If you like archaeology/antiques and feel-good books, that’s one story for you.

The writing flows naturally and tells the story of Helena, from her childhood into her early womanhood who has Scottish and Greek heritage. There is something very sweet and genuine about the way life appears through Helena’s eyes. There’s a veiled sadness, sometimes confusion, well blended with love and discovery. There are past and present intertwined in a story where everything should become whole and find its natural place, and I really liked that.

The few flaws I found in the world Hislop created and a fair level of predictability didn’t spoil the overall pleasant feeling of finding and protecting good things in life, which is the main message for me.

Helena and the figurine, to me, are the same. The attachment to their past, their broken and fragile state and their beauty/aura that bring them forward.

Nick looks like a character from Saltburn, in the most positive and villain-ish way.

I really want to go to Greece now. Drink some good wine and visit as many little villages as possible, honouring their people and their art.

"The Figurine" by Victoria Hislop is a slow-burning Athens adventure fueled by ancient secrets and simmering tension. Unveiling family mysteries through a trove of antiquities, Hislop masterfully blends suspense and a love of Athens and Greek society. Though the ending may peek through, the journey grips you tight, a page turner!

This book has a slow start. I did wonder for the first third of the book where it would be going. The storyline was fairly predictable and the characters could have done with more fleshing out.

I liked how it was set in Greece, London and Oxford, which made for a nice mixture of settings.

Overall it was an enjoyable read but often it was bogged down with too much detail and not enough focus on character development. It would be good for fans of historical fiction.

Helena spends two weeks every summer with her maternal grandparents in Athens. Her mother refuses to go back to the country run by a brutal dictatorship, especially as her father is a high ranking military officer. When Helena inherits their apartment, she finds many antique treasures and tries to put right the crimes of her grandfather.
I found this to be more historical information than fictional entertainment which was at the detriment of the characters and storyline. Great for fans of the history genre.

This book was an interesting eye opener into Greek history. Helena, half Greek and half English tells her story about her controversial Greek grandparents. A very interesting book but at times a little bit too much detail.

I found this quite a slow read to start with, but by the end felt I'd learned an embarrassing amount of modern Greek history and had a new awareness of the problem of artefacts being stolen.

Victoria Hislop's passion for Greece comes through, maybe one to stash away until a sunny holiday next year?

In her new novel, The Figurine, Victoria Hislop tackles the subject of the theft and smuggling of art and antiquities, a problem that has existed for centuries and sadly is still making news headlines today. As Hislop explains in her foreword to the book, ‘the theft of cultural treasures and the falsification of provenance diminishes our understanding of civilisation’. The Figurine explores this topic through the eyes of Helena McCloud, a young woman with a Greek mother and Scottish father.

We first meet Helena in 1968 as an eight-year-old child arriving in Athens to visit her grandparents for the first time. Her mother was born and raised in Greece, but she doesn’t accompany Helena on this trip and appears to have been estranged from her family for many years, although at this point we don’t know why. Everything is new and strange to Helena, but during this visit – and more to follow over the next few summers – she begins to fall in love with Greece and to develop loving relationships with her grandmother and the housekeeper, Dina. Her grandfather, however, remains a cold, remote figure and her dislike of him grows as she discovers that he has connections with the military dictatorship currently in control of the country.

Helena’s summers in Greece come to an end in the 1970s due to political turmoil and by the time it’s safe to return, her grandparents are no longer alive. Heading to Athens to inspect the apartment she has inherited from them, she makes another shocking discovery about her grandfather, this time relating to his involvement in the looting of valuable historical artefacts. Helena’s own interest in antiquities has already led her to take part in an archaeological dig on an island in the Aegean Sea. Can she use her newly gained knowledge to make amends for what her grandfather has done?

This is the third Victoria Hislop novel I’ve read, after Those Who Are Loved, also set in Greece, and The Sunrise, set during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and although I didn’t enjoy it as much as those two books, it was still a fascinating story. As well as the exploration of cultural theft and its impact on world heritage, we also learn a lot about the political situation in Greece during the 1960s and 70s and of course, there are lots of beautiful descriptions of the country itself. While there are some horrible characters in the novel, Helena also makes several friends and I loved watching her bond with her grandparents’ servant, Dina – I enjoyed seeing them sneak out onto the streets of Athens in search of somewhere to view the 1969 moon landing, because her grandfather has cruelly removed the television to stop them from watching this historic event.

My main problem with this book was the length; I felt that there were lots of scenes that added very little to the overall story and could easily have been left out. I also found some parts of the plot predictable and others very unrealistic, particularly towards the end of the book where Helena and her friends decide to take matters into their own hands when it would surely have been much more sensible just to have gone to the police.

Although this isn’t a favourite Hislop novel, I do have another one, The Thread, on my shelf which I’m looking forward to reading.

