Marisal. A villa on a sleepy Spanish island. A place that time had forgotten. A place of long ago summers, sun-kissed memories and one terrible betrayal …
When Charlotte’s husband James tragically dies, he leaves her an unexpected gift – her grandmother’s beautiful villa, Marisal, on the Spanish island of Formentera.
As she begins to explore her new home, and heal her broken heart in the warm golden sunshine, Charlotte discovers that her grandmother Alba has been keeping secrets about her life on the island. Intrigued by her family’s hidden history, Charlotte uncovers a devastating love affair that put many lives at risk and two sisters torn apart by loss.
Can the heart-breaking truth of the island’s dark history finally be laid to rest? Or will the secrets of the past shake the new life and love that Charlotte is close to finding?
Many thanks to Bookouture via NetGalley for my copy of The Island Villa to review and to Sharon for having my review on the blog.
Don't be fooled into thinking The Island Villa is just another one of those very easy to read, summer romance stories that will while away a few hours on sun lounger whilst on holiday and then is instantly forgettable. I wouldn't blame you for thinking that given both the title and cover but instead Lily Graham has provided her readers with a dual timeline story that deftly moves between the past and the present as Charlotte attempts to come to terms with the recent loss of her husband. The story proved to be intriguing and eye opening. In venturing on this journey, Charlotte discovers a fascinating family history that she had no idea about.
On first judgement of this book I would never have thought that historical fiction would very much form the main crux of the story. Fans of this genre might let this one pass them by if they saw the title and it would be a shame if they were to do so. I had only read one book by this author before and that was the book she published last Christmas. It was good but hadn't blown me away and there was an element of magic to it that I found hard to believe. So perhaps I was ever so slightly wary of starting this read but my fears were soon quashed as awaiting me between the pages was an intriguing and detailed story of romance set amidst a time of great persecution and unrest for a section of society that has been kept hidden for many years and is about to some to light.
Charlotte Woolf is putting on a brave face but inside she is slowly crumbling away due to the overwhelming feelings of grief, loss, loneliness and abandonment that threaten to drown her on a daily basis. It is not that long since she buried her husband James. She is angry at her loss but also depressed and turning to the bottle for answers that are just not forthcoming. She knows she can't go on like this and with daughter Sage back at university attempting to get back to some sort of normality Charlotte knows she to has to do the same but how can she with the love of her life now permanently absent? Lily Graham wrote about dealing with loss and attempting to move on very well. I felt every bit of Charlotte's pain and anger and as she says death is not something you get over rather you cope with it some days better than others. I couldn't agree more with this sentiment. But James had one last surprise in store for Charlotte and through a letter he left her she discovers he had bought Marisal, a villa on the small island of Formentera near to Ibiza.
Marisal had been the old family home of her grandmother and grandfather but it had fallen out of the families hands many years ago. James knew this had occurred and that one day in the future Charlotte had wanted to venture to the island to uncover the family secrets that surely must be hidden there. Even though James was gone I thought this was the ultimate act of love for the woman he held so dear to his heart. It was like he was reaching from beyond the grave to express this. He knew that Charlotte would be lost once he was gone and could venture down a path that might be very difficult to come back from. In buying the villa he has given her a second chance, an opportunity to uncover some truths but also the chance to find herself again before she looses herself forever.
Once Charlotte reaches the island I felt transported to a place that doesn't get as many mentions as its neighbouring island Ibiza. It seemed like a hidden gem away from all the night-life that Ibiza is famous for. The descriptions of the island were stunning and it seemed to have such a relaxed and carefree pace of life that maybe this was what Charlotte really did need. Although it would take her some time to realise this, to come to some form of acceptance and to find a way in moving forward in the grieving and healing process. Marisal was not in the best of shape but both the reader and Charlotte could sense it was steeped in history and had quite a story to tell. How said story developed was very well done.
Each chapter alternated between Charlotte in the present as she discovers Maria, a sister to her grandmother. A sister that she never knew existed. Maria recounts the past to Charlotte through stories, the heritage and secrets of the island are brought to life. Although the author does mention in an after note at the conclusion of the story that there is no definitive evidence to suggest what occurred to Maria's ancestors did happen in real life on island. I myself, would like to think this secret community did exist on the island and that there were so many selfless people willing to put their faith above all else and protect it to the core.
Initially I did enjoy Charlotte's story and could very much identify with it but the more the book developed I found myself rushing through the chapters featuring Charlotte as I was eager to return to Formentera during 1718. Charlotte's story seemed in my mind to peter out once we focused more on Cesca and Esperanza, yes the island did begin to work some magic on Charlotte and inspired her in more ways than she thought possible and she was also able to delve into the past but it didn’t hold my attention throughout and became slightly routine and with not much happening in the chapters that did feature her in the later half of the story. What did hold my attention though was Maria's retelling of her ancestors past and I found this really interesting as I had never heard any mention of any aspect of this storyline before.
On Formentera in 1718, the arrival of a stranger to the isolated island which has a very small population causes suspicion to arise. As it is many of the islanders are hiding a huge secret and they all work together to keep it that way. To all intents and purposes the islanders are Catholic but look beneath the surface things are hidden and behind closed doors the Jewish faith is practiced. This was very very dangerous during the time of the Inquisition and the bravery of the people was to be admired. Lily Graham brought the island alive during this time of danger, apprehension and mistrust. Formentera was a different world to the one Charlotte experiences in the present but the author made it feel real and authentic. A complicated love story develops as Antoni, a salt merchant brings home a chuetas ( a faith breaker, a traitor, a secret Jew) to the island to be cared for by his mother and sisters Cesca and Esperanza. So sets in motions a chain of events that will affect the lives of the family forever.
Cesca was a nurse on the island promised to the much older doctor where as to me Esperanza seemed much more of a free spirit reluctant to be chained by the shackles of domesticity. She much preferred to be out in the open not doing the chores as required by her mother. She was willing to do anything for her brother and with the arrival of the chuetas the different more wild life that Esperanza craved may just have been in store for her. Cesca was orderly and very much a person who liked logic. She was someone to be trusted and although she may have though Antoni was putting his families lives in peril she would always do what ever was required of her. I though Cesca and Esperanza put so much on the line, for if the cheutas had been discovered then the fate that awaited all of them would be unmentionable. But over the course of the second half of the book a subtle change of feeling began to occur for all the characters and the stranger as mentioned before now is makes himself known as Don Santiago Martinez. He will have a crucial role to play and there are many twists and turns to follow as the story makes its way to its conclusion.
Love, forbidden and complicated due to the nature of the time, very much features in the lives of Cesca and Esperanza. Jealousy and betrayal make an appearance too but it's how the story all panned out that made me enjoy the sections that were set in 1718. It brought to light the many sacrifices the characters made and I know some fact was blended with mostly fiction but as previously mentioned I would love to think that this did happen at the time as it shows the kindness of human nature. By Maria telling the story to Charlotte in modern day Formentera it allowed the theme of never forgetting who you are and where you come from to shine through. That the past undoubtedly impacts on the present and even when we are at our lowest times it can give us the boost and lift we need to go just that little bit further day by day. Charlotte found inspiration, solace and comfort on the island just like the many secret Jews did and Lily Graham has woven a beautiful and sentimental connection between the two. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed The Island Villa and think many other readers will be too should they choose to pick up this engaging book.
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