The Return

by Victoria Hislop

From the internationally bestselling author of The Island comes a dazzling new novel of family betrayals, forbidden love, and historical turmoil.

Sonia knows nothing of Granada's shocking past, but ordering a simple cup of coffee in a quiet cafÉ will lead her into the extraordinary tale of a family's fight to survive the horror of the Spanish Civil War.

Seventy years earlier, in the RamÍrez family's cafÉ, Concha and Pablo's children relish an atmosphere of hope. Antonio is a serious young teacher, Ignacio a flamboyant matador, and Emilio a skilled musician. Their sister, Mercedes, is a spirited girl whose sole passion is dancing, until she meets Javier and an obsessive love affair begins. But Spain is a country in turmoil. In the heat of civil war, everyone must take a side and choose whether to submit, to fight, or to attempt escape.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Spain, Historical, Romance, War, Spanish Civil War

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

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

[Baba · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although some of the writing is poor in my opinion, and there are far too many plot similarities to The Island her first book - this story within a story detailing the joys and pains of a Republican family before, during and after the Spanish Civil War is engrossing at times, and very much worth a read. 5 out of 12, Two Star read.

2010 read

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 5 out of 5]

After being blown away by "The Island" I immediately ordered "The Return" and I am not disappointed. I am now an official Victoria Hislop fan. Her novels are to be savored and enjoyed.

"The Return" begins in recent times in England. Readers are introduced to a middle aged woman named Sonia. This part is very similiar to "The Island" as both heroines are having relationship issues and are both facing similiar difficult choices.. basically "stay with this jerk or leave" type choices. I found parts of the book regarding Sonia rather predictable but that did not deter me. Sonia and her friend take up salsa dancing and after finding some old pictures of her mother and taking a trip to Spain, Sonia becomes fascinated with the story of the Ramirez family.

The middle part of the book is about the Ramirez family and Spain's Civil War in the 1930s. There is a mother, Concha and father, Pablo. They run a cafe and for a while things are wonderful in their life. Their oldest son, Antonio is a teacher. Their middle son, Ignacio is a bull fighter. Their youngest son, Emilio is slowly taking over the cafe and has a passion for music. The daughter, Mercedes is a talented flamenco dancer. The Ramirez family's world shatters with the beginning of the war as their sons oppose each other, betray each other, and one by one, the family members are arrested, killed, or face some life changing complication due to the war.

There is a romance between Mercedes and a guitarist, Javier. She spends the duration of the war searching for her love and taking many risks to find him. She never loses her love of dancing tho and she brightens many a person's day with her skills. Even in times of war, one must find joy and express it.

The last part of the novel takes readers back to present day England and Sonia must make a difficult choice after making some surprising revelations. Will the story of the Ramirez family inspire her somehow?

A beautiful novel and a fabulous look at the life of Spain, the passion behind flamenco, the risks behind bullfighting, and the trials families face in civil war.

Just like an appreciative audience watching a flamenco dancer tap and twirl or a bullfighter swing his cape, I say "Ole! Ole!" to this fine novel.

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh dear. This just doesn't work at all. The modern-day story wrapped around the historical part is so flimsy and cliched that it would have been better to leave it out altogether and just tell the civil war story. A basic structural flaw was that Miguel simply could not have known all the details given here. Every now and then,Hislop remembers, oops, Miguel is supposed to be telling the story here, so she flips back to the present day for a paragraph so that they can order another coffee. Could he really have told this whole story in such detail over a period of a few hours? It just doesn't ring true.

But if you're going to do that, at least make it a genuine story, not a potted history. Hislop had done her research, but then just regurgitated it onto the page. Large parts of it were just like reading a history book. The characters never left the page to become real people with hopes and desires. It was impossible to feel moved by deaths and imprisonment.

And finally, I don't have a problem with coincidences in novels, or indeed in real life (hey, I enjoy Kate Atkinson, queen of coincidences!). But the coincidences on which this novel relies are just too contrived, and you can see the "twist" coming a mile off. I ended up flipping quickly through the last coupel of hundred pages to have my suspicions confirmed.

But I'm giving it two stars instead of one, because:
1. The descriptions of flamenco are so well done. It's obvious that Hislop is passionate about this dance, and the novel only really comes alive in these passages.
2. A lot of people who like this book say they didn't know anything about the Spanish Civil War. If the popularity of Hislop's work means that more people know about it, that's a good thing. Her heart is in the right place, she did her homework, she just doesn't have the novelistic skill to carry it off.

