The house of dust and dreams - Brenda Reid

Greece, 1936. A young British diplomat and his wife are posted to Athens. Hugh loves the life there but his spirited and unconventional wife, Heavenly, finds it hard to fit into the whirl of endless socialising.When Hugh is sent to Crete, they stay in a rundown house owned by his family. Heavenly falls in love with the place and stays when Hugh returns to his duties. As she tries to rebuild the ramshackle home, Heavenly makes friends with Anthi, a woman from the village and Christos, the charismatic young builder.But dark clouds of war are gathering and the island will become a crucible of violence. For Heavenly, her friends and family, it will be the greatest test they have ever known.