I've just read this book whilst on holiday in Crete. That gave the story even more poignancy. A great story told very well.

The latest novel doesn't disappoint and based in background of the Junta in Greece with an Anglo-Greek family and ancient treasure always a mixture of a love story and betrayal to but keeps the reader involved and carried them along.

I love Victoria Hislops writing, she captivates the feeling and atmosphere of the places in her stories so well and in The Figurine she continues with this - in the early chapters you are transported to Athens in the late 60's and 70's, seeing the city through the eyes of the young Helena. Cocooned within the priveleged life her grandparents live, sheltered from the politics and injustice that is happening in Greece during this period and trying to figure out why her mother never returns or really talks about her childhood.
I found the start of part three, once Helena is at university a bit slow and predicatable but then the story picks up pace again although still a bit predictable.

A good read, and at over 500 pages a long one - I think it could have been a great read if shorter.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read The Figurine.

Helena is 8 years old when she flies to Athens on her own to meet her Greek grandparents for the first time. Her mother left Greece when she went to University and never returned or has seen her parents since that day. Why did her mother leave and why did she never go back?
Another enchanting read from Victoria Hislop.

Dealing with the issue of cultural treasure and the book deals with items her grandfather has taken. It was a little slow for me and not my favourite Victoria hislop book

I'm a huge fan of Hislop so was eagerly anticipating the opportunity to read her latest title. Another successful story with complex characters on a journey to discover the sins of the past. A four star read, perfect for holidays.

I really enjoyed reading this book, I loved following Helena on her journey in Greece. The descriptions are beautiful and you really feel like you’re there . This is mainly set in Suffolk and Greece and we follow Helena whose grandparents live in Athens. After their death the story starts to get interesting. Helena meets several characters some of whom are unsavoury and untrustworthy . It is an epic read and it is full of Greeces history and it’s hidden treasures. There isn’t much plot to the story , however it is a gentle read that you can absorb yourself in. You get to know the characters and are hoping that everything gets resolved. I have read Victoria Hislop’s novels before and if you’re a fan this will not disappoint. In my opinion it is a slow read and it is also a bit too long. However if you want transporting to a place full of history and beautiful scenery then this is for you.

I have previously read books by Victoria Hislop so had high expectations for this new title. The story is set between Scotland and Greece as Helena travels to stay either her maternal grandparents at the age of 8 years and follows on until the death of her grandparents and later her mother. She returns after completing her degree to meet her boyfriend and then to visit her grandparents home. Until this point I found the story a little slow although the feelings and emotions of those involved are well described. I liked the descriptions of Greece a place I haven't been to. As the pace picks up and more issues are uncovered through the history of Greece and the local archaeology, I was hooked. The issues were complex at times but they are very much pertinent for our times.
Great research has produced an excellent story.

Expectations are always high for a Victoria Hislop novel and my expectations were certainly more than met by this book. The descriptive language, whether is it is of characters, landscape, city streets, village life, antique artifacts, emotional turmoil, political upheaval, family relationships, love or loss leaves me enthralled. It is so easy to actually imagine oneself in the situation, or location, in the UK or Greece.

As well as enjoying the fiction and the plot, the author also manages to educate the reader about wider issues involving Greek society and history. I have visited Spinalonga since reading The Island and now feel like it is time to see more Greek islands. A great read.

I’ve been a huge admirer of Victoria Hislop’s writing since I first read The Island and fell in love with her beautifully descriptive writing style and her passion for the country of Greece. I’ve read all of her books and have loved them all.

The Figurine is as meticulously researched and steeped in history as always. The novel opens in 1968 as eight year old Helena visits her maternal grandparents in Greece for the very first time. Her mother left home many years before and has not been back to Greece since, saying very little to Helena of her childhood or indeed of Helena’s grandparents, but it seems quite apparent that the years she spent there were not always happy ones.

We then follow Helena as she spends several summers in Greece with her grandparents. Her grandfather is a stern military man who has very little time for his half Scottish granddaughter, other than to find fault with everything from her red hair to her lack of a baptism. So when he dies, Helena can’t help but feel a sense of relief as her visits become more carefree and happy, with her mother even relenting and planning a visit to go back and visit her childhood home.