However, if you want to read a brilliant novel that conveys the true horror and tragedy of the civil war, and its effect on families, don't read this. Read Almudena Grandes' The Frozen Heart instead.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read The Thread I was really looking forward to reading this book but it didn't grab me in the same way I'm afraid.

I really struggled with part one, I just couldn't get into it but once I got to part two I really enjoyed it.

Again part three I struggled with.

Overall I'm glad I read it as I didn't know anything about the Spanish Civil War so I found the actual story line of that very interesting.

A mixed bag. Three stars.

[Vaso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Με αφορμή το ταξίδι της Σόνιας στη Γρανάδα της Ισπανίας και τη συνάντησή της με τον Μιγκέλ, ιδιοκτήτη ενός γραφικού καφενείου, παρακολουθούμε την ιστορία της οικογένειας Ραμιρεζ κατά τα δύσκολα χρόνια του εμφυλίου πολέμου και της δικτατορίας του Φράνκο.
Για τη συγκεκριμένη χρονική περίοδο της δικτατορίας του Φράνκο, δεν θυμάμαι να έχω διαβάσει αρκετά, μιας κι είναι ένα δύσκολο θέμα για τους Ισπανούς. Το συγκεκριμμένο βιβλίο πάντως σε βάζει στο κλίμα εκείνης της εποχής.

3,5 αστέρια

[Vera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Η συγγραφέας πραγματεύεται ένα θέμα ταμπού μέχρι πρότινος, τον εμφύλιο πόλεμο στην Ισπανία! Ένα βιβλίο που προβληματίζει τον αναγνώστη και τον ευαισθητοποιεί βοηθώντας τον να κατανοήσει την αξία του ειρηνικής ζωής! Το βιβλίο μας μυεί στον εμφύλιο πόλεμο της Ισπανίας μέσα από την αναδρομική εξιστόρηση της οικογένειας Ραμίρεζ που αποδεκατίστηκε από τον εν λόγω πόλεμο. Το βιβλίο είναι πολυεπίπεδο και η ιστορία εκτυλίσσεται σε δυο χρονικά και τοπικά επίπεδα. Η Σόνια, μια 32χρονη αγγλίδα το 2001 κάνει ένα ταξίδι στη Γρανάδα, στη γενέθλια γη της μητέρας της μαζί με τη φιλη της τη Μάγκι για να παρακολουθήσουν μαθήματα φλαμέγκο. ΄Ηδη η Σόνια είναι παντρεμένη με τον Τζέιμς κι ενώ ο γάμος τους ξεκίνησε με τους καλύτερους οιωνούς στη συνέχεια η ρουτίνα τους οδήγησε στο αδιέξοδο. Τυχαία, σ ένα καφέ θα γνωρίσει τον ιδιοκτήτη του και κάποιες φωτογραφίες θα την κάνουν να συνδέσει τη μητέρα της με το συγκεκριμένο καφέ. Ο Μιγκέλ θα αφηγηθεί το παρελθόν της οικογένειας που είχε άλλοτε το καφέ μια ιστορία τραγική, δραματική, γεμάτη περιπέτεια, πόνο, φυλακίσεις και θάνατο. Ευχάριστη νότα ο τρυφερός και νεανικός έρωτας της Μερσέντες, της κόρης των ιδιοκτητών με το Χαβιέ, το μελαχρινό κιθαρίστα της. Μια αγάπη αγνή, αλλά σύντομη αφού ο εμφύλιος θα τους χωρίσει οριστικά. Η Σόνια, εν τέλει, θα μάθει πράγματα που ποτέ κανείς δεν ήξερε για το παρελθόν της μητέρας της.
Αναμφίβολα, δεν πρόκειται για ένα ελαφρύ βιβλίο παραλίας! Ο γυρισμός αποτελεί ένα βιβλίο σταθμό με ιστορικές και κοινωνικές προεκτάσεις, ένα βιβλίο αναπόλησης μιας περασμένης εποχής, ένα βιβλίο που μας «ταξιδεύει» στα μαγικά σοκάκια της Γρανάδα και μας αποκαλύπτει τη δύναμη της νεανικής και αγνής αγάπης, που δίνει πνοή στο δοκιμαζόμενο άνθρωπο – στην προκειμένη περίπτωση στη Μερσέντες, που η αγάπη της για το Χαβιέ λειτουργεί ως κινητήριος μοχλός και την οδηγεί στην υπέρβαση! Η Σόνια θα πάρει τη γενναία απόφαση να χωρίσει και να αποδεσμευτεί από ένα γάμο που την πνίγει! Στα θετικά στοιχεία του βιβλίου συγκαταλέγονται οι εξαίσιες περιγραφές των τοπίων της Γρανάδα μέσα από γλαφυρές εικόνες, η μαγική παρουσίαση του χορού (φλαμέγκο) και ό, τι αυτός εκφράζει και τα ολέθρια αποτελέσματα του εμφύλιου πολέμου στις ανθρώπινες σχέσεις και στο πολιτιστικό και οικονομικό οικοδόμημα.
Βέρα Δακανάλη