Excellent new novel from Victoria Hislop, a definite contender for her best one to date. Helena spends most of her holidays with her grandparents in Athens and despite her grandfather cruel and distant demeanour she falls in the love with Greece, its culture and history. Upon the death of her grandparents she inherits their apartment and is in a hurry to get it cleared until she uncovers information about its contents, her grandfather and links to her family’s past. Her interest in history and archaeology develops alongside a relationship with a fellow student, who appears to be keeping her at arms length. Her determination to rectify the looting and removal of artefacts from their original site gives her a point of focus in her life that she seemed to have lost and it drives her forward.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I have been a fan of Victoria Hislop’s mesmerising, evocative Greece fiction since reading ‘The Island’ in 2005. Almost 20 years later, and this uniquely talented writer is still publishing novels that live up to her debut, capturing the nuances of modern-day Greece and the complex, endlessly fascinating stories of people who have made this country. At the heart of The Figurine is Helena, who has dual Greek and Scottish heritage. Throughout her childhood, she spent many happy holidays with her grandmother in Greece. As an adult, she returns to the same apartment for a house clearance, lifting the lid on her family’s past and confronting her grandfather’s heinous past that includes political corruption, human extortion and the theft of priceless Greek artefacts. Readers willing to engage with Helena’s story will learn an extraordinary amount about twenty-first century Greece and the ethical and moral questions surrounding priceless cultural heritage. Warmly recommended, this is a novel that deserves a huge readership.
I wish to thank the publishers and NetGalley for the free ARC that enabled me to read this unique novel and to produce this unbiased book review.

Set in Oxford, London & Greece but quite a slow story which seemed to be used as a vehicle to promote the case of the Elgin marbles. I don’t have a problem with fiction having a ‘message’ but his was poorly wrapped in a very slow love story which I kept hoping would improve. Not up to Victoria Hislop’s usual storytelling standard.

It has been some time since I have read a novel by Victoria Hislop and sadly this one didn’t live up to the memories that I have of her previous novels. It was a very slow burn with an overly naive heroine. I enjoyed the descriptions of Greece and learnt a lot of its turbulence history . However I felt that it was overlong and I did almost give up at one point. The novel did pick up towards the end so I was glad I persevered and I felt it had some important things to say about art and culture. I think it is probably a marmite book and maybe just the right book but at the wrong time for me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the ARC of this novel in return for an honest review

The Figurine is another good book from Victoria Hislop. I did not find it a quick book to read, rather a slow burner, that gathered pace towards the end. However, I found the history interesting and the author does a great job of transporting the reader to Greece. The cast of characters is varied and well described and developed.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so looking forward to reading this, having enjoyed other Hislop novels, particularly The Island, but i was disappointed. The premise was a good one but it felt as though the author was just trying too hard. It simply wasn’t as well written as her other book & I’m of the opinion that when someone resorts to using the word “vertiginous” they’ve run out of other descriptions for green & lush so should either think of more story rather than relying on description to pad out their novel!!

Unfortunately this was a “vertiginous” book, but neither green not lush!

There's plenty of books about Greece but this is the first one I read about the dictature and the dramatic years when it wasn't a democracy.
I was fascinated by the Cycladic statuette on the cover and the excellent storytelling kept me turning pages and wishing I could be back in Greece.
It's the first book i read by this author and I'm sure it won't surely be the last.
Intriguing and compelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

We first meet Helena as an 8 year old flying alone to Athens to stay with her Greek grandparents. Helena has a Greek mother and a Scottish father and it is his Celtic heritage that has given Helena her pale dkin and wild red hair.
While she is comfortable with her grandmother and the maid, Dina, Helena find her grandfather remote and strict. However she visits each summer growing more fluent in the Greek language and more sure of her dislike for her grandfather.
When she finishes her degree Helena meets Nick, a charismatic charmer who steals her heart. They go on archaeological digs together but eventually Helena realises that all is not as it should be.
Helena makes new friends in Athens including Anna and her brother Haris, antique dealers who despise the people who loot the archaeological dig sites and rob Greece of its ancient treasures
Victoria Hislop transports the reader to the warmth of Greece, blue skies and balmy water. The characters in this book are well described and make for a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Having read a number of Victoria Hislop's novels previously, I was so excited to have The Figurine on my NetGalley bookshelf and I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.

As a starter, I loved the cover art! The Figurine is a major character in the novel and having that visual to refer back to brought 'to life' the statue that is so important to this story.

The first thing to say about the novel itself is that it's weighty. Definitely not a speedy read and one that you will need to take time to read and enjoy. As with all of Victoria's novels, I found myself falling down rabbit holes where I would look up references to the historical events and real-life people mentioned in the story. To me, this enriched the experience and helped me to enjoy the novel more - even though it took me far longer to finish the book!