Victoria Hislop’s beautiful writing weaves an incredibly powerful and intricately detailed story that brings both Greek history and an emotionally charged fictional tale seamlessly together. As Helena grows up she begins to understand more about the history of her family, eventually attempting to make amends for some of her grandfather’s actions, including his questionable acquisition of certain cultural treasures.

The beautiful and conflicted country of Greece is brought vividly to life as, after her grandmother’s death, Helena’s desire to find answers about her heritage develops into a fascination for archaeology that is sparked into life by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean island. What happens there fuels her determination to protect what she has found – as she begins to understand where her grandfather’s collection originated from – and exactly what human price was paid for them…

Victoria Hislop is a born storyteller and her love and passion for Greece comes through loud and clear with every word she writes. A beautiful, moving and thought provoking story, The Figurine is a stunning read that I would highly recommend.

I have read most of Victoria Hislop's books, this one was rather slow to get into, and a few parts about the theft of antiquities from archaeological sites were very similar to another book I had read by her.

Set in Suffolk and Greece, Helena whose mother was Greek started visiting her estranged grandparents when she was about 9 years old, her grandmother showed a lot of love, but her grandfather was a stern political army general who ruled with an iron rod.

When the grandfather dies, he leaves everything to his nephew, his wife had a will to leave everything to Helena.

10 years after her death, lawyers in Athens agree her grandmother's will is valid, and everything passes to Helena... that is when the story comes to life!

I’ve been a fan of Victoria’s books for many years now – my first being The Island about the leper colony at the island of Spinalonga, off the coast of Crete.

In The Figurine, we are back in Greece, though this time it’s mainland Athens, plus a few smaller Greek Islands I’d never heard of, and London. Helena is a child at the beginning, and at aged 12, she goes to Athens to stay with her Greek grandparents. She goes alone, even though she has never met them. Her mother left Greece 25 years ago and has never returned.

Her grandfather is a stern, formidable man, with a cruel streak that she recognises even at such a young age. He was a general in the junta when Greece was under a brutal military dictatorship and anyone who didn’t agree could be made to disappear. Her grandmother, however is kind and generous, but she never defies or criticizes her husband.

Helena returns every year and we follow her life from the premature death of her mother, her time reading chemistry at Oxford, her relationship with the charismatic Nick, and her budding interest in archaeology.

But I don’t want to retell the story. You can read it for yourselves. I want to draw attention to what this book is really about. It’s partly about Helena’s attempts to right the wrongs perpetrated by her grandfather, but it’s mainly about the relics that have been looted from Greece – and other countries – the most famous being the Elgin Marbles, removed from the Parthenon, and now in the British Museum. They are said to ‘represent perhaps the most disputed pieces of cultural heritage’ ever. Many artefacts were also sold overseas for vast sums of money to private collectors. This book discusses the rights and wrongs, with the addition of fictitious heroine Helena to add interest and romance to the story. I really loved it.

Many thanks to @annecater for inviting me to be part of #RandomThingsTours, to NetGalley for an ARC, and to The Pigeonhole, the author and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

Helen lives in Scotland. Her mother is Greek and her father Scottish. Although her mother is estranged from her parents, she sends Helen to visit her grandparents for the first time in 1968.

Helen discovers Greece mostly through enjoyable days, but she soon realises that there is an undercurrent of something she is uncomfortable with. She has her first encounter with the beautiful Cycladic statuettes and is mesmerised by their stunning beauty and simplicity. Growing up, Helen discovers the role her grandfather played in the regime of the junta at the time, and feels deeply challenged by this. But things get even more complicated when she inherits the appartement of her grandparents. She finds herself in the middle of a complex web of illegal operations, linked to the political regime her grandfather belonged to, but continuing into the present and widening to new actors and on a larger scale. She decides to do something about it.

Some would say the novel has a slow rhythm. I personally felt that it was good to take the time to go through the different moments in Helen’s life and how they build up into the project she takes on. The story is also very evocative and I enjoyed being taken on a journey through Greece, the sceneries, the way of life, the social relations among people, and the many references to history.