[Lance Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping account of the Spanish Civil War

The body of this book consists the story of the Ramirez family of Granada during the Spanish Republic, the Civil War and the ensuing years. It is a tremendously powerful narrative and cannot fail to stir the emotions. The detail reflects the huge effort that the author must have put into her research.

The vehicle for the main story, which is the journey of Sonia, as she tries to fill the gap left in her life by her empty marriage with an adventure into flamenco dancing in Andalucía in the company of her old school friend, is just too improbable to be believable. It is even more incredible that the reader is expected to believe that Sonia hears the whole story of the Ramirez family from the waiter of a back-street Grenadine café in a SINGLE day. As if this weren't enough of an integrity challenge, we are further asked to believe the strong connections between the Ramirez family and Sonia, which are inevitably revealed towards the end.

Despite all of this, The Return, is just such a wonderfully moving story, and every single atom of the trials and tribulations of the Ramirez family is totally believable. In fact, it was so believable that I could almost feel the pain and passion that I imagined the members of that family must have felt. I have always been a big fan of historical fiction as it really brings the past to life in a way that dry school books could never do. This story, with all of its sadness and joy, is just SO moving.

I strongly recommend this book to everyone I know, as I am sure that they will not be disappointed. To those of you reading this review who are unknown to me, I say, PLEASE read it! If my review sent you the wrong way, just add a comment to that effect.

[Kyriakos S Kyriakou · Rating 4 out of 5]

7/10
«Όταν επέστρεψαν στη βάση εκείνο το βράδυ, λιγότεροι απ´όσοι ήταν το πρωί, ο Αντόνιο συλλογίστη��ε πόσο τυχαία ήταν όλα. Για πρώτη φορά από τότε που έγινε μαχητής ένιωσε σαν πιόνι σε σκακιέρα. Ζωές θυσιάζονταν για το καπρίτσιο κάποιου τον οποίο οι περισσότεροι δεν θα γνώριζαν ποτέ.» - Ο Γυρισμός

[Chrissie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DIDN'T like this, not at all!!! Look, I gave it a very good fair chance...... I can think of two positive things to say about this book.
1. Flamenco is superbly described with an emtion that totally pulls the reader in.
2. The reader is given a clear resumé of the time leading up Spanish Civil War 1936-1939, the Civil War itself and a teeny, teeny bit about its aftermath. BUT, it reads like a school book for children. Simplistic. The story is simply a showcase for the events of the war. After reading this I wonder how CAN the Catholic belief remain so prominent in Spain today?! Perhaps Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through a Country's Hidden Past will answer my question and give an indepth analysis of how Spaniards have dealt with their war experiences. Maybe their religious convictions have altered.

OK, here is what I absolutely didn't like about this book. From page 1 to page 578, the story is told, not experienced (except for the bits about flamenco)! I never cared for any of the main characters, except maybe a teeny bit for Mercedes' mother. I absolutely did not feel for any of them. As I said, there are two thread, a modern and an historical thread. The modern one is shallow and contrived. None of the characters display any depth. The writing style is O-R-D-I-N-A-R-Y, as blah as you can get! Corrida(bullfighting) is described. Yes here I was moved, but it was so utterly HORRIBLE. The depiction was nauseating. I must say, how this could have been so loved in Spain, makes me wonder about such a culture......

I am going to give the Spanish Civil War theme one more try. I will read Stone in a Landslide next. Maybe I will not be satisfied until I have read Ghosts of Spain: Travels Through a Country's Hidden Past, but I have told myself to stop buying books ......

