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Beyond the Olive Grove

de Katharine Swartz

MembresRessenyesPopularitatValoració mitjanaConverses
345709,296 (3.79)Cap
Ava Lancet has lost her job, her marriage, and her baby when she discovers she has inherited her grandmother's dilapidated farmhouse in a tiny village in central Greece. With the kind of emotional impulsiveness that has frustrated her stony-faced husband for years, she decides to move there and recover from life's sorrows. It only takes a few minutes in her new home to realize just what a dump it is, and how ridiculously rash her decision was. Yet Ava perseveres, and thanks to her grandmother's legacy, is welcomed into the village... as well as by handsome widower Andreas Lethikos. When an elderly woman in the village mistakes Ava for her grandmother, telling her, with tears trickling down her face, that she is so sorry, Ava is both touched and intrigued. What is the woman sorry for, and what secrets did her grandmother keep? With the help of a local schoolteacher who is interviewing the remaining Second World War survivors in central Greece, Ava discovers the surprising threads of her grandmother's life... and they help to weave her own life back together. In 1942, in Italian and Nazi-occupied Greece, Ava's grandmother Sophia Paranoussis is fighting to keep her family, and especially her impulsive sister Angelika, safe. When she is approached by a stranger to help with the local Resistance, she longs to refuse, yet a sense of both duty and honor compel her to agree. Frightened and yet with growing courage, Sophia begins to aid twelve British SOEs who have parachuted into Greece to blow up the Gorgopotamos viaduct—and falls in impossible love with one of them. Spanning three generations and exploring the lives of two very different and yet surprisingly similar women, The Other Side of The Bridge will remind you how a fragile hope can spring from both tragedy and despair. Written by USA Today bestselling author Kate Hewitt, writing as Katharine Swartz.… (més)
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Es mostren totes 5
Originally published as "The Other Side of the Bridge" by Katharine Swartz.

Ava and Simon Lancet lost their daughter Charlotte when Ava was 7 months pregnant. Simon seems unaffected by the loss but Ava cannot find her way forward. Now a year later there is another change in Ava’s life, another ending. Budget cuts have brought her job as an art teacher at the local primary school to an end. Ava has inherited a house in Iousidous, Greece from her grandmother Sophia Paranoussis. Sophia never talked about Greece and certainly never mentioned that she still owned property. With only one photograph from the solicitor Ava has decided to ask her husband for a separation and move to Greece. As the first women in Iousidous acknowledge that they knew her grandmother Ava wants now wants to know more. Ava remembers her grandmother saying, "Life is for living." Will finding answers about her grandmother lift Ava from the veil of grief? Can Ava live again?

Ava’s voice tells the story of Now and Sophia’s voice reveals her life in 1942. The dual timelines are captivating and transition seamlessly. With each character that is introduced the reader is drawn further into the weave of then and now. The embrace of friendship and love is as powerful for each generation and it is historical fiction that helps us see and feel beyond what any history text can document.

I recommend reading A Letter from Kate at the end of the historical fiction novel that shares the background of people and events that occurred in Greece during WWII. Although I traveled in Greece this is another compelling piece of history that I was not aware of in this beautiful country. ( )
  FerneMysteryReader | Jul 14, 2022 |
The description of this historical fiction grabbed me right away. An old house in Greece, a family secret and a change to start over in another country. I've enjoyed books by Kate Hewitt before but this one is a bit different, a literary fiction which I very much enjoyed.

This novel is told in a dual timeline: In present time we read Ava's story. Her grandmother Sophia died and left her an old farmhouse in Greece. Ava is having trouble in her marriage and has recently suffered a tragedy. She decides to leave England and move to Greece temporarily. She wonders why she left England for a place where she doesn't know anyone to restore a farmhouse no one had lived in for over 60 years.

Ava's grandmother Sophia never spoke about her ancestry or her life during WW II so there are plenty of secrets to unravel.

Sophia's story starts in 1942 in a small village in Greece. You will read more about her family and their sacrifices from food shortages and fear of the Nazi's invading their village. Sophia's story is one of bravery and I was happy to see Ava slowly uncover details about her grandmother's past.

This isn't a fast paced novel and some of the "memories" are rehashed a few time but overall it's a nice historical fiction with a satisfactory ending.

Publication date August 13, 2021 by Bookouture. Genre: Historical Fiction, Literary Fiction. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine. ( )
  SquirrelHead | Aug 11, 2021 |
The other side of the bridge is a beautifully written time-slip novel (a novel that covers two different time periods) that tells the story of two women, Ava Lancet and her grandmother, Sophia Paranoussis.

