Une dernière danse

by Victoria Hislop, Séverine Quelet (Translator)

Derrière les tours majestueuses de l'Alhambra, les ruelles de Grenade résonnent de musique et de secrets. Venue de Londres pour prendre des cours de danse, Sonia ignore tout du passé de la ville quand elle arrive. Mais une simple conversation au café El Barril va la plonger dans la tragique histoire de la cité de Garcia Lorca et de la famille qui tenait les lieux.

Soixante-dix ans plus tôt, le café abrite les Ramirez : trois frères qui n'ont rien d'autre en commun que leur amour pour leur sœur, Mercedes. Passionnée de danse, la jeune fille tombe bientôt sous le charme d'un gitan guitariste hors pair. Mais tandis que l'Espagne sombre dans la guerre civile, chacun doit choisir un camp. Et la fratrie va se déchirer entre résistance, soumission au pouvoir montant, ou fuite.

Happée par ce récit de feu et de sang, Sonia est loin d'imaginer à quel point cette histoire va bouleverser sa propre existence...

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Greece, Novels, Audiobook, Roman

452 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Victoria Hislop read English at Oxford, and worked in publishing, PR and as a journalist before becoming a novelist. She is married with two children.

Her first novel, The Island, held the number one slot in the Sunday Times paperback charts for eight consecutive weeks and has sold over two million copies worldwide. Victoria was the Newcomer of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2007 and won the Richard & Judy Summer Read competition.

Her second novel, The Return, was also a Sunday Times number one bestseller, and her books have been translated into more than twenty languages. A short story collection, One Cretan Evening, was published in September and both a third novel, The Thread is published in English in October and in Greek in November 2011.

Reviews

[Jennie · Rating 3 out of 5]

General rating (for the whole book): 3 stars
•Ένα μικρό βιβλίο με 10 σύντομες ιστορίες ανθρώπων (φανταστικών προσώπων) που ζουν και μένουν στην Ελλάδα (μια ιστορία εξελίσσεται στην Κύπρο). Μέσα από αυτές τις σύντομες ιστορίες πέρα από το ότι κάποιος διαβάζει για τις περιπέτειες των ηρώων που εξελίσσονται είτε σε χωριό είτε σε μια μεγάλη πόλη ,μπορεί επίσης να πάρει και μια γεύση από τα φαγητά που υπάρχουν στην Ελλάδα και την Κύπρο, τα ήθη, τις παραδόσεις, τις συνήθειες και τα έθιμα των Ελλήνων (παλιά και καινούργια) και κυρίως την νοοτροπία των Ελλήνων.
•Αυτά που μου άρεσαν πιο πολύ σε αυτό το βιβλίο ήταν οι εικονογραφήσεις στην αρχή της κάθε ιστορίας αλλά και η έκδοση Hardcover στην οποία βρισκόταν αυτό το βιβλίο όταν το πήρα. Ήταν σαν να διαβάζω ένα μικρο βιβλιαράκι, ένα τετράδιο με ιστορίες. Ή ακόμα καλύτερα ένα ημερολόγιο.

Specific rating for each story:
1. The Priest and the Parrot: 3,5 stars
2. The Kafenion: 3 stars
3. Aflame in Athens: 2 stars
4. The Zacharoplasteion: 3,5 stars
5. The peripteron: 1,5 star
6. One Cretan Evening: 3 stars
7. The Butcher Of Karapoli: 2,5 to 3 stars
8. The Lesson: 3 stars
9. The Pine Tree: 3 to 3,5 stars
10. The Last Dance: 2,5 to 3 stars

•Τέλος, με χαροποίησε πολύ το γεγονός ότι η συγγραφέας φαίνεται ότι έψαξε για την Ελλάδα και την Κύπρο, τους τόπους ,τα ήθη,τα έθιμα,τις παραδόσεις,τις συνήθειες των ανθρώπων αλλά έψαξε και για τους ίδιους τους ανθρώπους . Δεν ήταν επιφανειακά ούτε ψεύτικα αυτά που έγραψε. Το μόνο όμως που μου κακοφάνηκε καθώς διάβαζα τις ιστορίες ήταν το γεγονός ότι ήταν πολύ μικρές και εκεί που βρισκόσουν στο καλύτερο σημείο και λες: «Τώρα τι θα γίνει;» εκεί είναι που σου κόβει την ιστορία και μένεις με την απορία και πρέπει μετά εσύ να φανταστείς το τέλος της. Πέρα από αυτά όμως το βρήκα ένα αρκετά ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο,με αρκετά ενδιαφέρουσες ιστορίες να πει.