I have only read 52 pages. The story itself feels rather mundane and just typical fiction. There are two strands to the story, a modern on e and one concerning the Spanish Civil War. So far the story only follows the modern tale, BUT there is one thing that is amazing. I have never seen flamenco dancing, and yet this text makes me believe that I hear it, see it, smell the sweat in the room and feel the tension. The passion, anger and grief inherent to this dance are expertly depicted by the author. The dancing sucks you in. So far, that is all that sucks me in......

[Meira Eliot · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's almost as if countries can have karma, like people do. While the rest of us Europeans were still in the Dark Ages, Spain was a multi-ethnic island of tolerance and excellence, safeguarding the legacy of the Greeks through Arab translations. Then along come Ferdinand and Isabella, chuck out the Jews and the Muslims in the same year as Columbus discovered America, and the upshot is a quagmire of bigotry and intolerance that is still going on in the 20th century in the form of the Spanish Civil War. The story is told as the history of a single family in retrospect, which gives perspective and poignance to the horrors described as the war unfolds. Spain is a country that gets into the blood on the first visit - not the bars and beaches, but the majesty of the landscapes and the Mediterranean pace of life. This novel shows us that Europe still has a lot of unresolved issues to do with its faiths and politics. I fear that fascism is not yet dead.

[Mummy Loves Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Victoria Hislops The Island so as soon as I saw this had been released I put my name down at the library to borrow a copy. The book started well as we follow Sonia, an unhappily married woman, to Granada where she and a friend have booked a holiday and some dance lessons. We follow her as she becomes more immersed in the salsa and flamenco dances and as she meets an elderly cafe owner who begins to tell her about the family who owned the cafe at the time of the civil war.

At this point to be honest I began to get a bit confused, having no previous visits to Spain or knowledge of the Spanish Civil War to work from I war relying on the author to indicate clearly what happened, but I got a bit lost between who was on which side and what they stood for and as a result found myself scanning some of the pages whilst not fulling taking in the setting. I fully enjoyed her characterisations and this kept me reading when I otherwise may have given up.

The story of Mercedes the young Spanish girl whos love of dance and a young guitarist named Javier takes her into danger during a war which has destroyed her family is excellent but I finished the book feeling I'd missed some of the crucial elements because Hislop's explanation of the history of the war wasn't gripping enough to keep me reading every single word.

I also felt that the end of the book was a little rushed, with Sonia's story being a little pushed into the last chapter and a bit. Considering the time invested in introducing this character at the start of the book it didn't do her justice to have it crammed into this short space.

I would read another Victoria Hislop novel but this certainly is not The Island

[Meenoo · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are many things to like about The Return, but also some things that were too predictable and required a willing suspension of belief. The good parts: the descriptions of flamenco were wonderful. I know so little about this dance and I learned a lot. I could tell that she definitely did her research about the Spanish Civil War, which is also an era of history I know too little about. All of my knowledge about this era comes from "The Shadow of the Wind" and the movie "Pan's Labyrinth." However, because I suspect much of her audience does not know about Spanish history, much of the book felt like a history textbook, especially the parts involving Antonio. I found myself skimming those parts because I felt that it was written from a hindsight perspective.
The ending was neat and exactly what should have happened (and exactly what I expected). Still, I loved reading about Granada and flamenco, and I hope I get to see it in person (although preferably without all that fascism).

