⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I listened to Villa of Secrets, by Patricia Wilson, as an Audiobook from Borrowbox. Read by Lucy Paterson, I was so taken with the story that it only took me a couple of days to reach the end, listening as I went out for a long walk with my dog and then planting tomatoes in my greenhouse! Books and gardening - I couldn't have been happier.
Sisters, Naomi and Rebecca, were raised by their grandmother, Pandora Cohen and the story is told through Pandora's diaries which Naomi and Rebecca are given to read. Unbeknown to the girls, their grandmother was a Freedom Fighter for the Andartes during World War II and risked her life to help free the Greek island of Rhodes from German occupation. Rebecca and her family had a falling out, ten years previously, and we also learn how this affected Naomi and Dora and how Rebecca eventually comes back into their lives.
Although a work of fiction, Villa of Secrets is based on some fact, I wasn't aware of how affected Greece and her islands were by the second world war. Patricia Wilson's attention to detail, and descriptive ability, bring to life the often harrowing and heartwrenching times of this war on the Greek communities.
There were humorous moments coupled with often very sad moments in Villa of Secrets, I didn't want some of the characters' stories to end the way they did, but I guess life doesn't always pan out the way you want it to, and because some of this novel was based on fact, it does bring home the reality that sad things sometimes happen to good people.
I would recommend Villa of Secrets to anyone who enjoys reading about World War II, particularly the lesser-known aspects of the German invasion. However, this is by no means a historical war novel, yes there is an element of this, but it also brings together the importance of family and friends and love and romance.
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