The heart of the book is about the challenging topic of who archeological and cultural treasures belong to. Where should they be kept and should they be traded. Victoria Hislop makes reference to Elgin and the columns he brought back to the UK and sold to the British Museum, to the popularity of the Cycladic statuettes resulting from the inspiration they brought to modern art, and creates a story that brings various aspects of Illegal smuggling and cultural desecration together. The well researched book also brings hope when it evokes the tenacity of people who fight these criminal operations, and the help science can bring to this work.

Beyond being a pleasant and very well written book, it is also one that brings a lot of food for thought.

I found the video presentation by Victoria Hislop very interesting at https://youtu.be/-BZOoAliTxo?si=ANAXZImdsKJU-7lO

It started so well and engaged me immediately with believable descriptions of Helena visiting Athens as a child. The characters were well drawn and it really gave a flavour of the life and times.
Unfortunately it seemed to move quite slowly and although the story moved on several years I was surprised to find I was still only a fraction of the way into the book. By the time Helena was leaving university I was skipping pages to move things along..
I was taught a lot more detail about the history of Greece than I was previously aware of and the book definitely gives you a greek experience but was too slow moving for my taste.

A lengthy read at a very slow pace. We follow Helena half Greek and half Scot on a voyage of discovery tinged with dismay . A lot is research obviously went into this book and makes us aware of the illegality surrounding Greek Artefacts for greed and gain. A lot of background around the main characters and I felt lost between personal storyline and historical narestivd

The Figurine is Victoria Hislop at her finest. This book has everything: Greek and International Politics, History, Family Politics, Tombraiders and Romance. It is written in exquisite detail and covers a vast expanse of history.

"Helena stood at the top of the aircarft steps blinking into the sunlight, a hot breeze blowing strands of hair across her face. Why was everything so shimmering? So dazzingly bright?"

In 1968 Helena vistis her Greek grandparents for the first time. She knows all about her Greek heritage and knows her mother is estranged from her parents, but she doesn't know why. Helena's grandmother is loving and welcoming but from the beginning Helena notices a distance to her grandfather. Throughout the book Helena, and the reader, come to dislike the man intensely.

"She couldn't tell her grandmother that she found him frightening, and only admitted to herself that she was happier on the days when he was not around."

It isn't until much later she discovers from her mother quite how distasteful a man her grandfather is. He was responsible for a number of atrocious acts in Greek history. With this knowledge Helena becomes interested in Greek history and politics alongside the passion she already has for Greek culture.

"You understand that my father was part of all that...that repression. It's why I left Greece and have never been back. I didn't want to have anything to do with it."

Helena's initial love of Greece continues into adulthood and when she finds herself with an opportunity to return in adulthood she jumps at the opportunity. As a result Helena ends up uncovering Greek historical artefacts being stolen and sold in foreign countries for extortionate prices. Helena is outraged and decides something must be done.

"And it belongs to the island where it was found. To Greece. To all of us."

Helena gets drawn into the world of looting artefacts from ancient Greece. and becomes determined to gain revenge on, and expose the men behind a multi million euro business . Another fascinating novel from Victoria Hislop opening up events in Greece .

Not what I expected, but I loved this book. So often Victoria Hislop’s books are about a period in history rather than the characters.. not his one. The characters drive the story and the central theme is archaeological crimes. Handled lightly enough, the story has real moral impact , and is a well written, intelligent discussion on how we view the past and who owns it.

Although I’m a big fan of Victoria Hislop I really struggled with this one. The story didn’t engage with me and I found it all a bit too descriptive for my liking.

This is my first Victoria Hislop novel and I enjoyed it.

It was fascinating to learn so much history but have mystery and romance woven into the story.

Victoria Hislop clearly has extensive knowledge about Ancient Greece and has made it very accessible to readers. The sections of the book set in Athens were very evocative of the atmosphere there and it was great to picture myself visiting again.

Thank you for the opportunity to read 'The Figurine'.