UZ OVU NEODOLJIVO ROMANTICNU PRICU O VECITOJ BORBI IZME_U RAZUMA I SRCA OSETICETE VRELINU PESKA NA STOPALIMA DOK VAS GREJE TOPLO GRCKO SUNCE!
Helen se tog leta vratila na Zakintos, ostrvo na kojem je pre dve godine njen život krenuo potpuno drugacijim tokom. Povela je sa sobom i kcerku Kloi, šesnaestogodišnjakinju koja se bori sa sopstvenim demonima. Odnos izmedu majke i kcerke prilicno je zategnut, buduci da se na drugaciji nacin nose sa izazovima života, tražeci utehu u hotelu u kojem su provele poslednji zajednicki odmor. Ipak, da li je Helen došla na Zakintos da se suoci sa duhovima prošlosti ili da oživi aferu koja joj je jednom vec umalo rasturila porodicu?
A great book that I have had on my kindle for ages. It makes for a great holiday read and covers love, betrayal, lies and disjointed families. Set in Zachynthos Greece you too will fall in love as its every summer beach holiday makers dream
Enjoyed this book very much. Will definitely read books by this author again. Would recommend this book. Did repeat itself a few times but still good read.
This is a book about pain, loss, grief, love and infidelity. It also raises some important questions about death and our right to die with dignity. It is beautifully written and Gwyneth Williams writes to great effect about, what must be for her, a favourite place in the world – the Greek Islands.
The story begins almost at the end of the sequence of events that unfold throughout the book as the main character, Helen, travels back to the Greek Island where she met her lover. She returns with her daughter Chloe, after the death of her husband, and as she meets up with the Greek hotel owner she fell in love with two years earlier, the author gradually reveals the events leading up to that moment.
Helen is not a sympathetic character and at times I found her really annoying. I just couldn’t warm to her, not just because of her treatment of her husband, but also because she was so selfish. However, I can perhaps understand why the author wrote her this way as it was important that she wasn’t someone that the reader got to like too much because it made events later on in the book more in character and believable which probably makes her a more realistic woman as a result.
It is a romance in the same vein as Shirley Valentine which may appeal to a great many women, but it is about more than just a rather clichéd romance; it is about life and how we choose to live it. For me the section in the book which deals with the illness and subsequent death of Helen’s husband is the most interesting and is at times very poignant. It is told with much feeling and awareness of the huge responsibility that some families take on to care for loved ones with a terminal illness.
The troubled and defiant Chloe, Helen’s daughter, is a much more likeable character and the relationship between her and both her parents changes and evolves throughout the novel. I think many a reader will identify with something of her in themselves or in their own daughters.
I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to readers who don’t necessarily want to fall in love with every character in the book, and who can see past the clichéd romance to experience a fair amount of realism and drama. I would also recommend re-reading the prologue after finishing the book.
Echoes in the Sand by Gwyneth Williams is a story of betrayal, loss, love and secrets. It’s a great holiday read, especially if you are on a Greek island’s beach.
It is beautifully written and the short chapters drive the story on. I’m afraid I didn’t like Helen at all, nor any of the main characters very much (apart from Jude), but this may have been the author’s intention as when the big reveal happens, the reader will know why Chloe has attitude.
The story swings back and forth in time, skilfully illuminating the journey for the reader. There are one or two ‘typos’ and Helen did have a lot of ‘bile rising in her throat’, but the reader is drawn in to Helen’s world of deceit, guilt and desperate love and will want to know how she overcomes the challenges she faces.
This is not a genre I would normally read (romantic fiction) and did enjoy revisiting Zakynthos through Gwyneth Williams’s accomplished narrative.
For lovers of romantic fiction, and the Greek islands, I would definitely recommend Echoes in the Sand.
Really enjoyed this! In many ways a sad book, but so much to think about, and it reflects what really happens in life after all - it's not all sunshine and roses, there are difficult decisions to make. I liked the way that Helen had to make a heart-breaking decision for the good of someone close; so much more interesting than stories where the protagonist is absorbed in self-interest. Although, I did feel frustrated with her for constantly back-tracking! At times I was screaming (inside!) at her!