My Review of Daughter of the Winds by Jo Bunt

Daughter of the Winds chronicles the emotional journey of Leni as she seeks her family roots in an effort to come to terms with a great personal loss. Leni persuades her employer to allow her to travel to Aphrodite’s Island to investigate the local cuisine on assignment as a food writer. Her motivation is actually of a much more personal nature.

The story unfolds from a dual vantage point. Leni tells of her experiences as she attempts to understand the Greek culture she was orphaned from and the tumultuous relationship of the Greeks and Turks in the vicinity. A secondary point of view intersperses the difficult story of Pru, Leni’s adoptive mother and her experiences while living in the same location in 1974. The story artfully intertwines the two elements into one riveting tale.

Each detail is skillfully revealed in a natural progression of the plot. The story is laden with powerful sensory descriptions that allow the reader to experience the journey, and the conflicts that drove it in an intense manner.

The relevance of the journey both women take is carefully interspersed with historical accuracy describing the Turkish invasion and occupation of the Greek town of Famagusta, part of which is the modern day ghost town of Varosha.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read!

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