Well, these stories weren't "beguiling", as it had been suggested on the cover, at least not to me. I am a huuuge fan of Victoria Hislop's. Her novels The Island and The Return are some of the best novels I've ever read and I believe her to be one of the finest contemporary authoresses. However, these short stories failed to provide an effect that her novels had made on me. I didn't hate them, but there was just something missing in each of them. The descriptions of the scenery, buildings, people, customs etc. were wonderful as always. Also, as Hislop herself states in Ideas and Inspiration at the end of the book, all the stories take place in mostly unknown Greek towns, the fact which I enjoyed immensely. She managed to capture life's little moments and sometimes even the history of a place or a family, as she usually does so splendidly. And yet, the plot and characters of neither of these ten stories really "spoke to me", so I give the book 4 stars, and I look forward to reading Hislop's other works.