What do you think?
Rate this book
Το Σπίτι Δίπλα στο Ποτάμι #1
La casa sul fiume
Quando Teodora guarda le sue figlie, non può fare a meno di pensare che per loro desidera un futuro diverso, coraggioso e libero dalle convenzioni, come ha fatto lei stessa quando, giovanissima, ha avuto l’ardire di sposare un uomo molto più grande e più ricco. Ed è per questo che una dopo l’altra le cinque ragazze della casa sul fiume, ai piedi del monte Olimpo, scelgono senza paura la loro strada.
La libertà però non sempre coincide con le svolte del destino: Melissanthi finisce preda dell’ossessione per il gioco; Iulìa deve proteggere il suo matrimonio dagli spietati inganni della suocera; Aspasìa ha un marito che pensa solo alla carriera e ostacola con fermezza la sua vocazione per il canto; Polixeni è un’attrice molto corteggiata e frivola, finché sarà travolta da un amore impossibile; Magdalinì si trasferisce a Chicago e scopre ben presto che suo marito nasconde un terribile segreto… Ma anche nelle più violente tempeste della vita, ognuna sa che esiste un luogo sicuro dove fare ritorno: la vecchia casa sul fiume, protetta da enormi castagni, che da sempre le chiama e le attende.
La libertà però non sempre coincide con le svolte del destino: Melissanthi finisce preda dell’ossessione per il gioco; Iulìa deve proteggere il suo matrimonio dagli spietati inganni della suocera; Aspasìa ha un marito che pensa solo alla carriera e ostacola con fermezza la sua vocazione per il canto; Polixeni è un’attrice molto corteggiata e frivola, finché sarà travolta da un amore impossibile; Magdalinì si trasferisce a Chicago e scopre ben presto che suo marito nasconde un terribile segreto… Ma anche nelle più violente tempeste della vita, ognuna sa che esiste un luogo sicuro dove fare ritorno: la vecchia casa sul fiume, protetta da enormi castagni, che da sempre le chiama e le attende.
619 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2007
11507 people are currently reading
16965 people want to read
About the author
Lena Manta
29 books314 followersLibrarian Note: This is the name variant in the Latin alphabet. See the author's profile in Greek: Λένα Μαντά.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,389 reviews
September 3, 2018
It started out well, I especially enjoyed the story about the strong, resourceful mother with small daughters outwitting and hiding from the Nazis during WW 2 with their father away serving in the military. The Greeks suffered much under their occupation, but unfortunately that was a tiny part of the narrative. The father comes home and vanishes from the picture complements of a rusty nail and the mother, Theodore and 5 beautiful daughters must survive on their own. We are told of their extreme loveliness over and over. God help you if you were born ugly!
The 5 girls, beautiful and young, quickly get the hell out of their tiny Greek village to pursue old rich men, one as an actor, another as a singer, because statistically, one out of 5 girls in a family are destined to be great at these careers. Is this a fairy tale? No, I've read fantasy with more verisimilitude.
Fast forward twenty years later, all the girls have become wanton because if you like sex, it's a given, also they've all lost their husbands or lovers,and even their male children, because of God's punishment for being wanton?
I don't know why I finished it, because I really wasn't enjoying it, especially the daughters ' stories.
The 5 girls, beautiful and young, quickly get the hell out of their tiny Greek village to pursue old rich men, one as an actor, another as a singer, because statistically, one out of 5 girls in a family are destined to be great at these careers. Is this a fairy tale? No, I've read fantasy with more verisimilitude.
Fast forward twenty years later, all the girls have become wanton because if you like sex, it's a given, also they've all lost their husbands or lovers,and even their male children, because of God's punishment for being wanton?
