I loved following Helena’s life from the early trips to Greece, tragedy in the family and finally finding her place in life. The journey along the way was well told outlining the problems of local Greek people and the unwelcome archaeologists. Victoria Hislop understands Greek history and has incorporated it well into the novel. A good novel with history, romance, theft and skulduggery!

An absolutely brilliant book full of Hislop's wonderful evocation of Greece along with a gripping thriller-esque plot that in the light of news from the British Museum is ever more relevant.
Unlike other books from Hislop that span decades of Greek history this one never felt rushed and I just wanted to stay in her world for as long as possible.
A definite contender for my book of the year

A huge thank you to Netgalley and Headline Publishing for an ARC of this book, Victoria Hislop's latest, in return for an honest review. I'm a big fan of this author, but this has to be her best yet. The political turmoil of Greece since the Second World War is told through the story of the heroine, Helena, with the light, warmth, smells, and sounds of amazing places as the backdrop. Two main themes are explored. Geek politics the repressive era of the Colonels, and the theft of archaeological treasures, are both seen through the eyes of Helena. "Blood and peace thought Helena. This country seems to oscillate between the two". She also says, "Art and politics seem totally wrapped up with each other here". Another subsidiary theme is family, friendship, and belonging. Helena has a Scottish father, a doctor, and a Greek mother who escaped her oppressive upbringing in Greece to live and study in England. Helena brought up in England, finally realises that her Greek heritage is where she belongs. But there are many events that bring her to that point.

This is powerful writing. You feel the heroine's emotions. I was lost in another world that only the best writers can achieve. There is sadness and joy, disillusion and romance, revenge and intrigue, all wrapped up in glorious surroundings and millennia of history. I'm in awe too of the author's research and knowledge of Gree. I have often used the phrase, un-put-downable, but this book is the very meaning of that term. Truly magical.

Before I started reading The Figurine, I worried that it might be quite a heavy book but I couldn't have been more wrong – it was a real page turner!

The book deals with the acquisition of cultural treasures and the lengths people will go to to keep them. It is set between Greece and London over a relatively long time span and gives some fascinating background about the history of Greece from the 1960s onwards, which I particularly loved. There were also some very well-drawn characters and although it's quite a long book I never once felt bored and wanted to keep on reading. There was also a very satisfactory conclusion, which I certainly appreciated.

Highly recommended!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a free advance copy of The Figurine in exchange for an honest review.

Victoria Hislop never disappoints and this book is no exception.
As with all her books it is well researched and brings to life the history of the era she is writing about.
This is a story of love life and betrayal.
Through the eyes of Helena it takes us through the tortured history of post war Greece from her time as a child visiting her grandparents to present day where as a women she discovers the corrupt theft of archeological treasure.
The story grabs you from the very first page and leaves you bereft when it I’d finished.

Victoria Hislop has done it again! A truly captivating story about Helena’s quest to find out the truth about Greek antiquities.
Athens and its surrounding islands are painted so vividly that the Greek tourist board would be proud. The book also contains a brief history of Modern Greece which is easy to understand.
I really did not want this book to end. I wish I could give it more than 5*, it’s a page turner for sure.

Victoria Hislop brings Greece, ancient and modern, to life in this absorbing story of antiquities, betrayal and life-affirming novel.

Helena has a Scottish father and a Greek mother. The story starts with her yearly visits to her grandparents in Athens. It become obvious that her Grandfather, a colonel in the military run country, is not a nice person. The story follows through into her early twenty after both grandparents have died. Following her placement at Oxford studying Chemistry she travels to Greece where a charismatic.boyfriend lures her.
Victoria Hislop is a great story teller and her books based in Greece are wonderful.
This book is quite a journey. I loved it.

If you have read any other books by this author, you will know how her writing transports the reader to a time and place; this is no exception. The accuracy in the details of the plot development alongside the well developed characterisation has resulted in a novel that is a treasure, much like the ‘figurine’ . A wonderful and satisfying read. I do love a happy ending!

