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liiaalala's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.75
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good book, but I just wasn't as hooked and I thought I would be. I learned a lot about certain perspectives of the Greek's civil war and current struggles. However, it was gorier and darker than I had thought. I just wasn't all that interested in the actual "story" or characters (other than Antigone), which could be because it jumped around a lot. Enjoyed learning about Greek "traditions" though.
mimika9's review against another edition
5.0
This book should be required reading for any foreigner interested in Greece; the portrait of how Greeks suffered in WWII and the subsequent civil war is something about which, alas, far too few people are aware. I knew about all this since I, like the author, am married to a Greek but it should be common knowledge that the Nazis fought a war of attrition in Greece.
All of Sofka Zinovieff's books about her Greek life, fiction and nonfiction, are tremendously resonant to me and I highly recommend them for anyone who would like a look at life in Greece for those of us who are "honorary" Greeks.
All of Sofka Zinovieff's books about her Greek life, fiction and nonfiction, are tremendously resonant to me and I highly recommend them for anyone who would like a look at life in Greece for those of us who are "honorary" Greeks.
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good book, but I just wasn't as hooked and I thought I would be. I learned a lot about certain perspectives of the Greek's civil war and current struggles. However, it was gorier and darker than I had thought. I just wasn't all that interested in the actual "story" or characters (other than Antigone), which could be because it jumped around a lot. Enjoyed learning about Greek "traditions" though.
esther_habs's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
mochavonbee's review against another edition
3.0
For somebody who knew nothing about post WWII politics in Greece, this was a most interesting and informative read. The great strength of this book is that it explains a complex political background very clearly and weaves it into the story in such a way as to make it easy to follow.
In terms of writing, it's not 'Captain Correlli's Mandolin' which is why I've given it three stars. The story is well-told with strong female characters but the alternating POVs jarred a little with me from time to time. The older women are very convincingly and sympathetically drawn but I found the grand-daughter annoying. Unfortunately the final part is written in her POV which spoiled the ending for me.
While it's very readable, this is a book about serious topics. It gives great insight into the background to contemporary Greece and would be well worth reading before visiting Greece. But it isn't light holiday reading.
In my case, it was an impulse kindle buy. These can be hit or miss, but this is one I'm very pleased I found.
In terms of writing, it's not 'Captain Correlli's Mandolin' which is why I've given it three stars. The story is well-told with strong female characters but the alternating POVs jarred a little with me from time to time. The older women are very convincingly and sympathetically drawn but I found the grand-daughter annoying. Unfortunately the final part is written in her POV which spoiled the ending for me.
While it's very readable, this is a book about serious topics. It gives great insight into the background to contemporary Greece and would be well worth reading before visiting Greece. But it isn't light holiday reading.
In my case, it was an impulse kindle buy. These can be hit or miss, but this is one I'm very pleased I found.
frances__reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lau_evs's review against another edition
3.0
So I had this book on my kindle and decided to give it a read, when I had the post holiday blues - not my best idea as it's set in Greece! Anyway I have no recollection of actually purchasing this book. So much so that I didn't even know that this book even existed! I'm so please it does though and also pleased that it made it's way onto my kindle as it's really really good. It follows an English woman's attempt to understand why her husband's mother, Antigone, left Greece and her son for Russia. We look back at the history of Antigone and her siblings and friends and see how the Greek Civil War affected their family and the whole country. It's a really really interesting read and I enjoyed discovering the history of this event. Although I confess I don't know exactly how accurate it is as I was pretty ignorant about the affect on the war to Greece.
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
3.0
This was a good book, but I just wasn't as hooked and I thought I would be. I learned a lot about certain perspectives of the Greek's civil war and current struggles. However, it was gorier and darker than I had thought. I just wasn't all that interested in the actual "story" or characters (other than Antigone), which could be because it jumped around a lot. Enjoyed learning about Greek "traditions" though.