I struggled through this one. I was sure the next chapter had to be better or that something would happen and it did. It happened in the last few chapters, but it wasn't really worth waiting for.

Weak lead without needed back up. Slow, plodding story and a rushed unsatisfying ending

I almost threw in the towel a few times, but I stuck it to the end. Maybe don't grab this one.

Another brilliant read from Victoria Hislop which I enjoyed immensely. I certainly learnt a lot of Greek history from late 1960s where most of the beginning of the novel was based to a decade later plus an insight to an ancient civilisation. Superb atmospheric descriptions of Greece with believable characters throughout with a smattering of villains. Quite intense at times but the reader is just swept along with it all. Definitely recommended.

I love Victoria Hislop`s books on Greece they are so informative and descriptive you just want to go there, I have visited Athens many times so it brought back many happy memories.
Helena inherits her grandparents apartment in Athens and discovers ancient artefacts hidden away and she soon discovers how they got there and gets help to stop the looters of these objects even her ex boyfriend who was involved.
I did think the story was a bit long as Helena didn`t inherit the apartment till half way through the book, if shorter I would have given it 5*
.A good mixture of Greek history, romance and betrayal just loved it.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was this first book of Victoria Hislop’s that I have read and won’t be the last.

This book was like a history lesson and story in one. It was really interesting learning some history about Greece, a country I love. The characters and storylines were believable and relatable. I enjoyed everything about this book.

I have read thirteen chapters of this book and I am sorry but I cannot read anymore.
I tried to read the whole book to provide a full review but for another eight hours I would rather read something else that is entertaining to me.
I do not know what the main plot or point of the story is and am really struggling to understand where the title 'The Figurine' comes into context within the book.
The first five chapters could have been condensed into one because they are very similar and repetitive.
I have not been empowered or drawn into the story and the characters are not entertaining, interesting or captivating.
It becomes a little confusing because suddenly, the main character has a best friend that hasn't been mentioned throughout the book and this best friend disappears as quickly as she entered it.
A lot of the time people are in Athens and on the Greek Islands. The author hasn't made me feel as though I am there with the characters as the descriptions of the locations do not allow me to imagine the aromas, pathways, houses or museums as if I was there with the characters.
For me, there also are far too many Greek words in the text and not enough explanations as to what these words actually mean - I spent far too much time on Google translate looking them up and this has proven to be tedious when trying to read a book.
I personally felt as though 'The Figurine' was written by a student writing an English essay for a college/school assignment who was focusing on their word count rather than the content of the topic.
The only good thing about this book for me was that it helped me to fall asleep at night due to it being so dull and unexciting.

The latest Victoria Hislop novel is again set in Greece. It moves from the 1970s Greek Junta into the 1980s. Helena born in the Uk has Greek mother and Scottish father. Her mother fled her dictatorial family home, where her father was part of the Greek military. Helena spends summers as a child with her Greek grandparents but does not understand the fact that the country is under military dictatorship. Growing up she becomes involved in archaeological excavations. She becomes caught up in the world of illegal smuggling of antiquities and sets out to right the wrongs of both the past and the present.
An exciting read

I received an advanced reading copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author Victoria Hislop.
This would be a perfect, easy read for a holiday (especially if you're in Greece) as the author is clearly passionate about the country and has done a lot of research.
For me, it was a little facile at times with characters that felt slightly two-dimensional and plot devices that moved things along just a little bit too easily and predictably. I'm not sure I'm the right audience for this one! 3 stars.

I'm going to keep this review short and (not) sweet as so many others have given full descriptions of this book.
Although I found this an easy read, it did not fill me with longing to pick it up to find out what happened next. Ideally all good books should make you feel this.
I loved The island but unfortunately I think this is where the author reached her peak. So far anyway.
This book has no characters to fall in love, sympathise or even hate. It's all a bit blah.
It's way to long at 500+ pages. I felt as though I'd made no progress at all even after reading it for a week. With still 70% to go I decided to give in and let it go. Life's to short to read a book you don't enjoy. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in return of an honest review.

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