Secrets of Santorini

by Patricia M Wilson

If you love Lucinda Riley and Elizabeth Edmondson, you'll love this perfect escapist read from the author of Islands of Secrets and Villa of Secrets. Sent away to a convent school in Dublin at the age of five, Irini McGuire has always had a strained and distant relationship with her mother, Bridget, a celebrated archaeologist who lives on the paradise island of Santorini. So, when Irini receives news that Bridget has been injured at a dig and is in a coma, she knows it is finally time to return to the island of her birth.Reading through her mother's notes at her bedside, Irini starts to realise how little she knows about Bridget's life. Now, driven by rumours that her mother's injury was no accident, Irini must uncover the dark secrets behind her family's separation.Will she discover the truth about her parents and her past before it is too late?What readers have said about Patricia Wilson's Islands of Secrets and Villa of Secrets:'Island of Secrets is a book full of raw emotions, family vendettas, hidden secrets and three very strong women. It's a book I enjoyed very much and one which fans of Victoria Hislop and Debbie Rix are sure to enjoy''So well written and utterly heartbreaking . . . a story that needs to be told' 'Page-turning, enthralling and heartbreaking by turns''Made me laugh and cry, just couldn't put this book down''A perfect read''Heart-wrenching and heart-warming at the same time''What a thoroughly engrossing book''Written with such depth and understanding'

Genres: Greece, Romance, Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary

493 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2019

About the author

There is at least one more author with this name in this data base. This one is Patricia M Wilson.

Reviews

[Pattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me, Santorini is a magical place! So, naturally I devoured Patricia’s book...many thanks xx

[karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow what a book

This book was excellent from start to finish, totally recommend to every reader who loves Greece and history.. Well done Patricia

[Trish at Between My Lines · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this one, and loved the Greek/Irish locations. It was like a mini vacation with a mystery thrown in.

Interesting characters, lots of Greek mythology explored and hidden family secrets to keep me invested.

Well worth a read.

[Toast · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was OK but it did go on. And all this time changing - well it got on my nerves a bit to be honest. I must say it is rather handy to have a Goddess as an ancester, to come to your aid when things get a bit dicey. As you can tell, I wasn't taking this tome very seriously. But there was little else on the shelf left so needs must.
Toast

[Susan brown · Rating 1 out of 5]

Disappointed

It was said that if you are a fan of Lucinda Riley,you will love this author. I'm afraid it's an insult to Lucinda.... this book is a load of whining immature dribble, repetitive dribble at that

[Mrs Janet Sykes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story

This book definitely deserves the 5 stars. Every page I turned conjured up the people and villages of the Islands and the storyline kept me hungry to turn the pages. The story of ancient Greece came alive.

[Megan Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sent away to a convent school in Dublin at the age of five, Irini McGuire has always had a strained and distant relationship with her mother, Bridget, a celebrated archaeologist who lives on the paradise island of Santorini. So, when Irini receives news that Bridget has been injured at a dig and is in a coma, she knows it is finally time to return to the island of her birth. Reading through her mother's notes at her bedside, Irini starts to realise how little she knows about Bridget's life. Now, driven by rumours that her mother's injury was no accident, Irini must uncover the dark secrets behind her family's separation.

First and foremost this read provided pure escapism and I loved travelling to Greece and exploring the places with Irini. From this point of view the book is excellent. However, there is a lot I did not like about this.

Wilson tells this in the present day and flashback chapters as we begin to understand Bridget and her reasons for keeping Irini at bay. This was fine but there are sections which are Bridget's dreams and I am sorry but this was just ridiculous and I lost all sense of reality and felt the read bordered into fantasy. I also feel Irini goes on quite the journey and whilst I enjoyed reading about what happens to her, some of it is again not realistic and she suddenly finds herself living this ideal life. I enjoy these type of books for their base in reality and the possibility it could happen, sadly with this read it lost all sense of reality. However, I did enjoy the latter half a lot more and having finished the read I think it is too long and would be improved for being shorter.