[Irma Sincera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ši knyga man tokia nostalgiška. Pirmą kartą ją pamačiau suvenyrų parduotuvėje Granadoje, Ispanijoje, norėjau įsigyti ir grįžus vėl nusikelti į šį miestą, bet kuprinė ant pečių, kurioje nešiojausi visą savo gyvenimą tuo metu, suveikė kaip priminimas, kad nėra vietos ten dar knygai. Pasižymėjau prie to-read ir tęsiau kelionę.
Šią vasarą, atsižvelgiant į situaciją šalyje, daugelis mūsų tik per knygas ir turėjo proga pakeliauti. Pasiėmiau knygą tikėdamasi lengvo, atostogoms subalansuoto meilės romano.
Knyga suskirstyta į tris dalis. Pirmojoje veiksmas vyksta 2001 metais Granadoje, kur Sonia su drauge atvyksta į šokių kursus, viskas smagu ir gražu. Tada ji susipažįsta su vietinių gyventoju, kuris jai pradeda pasakoti Ramirez šeimos istoriją Ispanijos civilinio karo metais, kuri kažkaip pakankamai akivaizdžiai turi būti susijusi su abiem personažais ir eigoje nuspėti tampa labai lengva.
Antroje dalyje keliamės į 1931 ir iki pat karo pabaigos, kai valdžioje įsitvirtino garsusis diktatorius Francisco Franco. Sekame Ramirez šeimos narius, kurių likimai labai skirtingi. Ši dalis mane nustebino, nes nesitikėjau tiek daug politinio fono. Tačiau kartu ir buvo įsimintiniausia ir naudingiausia įsisavintos informacijos atžvilgiu. Turbūt vienintelė perskaitymo nauda, kad galėjau papildyti savo žinias, apie žmonių kasdienybę šio karo metu ir kitais istoriniais faktais. Ir taip pat flamenco šokio aprašymai čia buvo labai gražūs ir vaizdingi, atrodo dabar net kitaip į šį šokį žiūrėsiu.
Trečioji dalis tarsi užrišo visus paliktus galus ir užbaigė istoriją gražiai, bet saldžiai.
Negavau čia tikrai lengvo atostogų romano, o teko pavargti su knyga, bet tikrai nesinorėjo mesti. Veiksmo buvo daug, gal net per daug, būčiau kokį 100psl atėmus.
Apskritai tai yra Ispanijos civilinio karo istorija įvyniota į saldainio papieriuką, kuris pritraukia mases, nes knyga tik apie karą tikrai nesulauktų tiek populiarumo. Skaityti tikrai neatkalbinėčiau, bet rekomenduoti irgi nepulčiau.

[Sara Zovko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Obožavam Španjolsku, obožavam njihovu strast i taj predivan flamenco koji sam imala sreće gledati prilikom svog posjeta Španjolskoj i zato sam se nadala da je ova knjiga toliko dobra koliko je opisuju. Početak je dobar, ima potencijala, ali što sam dalje išla to mi je knjiga postajala sve dosadnija, sve površnija, previše kićena i previše sladunjava. Nešto nedostaje, likovi su previše crno-bijeli , priča s vremenom postaje toliko očekivana i predvidljiva da postaje jako naporno pratiti i uživati u njoj.

[David Canford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Victoria Hislop has made a name for herself and been granted honorary Greek citizenship by writing historical novels about Greece. This one, however, is set in Spain in the 2000s ( beginning and end of story) and the civil war.
You will learn a lot about that war. There are also some wonderful descriptions of flamenco and bull fighting, although the latter to me seems awful. Why put a bull through all that goading, torture and pain for human enjoyment?
It's a good read about a conflict not widely known about given that almost as soon as it ended it became overshadowed by the start of WW2. At times, the factual download makes it feel like non fiction. I didn’t mind that but some might.
Fortunately, today’s Spain is democratic and has developed from a poor country to a modern, prosperous one while still retaining its traditions and passion for life and family.

[B Mac · Rating 5 out of 5]

WHAAAA. She's done it again. I love Victoria Hislop books. As per, it took me a little to get into it, but I've been living in Spain in my thoughts and dreams the last few days. Have I been to Spain? No. Do I feel like I have after this book? YES. Also, her books are always a sharp reminder of how shocking human history truly is. And how shockingly little I know of it. Loved. This. Book.

[Annemieke Windt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggle to come up with an opinion about Victoria Hislop's The Return. It took me weeks to finish it, which isn't a good omen because she knows to write with a certain pace. The storyline is intriguing, because it deals with a partly forgotten war in the rest of Europe, the Spanish cival war. That by itself should offer enough drama, but the main part of the book, telling the story of the Ramirez family from Granada, feels different. As a reader I felt that I witnessed everything through a window clouded over with condense. And the frame she used: letting someone from the present stumble across the story from the past doesn't work, because the mixture of present and past doesn't work well. To me it seemed like a formula that didn't really work.

Which is a pity, because a couple of years ago I read The Island and was moved by it and loved the story. But although the backdrop is different, Spain instead of Greece, it that same strain of the story. With one big difference this novel just doesn't work that well for me.

