The Thread - Victoria Hislop

I don't normally read books like this, but I happened to see it in my local Marie Curie, where I volunteer every week, after finding out it was the product of the week here on Ciao. I love getting books from Marie Curie as they're only £1 each and they've usually got really good ones in. This is a recent release, having been published in 2011 and only just released in paperback this year. It's the paperback I've got (hardbacks are £1.50 in Marie Curie, and I'm not made of money!) so it is relatively new. First Impressions My first impressions when reading the blurb on the back was this might ... more

Although I'm wary of reading books recommended by TV shows, they do tend to be selected on what makes a good read, rather than on the basis of good writing, as with awards like the Booker Prize and one of the best books I've ever read was an Oprah's Book Club selection. Whilst I may not be able to stand Richard and Judy, they've certainly taken to the Book Club idea and they've picked some great authors, including Jo Nesbo whose books are seemingly everywhere at the moment. So when they pick an author for the second time, as with Victoria Hislop's "The Thread", it may be time to sit up and ... more

Victoria Hislop has, for the past few years, been one of the most consistently exciting authors in the UK. With page turners such as The Island selling by the Million, I was awaiting her latest title “The Thread” with much excitement. This is very unusual for me as I tend not to read much fiction work preferring factual books, so that goes some way to suggesting how I consider this author to stand out above the current crop. Again, I have to say that I am not disappointed and I could use all the clichés for reviewing books such as “could not put it down”, “page turner” etc etc and each one ... more