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I really enjoyed these stories, but I can understand that to get the most out of them you have to be a real Hellenophile.
The author's understanding and insight into the Greek people is wonderfully perceptive. Some of the stories are sad, some are happy, but they are all truly a joy to read.

[Josie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was ludicrously bad. I've not read anything quite so terrible in a long while. It's not just that the characters were one-dimensional and the writing painfully bad ("The buildings were warmly characterful") but that the stories were, to put it simply, pointless. Writing short stories is an art. You have to set the scene, describe the characters, and tell a tale -- all within a limited word count. Some authors rise to this challenge. Victoria Hislop didn't.

The banality of her stories can be summed up in 50 words or less:

"Once upon a time two people were going to get married but they broke it off because their families disapproved. Ten years later they meet again, having just married other people, and realise they've made a mistake but it's too late. They dance. The end." (The Last Dance)

"A female student discovers that her boyfriend is an arsonist when he disappears and she discovers the charred remains of his lodgings. The flame in her heart is extinguished. The end." (Aflame In Athens)

"An Englishwoman suffering from culture shock despairs of ever being accepted by her future mother-in-law. Her fiancé explains that his father disappeared in the civil war and his mother is naturally afraid of losing her son too. The Englishwoman's homesickness is miraculously solved by this revelation and she is happy. The end." (The Pine Tree)

I'll stop there because I'm losing the will to live, but you get the idea. Take my advice and please don't waste precious minutes of your life reading this.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Hislop is on my list of favourite Authors and with each book I read I enjoy her work more and more. This is a delightful short story collection that is very well written. The Author has this way of taking us directly to where each story is set and putting us in a trance. It has fabulous explanations, world building and the characters are flawless. Each story is worth a read and some are so beautiful it pulls on the heart strings.
It opens our eyes to Greece more than you would find within a holiday setting. There are strong stories of love, friendship and family life.

[Susan Abraham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This delightful book of short Greek stories from Victoria Hislop, sweetens the memory greatly. A decade ago, while in Melbourne, Australia, I was often treated to a lot of old Greek films, being televised at nights, from a Geelong (seaside area) channel. Hence, I straightaway drew an easy familiarity with the closely-entwined Greek communities that sought their solace from various everyday entanglements still caught in a series of faithful and rigid traditions, as carefully painted by Hislop.

How sensitively too, would the writer portray the colourful fictitious scenes featuring shops and streets and the ordinary lives of children, priests and village folk that accompanied these.

The endearing tales which rest on affairs of the heart or otherwise, a wry introspection, are locked into an ancient set of manners that only someone with an intimate knowledge of Greece culture and deep-rooted affection for its people, could offer her audience. These are the perfect stories for a summertime garden or bedtime read. It is easy to picture the Mediterranean flavour that encompasses the mood of each tale, and I, the outsider, watching events unfold eagerly through a glass window. The Last Dance and Other Stories had that gentle, illuminating effect on me.

[Sotiris Karaiskos · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of short stories that each of them gives us a picture of life in Greece. They all have a relaxed mood, like a Greek summer afternoon, maybe better read on a small table like the one on the cover of the version in front of me. But this does not mean that all of them do not have something to say to the reader and this is definitely a very good combination.

Μία συλλογή μικρών διηγημάτων που κάθε ένα από αυτά μας δίνει μία εικόνα της ζωής στην Ελλάδα. Όλα τους έχουν μία χαλαρή διάθεση, σαν ένα ελληνικό καλοκαιρινό μεσημέρι, ίσως καλύτερα να διαβάζονται σε ένα τραπεζάκι όπως αυτό που υπάρχει στο εξώφυλλο της έκδοσης που έχω μπροστά μου. Αυτό όμως δεν σημαίνει ότι όλα τους δεν έχουν κάτι να πουν στον αναγνώστη και αυτό είναι σίγουρα ένας πολύ καλός συνδυασμός.

[Iris Rassios | Thereadingiris · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delight to read those short stories by Victoria Hislop. As in her novels, you can feel her love for Greece and its people and that's what makes her stories so beautiful. Always a pleasure to read!

[Katy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointingly boring. I don't think short stories are the author's strong point... every time something was about to start happening, the story immediately ended, so every story was dull and ended too abruptly. ("Once upon a time, some totally Greek people were in Greece. They did nothing for a while. Then something happened! They felt conflicted about the thing that had happened. The end.")