[Julia Herdman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ambitious book covering much of the history of the gruesome Spanish civil war. It opens in the present with a more light-hearted subject: dancing. Thirty-five-year-old Londoner Sonia and her wild-child schoolmate Maggie have taken up salsa. They head to Granada to attend a course, much to the disapproval of Sonia's husband James, who reckons she should concentrate her energies on hosting dinner parties and providing a son and heir. While Maggie throws herself into the holiday pleasures of drink, dance and dalliance, Sonia is beguiled by the city's brooding sense of past secrets and by its own dancing tradition. As the story unfolds we realise that Sonia has her own connection with the past and that it is calling to her restless and dissatisfied soul. I enjoyed reading this as I knew practically nothing about the Spanish Civil war and the story was heart warming and affectionate.

[Carolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

O Regresso converteu-se no melhor livro que já li nos últimos tempo!!
A autora tem o dom de conciliar paixão, magia e música com a triste realidade da Guerra Civil espanhola, originando um enredo bastante cativante.
Adorei, sobretudo, a maneira como foram conjugadas as histórias dos quatros irmãos, onde se demonstrou a forma como cada um, à sua maneira, lidou com a dura realidade, combatendo a dor, a perda, a solidão, o desespero e o sofrimento tão patentes em seu redor. É assim um livro que nos impele a nunca desistir, por mais adversa que seja a nossa situação, pois tempos de paz irão chegar; "Depois da tormenta, vem a bonança", como se costuma dizer.
A minha personagem predileta é António.
Como tal, recomendo a todos que queiram viver fortes emoções e entregar-se a um mar de paixão! :D

5 estrelas! ;)

[Patrícia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Traduzida para mais de vinte línguas, Victoria Hislop já conquistou um lugar no coração dos seus leitores, amantes de romances históricos. Vencedora de prémios como o Newcomer of the Year at the Galaxy British Book Awards 2007 e o Richard & Judy Summer Read competition, Victoria já escreveu três livros de sucesso, sendo um deles este O Regresso, número um nos bestsellers do Sunday Times. Antes de ser escritora, a autora trabalhou na publicação e como relações públicas e jornalista.
Uma das autoras preferidas dos leitores portugueses, Hislop é uma das grandes apostas da Civilização e com apenas três romances tem granjeado elogios até mais não. Como curiosa e leitora que sou e, confesso, uma grande apreciadora das capas dos livros da senhora, tive de trazer este da biblioteca para perceber se tudo o que se dizia sobre os seus livros era verdade ou não. Entre o passado e o presente, este livro remete-nos para os factos não muito longínquos de uma época aterrorizadora da qual se tem vindo, pouco a pouco, a descobrir mais coisas, entrelaçando-a com uma história do presente sobre descobertas pessoais, transformações e decisões importantes.
Com um início calmo onde pouco antecipa o desenrolar que a história terá, este livro marca pelo desenvolvimento que a autora lhe dá no passado. Sónia, é a meu ver, um veículo para chegar ao verdadeiro cerne do livro, sendo ela a catalisadora das descobertas e do desenterrar de um passado que ainda marca as gerações que o viveram. Não consigo vê-la como a protagonista do livro, apesar de todas as suas questões pessoais, parece-me que toda a energia e paixão da autora foram para as outras personagens, e gostava que ela tivesse sido mais desenvolvida. Se o objectivo da escritora foi dar-nos uma ouvinte perfeita, que cresce e aprende com tudo o que ouve, Sónia foi perfeita para ouvir uma história com a qual tem mais ligação do que pensa.
Entre pequenas pistas que podem deixar adivinhar o que se segue, a autora consegue mesmo assim surpreender o leitor e puxá-lo para uma época de dores, paixões, obsessões, onde estar no Inferno se torna um eufemismo. Victoria tem uma escrita directa, límpida e apaixonada, que permite viver cada emoção como se tivéssemos passado por tudo o que nos descreve. Se a primeira história torna-nos receptivos para o que aí vem e nos faz simpatizar com Sónia, é o relato sobre a Guerra Civil Espanhola que nos prende e nos leva mais longe. A forma como as personagens são construídas faz-nos entendê-las, sofrer com elas e encontrar um pouco de nós em cada uma delas. Tal como na sua escrita, as suas personagens são transparentes, apaixonadas, lutadoras e idealistas, são ídolos ou heróis que podemos encontrar no mais simples ser humano.
O relato que conta a história de uma família dividida abafa por completo a de Sónia pois cada palavra, acontecimento ou expressão servem para nos fazer pensar, levar-nos a revolta, a fúria ou as lágrimas. Cada momento arrepia-nos, comove-nos, convence-nos ao espírito de rebelião ou faz com que a nossa mente queira esquecer. Cada dor, cada atrocidade serve para nos recordar que há coisas que não se podem repetir, que o Homem pode ser capaz de tudo por ideais, pelo poder, para ter razão. Este livro mudou algo em mim e recordou-me uma das razões porque foi que escolhi o rumo que estou a seguir, as gerações futuras não podem esquecer que males se fizeram, que o que temos hoje, temos a conta de sangue, lágrimas e muita força de espírito.
O Regresso é um relato brilhante que nos faz esquecer a ouvinte que ouve a história que mudará a sua vida, onde tudo o que importa são aqueles que nunca perderam a esperança, que lutaram e levantaram a cabeça e a usaram para sobreviver. Um livro que aconselho a todos pois este não é um romance mas uma lição de vida e uma recordação.