I don't know why I finished it, because I really wasn't enjoying it, especially the daughters ' stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 26, 2018
This was a freebie from Amazon for World Book Day. I was in the mood for a novel set in another country and was looking forward to Greece. However, it was a DNF at 15%. I was hoping to get lots of descriptions of the city, the food, and the intricate details of a small Greek village. Instead, I got many older men falling in love with young girls. It starts with Gerasimos, a 47-year-old man who decides to die rather than lose his leg, which became infected from stepping on a nail. He’s stubborn and ignores the infection and dies from it. Then the story flashes back to a twenty-seven-year-old Gerasimos, grooming, wups strike that, I mean romancing a twelve-year-old girl, Theodora. Gerasimos waits patiently for her to turn eighteen and then they marry and have five daughters. The story starts to get interesting when war breaks out, but there is so much telling. I realize this is meant to be a multi-generational, sweeping novel, but much of what I read was told through narration. I just couldn’t get into the story or characters. The daughters begin marrying off one by one, usually by an older man that sees them once and is smitten by their beauty and despite appearances, love conquers all, you know. My guess is that things will not turn out well with all of these marriages, but I'll never know.
Anyway, maybe I gave up too soon, but I just couldn’t continue with so much high-level narration. I don’t really think my issues were due to the English translation, and maybe the story settles into a deeper level at some point. Author Lena Manta has her moments, like the introduction, where we have some wonderful descriptive language and insights. But unfortunately, those are too few and far between for me. I didn’t give up because of the plot or themes, simply because I was never pulled into the story or characters. I don’t give up on many books, but I have too long of a TBR list. Bummer.
Anyway, maybe I gave up too soon, but I just couldn’t continue with so much high-level narration. I don’t really think my issues were due to the English translation, and maybe the story settles into a deeper level at some point. Author Lena Manta has her moments, like the introduction, where we have some wonderful descriptive language and insights. But unfortunately, those are too few and far between for me. I didn’t give up because of the plot or themes, simply because I was never pulled into the story or characters. I don’t give up on many books, but I have too long of a TBR list. Bummer.
April 5, 2016
Έχω την εντυπώση πως αυτό είναι ένα από τα χερότερα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει ποτέ!Έχουμε πέντε αδερφές η μια χειρότερη από την άλλη όλες συμπτωματικά καταφέρνουν να ζήσουν μέσα στα πλούτη και τη χλιδή να βρουν εκατό άνδρες που να πέφτουν στα πόδια τους και όλες μα όλες να χάσουν παιδιά συζύγους κτλ.Περίμενα ότι κάθε ιστορία θα είχε κάτι ξεχωριστό, ότι κάθε αδερφή θα είχε να μας πει κάτι διαφορετικό αλλά όλες είχαν τόσο τρομακτικά ίδια σενάρια,με μόνη διαφορά λίγο την τέταρτη, που ειλικρινά βαρέθηκα τη ζωή μου.Ακόμη και η μικρότερη που πήγε στην Αμερική και ήλπιζα ότι μπορεί να ασχοληθεί με σπουδές γιατί αγαπούσε το διάβασμα κατέληξε σε παντρολογήματα και έρωτες.Οφείλω να του το αναγνωρίσω πως κυλάει πολύ γρήγορα αλλά νομίζω πως αυτό συμβαίνει επειδή είναι τόσο κακογραμμένο και βιαστικό που δεν σου αφήνει απολύτως τίποτα.Δεν νομίζω πως η κυρία Μαντά έκανε έρευνα ούτε για την εποχή που τοποθετεί ην ιστορία ούτε για τα μέρη στα οποία αναφέρεται αφού το μόνο που κάνει είναι να περιγράφει ερωτικές σκηνές και ακριβά σπίτια και δεν καταφέρε με κανέναν απολύτως τρόπο να με ταξιδέψει κάπου.Δεν θα καταλάβω ποτέ γιατί το ελληνικό αναγνωστικό κοινό έκανε αυτό το βιβλίο μπεστ σελλερ και αν αυτό ειλικρινά θωρείται το καλύτερο της κυρίας Μαντάς φαντάζομαι πως θα είναι τα υπόλοιπα!
October 7, 2018
A emotional and poignant Greek family saga following five young women as they pursue their dreams, only to realize their home by the river is a healing place.
SUMMARY
Life was simple in the house by the river at the foot of Mount Olympus in Greece. Theodora and the tall, handsome Gerasimos kept goats and chickens and a vegetable garden in the years preceding World War ll. And during this time they have five bright, beautiful and talented daughters: Melissanthi, Julia, Aspasia, Polyxeni, and Magdalini. Gerasimos faces an unfortunate death during the war and Theodora must use her wits and fortitude to keep her daughters fed and safe during the German occupation.
