Those Who Are Loved Av Victoria Hislop

Two women. Two sons. Two islands <br/> <br/>Themis and Aliki grew up under the German occupation of Greece and subsequent Civil War that tore the country in two. The polarised ideologies of left and right ushered in violent and bloody struggle. <br/> <br/>The two women meet while imprisoned on the exile island of Makronisos, having been members of the communist army. Themis has given birth to a son, Angelos, but is too malnourished to feed him so Aliki offers to wet nurse the boy. When Aliki is condemned to death, Themis promises to find and raise Aliki's son, Nikos, for the two boys share the same father - army captain, Fotis. <br/> <br/>Themis raises Angelos and Nikos as brothers but they are caught in the tensions between left and right. Angelos flees to America while Nikos, the more rebellious spirit, is killed when army tanks attack students demonstrating against the Junta. <br/> <br/>Themis is heartbroken, but the slaughter of the innocent students restores democracy to Greece, Nikos has not died in vain.

The gripping new novel by Sunday Times Number One bestseller Victoria Hislop is set against the backdrop of the German occupation of Greece, the subsequent civil war and a military dictatorship, all of which left deep scars. Athens, 1941. After decades of political uncertainty, Greece is polarised between right- and left-wing views when the Germans invade.Fifteen-year-old Themis comes from a family divided by these political differences. The Nazi occupation deepens the fault lines between those she loves just as it reduces Greece to destitution. She watches friends die in the ensuing famine and is moved to commit acts of resistance.In the civil war that follows the end of the occupation, Themis joins the Communist army, where she experiences the extremes of love and hatred and the paradoxes presented by a war in which Greek fights Greek. Eventually imprisoned on the infamous islands of exile, Makronisos and then Trikeri, Themis encounters another prisoner whose life will entwine with her own in ways neither can foresee. And finds she must weigh her principles against her desire to escape and live.As she looks back on her life, Themis realises how tightly the personal and political can become entangled. While some wounds heal, others deepen. This powerful new novel from Number One bestseller Victoria Hislop sheds light on the complexity and trauma of Greece's past and weaves it into the epic tale of an ordinary woman compelled to live an extraordinary life.Victoria Hislop. Discover for yourself why 10 million readers worldwide love her books. 'Hislop's passionate love of the country breathes from every page' Daily Mail on Cartes Postales from Greece'Fascinating and moving .. . Hislop writes unforgettably about Cyprus and its people' The Times on The Sunrise'Sweeping, magnificently detailed and ambitious' The Sunday Times on The Thread'Meticulously researched historical narrative and imaginative storytelling' Telegraph on The Return