The Sunrise: The Number One Sunday Times bestseller 'Fascinating and moving'

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Heartbreaking... A fascinating insight into a part of Mediterranean history that isn't often explored." - Essentials (UK)

The Sunrise – Victoria Hislop

Intelligent and immersive... Hislop's incisive narrative weaves a vast array of fact through a poignant, compelling family saga." - The Sunday Times (UK) Turkish soldiers man this watchtower. I think they spend most of the time surveying women in bikinis on the beach, but they are officially there to ensure that nobody goes beyond the barbed wire fence into the ghost town. There are signs saying ‘No Photographs’ everywhere (even painted on the walls of the abandoned hotels), so another part of their job is to shout aggressively at people who take pictures, including me of course.

When a Greek coup plunges the island into chaos, Cyprus faces a disastrous conflict. Turkey invades to protect the Turkish Cypriot minority, and Famagusta is shelled. Forty thousand people seize their most precious possessions and flee from the advancing soldiers. In the deserted city, just two families remain. Recommended Reads about Race, Racism, and Demarginalizing History - Necessary Non-fiction You Should Read for Life-changing Insights and Impact

The Sunrise: The Number One Sunday Times bestseller The Sunrise: The Number One Sunday Times bestseller

These postcards are originals from 1972 (before the Turkish invasion), when the city of Famagusta was a kind of paradise. These were the early days of tourism as we know it now, when people discovered the joys of flying to a Mediterranean country and enjoying a vacation. At the time of the invasion, in August 1974, there were 40,000 inhabitants (mostly Greek Cypriots) and the number was swelled in the summer by the thousands of holidaymakers who came from all round the world to enjoy the warm climate, stunning beach and clear, azure sea. An absorbing tale about family, friendship, loyalty and betrayal, set during a violent period in the history of Cyprus." - Good Housekeeping (UK)Famagusta not only offered daytime recreation, but also a nightlife that was second to none in the Mediterranean. It had many fine restaurants and nightclubs where visitors and locals enjoyed live music. The rich and famous went to Famagusta, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, for example, as well as other international stars. LoveReading exists because books change lives, and buying books through LoveReading means you get to change the lives of future generations, with 25% of the cover price donated to schools in need. Join our community to get personalised book suggestions, extracts straight to your inbox, 10% off RRPs, and to change children’s lives. In the summer of 1972, Famagusta in Cyprus is the most desirable resort in the Mediterranean, a city bathed in the glow of good fortune. An ambitious couple are about to open the island’s most spectacular hotel, where Greek and Turkish Cypriots work in harmony. Two neighbouring families, the Georgious and the Özkans, are among many who moved to Famagusta to escape the years of unrest and ethnic violence elsewhere on the island. But beneath the city’s façade of glamour and success, tension is building.

THE SUNRISE | Kirkus Reviews THE SUNRISE | Kirkus Reviews

Hislop's writing effectively weaves the personal into the political without ever becoming overbearing. An informative but equally emotional read." - WomanThe plastic and barbed wire that has been wrapped around this city is more clearly visible here. I walked right next to it to take these pictures of some derelict hotels. It’s not hard to imagine what an idyllic place this must have been to stay – hotel residents could step from the foyer directly onto the sand. And with soft sand such as this, it must have seemed like paradise. The beach faces due east so they would have woken to the most spectacular sunrise each day visible from those windows. This was what inspired me to call my imaginary hotel (which also gives the novel its name) ‘The Sunrise’.