Victoria became an ambassador for LEPRA, the international leprosy charity, which enabled her to travel to India and see the work it carries out. But a lot of people suffered in Cyprus and it wasn’t the fault of women. If women could take charge and rule the world just for a month, it would be interesting to see. Just to see what happens. In the troubled areas of the world, you don’t usually find women in charge. Mrs Thatcher led us into war in the Falklands, but she is the exception. In Cyprus in the 70s, the military was not led by women.” The story takes place in Famagusta/Ammochostos and as the Greek name implies, a city buried in sand. The tourists are unaware of the political rumblings in Cyprus. Hidden from them is the violence, the simmering unrest. The locals are aware of the battles within the Government, and the memories of battles between the Greek and Turkish Cypriots are never far from their minds.

Aphroditi is the poor little rich girl somewhere in the middle, marrying for love and a future as an equal partner but having to settle for far less. Of course the writing hasn't the depth I expect from a novelist who wrote many books, but the story was interesting, heartrending, kept me going so it wasn't entirely bad and it didn't ruin my experience. Hislop brings her consummate storytelling skills to this enthralling tale of love, marriage and a community all put to the test." - Woman & Home (UK)

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The Lowther visit is Victoria’s only northern tour date, so it’s a rare chance to hear her speak about her new book, The Sunrise. But beneath the city’s facade of glamour and success, tension is building. 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. Hislop’s writing effectively weaves the personal into the political without ever becoming overbearing. An informative but equally emotional read ( Woman) Have you ever been to Cyprus? And if so, have you ever given much thought to the cataclysmic events that took place on the island in the Summer of 1974, decimating the glamorous beach resort of Famagusta and uprooting thousands from their homes in the process?

readers can’t fail to be swept up in her ongoing love affair with all things Greek and, in The Figurine, the focus turns to the country’s ancient statuettes and the looting trade that surrounds them.[…]a gripping storyline that leaves no stone unturned” We are looking at the same buildings as we saw in the postcards, but there is a big difference. They are empty and abandoned, and their windows are dark. Famagusta is now a ghost town. Once a thriving city, it is sealed off and totally empty. Nobody is allowed to go there and the inhabitants who fled, within a few hours once they heard of the approaching Turkish army, have never been allowed to return. Victoria married Private Eye editor Ian Hislop on 16 April 1988 in Oxford; the couple have two children, Emily Helen (born 1990) and William David (born 1993). [8]

Praise for “The Sunrise”

The sudden, horrific violence of war is on full display here, and there is one instance late in the story that changes many things for many people, revealing the true character of one person. She says the success of her best-selling first book, the 2005 novel The Island, took her by surprise. Not least because of the subject matter.

I had to of course research parts of history and I can’t say I enjoyed reading about those painful events. Ian is much more intellectual than I am. At university, he used to lend people his essays so they could copy them. He should have rented them out at 50p a go because it would have paid his bar bill. Victoria, who speaks fluent Greek after having lessons for several years, says foreign climes prove an irresistible draw – and they are where she gets her inspiration.

The first part of the book was almost like a soap opera. The rich owner and his beautiful cold wife, the working class envying them, love affairs, everything life has to offer in a peaceful place. I loved Victoria Hislop’s first book The Island and was looking forward to this new release. It was clearly extremely well researched and laid bare the devastation caused to both communities of Greek and Turkish Cypriots who had previously lived and worked side by side. Their lives – and their land were torn apart by the invasion and the trust between them destroyed. I can’t imagine how devastating it would have been for those fleeing the invasion to have been forced to leave their home and businesses in just the clothes they were wearing and to not know whether they would see their family or home again.