Ava's story -

Takes place in our current day. Grieving over her failing marriage and the loss of her newborn child, Ava makes the impetuous decision to leave England and travel to Greece where she has inherited her grandmother Sophia's farmhouse, which has sat desolate for decades. Ava hadn't even been aware that her grandmother owned a house in Greece. Nevertheless she is determined to travel there and stay in the farmhouse for an indefinite time in the hopes of sorting out her life. Her dreams of a fresh start in her grandmother's native land are quickly shattered when she arrives to find the house in a delapidated state and practically uninhabitable. Alone and without an interim place to stay, Ava has to depend on local residents for help, and to come to terms with her spontaneous decision to move to Greece. Fortunately for her the village of tight-knit residents are willing to lend a helping hand, especially in light of the fact that her grandmother was known to some of them. Although one particular older resident, Parthenope, becomes highly agitated when she sees Ava, as though her resemblance to her grandmother, Sophia, stirs up bad memories. But what bad memories? As Ava continues to dwell in Greece her curiosity about her grandmother's legacy is kindled, and many secrets about Sophia are slowly revealed. And amidst it all she learns vital lessons about herself that will assist her in piecing her own life back together.

Sophia's story -

Begins during WW2 with the German and Italian invasion of Greece. Sophia, her sister Angelika and their father live a modest life in Iousidous, a small village in rural Greece. The girls' mother is deceased, and discreet, sensible Sophia works hard both inside and outside of the home to keep the family safe and in tact during the perilous times in which they live. Her younger sister, Angelika, is more of an adventure seeker and foolishly becomes involved with a Greek resistance member to Sophia's utter dismay. The resistance groups don't all work together, and can be as much a nuisance and threat as the Nazis themselves. How could her sister be so careless? Soon Sophia is conscripted to aid the resistance and her life is changed forever.

The alternating narratives of Sophia and Ava's stories was enthralling. Seeing how each of their lives was transformed by very different circumstances made for an interesting read. Katharine Swartz is, to me, Queen of the time-slip novel. She is very good at this type of storytelling. I became acquainted with her books when I read The Vicar's Wife, one of her other time-slip novels, which instantly became one of my favorites. I can always count on her for a good story, and that's what I got with The Other Side of the Bridge. I enjoyed this book very much and would certainly recommend it. I only wish it had been longer.

This book was part of my Kindle Library. ( )
  Lauigl | Feb 21, 2016 |
Without a question, hands down, this book was 5 stars for me.

It wasn't easy to read, not due to an issue with the writing, which I found great, but rather because the subject matter hits a little too close to home sometimes.

I found this to be a very sensitive and honest look at relationships, personalities, grief, communication (or lack thereof) and the misunderstandings or misconceptions that arise from simply being human.

Truly a hidden gem of a book ( )
  katsmiao | Oct 23, 2015 |
Ava Lancet has left her life in York and her husband after suffering a tragedy and has gone to Greece to the house that her late grandmother has left her. When she gets there she finds an extremely run down and rustic place in a small village. As she makes friends she tries to find out more about her grandmother's life there, which she left just after the war and never talked about. She finds that the few people left alive in the village who remember her grandmother and the war also don't want to talk about it.

This is a dual time narrative story which I always enjoy, but it did seem a bit one-dimensional at times without the depth to the stories, particularly the one in 1942 featuring Ava's grandmother, that I might have expected. But it's a nice story with a happy ending and overall I found it an easy and pleasant read.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for providing a copy for review. ( )
  nicx27 | Oct 13, 2014 |
Es mostren totes 5
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Dedicated to my brother Geordie, who first gave me a love of Greece on our travels many years ago. Love you!
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Ava Lancet peered through the unrelenting night as she fought down a growing sense of panic.
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Why were the young never curious about what came before them?
When, she wondered, would it go away? Or did you carry grief with you always, a chronic condition you somehow learned to live with even as it debilitated you?
Loneliness was a strange thing. One day Ava would feel cheerful and fine and maybe even happy, and then in a sudden moment the loneliness landed on her with a thud, enveloping her with an emptiness that left her breathless and near tears.
...time didn’t heal all wounds. It didn’t even make you forget.
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Ava Lancet has lost her job, her marriage, and her baby when she discovers she has inherited her grandmother's dilapidated farmhouse in a tiny village in central Greece. With the kind of emotional impulsiveness that has frustrated her stony-faced husband for years, she decides to move there and recover from life's sorrows. It only takes a few minutes in her new home to realize just what a dump it is, and how ridiculously rash her decision was. Yet Ava perseveres, and thanks to her grandmother's legacy, is welcomed into the village... as well as by handsome widower Andreas Lethikos. When an elderly woman in the village mistakes Ava for her grandmother, telling her, with tears trickling down her face, that she is so sorry, Ava is both touched and intrigued. What is the woman sorry for, and what secrets did her grandmother keep? With the help of a local schoolteacher who is interviewing the remaining Second World War survivors in central Greece, Ava discovers the surprising threads of her grandmother's life... and they help to weave her own life back together. In 1942, in Italian and Nazi-occupied Greece, Ava's grandmother Sophia Paranoussis is fighting to keep her family, and especially her impulsive sister Angelika, safe. When she is approached by a stranger to help with the local Resistance, she longs to refuse, yet a sense of both duty and honor compel her to agree. Frightened and yet with growing courage, Sophia begins to aid twelve British SOEs who have parachuted into Greece to blow up the Gorgopotamos viaduct—and falls in impossible love with one of them. Spanning three generations and exploring the lives of two very different and yet surprisingly similar women, The Other Side of The Bridge will remind you how a fragile hope can spring from both tragedy and despair. Written by USA Today bestselling author Kate Hewitt, writing as Katharine Swartz.

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