The Olive Tree

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It all started in Cyprus for Helena, as a teenager she fell in love for the first time and Helena used to have holidays there then it all stopped until her Godfather passes and leaves her his house affectionately named “Pandora” in his will. It has been 24 years since she was last there Esta historia está llena de historias, se hacen algún guiños a algún que otro libro, como por ejemplo: "Lejos del mundanal ruido" y "Peter Pan". Tengo que decir que Lucinda Riley sigue sorprendiéndome, a pesar de estar escrita hace diez años según comenta ella, es una historia que te atrapa enseguida, tenemos unos personajes muy reales y humanos, con sus defectos, con sus problemas y muchos secretos. Secretos que en mayor o menor medida afectan a todos. Me ha gustado mucho la forma en que está contada, transcurre en Pandora, una casa antigua situada en un pueblo de Chipre, entre viñedos y olivos y ha sido muy fácil imaginarlo todo, era como estar viéndolos entrando y saliendo, en la piscina, en la playa, etc.. Helena es un personaje entrañable, sufre mucho, arrastra muchos remordimientos y para mí es una víctima de todo, desde niña. Al igual que ella, está bien que Alex pase por lo mismo, que entienda que en ocasiones decir la verdad no es nada fácil y sus consecuencias. Los personajes secundarios todos entrañable Williams, se nota su gran amor por Helena y sus hijos, tiene temperamento y se enfada, pero es comprensivo y justo, también me han sorprendido Alexis y Jules, demuestran su gran corazón y ayudan en todo lo que pueden, aunque ella en alguna ocasión me sacaba de mis casillas.

Alex, on the other hand, actually was perfect. I can’t express enough how much I enjoyed his ‘voice’, even towards the end of the book when he was no longer a teen, but an early-twenty-something. If not for Alex this would have been a very drab read indeed. But because of Alex, I know that Ms Riley is a great writer, and because of Alex I will pursue Ms. Riley’s other books and give them a fair chance.Son de estas novelas que es imposible no sentir, no emocionarse y que me hizo meterme de lleno en sus vidas como un personaje más del libro. Alex is a boy of rare high intelligence at 13 he is clever and perceptive beyond his years, this becomes more apparent later on in the book. Things change when William’s friend Sacha and his family are due to be staying with them as Helena with the help of a certain someone get the dilapidated house into a liveable condition. Bueno ahora si con mi opinión y quiero decir que me ha parecido una historia sencilla pero bien real y bonita, la autora no recurre demasiado al drama desagradable o sin sentido y eso que se encuentra en ese género, pero la forma en que esta narrado, ambientado y junto con esos personajes tan maravillosos se ha convertido en una lectura que disfrute de principio a fin.

For the record, this novel does not seem to intend to denounce these types of behaviors, which are not OK at all. Is ‘Pandora’ just a place of tranquility and beauty or will it reveal the uncomfortable secrets that Helena is desperate to keep, secrets that could change their lives and there is an Olive Tree that holds a secret of its own. When Helena meets her childhood sweetheart by chance, a chain of events is set in motion that threatens to make her past and present collide. Both Helena and Alex know that life will never be the same, once Pandora's secrets have been revealed. Lucinda Riley has created such a relatable, likable, loveable, and sometimes downright funny character in Alex that I could have read the entire book from his viewpoint – even though it was written in diary form – and happily given the book five stars.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. I don't understand how this book has this rating on Goodreads. I mean... it's a soap opera. One more generation and we would have talked "The Young and the Restless". I'm not one to leave books aside once I've started them - call it Aries persistency - but this was one of the few books that made me cringe every step of the way. My definition for this genre is "frustrated housewife who never gets any".

ABOUT 'THE OLIVE TREE': Please be aware that in some parts of the world, this book is published under the title 'Helena's Secret'.Presently she is happily married to William and he has always felt that she has kept a part of her life from him which he finds frustrating yet endearing at the same time. Little does he know Helena has secrets closely linked to Cyprus. Atrapante, tierna, emotiva y muy conmovedora fue esta lectura, lo que comienza con unas felices vacaciones de verano del 2006 acaban siendo unas vacaciones de duras verdades que estaban muy escondidas. Why do adults tell kids such ridiculous stories? It only leads to trouble. For myself, I never believed any of them? The Olive Tree is an engrossing tale that reminds us that life is often a messy journey complete with smiles, tears, happiness, and heartbreak. When, by chance, Helena meets her childhood sweetheart, a chain of events is set in motion that threatens to make her past and present collide. Both Helena and Alex know that life will never be the same, once Pandora's secrets have been revealed . . .