I read One August Night By Victoria Hislop over two balmy days. I was drawn in immediately even though I have not read The Island. I was whisked away to the gorgeous island of Crete. The book is set in 1957. One August Night is a dramatic and ultimately beautiful story of love, betrayal and tragedy. It is a story with depth that compels you to carry on reading whilst completely absorbed in the story and the characters. Hislop’s books are always so well researched. This is a gorgeous book that you can sink your teeth into. I feel like I learnt a lot about redemption and the power of forgiveness from this perfectly-written book. An essential read.

25th August 1957. The island of Spinalonga closes its leper colony. And a moment of violence has devastating consequences.

When time stops dead for Maria Petrakis and her sister, Anna, two families splinter apart and, for the people of Plaka, the closure of Spinalonga is forever coloured with tragedy.

In the aftermath, the question of how to resume life looms large. Stigma and scandal need to be confronted and somehow, for those impacted, a future built from the ruins of the past.

Number one bestselling author Victoria Hislop returns to the world and characters she created in The Island – the award-winning novel that remains one of the biggest selling reading group novels of the century. It is finally time to be reunited with Anna, Maria, Manolis and Andreas in the weeks leading up to the evacuation of the island… and beyond.

One August Night By Victoria Hislop is available here.