I am a big fan of Victoria Hislop so was excited to read The Figurine. I loved Helene as a character and her dad Hamish, despite a sad beginning for the family and a tyrant of a. Grandfather the story had me hooked. The descriptions of Greece and Athens and the antiquities painted a picture that I could see. Watching Helene grow throughout the story and meeting and growing her circle of friends had my routing for her happiness. Another fabulous story from Victoria.

This is my first book by Victoria Hislop so I didn't know what exactly to expect from the story but the description got me curious about it. And I love it. All through the book I wanted to just book some tickets and fly to Greece. Loved the details about the war between Greece and Turkey and all the smuggling that happens on the digging sites. Loved traveling around Greece on the map together with Helena. And aside all this, the food that was mentioned in the book with some I am familiar but others I kept googling so I can make them at home. I will definitely check other books written by the author.

Whenever I read Hislop’s novels in Greece I acquire a hunger to visit, and this one was no different. Readers of Hislop will be familiar with her skills to both paint a picture of scenery and humanity and this book, set mostly in London, Athens and Nisos with a smattering of Suffolk and Oxford is no different.

The plot is very difficult to summarise (as I found when I recommended this book to a friend), but the pace over a few decades is really clever. I did find the last 15% (or so) a little slower than the rest, a point which I’d have liked as crescendo rather than a slow burn. I enjoyed the ending, which wasn’t unexpected but was comforting

Helena spends her summer holidays with her grandparents in their apartment in Athens. She loves her grandmother not so much her grandfather and later in we learn why. She decides to go on archaeological digs when she gets involved with Nick and then the story really begins. Coming back to current time she inherits the apartment from her grandmother even that isn’t straightforward though. She finds all sorts of treasures that shouldn’t be there. She befriends Anna and Hans who are cataloguing and pricing her finds. It’s the longest book I’ve read in a while but I thoroughly enjoyed it. As I have all of Victoria’s books

Wow. What a ride. I actually feel a little breathless at the end of my read. It was one of those books that you want to read quickly to see how it all unravels whilst desperately wanting the book to go on for ever. I just loved this book. The beauty of the Greek town, coast and people, the detail in the artefacts and the portrayal of the awe when describing the figurine. The start of the book blew me away with its history, its family and all the puzzles that it cleverly laid out for the rest of the book to unravel. Top marks.

A wonderful, well researched novel covering the controversial discovery and sale of Greek antiquities. The writing really brings to life the sights, sounds and tastes of Greece across several decades. A wonderful book, with a lovely hint of romance.

I really enjoyed this novel - I struggled to put it down!

Helena remembers summer holidays with her grandparents in Athens spent with Dima and her grandmother exploring the city in comfort and luxury. It is only after inheriting her grandparents flat and spending time with her mother before her death that she finds out more about her grandfather and his military role in support of the junta. She finds that he was invoked in the smuggling of ancient artefacts out of the country in return for favours.

Alongside this discovery Helena finds that the love of her life - Nick - is also not as he appears.

In the midst of all this is a priceless figurine found by Nick who hoped to smuggle it out of the country with Helena.

She is determined to bring those in this trade to justice and right the wrongs done by her grandfather and maybe find true love as well!

A delightful story - heartwarming but with an important message as well.

As in her previous novels Victoria brings Greece and its history to life through her characters and their own story. This time we meet Helena, a young girl growing up meeting her Greek grandparents each summer. As she grows up she learns more and more about the illegal selling and exporting of ancient artefacts. A fabulous story which gripped me from beginning to end.

Bringing Greek history to life, another engaging read from Victoria Hislop with the added bonus of coming away from it feeling that you've learnt something. Strong themes of family, what love really looks like and how greed and self-centredness will undermine both of these.

A fascinating book. I loved the bits of Greek that were smattered around having just moved to Cyprus. A book you just want to keep reading

I always enjoy books by Victoria Hislop. They are very readable stories , while giving an insight into Greek history. It is very descriptive and I could almost feel the heat of Athens. The recent history of Greece is very turbulent and often quite brutal. Victoria portrays this so well while still keeping the reader interested. A great holiday read.