The Olive Tree: The bestselling story of secrets and love under the Cyprus sun

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I cannot help but become totally immersed in Lucinda Riley's stories. Her characters become friends, flawed but irresistible. This is a book that I will read/listen to again. Her son from a previous relationship Alex has never known the identity of his father and neither does her husband. Between them they also have a son and a daughter, Helena goes ahead to Cyprus with Alex and little by little secrets are starting to unfold. And above all, this book is purely misogynistic. Why did the author feel the need to give her male characters permission to treat their women like that? All the male characters are judgemental creeps, including Alex. It feels like the women don't have the right to have a life outside of their family. "Oh, you had sex with another man before you were my wife/my mother? You depraved whore!" Did your feelings towards the characters stay the same throughout the novel, or did your loyalties shift? Which characters did you find the most intriguing?

For some reason, whenever I'm on a plane I think about dying. To be fair, I think about dying wherever I am. Perhaps being dead is a bit like the weightlessness you feel here, now, in this metal tube. My little sister asked if she was dead the last time we flew because someone told her Grandpa was up on a cloud. She thought she was joining him when we passed one. Yet, as soon as Helena arrives at Pandora, she knows that its idyllic beauty masks a web of secrets that she has kept from William, her husband, and Alex, her son. At the difficult age of thirteen, Alex is torn between protecting his beloved mother, and growing up. And equally, desperate to learn the truth about his real father . . . Alex is a 13yr old boy with a highly functioning brain that is far too advanced for his years, but he still has the same emotional outlook on life that you would expect from a teenage boy.The characters are so stereotypical that I just wanted to burn them with the fire of a thousand suns. Of course Helena is beautiful and amazing in each and every way, but of course, she gets condemned by everyone for keeping a secret that bears no relevance to her family. Of course, her son is an asshole who sounds 13 even in his 2os. Of course, the same mistakes are repeated over and over again, because no one learns from their mistakes. And in all that, the most interesting characters are left aside to make room for the boring ones. The narration of the audiobook is superbly performed by Lucinda Riley herself and her son, Harry Whittaker. There is also an interesting discussion between the two at the end of the audiobook where they discuss Lucinda's writing. Yet Helena knows that the idyllic beauty of Pandora masks a web of secrets she has kept from William, her husband, and Alex, her son. At the difficult age of thirteen, Alex is torn between protecting his beloved mother, and growing up. And equally, he is desperate to learn the truth about his real father . . . Simplemente lo amé. Se ha convertido en uno de mis favoritos de la autora. Con cada página que pasaba, llegaba hasta a sentir el sonido de las olas del mar, queriendo estar ahí, en Chipre y recorrer Grecia.

Una peste alta a fost o poveste drăguță, dar în cazul meu a fost ultima încercare cu autoarea. Probabil că dacă nu m-ar fi atras atât de mult coperta cărții nu i-aș mai fi acordat nici măcar această a doua șansă. Nu e convingătoare. Poveștile ei au potențial, însă le lipsește ceva-ul acela care face diferența între o operă mediocră și una foarte bună. Yet, as soon as Helena arrives at Pandora, she knows that its idyllic beauty masks a web of secrets that she has kept from William, her husband, and Alex, her son. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Waitomo District Library for the loan of the audiobook of The Olive Tree by Lucinda Riley for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.In collaborazione con suo figlio Harry Whittaker, ha anche ideato e scritto una serie di libri per bambini chiamata My Angels.

Secretele nu au făcut bine nimănui, niciodată. Cei care le păstrează sunt măcinați de ele, iar cei care până la urmă le află sunt de cele mai multe ori șocați. Totul se schimbă atunci când se secretele nu mai sunt…secrete. Trecutul, cu greșelile lui cu tot, e o umbră care ne însoțește pretutindeni. Un alt eu, din alte timpuri, de care nu ne-am lepădat niciodată. Ce am făcut în trecut ne definește și ne influențează atât prezentul, cât și viitorul. Aproape niciodată nu găsim momentul potrivit pentru a dezvălui un secret care știi sigur că ar schimba totul. Pentru că nu există momentul potrivit. Adevărul este dureros de cele mai multe ori, însă e singura cale de urmat. Până la urmă toate drumurile duc acolo, direct sau indirect, mai devreme sau mai târziu. To be fair, Lucinda Riley has been popping up on my radar for some time now, so when The Olive Tree was gifted to me at Christmas I was super excited to jump straight in.

Summary

The book is not only narrated by Helena, but also by Alex’s childhood diaries. How did you find this glimpse into his character? Do you believe this was an accurate representation of a 13-year-old’s voice?