Partly inspired by her Greek grandmother’s stories, The Echoes of Love by bestselling author Jenny Ashcroft is an epic, moving love story, perfect for readers of Rachel Hore, Victoria Hislop and Kate Furnivall.
Eleni has been coming to Crete her entire life, swapping her English home for cherished sun-baked summers with her grandfather in his idyllic shoreside villa. When she arrives in 1936, she believes the long, hot weeks ahead will be no different to so many that have gone before.
But someone else is visiting the island that year too: a young German man called Otto. And so begins a summer of innocence lost, and love discovered; one that is finite, but not the end.
When, in 1941, the island falls to a Nazi invasion, Eleni and Otto meet there once more. But this time Eleni has returned to fight for her home, and Otto to occupy it. They are enemies, and their love is not only treacherous, but also dangerous. But will it destroy them, or prove strong enough to overcome the ravages of war?
Ashcroft is no stranger to historical fiction, having written four previous bestsellers set in the likes of Egypt and Bombay. Once again, she delivers a sweeping, location-driven historical tale in The Echoes of Love. From the very beginning, readers are transported to a gorgeous Cretan landscape, with its hazy summer days and sparkling blue sea. The island is brought to life in rich, sumptuous detail, and it serves as the perfect backdrop for the passionate love affair shared between Eleni and Otto.
But things soon take a turn for the worse when the clouds of war darken the island and the German troops roll in. The arrival of the German troops mars the island’s beauty, seeing it transformed from an idyllic paradise to a site of mass killings and unimaginable hardships suffered by the locals. Amid a tide of European-based WWII historical novels, The Echoes of Love stands out, offering a new perspective on the war and examining a little-known period in Crete’s history.
The Echoes of Love is an epic tale of secrets, love, loyalty, family and how far you’d go to keep those you love safe. This is an exquisite and deeply moving love letter to Crete – one that will move every reader to tears.
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