I read this because my mother and sister both said her novel The Island was great, so perhaps Victoria Hisplop is better at longer stories. I probably won't hurry to check it out, though.

[Athena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Το βιβλίο αυτό αποτελείται από διηγήματα της Victoria Hislop! Δεν μπορώ ότι οι ιστορίες αυτές με εντυπωσίασαν. Φαίνεται πως η συγγραφέας ήθελε να περιπλανηθεί μαζί με τον αναγνώστη σε μέρη της Ελλάδας. Και να καταγράψει τα ήθη, τα έθιμα, το κοινωνικό της πλαίσιο. Πολλές φορές τα διηγήματα θυμίζουν ηθογραφικά διηγήματα. Ωστόσο, οι ιστορίες μου φάνηκαν ατελείς. Σαν μη ολοκληρωμένες.. Δεν θα το συνιστούσα...

[Antonis B · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Fantine Lht · Rating 4 out of 5]

J’ai beaucoup aimé comme d’habitude avec Victoria Hislop. Le livre retrace la guerre civile espagnole et c’est très intéressant. On suit l’histoire d’une famille donc les membres cheminent tous différemment et on est pris dans le livre.

[Kirstie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to read and fabulously written in true Hislop style. I wanted the stories to carry on

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un chouette roman qui m'a replongé dans l'histoire de l'Espagne au XXeme siècle

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this collection of short stories. There is lots to learn about Greek life.

[Anastasia Ts. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ήταν το πρώτο βιβλίο που διάβασα από την ηλεκτρονική εθνική βιβλιοθήκη. Ήταν από τα βιβλία αυτά που το βρήκες έτσι απλά και το διάβασες. Διαβάστηκε γρήγορα καθώς οι σελίδες ήταν λίγες...μόλις 135. Περιέχει μια σειρά από διηγήματα. Ανάλαφρες ιστορίες που διακρίνονται για τα διάσπαρτα ελληνικά στοιχεία. Η Χίσλοπ και μέσα από αυτό το βιβλίο επιθυμεί να παρουσιάσει την ελληνική κοινωνία από την ματιά της. Η σκέψη της έχει μια ροή και συνοχή αν και κανά δυο ιστορίες αφήνουν ερωτηματικά αναφορικά με την εξέλιξη. Πιθανότατα όμως αυτή να ήταν και η επιθυμία της συγγραφέως. Σε καμία περίπτωση δεν θα αποθάρρυνα κάποιον να το διαβάσει, αφού πέρασε ευχάριστα ο χρόνος!
Περιεχόμενο ιστοριών: 4
Χαρακτήρες: 3
Γλώσσα: 3,5
Πλοκή: 3
Σύνολο 3,4

[Anthimos Stathakis · Rating 1 out of 5]

The island has a strong prestige in Greece mainly due to the well received television series and so I would have expected something from this book. The 1 star rating is not spite driven as I feel mostly indifference for it. Its a collection of short unconnected by characters, setting or theme stories that have little time to build anything and end most anticlimactically. The best purpose this book is as a semi-realistic picture of life in Greece but even fails at that because it only worked due to my pattern matching subtle vibes, from my experience as a Greek person. Therefore whether you are Greek or not you will get very little

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much emotion in these short stories that if there's any kind of criticism to be had, it's that I wanted more.

More than anything, V. Hislop's simple descriptions manage to perfectly capture different atmospheres, all of which feel 100% Greek to me. I also really appreciate her way of handling difficult topics like the Civil War and the many protests during the recent austerity era. It always felt very respectful and I hope it shows people who read this, who have at most been tourists in Greece, the many sides of my home country.

[Mª João Monteiro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este é um livro de dez contos passados na Grécia. Li para o desafio#fazasmalas, um Bingo Literário, na categoria "numa ilha". Certos contos passam-se em Creta, outros no Chipre, alguns num local indefinido da Grécia, outro em Atena e apresentam-nos várias facetas da vida dos gregos. Alguns destes contos evocam a Grécia calma e rural, a insularidade e a vida difícil que provoca. Há ainda referência às greves e manifestações estudantis de 2008 em Atenas. Fizeram-me pensar um pouco... Foi bom regressar a Creta, ainda que só por palavras, e viajar um bocado no meu quarto.

[Jenny Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’d possibly give this 3.5, but 3 seemed a bit low.
I’m not usually a big fan of short stories, but I like the author and thought I’d give it a go. Lots of good stories which are so evocative of the setting, and make me want to hop on a plane to Greece!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t normally do short stories, but I quite enjoyed this one. Just short snippets of life in Greece/Crete that made me want to take a vacation.

