November book club - Cartes Postales from Greece

I was surprised to receive a parcel and pleased to find the book inside. I've enjoyed reading the book so far but at this time of year I don't have as much time to read as I'd like. Looking forward to some time curled up reading over the festive period and hope to be in time to comment more fully on the content of the book later.

I was fortunate enough to win a copy. And I am enjoying this book so much . I highly recommend it to others. Light heart reading in little sections of different stories . So you can pick it up and put it down anytime during the course of the day.

Thank you for the book.
It read more like a travelogue I suppose than a novel, maybe that's how it was supposed to be ? Like another reviewer said, maybe it's of more interest to someone who has travelled around Greece a lot as the author already has, for that reason, I passed it on to my Father in law !

I have now found where the book went on my Ipad. It was in ' ibooks' . Started it last night, and enjoyed the first bit. Will let you know how I enjoy the rest, when, I finish .

Thank you for my copy.
I was enthusiastic with the start of this book but as I read some more did not find it so good.
I don't usually like short stories although the format of these was a little different, some more intresting than others.
I have passed it on to my Mum who has been to Greece on holiday lots of time,will be intrested to hear what she thinks with a better knowledge of the country.

I was delighted when I received such a visually attractive book and loved everything about its presentation: the cover, the pictures, maps, the quality of the paper, the bookmark - a real box of delights. Picture books aren't just for children! I thought it would take me quite a long time to read it, but I was surprised how quickly I devoured the stories. I loved this modern take on the epistolary novel (has anyone written a novel in the form of text messages yet, I wonder?) The interwoven stories of Ellie in her dingy flat and the mysterious 'A' intrigued me, and I enjoyed the variety of tales which transported me from Greece's past to its insecure present and everywhere inbetween. A rich tapestry indeed. I had forgotten about Byron's associations with Greece. Victoria Hislop successfully transported me to Greece as I read, and I would love to visit some of the places she described. My only real criticism is for the ending, which I thought was perhaps a little cliched: having a glass of wine on the balcony is maybe a feel-good factor, but unconvincing. I have read one of Victoria Hislop's novels already, and enjoyed this one in a very different way. I will certainly try to read more. Thank you, Gransnet, for sending me this one.

The book was unusual in that it was a series of stories connected by a notebook which had fallen into the hands of someone who was inspired to travel through Greece following the travels of the notebook writer. Some of the stories were excellent others not so good. Not up to the usual Victoria Hislop storytelling but readable none the less. It did make me want some Greek sun on my back though.

This is a difficult book for me to review as, although this is classed as a novel, it is actually a series of short stories and I really dislike reading short stories.
The main character in the novel is a man who has been dumped by his girlfriend and who travels round Greece trying to take his mind off his broken heart. Along the way he meets various people who tell him their stories. I found some of them rather boring and struggled to finish them.
The other character in the book is the recipient of the postcards which have been mistakenly sent to her. This character is rather sketchily drawn and the continuity of her story gets lost at times.
The story Is set in modern day Greece and deals with the austerity and unemployment faced by many young Greeks today. The message seems to be that they have faced great adversity in the past and have always got through it. I thought that the illustrations of the postcards throughout the book was a innovative idea but I really found them to be the only colour in a rather dull book.

I thought this book was good in parts and I enjoyed the illustrations. The short stories were interesting but not very compelling and the main story line was rather weak and predictable. I did enjoy it but not as much as her other novels.

Victoria Hislop is one of my favourite authors, I just love her books however I didn't enjoy this one so much. The story started well and I became interested then the short stories started and I kind of lost interest. The short stories did not endear me towards the Greeks, I hated the thought that vendettas can last for years and can go on through generations. The photos went very well with each story and it was cleverly done. I liked the book better when the main story picked up again and the ending was rounded off nicely. At the end I decided I did enjoy it just not as much as her others. I would like to ask Victoria if she has already started or has an idea what her next book will be? I really want to read her other books all over again.

I have finished this book with a sense of did I miss something ?! It is a beautifully illustrated and descriptive novel, but the story didn't flow and was quite boring. Maybe I need to reread it , I will be interested to see what other reviews say.

It is a curious book - the thread of the story is a little predictable, but the photos and vignettes that accompany the "diary" are absolutely charming and describe Greece very well. I have never been to Greece and it was very edifying.

One thing confused me somewhat was A's tour of the mainland and the Peloponnese; the places visited seemed rather random, not in a particular order - since Greece is fairly big, it seemed odd that one day he was staying in a place in the north and then he visits somewhere in the south. A little perplexing.

Despite all this, I enjoyed the book very much. Thank you.

I received my copy a few days ago and started last night. I'm enjoying it so far. I really like the illustrations. It's unusual in an adult book to have them. I've read all Victoria Hislops previous books.

I feel really bad! I got the link to download this book a week ago, went and got it - then dropped my iPad, shattering the screen and rendering it unusable .
I got a new one at the weekend but was visiting a friend so had to wait till I got home before I could transfer everything over (via the PC), and have been out every night this week so far (till today) but it's already 30th November.
So I'm really sorry but I haven't read it yet - will post as soon as I have!

Pittcity - success! I am now the proud owner of a free copy of Hislop's book to read at leisure on my iPad. I nearly pulled all my hair out getting it though ?

Much thanks Pittcity. Will have a go using your instructions. ? Fingers crossed!

Help please. I managed to download the book, by googling how to do it, and managedtoremember my itunes password, phew. Now, where has it put it? I looked in my KOBO app, and also books in itunes, but how do I get to read it?

GandT you will find Redeem as the bottom choice in the drop down menu under Account.
The content is locked so you can only read it on Ibooks on an Apple device.

Help! Technophobe panic. I've won the ebook version of Hislop's book and don't know how to enter redemption code in iTunes where, apparently, it needs to be retrieved. No instructions with email. Anyone had any success with this to give me advice. Cheers.

I also received the voucher for the e-reader copy though I don't recall being asked if I wanted one. I am not prepared to download itunes so will not be able to read the book this month.

Cari we received The Essex Serpent as a file sent direct from the publisher that worked on any e reader.Sosome publishers can do it.

The publisher has replied saying that it was in the competition entry details that the prize would only be available on Itunes. I only remember it asking if you would like a copy for E reader.
You live and learn, I will only be applying for the physical book in future.

Thank you for my copy, received today. I'm relieved we've got a bit of extra time for this one - I'm reading four books at the minute and one of them is October's GN pick (very nearly finished, though )

oops, that's me on the competition black list