One by one, each of her daughters leaves home to pursue her dream for a future far away from the remote and simple village life. But before they go, Theodora takes each of them down to the river and assures them that when times get tough, they are always welcome to come back home again. She assures them that the river will wash away whatever trials and tribulations they may encounter. The storied life of each daughter is told independent of the others. Some marry and have children, some have careers and become famous, others follow their husbands around the world and enjoy wealth, and some experience loss and tragedy. They are all beautiful, independent women in the pursuit of their dreams far away from the house by the river.
“Life is like the river that flows in front of us. It carries you easily with it and pulls you wherever it’s going. And a river doesn’t come back. If it takes you way, you can’t come back. Always be careful of the river… make sure it doesn’t carry you away.“
REVIEW
Can you imagine having five daughters? Talk about drama! THE HOUSE BY THE RIVER is a riveting and delightfully entertaining saga that will grab you from the start. I listened to the Audible version which is over eighteen hours long. Many a night I would find myself staying awake late into the night. It was just to good to turn off...just 15 more minutes again and again! The writing was absolutely spell-binding and the character development superb. The chronicles of each the daughters lives were riveting, and busting with drama. My all-time favorite part of this book was when Theodora threw an memorable fit with Gerasimos and demanded that their daughter be educated. They were the very first girls in the village to go to school. Anyone who likes intricate family drama would like this epic novel, which spans over four decades.
Lena Manta has written thirteen books This is the first novel by the acclaimed Greek writer to appear in English translation. She was born in Istanbul, Turkey, to Greek parents. She moved to Greece at a young age where she now lives with her husband and two children on the outskirts of Athens.
Translator Gail Holst-Warhalf
Narrator Courtney Patterson
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Publication November 1, 2017.
For more reviews www.bluestockingreviews.com
SUMMARY
Life was simple in the house by the river at the foot of Mount Olympus in Greece. Theodora and the tall, handsome Gerasimos kept goats and chickens and a vegetable garden in the years preceding World War ll. And during this time they have five bright, beautiful and talented daughters: Melissanthi, Julia, Aspasia, Polyxeni, and Magdalini. Gerasimos faces an unfortunate death during the war and Theodora must use her wits and fortitude to keep her daughters fed and safe during the German occupation.
One by one, each of her daughters leaves home to pursue her dream for a future far away from the remote and simple village life. But before they go, Theodora takes each of them down to the river and assures them that when times get tough, they are always welcome to come back home again. She assures them that the river will wash away whatever trials and tribulations they may encounter. The storied life of each daughter is told independent of the others. Some marry and have children, some have careers and become famous, others follow their husbands around the world and enjoy wealth, and some experience loss and tragedy. They are all beautiful, independent women in the pursuit of their dreams far away from the house by the river.
“Life is like the river that flows in front of us. It carries you easily with it and pulls you wherever it’s going. And a river doesn’t come back. If it takes you way, you can’t come back. Always be careful of the river… make sure it doesn’t carry you away.“
REVIEW
Can you imagine having five daughters? Talk about drama! THE HOUSE BY THE RIVER is a riveting and delightfully entertaining saga that will grab you from the start. I listened to the Audible version which is over eighteen hours long. Many a night I would find myself staying awake late into the night. It was just to good to turn off...just 15 more minutes again and again! The writing was absolutely spell-binding and the character development superb. The chronicles of each the daughters lives were riveting, and busting with drama. My all-time favorite part of this book was when Theodora threw an memorable fit with Gerasimos and demanded that their daughter be educated. They were the very first girls in the village to go to school. Anyone who likes intricate family drama would like this epic novel, which spans over four decades.
Lena Manta has written thirteen books This is the first novel by the acclaimed Greek writer to appear in English translation. She was born in Istanbul, Turkey, to Greek parents. She moved to Greece at a young age where she now lives with her husband and two children on the outskirts of Athens.
Translator Gail Holst-Warhalf
Narrator Courtney Patterson
Publisher Brilliance Audio
Publication November 1, 2017.
