Lizzie - I have read The Island by Victoria Hislop and also her other two books. I thought The Island was excellent but that was untill someone told me about a series of books by Beryl Darby see link
http://www.beryldarbybooks.com/Her books were written before Victoria Hislop's and there are about ten in the series. They start off with the first one Yannis which is based on Spinalonga - dont be put off though it is about 750 pages and I thought I am never going to get through that but I read it in two weeks couldnt put it down. It is compelling story of Yannis, who comes from the village of Plaka on the island of Crete. He attends school in the town of Aghios Nikolaos and gains a scholarship to the Gymnasium in Heraklion. Whilst in Heraklion, he is diagnosed with leprosy, shattering his dreams of becoming an archaeologist. He is admitted to the local hospital for treatment and subsequently transferred to the hospital in Athens. The conditions in the hospital are appalling; overcrowding, lack of amenities, poor food and only basic medication. The inmates finally rebel, resulting in their exile to Spinalonga, a leper colony just across the water from Yannis’s home village. This book tells the heart rendering account of his life on the small island, his struggle for survival his loves and losses along with that of his family on the mainland from 1918 to 1979. All the events described are true. The school teacher who became the Mayor of Heraklion is entirely fictitious, as are all the characters.
The other books carry on with the other family members the second one being Anna his sister which I have just finished reading and is also a cant put it down book. I have just ordered the third in the series Giovanni.
You can only buy these from Waterstones or direct from the publisher and they are £7.99 each but are excellent but you do need to read them in order as they refer back to the ones before.
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