Critical Praise

"The Return aims to open the eyes, and tug the heartstrings... These days, the battle of historical memory against forgetting has to be fought on many fronts. Hislop deserves a medal for opening a breach into the holiday beach bag."

—The Independent

"Like a literary Nigella, she whips up a cracking historical romance mixed with a dash of family secrets and a splash of female self-discovery… What sets Hislop apart is her ability to put a human face on the shocking civil conflict that ripped Spain apart for three bloody years between 1936 and 1939...."

—Time Out London

"Hislop uses the same blend of meticulously researched historical narrative and imaginative storytelling that won her plaudits for her first novel, The Island, to convey this tumultuous time. The rhythms of flamenco resonate on every page and the anguish felt by Concha, the mother of the family…brings home the hardships of war in a way no history book ever could."

—The Daily Telegraph

"Fear not, Hislop fans, there was more where [The Island] came from… The story of the Spanish Civil War is…executed with verve and sensitivity."

—Sunday Telegraph