3.5

[Pretty Little Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

an okay collection. I could totally get the Greek vibes yes, however when it comes to the stories they are not really worth it. Too simple and the endings were rather anticlimactic.

[Rach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories that give an insight into Greek life.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a fan of books of short stories and this one did not disappoint. I’ve never read any Victoria Hislop before but see it everywhere I like the idea of reading about Greece so will read some more.

[Lizzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in 2 lunchtimes. It was a relatively quick read as it was 10 short stories but they’re just as well written as one of her full length books and some stories left me wanting a whole book

[Ugnė Butkutė · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the way Hislop pulls you into the book and gives you the taste of the surroundings. However, these short stories are lacking some depth. Couple of them could turn into amazing long stories which she creates brilliantly.

[J · Rating 2 out of 5]

"This slim volume..." says an endorsement on the classic historical work '1066 And All That'. Which is about what I feel about this collection of short stories. Definitely slender. Interesting titbits of Greek life, some characteristics and characters that go beyond the Mediterranean stereotypes of those as ignorant as me, but not a lot else. Apart from the stories "The Priest and the Parrot" and "The Lesson", there really isn't sufficient justification for the printing of this book. Which is a shame, as the author clearly loves her subject and manages to communicate some of that to the increasingly weary reader. Perhaps her acclaimed novels about Greek and Mediterranean life will be worth a glance.

A nice moment from "The Lesson", as two small children meet a stern teacher...

When Katia Kakanidis saw the pair of them for the first time, that was how they were. Hand in hand.
She came towards them and leaned down. "Kalimera paidia. Good morning children."
Both the children looked up at the bony-faced woman. They saw big shadows round beady black eyes, and a pointed chin. Wisps of dark hair floated around her head and the rest was swept into a bun. As she leaned in close, Giannis noticed a tiny spider climbing towards her scalp.

[Bladelor · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'avais été enthousiasmée par L'île des oubliés et j'attendais avec impatience de découvrir ce nouveau roman de Victoria Hislop. Il y a des similitudes entre les deux ouvrages, et j'ai retrouvé dans Une dernière danse tout ce que j'avais apprécié dans le précédent. Une saga familiale au destin hors norme, un contexte historique documenté, une écriture superbe... C'est un véritable voyage dans le passé, au temps de la guerre civile espagnole, une incursion dans la culture hispanique entre tauromachie et flamenco. Certains passages sont surprenant de beauté, je pense notamment à ceux qui dépeignent les danseuses de flamenco. Le fil conducteur de cette histoire passionnante, c'est l'héroïne Mercedes, cette jeune femme courageuse qui traversera bien des épreuves au cours de sa vie.
J'ai adoré ce roman, passer quelques jours en Espagne au son de la douce voix de Laëtitia Lefebvre qui se prête merveilleusement bien à ce récit.

[Clarabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

C'est (encore) une plongée fabuleuse et dépaysante, vers un ailleurs ensoleillé et radieux, sauf lorsqu'on dépoussière les vieilles photos de famille, à l'ombre d'une terrasse, et qu'on écoute les souvenirs remonter à la surface... Guerre civile d'Espagne, 1936-1939. La famille Ramirez, le couple, 3 fils, 1 fille. Tous pris dans la tempête, au nom de l'amour, du désespoir, du sacrifice ou du dévouement. Un récit de feu et de sang. Poignant, émouvant mais magique... Même si la construction de l'histoire rappelle L'Île des oubliés, le pouvoir de séduction est incontestable et fait des merveilles ! Une lecture idéale pour les vacances.

[Dominique || dominiquetravels · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of short stories to read on a nice summer's day.

It is composed of ten short stories which all are about every day Greek life. The stories are short and sweet, sometimes sad; but always beautifully written. Victoria Hislop is one of my favorite writers, her previous books (The Island and The Thread) moved me a lot. Especially the fact that I have so many Greek colleagues now who have taught me quite a few Greek words, made me enjoy this collection of short stories more than I would have otherwise.

[Lianne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like this book which contains 10 stories. I kept reading though as I thought it might get better.

I have enjoyed the other Victoria Hislop full-length books that I have read so far, but sadly some of the stories in this book seemed pointless, ridiculous and just far too short to enjoy for me.

Maybe I just don't like shorter stories. I will continue to read Victoria Hislop books and won't let this put me off.