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[Nely · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Return feels as if it’s almost told in two parts. In the present day you meet Sonia. She’s a middle-aged woman who is having relationship issues and is facing some tough decisions when it comes to her marriage. She is visiting Spain with a friend and they decide to take some dancing classes to celebrate her friend’s birthday.

While on her trip she meets an elderly waiter at a cafe who tells her the story of the Ramirez family and the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s. Pablo and Concha Ramirez run a cafe and lead a happy life with their children - Antonio who is a teacher, Ignacio the bull fighter, Emilio who is in line to take over the cafe and, their daughter, Mercedes, who is a talented flamenco dancer.

This second part of the book tells the story of the Ramirez's and how their world and lives are affected by the war. Plenty of family drama ensues - disagreements, betrayals and eventually deaths.

Ms. Hislop’s writing is so vividly detailed that you feel as if you are whisked away on an epic adventure to Spain where you have a front seat to bull fights, flamenco dancing and a stroll through the streets of Granada. My favorite character was Mercedes - her love for Flamenco and her guitarist Javier were an inspiration. I really didn't know much about the Spanish Civil War and this book had a lot of insight into that time - I actually felt I learned something while reading it.

I highly enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone - there's a little bit of everything (love, hate, drama, violence, adventure) in it, so it can definitely appease a wide variety of readers.

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Very interesting to read more about the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s regime. I hadn’t known that there were concentration camps and forced labour, or even the scale of the brutality of it. I knew that Franco allowed the Germans to practice on some Republican towns etc but not that some of this was the Luftwaffe!

Hislop says at the end of the novel, published in 2008, that the Pacto del Olvido is finally being broken. There’s been some slight change but it seems that Spain definitely hasn’t had much introspection as a result of this pact — some people still sympathise with Franco (how people can honour a dictator I do not know) and perform the Fascist salute, for example.

She does seem to stereotype Spaniards as being dark and fiery with ‘typical’ Mediterranean features, which doesn’t sit well with me. It sometimes reads like a tourist’s understanding of Spain — yes, flamenco is based in Andalucía but that doesn’t mean that *everyone* there is going to like it, does it?

As a piece of literature, it’s not my favourite novel by Hislop. There are extremely clunky sentences (more so than her other books), awkward dialogue, and type errors — one in Spanish that I noticed!?!

But I did really enjoy learning about this period of history. it gave some context to the state of the country that my great-grandparents/grandparents/aunts, uncles and mum lived in (both in the Civil War and later, throughout Franco’s regime). Even if it does mainly depict broad events — i.e.: there wasn’t as much resistance in Galicia (which Hislop fails to even give a passing mention to in her novel lol)

[Janeka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Um relato fantástico do que terá sido a Espanha da primeira metade do século XX: como se viveu durante a Segunda República e a Guerra Civil, as touradas e o flamenco.

A história principal revolve em volta da família Ramirez, descrevendo como estes trágicos anos afetaram cada parte desta. A censura, as opiniões políticas, a proibição de atividades de entretenimento e a punição daqueles que não cumpriam o que era estritamente definido.

Gostei bastante da influência da dança em Mercedes, da forma como ela era transportada para um outro mundo. Foi fantástico o percurso que fez por amor,através de um país a ser destruído. Granada, Barcelona e claro, Guernica.



É, no entanto, um relato bastante triste e deprimente. Por ser tão real, claro. Não fazia ideia da quantidade de mortos, presos politicos e exilados que a guerra e a ditadura de Franco criaram.