For more reviews www.bluestockingreviews.com
December 3, 2017
I kept reading and reading thinking this book would get less melodramatic. But it got worse. Totally soap opera type plots that are in no way believable. Dialogue that is unreal. Repetitive descriptions- how is it that each of the 5 sisters “suddenly “ realized they were bored? Story lines that were begun left unfinished. Yikes. I’m almost angry this book was so long and took up so much of my reading time.
Skip this if you have a low tolerance for sappy, over the top stories that make your eyes roll.
Skip this if you have a low tolerance for sappy, over the top stories that make your eyes roll.
July 5, 2017
Αντικειμενική ούτως ή άλλως δεν μπορώ να είμαι καθώς δεν μου αρέσουν τα αισθηματικά μυθιστορήματα, ωστόσο αν έπρεπε να το περιγράψω με μία λέξη θα έλεγα
κλισέ.
Απόλυτα και αφόρητα κλισέ, με μια παλιομοδίτικη, απαρχαιωμένη νοοτροπία που μπορώ να πω πως αν ήταν έστω και λίγο καλογραμμένο αυτό το βιβλίο θα με θύμωνε. Αλλά ούτε αυτό δεν κατάφερε να κάνει. Ένιωσα πως δεν με αφορά καθόλου. Μυθιστόρημα που βρίθει από επαναλήψεις και στερεότυπα, διαβάζεται γρήγορα ακριβώς επειδή δεν λέει απολύτως τίποτα.
Σε κάθε περίπτωση οφείλω να αναγνωρίσω στη συγγραφέα την τεράστια εμπορική της επιτυχία, γιατί αν και πολλοί γράφουν τέτοιου είδους βιβλία, ελάχιστοι έχουν την αναγνωρισιμότητα και την εμπορικότητα της Λένας Μαντά. Αυτό σημαίνει πως κάτι καλό κάνει έστω κι αν εγώ επιμένω να μην το αντιλαμβάνομαι. Γούστα είναι αυτά...
κλισέ.
Απόλυτα και αφόρητα κλισέ, με μια παλιομοδίτικη, απαρχαιωμένη νοοτροπία που μπορώ να πω πως αν ήταν έστω και λίγο καλογραμμένο αυτό το βιβλίο θα με θύμωνε. Αλλά ούτε αυτό δεν κατάφερε να κάνει. Ένιωσα πως δεν με αφορά καθόλου. Μυθιστόρημα που βρίθει από επαναλήψεις και στερεότυπα, διαβάζεται γρήγορα ακριβώς επειδή δεν λέει απολύτως τίποτα.
Σε κάθε περίπτωση οφείλω να αναγνωρίσω στη συγγραφέα την τεράστια εμπορική της επιτυχία, γιατί αν και πολλοί γράφουν τέτοιου είδους βιβλία, ελάχιστοι έχουν την αναγνωρισιμότητα και την εμπορικότητα της Λένας Μαντά. Αυτό σημαίνει πως κάτι καλό κάνει έστω κι αν εγώ επιμένω να μην το αντιλαμβάνομαι. Γούστα είναι αυτά...
March 23, 2016
Μπορώ να καταλάβω τις 5 αδελφές που ήθελαν να φύγουν από το χωριό τους, γιατί κι εγώ από επαρχία κατάγομαι… Όλοι έχουν δικαίωμα στο όνειρα, και αυτά τα κορίτσια το προσπάθησαν… ν’ αγγίξουν το όνειρό τους. Μπήκα στη θέση των ηρωίδων, έκλαψα, θύμωσα, αγάπησα, πληγώθηκα, αλλά, όπως κι εκείνες, κατάλαβα ότι το λιμάνι μας είναι η μητέρα μας και ότι είναι η μόνη που θα μας καταλάβει, θα μας συμπονέσει, και στο τέλος ίσως βρει τη δύναμη να μας συγχωρέσει. Εκπληκτικό βιβλίο! Άλλωστε δεν περίμενα κάτι λιγότερο από εσάς κυρία Μαντά…
October 12, 2017
This family saga started out quite promising, but it was the same story told five times. It made me wonder how two matriarchs who were solidly grounded raised such self-focused daughters. That disappointed me no end.
