enough
Thank you