Wilson's characters in this read are not my favourite either. They are okay but nothing particularly special and I did not really warm to any in particular which was a shame. Wilson starts the read with so much negativity between the characters and I think it set the tone for the rest of the book, the characters may forget events but readers do not.

'Secrets of Santorini' was a big disappointment for me. The best thing about it was being set in stunning Greece and even then I did not think Wilson did a spectacular job of capturing the landscape. This read was such a let down.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Zaffre for an advance copy.

[Justkeepreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really fantastic read, steeped into history, amazing amount of research done for this amazing book.

Sent away to a convent school in Dublin at the age of five, Irini McGuire has always had a strained and distant relationship with her mother, Bridget, a celebrated archaeologist who lives on the paradise island of Santorini.

So, when Irini receives news that Bridget has been injured at a dig and is in a coma, she knows it is finally time to return to the island of her birth. Reading through her mother's notes at her bedside, Irini starts to realise how little she knows about Bridget's life.

Now, driven by rumours that her mother's injury was no accident, Irini must uncover the dark secrets behind her family's separation.

Will she discover the truth about her parents and her past before it is too late?

[Janette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well deseved 5 stars, I've enjoyed the whole journey of the story and the aspects of history and how they fitted together, alot of research and imagination I can only dream of. Well done!

[Heather Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, I am already a Patricia Wilson fan but I think that this is my favourite book so far. I really liked seeing all the family relationships intertwine and the secrets being revealed or hinted at throughout the story. I was surprised at the ending but I was left feeling very contented with the way things worked out.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really hoped this book would get better as it went along because the historical bits were somewhat intriguing. It could have been so much better than it was, but it just spiralled into absurdity. If the last 20% of the book had been cut out (most of what happened after Bridget died) it would have been a damn-sight better. Not brilliant, mind. Not even very good, but better.

Bridget's side of the story is definitely the most interesting. Slightly mad, but interesting and I was rooting for her. But everything else was just one huge fluffy distraction that felt ludicrously fickle. Decent writing might have made it easier to stomach, but it was clunky and lacked imagination.

The last quarter of the book was simply whole load of implausibly joyful romance between a pair of randoms who have only really known each other for a handful of weeks and yet are somehow convinced they are meant to be together forever. Some books can carry that off, if there is proper character development, chemistry and substance. This was book could not. The romance was just shoe-horned in and made relevant to the story through silly coincidences. The guy was called Angelo (his evil brother, Damian - get it? Angel and Demon. Yawn.) It was all so flimsy and irritating.

Constant flights back and forth between London, Crete and Athens with perpetual ferry rides to and from Santorini were unnecessary and lazy plotting. Why not pick a few places for the action to play out and structure the story properly? Because it's just easier to say "Omg! I've just realised something about my mum's house in Santorini! I must hop on a plane for the zillionth time and get back there this afternoon!"

At every opportunity the author tells you explicitly what you should be inferring from events, which is at best flat-footed and at worst plain condescending. We are even told that Bridget's maiden name means 'foreign helper' or 'lover of foreigners'. Because life is just that convenient and literary. By the end of the book the constant repetitions spelling out exactly how Irini has grown and exactly why (She may as well have said: "All my modelling work has made me so much more confident! Especially posing in the nude, what am I like eh? I really am a huge catch now!") are eye-roll-inducing in the extreme.

I'm not an ardent fan of Victoria Hislop, but her novels are vastly superior and a much better example of this genre.

[Julie Cordiner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t resist buying this ebook as I lay by the hotel pool in Fira, Santorini.

What a fabulous read, mingling my love of history (as a Classics graduate) and travel in a fast-paced story of complicated family relationships and archaeology. We visited the incredible Bronze Age ruins at Akrotiri yesterday and climbed Nea Kameni volcano today, so it was very special to read about the locations and the people of this island.

Patricia Wilson manages all the complex layers really well, and this may be the first of her books I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved the idea of the storyline. but it really dragged on for me in some parts. It would pick up and become really intriguing, and then it would get into a 'lull' and it just seemed to drag out unnecessarily in other parts. Would have given it 2.5 stars if allowed on Goodreads. Just not enough there for me to give it 3 stars...

[Dianna Pearson - Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a great read.