January 22, 2019
This is the story of a mother with her five daughters and their lives. It is a family saga built around the sisterhood of women, supporting and caring for each other.
Kyria Theodora lost her caring, wonderful husband, Gerasimos, when he refused to have his leg amputated. "My soul will be crippled if I lose my leg," he said, and then just died.
It left her with five head-strong, iron-willed daughters to take care of on a small piece of land, nestled against Mount Olympus in Greece. In alternating chapters, each daughter's story, and destiny, is told with much insight into human behavior and pain of loss in each daughter's life. However, the ending is happy.
It is a light read, but with darker moments in each women's life.
My grudge: Although the book is about love and bonding, I found the inclusion of so many protagonists ambitious, in the sense that it resulted in too little detailed descriptions, to many issues addressed, and too long a narrative. There was a feeling of rush in the flow of the tales. I did a little bit of speed reading on some sectors, the book is after all 546 pages of somewhat predictable outcomes. Judging from the Amazon reviews, this author is well-loved and highly popular. If I did not prefer my books to have a lot more meat to the bones, I would have enjoyed it more. Too cliched, sorry. Too boringly repetitive.
It was perhaps not the right time to read this book. However, I enjoyed the descriptions of the environment, the little bit of Greek culture thrown in, and the idea behind it. The book contains enough intimacy between husbands and wives to make it a chick-lit delight, although not as intense as some folks would prefer it.
Not a bad read, but sadly not for me.
Kyria Theodora lost her caring, wonderful husband, Gerasimos, when he refused to have his leg amputated. "My soul will be crippled if I lose my leg," he said, and then just died.
It left her with five head-strong, iron-willed daughters to take care of on a small piece of land, nestled against Mount Olympus in Greece. In alternating chapters, each daughter's story, and destiny, is told with much insight into human behavior and pain of loss in each daughter's life. However, the ending is happy.
It is a light read, but with darker moments in each women's life.
My grudge: Although the book is about love and bonding, I found the inclusion of so many protagonists ambitious, in the sense that it resulted in too little detailed descriptions, to many issues addressed, and too long a narrative. There was a feeling of rush in the flow of the tales. I did a little bit of speed reading on some sectors, the book is after all 546 pages of somewhat predictable outcomes. Judging from the Amazon reviews, this author is well-loved and highly popular. If I did not prefer my books to have a lot more meat to the bones, I would have enjoyed it more. Too cliched, sorry. Too boringly repetitive.
It was perhaps not the right time to read this book. However, I enjoyed the descriptions of the environment, the little bit of Greek culture thrown in, and the idea behind it. The book contains enough intimacy between husbands and wives to make it a chick-lit delight, although not as intense as some folks would prefer it.
Not a bad read, but sadly not for me.
December 15, 2019
Wonderfully captivating
I loved this book from start to finish. Recently I moved back to my small hometown and felt myself drawn to this powerful story of these women who no matter their life journeys always had their roots pulling them back. I laughed and cried and marveled at how if I hadn't had been told this was a translation, I never would have guessed. It flowed smoothly and drew me completely in.
I loved this book from start to finish. Recently I moved back to my small hometown and felt myself drawn to this powerful story of these women who no matter their life journeys always had their roots pulling them back. I laughed and cried and marveled at how if I hadn't had been told this was a translation, I never would have guessed. It flowed smoothly and drew me completely in.
November 20, 2017
It’s very long. It’s very repetitive. You know what’s going to happen. But you keep reading. And reading. And reading.
January 4, 2017
Έλεος παναγία μου! Ανάθεμα την απορία μου που δεν είχα διαβάσει Μαντά!
Τόση συμπυκνωμένη μ@..., ούτε εβαπορέ να ήταν!
Πού στα κομμάτια βρίσκει τόσες κοτσάνες μαζεμένες; Πιο πιθανό ν'ανοίξω κανα λύκο και να βρω μέσα γιαγιά ζωντανή ξεχασμένη από χρόνια, παρά να υπάρξει έστω ΜΙΣΗ ιστορία ανθρώπου που να μοιάζει μ' αυτές των ηρωίδων! Ο διαγωνισμός ανάγνωσης με μάρανε. Καλά να πάθω!
