Blog Tour: The Islander's Daughter by Patricia Wilson

 

As much as I enjoy reading made up stories in historical fiction, there is something special about stories which are based on real life events, which is the case with this book.

The Islander's Daughter tells the story of a terrible massacre on the small Greek island of Milos in August 1943. 14 men were killed by the German occupiers in retribution for the bombing of the cargo ship, SS Artemis Pitta.

The story is predominantly told through the eyes of Dora, a young woman who has grown up on the island. Like many young women of her time, her life is all planned out for her. She is expected to marry family friend Zoodow, but it is more complicated than that as her brother also has feelings for Zoodow. Her brother is forced to leave home, with tragic consequences, leaving Dora at the mercy of her violent and unpredictable father.

The author really cleverly builds the tension, from the bombing of the ship, with the timelines counting down to the date of the massacre. Dora and her family are key to the events. Dora has a natural caring nature and so finds herself caring for a survivor of the boat explosion in secret, and soon finds herself falling in love. War brings out the best and worst in people and Dora experiences this first hand when she is betrayed.

If you read the blurb for this book it appears as though it is a dual timeline is, and I guess, technically, it is. However, it is only the prologue and epilogue that have a modern setting. To be honest, the reason why is only obvious in the last couple of pages. I do wonder if there was a different way of doing this. 

This is my first book from Patricia Wilson, who retired to Greece many years ago. Just looking at the titles and descriptions of her books, it is clear that she loves the country. That enthusiasm shines through the pages of the book!

I am sharing this review with New Release Challenge hosted at The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog and the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge which I host here.  Thanks to the publisher, Netgalley and Rachel's Random Resources for the review copy. Be sure to check out other stops on the blog tour below.

Rating 3.5/5

About the book

The Islander's Daughter

When Trisha receives a mysterious letter to her Liverpool home, it opens a decades’ old mystery, drawing her back into her family’s forgotten past, the horrors of war, and a small island off the coast of Greece…

Eighty years earlier, on the island of Milos, Dora is dreaming of a better life, free from the oppression of the occupying army and, closer to home, the brutal rule of her father, an infamous horse breeder.

Then a German cargo ship is bombed in the harbour, killing dozens of the men on board. The islanders trawl the waters for spoilage from the wreckage – finding among the debris a badly injured man, who may just hold the awful truth about what happened.

Dora soon finds this man under her care, and it changes her life forever, introducing her to the possibility of love and freedom for the first time… But Dora cannot know, as she nurses the stranger back to health, that her actions will have devastating consequences for her beloved island. Consequences that will last for generations…

Purchase Link - https://mybook.to/islandersdaughter

About the Author 

Born on the Wirral, Patricia Wilson is the author of emotional, escapist historical fiction set in the Greek Islands, including the Sunday Times bestseller Villa of Secrets. She has had seven bestsellers, and her books have been published worldwide and in thirteen languages. She is dyslexic, and fell in love with writing thanks to modern technology.



Social Media Links

Facebook: @PatriciaWilsonAuthor

Twitter: @pmwilson_author

Instagram: @pmwilson.author

Newsletter Sign Up: https://bit.ly/PatriciaWilsonNews