I found this book an annoying read got the extent i skipped past all the ancient gods part - although I totally understand how /why it's in the storyline - it wasn't a book i enjoyed - but am sure there are people out there who will love it.

[Alison Prowle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this. Learned so much about Santorini, antiquities and archaeology. Well worth a read

[Christine Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an interesting read. Once you accept that the spiritual parts of Greek mythology are of Bridget’s dreams or should I say nightmares, of what happened in another lifetime thousands of years ago, I was swept along in the storyline of how this other time was connected to Bridget’s present day life. I was drawn into wanting to know what happened next , in both time zones, which were cleverly coincided. The characters I likened to and the wonderful nature of the locals on Crete, reminded me of this nation of when I lived as a child in Cyprus so I related easily to their friendly happy nature. The descriptions of the island and that of its people’s way of life was written well and I was often reminded of a simpler way of life. I like most of Patricia’s work and have enjoyed all of her books I’ve read so far. I thought that the very different storylines in this novel came together well and that I was pleased that the conclusion was a happy one. Easy to follow between the different time zones and switching between them. I liked the relationship between Bridget and her husband, it tells of their many years together and of their dedication of their work, together in archeology. from beginning to end you follow their strong and beautiful bond of deep love and care for each other . But their romance is not the only one in this novel, as a new romance soon begins, there’s a lot going on throughout the story. A good to read novel at anytime of year whether snuggled up at home during the winter months or whilst away on your holidays…. Perhaps on Crete or another Greek Isle.

[Molly Pender · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to put 3.5 stars because I did enjoy this book, it kept me interested the whole time with its dips into the story of Atlantis and Greek Mythology, romance, mystery, sadness and relationships between family members. There was a a lot going on but it wasn't hard to keep track of. The back and forth-ing in time I absolutely LOVED. It honestly just made the book so much more interesting and engaging! I was slightly frustrated with the ending part SPOILERS AHEAD................ Where irini just magically fell in love with the guy whose brother was in antique dealing and happens to be the guy who wanted this necklace, I would have much rather just a simple map to have been found for the lost city or irini to have found a new interest in archaeology and figured it out or even if the dad had, would have made for a much more interesting ending and a more satisfying one too.

All in all I did enjoy this book but the ending just didn't do it for me unfortunately, I felt I really needed to persevere at the end which is why I had to - 1.5 off the stars.

I would recommend this book though.

[Iria Mariño · Rating 3 out of 5]

Como fanática de Grecia, donde voy prácticamente cada año, el título del libro me interesó. Pero se podría decir que fue casi lo único. Es una lectura muy light, para leer en la playa y en vacaciones. Con algunas incoherencias, como creerse que es posible ir del aeropuerto de Atenas al museo de la acrópolis, con visita incluida, en menos de dos horas, o como dar la impresión de que de Santorini a Creta es como coger un bus en cualquier gran ciudad, cosa que en absoluto es cierto (y menos hace 30 años) O que después en Creta vas a poder moverte desde Heraklion a la costa este en coche igual de rápido que si tuvieras un helicóptero… cuando las distancias son bastante más grandes de lo que este libro hace parecer.
En cuanto a la historia, nada del otro mundo. Da la impresión de que los problemas de la vida de una protagonista se podrían haber resuelto de forma más sencilla, y los problemas de la vida de la otra protagonista se resuelven demasiado fácilmente y todo le va como la seda para resolver los enigmas del pasado de su madre.
En fin, sin más. Para pasar el rato si no tienes otra cosa que leer.

