November book club - Cartes Postales from Greece

Thank you for this book - it's format was ideal for bedtime reading. I really enjoyed the short stories, and felt that they conveyed the atmosphere of 21st century Greece well. The author obviously is passionate about the country and made me want to visit a country I have never been to ( maybe this year?) I didn't find the wraparound story as convincing - the ending was very contrived. I felt it would have worked better as a selection of short stories, but maybe that wouldn't have sold as well! I would like to ask Victoria how many of the stories had an element of truth, or were they totally fictional. I have passed the book onto my daughter to read.

My first Victoria Hislop book and probably not my last. I thoroughly enjoyed the 'diary' of stories as told by the traveller, but wonder how many of them are true as some paint a very disturbing and unattractive side to the Greeks. The inclusion of colour postcards (ebook version) added to the dialogue and sense of place as I have only visited Greece on one occasion. Like others, I thought the ending was very predictable.

I have already gave my review of the book but after reading some people saying that this is the first book they've read by Victoria Hislop I wanted to say how much I have loved her other books. If you enjoy a bit of history surrounding a fiction story then you'll love her. She has become my favourite author but this one really isn't her best book. So give the others a try they're so good.

I unfortunately didn't find this book very interesting. It seemed to jump all over the place and unlike most of the other posts I didn't find the illustrations added anything to the story. The ending was definitely predictable.

I travel to Greece two or three times a year and have been to many of the places named in the book. I love this book, the stories and illustrations are a joy. However, I think that if you haven't experienced the Greek lifestyle you might find this book a bit disjointed and tedious.

I found this book delightful it reminded me very much of a favourite book of my teenage years which was a collection of stories by Saki. The only story which left me with more questions than answers was the one about Athanasius visiting her father's village. As with previous books by this author it left me wanting to read another.

I found this good in parts.
The descriptions of Greece, its history, culture, mythology, anecdotes and human nature are very evocative. But I'm not a fan of short stories and found some of them rather weak, with predictable endings. And the ending was too neat/contrived for my liking.
That said, Victoria Hislop's love of Greece shines through and I found that heart warming.
While I came to the conclusion that it doesn't really matter if the stories are true, false or exaggerated, I'd still like to ask the author to tell us more about her choice. Also, to ask her what made her fall in love with Greece and its people, and what effect recent events have had on her views.

I am not finished this book yet, I am reading it a chapter a night. At first I found it rather fragmented and wasn't sure which way the book was going. When I realised that they were stories told to the traveller by locals of the towns visited it all became more interesting. I have never visited Greece so am not familiar with place names but it is still an interesting book and is well written.
My sister has asked to have the book after me as she often holidays in Greece and has read good reviews of Victoria Hislop.

I very much enjoyed the short stories.They were fascinating and varied but did not show the Greek persona in a good light.In fact it made the Greeks seem quite a spooky nation.However,I liked the stories so much that I have asked for a book of her short stories for Christmas.This was the first time I had read of Victoria's books.

I dint know what to make of this book. The stories seem so disjointed, and to finish up with Daedalus and Icarus?
It's clear that Victoria Hislop loves Greece, so I imagine she wanted to try and share that with us, but I don't feel this book really succeeded, in that it hasn't made me desperate to jump on a plane to Greece.
Bit of a disappointment overall, I'm afraid

I was so disappointed in this book. I love the Greek people, the place itself, the food & everything about it & I have read all Victoria Hislop's previous books.I must admit not with 100% liking ( there are errors) but she tells a good tale usually.
I felt this was just a cop out & a series of fairly bland tales with a flimsy thread holding them together. Not a good book to read on Kindle as the pictures are not great quality & the font changes requiring you to change it often.
I was really looking forward to reading it too.

I,too, received a copy belatedly. Regret it went to the bottom of a pile of paperwork only to be resurrected recently and now on the book table with others waiting to be read! I hope I enjoy it once I start, but some of the negative comments have floored me somewhat. ?

After issues with the electronic version, I was sent a hardback copy which suffered from the Christmas mail, so arrived very late. I had taken a volume of Victoria Hislop short stories from the library to see what I was missing. They were also about Greece. I found them easy reading, so started on Cartes Postales with a relaxed attitude.

I was surprised at the additional costs that the format must have caused, though the silk bookmark ribbon was an usual touch these days and added to the feel of the book. I wasn't convinced that the illustrations were worth the cost, or the added bulk. They may assist sales for those browsing in bookshops, though a high proportion of buyers don't handle a book until it is delivered.

Short stories are an unfashionable format these days, though I agree with other posters, they are handy for bedtime reading. I would like to ask Victoria whether she saw the book as a complete structure when she started to write it, or whether she tried to work out a way to sell a short story collection, and the book grew from that? She clearly enjoys that form.

Yes, the ending is predictable but the book is an enjoyable read, not great literature, so that's OK. Probably ideal to read on a Greek beach?

Christmas prevented me from reading this book by the due date and I'm sorry, as grandMattie suggested maybe a later closing date might be in order. Retired I might be but busy, busy, busy is my watchword. However, once started I found it hard to put down. I found it was easy to follow and much like reading short stories for each destination brought a new interesting sometimes poignant story.My absolute favourite piece was about Costa and the description of love of his wife.
The postcards within the text of the kindle book were fun to look at and I almost feel as if I have now sampled the country. Definitely one to read and savour.