The Figurine

'A beautiful, moving and thought provoking story, The Figurine is a stunning read . . . her love and passion for Greece comes through loud and clear with every word she writes' Real Reader Review, 'Her love for Greece shines through and transports readers to a brilliantly drawn world' Independent 'Family turmoil, unanswered questions, romance and betrayal, all served up against the backdrop of Greece and its enchanting history' Daily Express Feel the sun on your face and the sand of the Aegean islands beneath your feet as you uncover the fate of the Bronze Age figurines in the heart-pounding new novel from the No 1 bestselling author.* When Helena inherits her grandparents' apartment in Athens, she is overwhelmed with memories of the summers she spent there as a child in the 1960s. Her remote, cruel grandfather was a general in the brutal military dictatorship and as she sifts through the dusty rooms, Helena discovers an array of valuable objects and antiquities. How did her grandfather amass such a trove? What human price was paid for them? Helena's desire to find answers dovetails with a growing fascination for archaeology, ignited by a summer spent with volunteers on a dig on an Aegean island. Their finds fuel her determination to protect the precious fragments recovered from the baked earth - and to understand the origins of her grandfather's collection. Along the way, she falls in love with the narrow streets of Athens and the city's big-hearted residents, who show her the murky underbelly of the antiques world - and help her understand the meaning of home. But can she finally make amends for her grandfather's actions? And what price should be paid for the return of such ancient and beautiful artefacts? ---- Victoria Hislop is back with another compulsive page-turner. Discover for yourself why 10 million readers and critics worldwide love Victoria Hislop's books ... 'A tightly wrought excavation of family history' Mail on Sunday 'Searing and powerful' Daily Express 'Glorious Greek setting and rich historical detail' Woman & Home 'Hislop's thyme-scented, Aegean-lapped fictional Greece' The Sunday Times 'Victoria Hislop has done it again! A truly captivating story . . . I wish I could give it more than 5*' Real Reader Review, 'There is no doubting Victoria Hislop is an incredible storyteller who has opened up the history of Greece to a wider contemporary world; he