Τόση συμπυκνωμένη μ@..., ούτε εβαπορέ να ήταν!
Πού στα κομμάτια βρίσκει τόσες κοτσάνες μαζεμένες; Πιο πιθανό ν'ανοίξω κανα λύκο και να βρω μέσα γιαγιά ζωντανή ξεχασμένη από χρόνια, παρά να υπάρξει έστω ΜΙΣΗ ιστορία ανθρώπου που να μοιάζει μ' αυτές των ηρωίδων! Ο διαγωνισμός ανάγνωσης με μάρανε. Καλά να πάθω!
October 9, 2017
I don't like panning books, but....at least it was free. This is one where I thought it would be 4 stars, and then I accepted it was three stars, but still interesting, and then it got bad, and then I wanted a second chance at my October free Kindle book.
October 5, 2017
This was my free monthly book from Amazon Prime and I was very surprised at what an excellent book this was
October 12, 2017
I kind of liked this rather sweeping novel about sisters that left their village home and set out through the world because it was set against a background, Greece, that was unfamiliar to me. The situations faced by the young women were all too familiar, however, and by the time five sisters had struggled through their lives, things started feeling an old story retold. The sentimental ending was foreshadowed throughout the individual stories and the happy ever after felt sort of contrived. The fact that everyone was amazingly beautiful also felt a bit hollow. This was a monthly Amazon free selection so maybe it was just that this isn't really my kind of book.
May 1, 2018
Too long and a bit tedious
The story would have benefitted from less daughters, less lovers and a few more boys. The moral of every daughter's story is don't cheat on your husband, live according to your morals and only bad things happen when you move away from your home town. Ho-hum.
The story would have benefitted from less daughters, less lovers and a few more boys. The moral of every daughter's story is don't cheat on your husband, live according to your morals and only bad things happen when you move away from your home town. Ho-hum.
October 6, 2017
Review
I absolutely loved this book. While it is not of a genre I normally read this book kept me reading from the first page to the last. I do hope that more of the author's book will be translated.
I absolutely loved this book. While it is not of a genre I normally read this book kept me reading from the first page to the last. I do hope that more of the author's book will be translated.
January 26, 2018
The House by the River
Lena Manta
Translated by Gail Holst-Warhaft
Psichogios Publications 2007
Amazon Crossing 2017
546 pages, ebook, paperback, audiobook, MP3 CD
Women’s Lit, Family
✮✮✮✮⭒
I honestly cannot remember how I acquired this book. My Amazon account says I paid nothing for it, so it may have come from a rep or I may have gotten it on one of those sales. However, this is my honest review and I am not being compensated for it in any way. However I got the book, I am sincerely glad I did. I put off reading it because the cover didn’t entice me. Finally I decided it was time. Everything has its time. That’s sort of what this book says. That and so much more.
This book is about a woman, Theodora, who loses her husband. He steps on a nail and ends up with septicemia and won’t allow the doctor to amputate the leg. He had seen too many men with amputated legs after the war and thought they were not still men. He couldn’t accept that happening to him. So he knowingly denied treatment and died. His wife was left with five daughters to raise. Each of the daughters left in her time.
Julia was the first to leave. She meets Fokas Karapanos who was an engineer in Thessaloniki. She has severe problems with her MIL and they end up going off to build in Africa. Julia has three children including a daughter that she names for her MIL. They reconcile in letters over time. Fokas ends up getting killed.
Melissanthi is the next to leave. She meets Apostolas Fatouras, who is a tobacco plantation owner and very rich. He lives in Athens. He’s older than Melissanthi and eventually has health problems. Melissanthi can’t understand why her husband has withdrawn from her so completely and she ends up taking a lover, Angelos. She finds out about her husband’s condition. She tries to end the affair by leaving Angelos, but he finds her. She breaks off the affair again because Angelos’ mother has seen them together and demands an end to it. Angelos commits suicide. Then she discovers she is pregnant by Angelos. She tells her husband, who immediately starts acting as if nothing is wrong. This is their child and they are to be very happy about finally having a child, an heir. Things are wonderful for a few years, until Apostolos (the son) dies of a genetic defect. Within the week, Apostolos (the husband) dies also.