Fica a esperança para que estes anos, e os envolvidos, não sejam esquecidos – tal como a autora comenta no final:

A lei [da Memória Histórica] condena formalmente a revolta e a ditadura de Franco, bane os símbolos e as referências ao regime dos edifícios públicos e ordena a remoção dos monumentos em honra de Franco.

[Sonia Cristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Depois de ler A Ilha, que se revelou uma ótima surpresa, tinha esperança de gostar também de O Regresso, mas estava um bocadinho de pé atrás. Depois de começar a parte do passado, fui surpreendida por estar a gostar tanto! Nunca gostei de História, nunca percebi os acontecimentos, como as guerras aconteciam, as intrigas reais, etc e tal. Como este livro é um retrato da Guerra Civil espanhola, em que são descritos vários acontecimentos ao longo daqueles anos, praticamente não existe mais história, foi uma grande admiração ler todas aquelas páginas (muitas) com tanto interesse, as páginas voaram e, de repente, cheguei ao fim.

Adorei a história da família Ramírez, apesar de ser uma história tão triste. Não sei bem que senti em relação à história de amor de Mercedes e Javier, estou indecisa.

O final trouxe uma surpresa, que eu já esperava mas não daquela pessoa.

Quanto a Sonia, gostei da parte dela mas foi curta. Ainda bem que, no final, teve a coragem de começar uma nova vida.

Achei foi muito estranho que a personagem do presente tivesse o meu nome, não é habitual e é mesmo estranho. LOL

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are lots of things to like about this book, and yet I can only give it three stars because it just didn't quite grip me. "The Return" is not one of those books that you "just can't put down" --- I actually had to make myself pick it up and keep reading most of the time.

And yet --- this is not a bad book. The style of writing is good, and the characters are interesting. A few years ago I spent 2 weeks in Granada, so I could really see the streets and Plazas of the city - as well as the magnificent Alhambra - in my mind.

As a reader you learn a lot about Spain in the 1930s --- something I really didn't know anything about before I started reading this book.

All in all, it's a good enough book, but one that I will probably soon have forgotten (something that doesn't happen with really great books), and that will definitely not be a keeper on my book shelf.

I guess "The Return" just misses that "special something" that makes a book great and memorable ...

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this is really two books; a modern framework as a vehicle for telling a story about the Spanish civil war. The historical fiction part is really quite good; I would rate the middle section of the book a 4 star. The characters are real and the history is nice. I knew next to nothing about the Spanish civil war and besides getting a good history lesson, I liked the story. The modern framework, however is a 2 star. The characters are shells and the story is silly. Who cares about Sonia and James' marriage problems, they are not really anything other than stereotypes. And the whole ridiculousness of Mercedes turning out to be Sonia's mother was hogwash. I don't understand why Hislop didn't just write the Ramirez family story; the fact that she needed to ensconce it in a modern envelope and then make that modern envelope so shallow diminished the rest of it. I average at a 3 star rating, but was almost annoyed enough to make it a 2 star.

[Maria Lavrador · Rating 4 out of 5]

O 1º livro que li desta escritora foi "A ilha" e adorei. Fiquei logo com vontade de ler mais livros desta autora e quando tive a oportunidade de ler este, foi o que fiz. Foi um livro que não me desiludiu, que conta uma história dentro de outra história, passada durante a Guerra Civil de Espanha. Confesso que as personagens atuais não me convenceram mas a parte do passado, na Guerra Civil, gostei bastante, tomando conhecimento com uma realidade que conhecia mal. Por isso mais um bom livro e que me deixa com vontade de ler já o próximo "A arca".

[Redouan Elkham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Despite the fact that the dictator Franco killed thousands of republicans and had tried to swept them out from his way, they were able to emerge again and won the election after his death.
History always teaches us that whatsoever the evil and oppression endeavouring to last, it undoubtedly wouldn't gain the victory of eternity, the seeds of depressed and Martyrs would stop it.
I think the history of Spain is very rich of events that could be a reference to humanity.
God bless all the republicans and all victims of the dictator Franco.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

It made me want to learn much more about the Spanish Civil War. It shocked me to find out that this was happening in the 20th centuary and yet I did not learn anything about it at school. I never realised the extent that the spanish people were put through.
As for the book I felt it was excellent, the story (although predictable) the historical information, the descriptions and the best reason I loved the book it made me want to dance.

[Mafi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastico! Muito, muito bom e deu para aprender alguma coisa sobre a Guerra Civil Espanhola ;)