Reviews

This was the book that opened my eyes to Victoria Hislop's work, and reawakened my love of historical fiction. Beautifully written, full of rich description, heart-warming characters, heart-wrenching history, tragedy, love, and so much life. The whole time reading it I could feel the Spanish sun beating down on my face, and pretty much taste Granada. One of my all time favourites, can't wait to read it again. While I've loved every Hislop book I've read since, none have stolen my heart quite like this.

apd's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

lukakay's review against another edition

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hopeful informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

siria's review against another edition

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1.0

Hislop sets The Return amidst the Spanish Civil War, a bloody and fascinating period of the twentieth century—and yet somehow produced a bloodless and flaccid book. She doesn't wear her research lightly, ladling on the exposition with a heavy hand (while still making some mistakes about modern Spain which made me doubt her historical accuracy) which made me find an account of such an important conflict boring. The narrative arc was constructed entirely of clichés, the characters flat and undeveloped, the prose leaden, and the ending at once predictable yet unbelievable. Not recommended.

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