[Muisjemama · Rating 2 out of 5]

Endlich eine Geschichte, die nicht nur in Griechenland, sondern auf Santorin spielt... Dachte ich.
Wie immer klang der Plot gut, mehrere Zeitebenen packen mich eigentlich immer.
Leider haben die beiden weiblichen Hauptcharaktere alles verdorben. Beide waren äußerst unsympathisch und wichtigtuerisch.
Möglicher Spoiler:
Was mich besonders gestört hat war, dass dauernd betont wurde, wie dringend und verzweifelt (desperate, ich hatte das Gefühl, dieses Wort taucht 100 Mal auf 10 Seiten auf) die Tochter zur Mutter ins Krankenhaus will - während sie tausend andere Sachen macht, die nicht halb so wichtig sind. Unter anderem einen Job, zu dem sie gefühlt ohnehin nie erscheint. Im Übrigen mutete es utopisch an, mit einem Aushilfsbarjob und Modelgeplänkel Krankenhausrechnungen von mehreren tausend Euro begleichen zu wollen. Aber wer kennt sie nicht, die 5000 Euro, die man in Griechenland für eine Stunde kellnern erhält...
Die Traumsequenzen waren spannender als die Szenen in der Realität und ich hätte gerne mehr über das Schicksal des antiken Santorin erfahren!

[SOPHIA GABRIEL · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the first book from this author. I chose this book (audio) firstly because Aofie Macmahon is my favourite narrator and secondly because the story unfolds in Greece. Although I enjoyed the story I felt it was longer than necessary. The reference to Greek mythology is thoroughly researched and interesting. The depiction of the island and the greek culture as well.

The plotline was expected in every turn. My personal comment is: why do all the female characters in ALL the books once they find out they are pregnant they start to act differently? Not every female wants to be a mother. The whole culture of promotion of females having babies and become ecstaticaly happy don't think reflects the modern day woman.

Aofie did her best with the greek accents, but I have to say it just wasn't right. I am not sure I will read more books from the same author again.

[Rebecca Hemshall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book following a holiday in Santorini so I was keen to find out a little more about the island and it’s history and this book gave a little of that history within the bounds of a novel.
I really enjoyed learning about Thira and Oia and the theories of Atlantis and Eostron, and I enjoyed the descriptions of the different places I had visited in Santorini although I felt there could have been imagery created around the beautiful settings. The story was a little long winded I felt and after such a long book weaving the tale of the characters I was a little disappointed in the speed of the ending which left me with quite a lot of unanswered questions and in particular, exactly what (& who) had happened to Bridget. Overall a good read but with the opportunity for more clarity in the conclusion of some of the threads of the storyline.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book in the library because of the title. Santorini is such a beautiful island and I was looking forward to reading a book set there. At first I found the chapters changing back and forth from past to present rather difficult to follow, but eventually a pattern emerged and I began to enjoy it. The love between the two archaeologists damaged by an act of desperation. By two-thirds through I thought I understood where the story was heading and wondered what the remainder of the book had left to tell. But there were a couple more twists before the ending.
It was an enjoyable book - hence the 4 stars - but it was a little over long and relied on 'supernatural' intervention to tease out the plot.

[Sams_Fireside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets of Santorini was my Audiobook of choice as I started to clear my garden and get it ready for winter. What better way to escape from the coming autumnal days than to disappear into the Greek islands for a while!

Irini McGuire grew up in a convent school in Dublin, whilst her parents continued with their archaeological career on the Greek island of Santorini. After Irini’s mother, Bridget, suffers an accident, Irini travels to the Greek island to visit her. Once there, it becomes apparent that everything is not as it seems, and in particular, why Irini was sent away at a very early age.

Secrets of Santorini is told from the points of view of both Irini and Bridget, alternating between chapters. I enjoy reading this style of writing and experiencing the story from different angles, and Patricia Wilson excels at it.

I found Secrets of Santorini slow to begin with, particularly when we were taken back in time through Bridget’s dreams. As the book progressed though, I was drawn further into the story and wished I had paid more attention to some of Bridget’s dreams, which I initially found boring, but that was because I didn’t understand what relevance they had! I should have known better, for Patricia Wilson never writes about topics that aren’t relevant to the book!

As with all her other books, Patricia Wilson has put an enormous amount of research into Secrets of Santorini and as the story progressed, I travelled with Irini as she journeyed between Dublin, Crete, and Santorini, learning more about Greek history and the classics.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys a book set on a beautiful island with an archeological history but with a contemporary feel.