The Figurine spans a period of about 15 years, from the very late 60s to the early to mid 80s. We meet Helena McCloud a little girl from suburban England who is half Scottish and half Greek. She travels to Athens to meet her maternal grandparents and her other Greek family members for the first time and we experience the sights and sounds of Greece under a military regime as seen through the eyes of a small child. We return with her to Greece on a number of occasions, both as a child visiting her grandparents and as a young adult visiting with her parents, Hamish and Mary.

I loved this part of the novel where she got to know her grandparents and built a beautiful friendship with their housekeeper, Dina. The part of the story where Helena and Dina sneaked out late at night to watch the 1969 moon landing with hordes of fellow Athenians was magical.

Helena has a close relationship with her parents, who instill in her a love of science and archeology and we follow her to university where she studies chemistry.

We meet her university friends and lovers before exploring the world of archaeological digs and the dark side of archaeology - the looting, the black market dealing in artifacts and the grubby underworld of organised crime.

I adored watching Helena grow from an awkward teenager into a confident, principled woman with a clear sense of right and wrong, with the conviction and bravery to do the right thing and fight against those involved in looting and criminal activity.

The cast of supporting characters really made the novel for me. Helena's wonderfully kind and loving parents, her gentle grandmother, cold grandfather and creepy uncle helped to create the woman she becomes. We also meet antique dealers, Greek islanders, larger-than-life auctioneers, enthusiastic police officers and her university friends, some of whom are friends for life and others who let her down badly.

This is a fabulous novel and I'm sure it's one I will return to and read again. If you've enjoyed Victoria's previous novels, I'm sure you'll enjoy this. If you've never read any before, this is a great one to start with.

Recommended.

I do love Victoria Hislop books, and in The Figurine I was transported back to Greece in the 1960’s with dictators ruling and a young girl, Helena, visiting her affluent grandparents on her own. Her grandfather is authoritarian, aloof, and never really connects with his granddaughter, but her grandmother clearly adores her. Through these summer visits, Helena grows to love Greece, even if she never manages to form a relationship with her grandfather.

As she gets older, Helena goes to university, meets a man who convinces her to go on archaeological digs on Greek Islands, and she then discovers antiques in her grandparents flat after their deaths - antiques that should not be owned by a private collector at all. These antiques are not acquired under legitimate means, and just how they were acquired soon becomes very clear to Helena. With the help of some Greek friends she is able to start the process of returning the valuable antiques to their rightful owners - the Greek people.

There is still the matter of a dodgy, antique smuggling boyfriend to deal with, and to do so involves the help of friends in London. So this story goes between London and Greece - and believe me when I say that Greece is painted in a much more favourable light than London. Everything seems grey and cold in London, and Greece is all sunshine and warmth. I know where I would rather be.

I love how Hislop writes about Greece: she’s clearly a Hellenophile, and why wouldn’t she be?! It’s a beautiful country. And when the matter of an ancient figurine comes up (that of the title of the book), we see how important even the smallest piece of Greece’s history is to the country as a whole.

Another gorgeous book from Victoria Hislop - a good one to read during the dull winter months that we have coming our way!

Read on The Pigeonhole.

f you’ve read any books by Victoria Hislop then you will know she takes you on a journey - and in her new book The Figurine once again her love of Greece shines through in a story that had me captivated and fascinated in equal measure.

Told through the eyes of Helena, half Greek, half Scottish, who spends summers with her grandparents in Athens, she discovers that her grandfather is part of the brutal regime of the time. Returning later in life as a student she gets involved in archaeological digs and when she begins to learn about the shocking looting that takes place she begins to understand her grandfather’s part in it all.

I love Hislop’s knowledge of and affinity to Greece that enables her to bring events to life - and I learnt a great deal about both Greece in the 1960s and 1970s and about the trade in stolen antiquities. Combined with the story of Helena’s personal journey to right some of her grandfather’s wrongs, adding elements of romance and intrigue to the story, this was a truly enjoyable read despite its somewhat daunting 500+ pages!

I was left a little underwhelmed by this book. The overall story had a great deal of promise, but it's execution was drawn out. For me, the story took too long to really build up speed and become engaging, and for this reason I found it difficult to want to continuously pick it up and continue with the story.

This is up there for my favourite book of the year award so far....... her first novel The Island is my favourite ever book and this is up there i think. I got so engrossed in it that I barely moved all weekend, got no jobs done and had chippy tea on a Saturday evening! the characters are so engaging, the history is interested but doesnt go overboard at all, it actually made me want to learn more about the period where as her novel about Spain just bored me to tears with the history aspect! thank you to Netgally, reading this made for the best weekend of the year!!