[Lynda Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspect and the mystery and couldn't put it down. The only slightly negative point I would probably make is that the love story between Angelo and Irini seemed rather lukewarm and I failed to really believe that aspect of the story. I was sorry to finish this book and hope that Patricia will write more(have read her previous books Island of secrets and villa of secrets as well and thoroughly enjoyed them).I especially love the settings as Greece is a favourite place of mine and I can picture it all.

[Sally Campbell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was all a bit too fantastical and full of too many coincidences for me.

Some bits were spun out for pages, yet other scenes were decided in page or two - I’m not sure the whole sequence around the abortion clinic was very necessary or sensitively handled.

Also not sure how I felt about the lead character giving up a job teaching kids so could feel ‘empowered’ being photographed naked on a beach to sell some perfume.

But I read to the end so something must have held my interest - the setting was well portrayed and made me was to return to Crete and visit Santorini.

[Scorch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the large number of negative reviews about this book, I went ahead and read it anyway and I have to say I very much strongly disagree with the brutal reviews.
I think that readers were expecting this book to be just like the author's first two and they were disgruntled to find that she had chosen to do something completely different.
I personally don't think this is a bad thing. I think the writing was strong, it was well thought out and the Greek mythology and ancient history that is featured adds alot of enchantment,  interest and charm to the story. This book provides some perfect escapism with its magical depictations of the Greek Islands and culture, ideal for a holiday read or relaxing in the garden - all in all an enjoyable read. The mystery throughout the story keeps the reader engaged and certain aspects of the storyline were handled very sensitively.
**Spoiler: The section of the story where a character is on life support in hospital and is dying was extremely moving and, coming from a retired staff nurse that worked in ITU, I will say, very accurate. There is a moment where the character is dying but she can still hear what everyone is saying, the author describes the drugs inducing the character's coma as follows "My chemically induced slide into oblivion has no handrails" and it full on hit me in the heart and brought to light what those drugs do to our patients. I have heard similar experiences from patients who have recovered from drug induced comas.
Also in previous reviews, this author was slammed for allegedly "writing the abortion clinic scene insensitively". I do not believe this to be the case at all. Patricia Wilson is known for writing hard hitting scenes into her work and this is no different. I believe those reviewers to have expected pink & fluffy chick lit and been mistaken of their choice of book. The scene with the clinic brought to light the impact that these protests have upon genuine honest human beings who are already struggling with sensitive issues and oftentimes at their wits end. I personally thought it was a valuable addition to the story in adding a different perspective to a situation.

[Pat Stearman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would be a great beach read but actually it's also good on a chilly January day! Didn't quite read it in one session but have spent a lot of today with it.
Apart from the differing time lines which I always find annoying this is a really good read. Nothing really unexpected as you'd expect in the genre but interesting topics of archaeology, Crete, Santorini & Atlantis.
One of these days I'll maybe get to Santorini but I did recognise some of the Cretan bits.
Think I picked this up on a charity stall - a good impulse buy.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

With all the hand wringing going on, you'd think the characters would have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Too much "what does this mean" inner dialogue detracted from an otherwise enjoyable storyline. 3.5 stars. I've been to Santorini and liked the descriptions of the island. The Atlantis fantasy is imaginative, and the jumping back and forth in time didn't bother me as much as Irini's jump from part-time waitress to supermodel. Nonetheless, with a little help from some ouzo or retsina, this romance-historical fantasy-family secrets-exotic location "beach read" has it all.

[Tone Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lett lest grei historie om en irsk jente som blir sent på boarding school av sine arkeologi foreldre fordi moren blander virkelighet og fantasi fra antikkens Hellas og tror hun er dronning Thira av Atlantis som må ofre sin datter Oia til guden Poeseidon for å roe ned vulkanen og sjøen som truer med å ødelegge hennes folk og øy. Boken følger datterens reise i å oppklare og bli kjent med foreldrenes hemmeligheter samtidig som hun finner kjærligheten.

[Sally · Rating 4 out of 5]

A captivating lyrical story about a deep love between a professor and his which flourishes over the years based on their mutual interest in archaeology, the joyous birth of their daughter and their family life in Santorini.

Then there is many added layers of complexity to the story around deceit, Betrayal, courage, danger all set in the most beautiful island setting with so much to learn about the history of Santorini. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.