Aspasia is the third daughter to leave home. She meets Stavros Mantekas who lives in Larissa and is a driver for a dry goods company. Soon he gets a promotion and is the manager of a branch in Kalamata and they move.They have two daughters, Stella and Theodora. The marriage is not working out at all and Aspasia and Stavros plan to divorce. Stella dies. They divorce and Theodora is given the choice of which parent she will live with. Stavros expects her to say him, but Theodora realizes her mother needs her emotionally and she chooses to go with her mother.
Magdalini is the next to go. She leaves not with a husband, but with her Aunt Anna who has come home for a visit. Magdalini wants education, not a husband. America, where Aunt Anna lives is where she can get a good education. But there are men there, too. And Aunt Anna lives in Chicago. Magdalini meets Franco. They have two children, Charles and Theodora (Doris). Franco’s in a dangerous business which is not any business for women to have their noses in. But Magdalini isn’t the typical company wife. She’s aware of a lot of what’s going on and wants Charley, Franco’s father, and Franco out of the company. Charley sort of retires and spends lot of time enjoying his grandchildren. Then he is killed. Then Franco and their son Charles are killed.
Polynexi is the last at home. She dreams of acting and being adored by the masses. One man will not be enough for her. She runs off with a troupe of traveling players who immediately realize how lucky they are when they see what she can actually do on the stage. She’s a natural and learns from each role and from watching people. She and the only other female in the troupe leave and hook up with Martha’s friend Stathis. Martha and Stathis work on Polynexi to polish her and get her into the movies. She changes her name. She becomes the big star she dreamt of being. She acquires admirers as well, but turns them all away. One, Leonidas must have her. She reads a review that says she was no good in a love scene because she has no experience. So she accepts Leonidas to get some experience, in spite of the fact that she feels absolutely nothing for him. Even when she breaks off the relationship after a year and he commits suicide in front of her. She does eventually find one man who makes her feel something, but he has no use for her. Martha and Stathis die in a car accident. She’s at the top of her craft and she has no one.
The house by the river now only holds two old women. Julia is 80 and her daughter, Theodora does nothing but complain about how empty her house and her life are since her five daughters left her. That was years ago. Finally, Julia convinces Theodora that life does go on. Theodora renovates her mother’s house next door and also has some work done on her own house. She works in her garden and enjoys her life again for what it is. She stops complaining. She once again smiles.
The first to return is Melissanthi, alone. Then Aspasia with Theodora. And Polyxenia with Vassiliki, her maid who has become her close friend. Then Magdalini with Aunt Anna and Doris. And finally, Julia with her MIL, Hara, Evanthia, Theodora, and her African companion, Faida. The two houses by the river are again full of women and they all share their stories and their pains. Theodora and Julia have grand and great grandchildren to love and spoil now. And the five daughters are in a place where they can heal and be at peace.
I have given you a lot here, and yet I have barely given you a glimpse of what this 546 page novel has to share. The characters were all different and wonderfully created. The story with its six aspects is wonderful. The pace was easy to read, fast enough without killing you. The tension never let go because there was always something happening in the life of these women. It holds happiness, sadness, contentment, pain, devastation, success, failure, goodbyes and hellos. It is full of what life dishes out and how people may handle it all. Lena Manta offers up this story of these women and their lives and loves for our consumption. I wallowed in it. It is a wonderful read. I can’t recommend it strongly enough.
Highly Recommended
Lena Manta
Translated by Gail Holst-Warhaft
Psichogios Publications 2007
Amazon Crossing 2017
546 pages, ebook, paperback, audiobook, MP3 CD
Women’s Lit, Family
✮✮✮✮⭒
I honestly cannot remember how I acquired this book. My Amazon account says I paid nothing for it, so it may have come from a rep or I may have gotten it on one of those sales. However, this is my honest review and I am not being compensated for it in any way. However I got the book, I am sincerely glad I did. I put off reading it because the cover didn’t entice me. Finally I decided it was time. Everything has its time. That’s sort of what this book says. That and so much more.
This book is about a woman, Theodora, who loses her husband. He steps on a nail and ends up with septicemia and won’t allow the doctor to amputate the leg. He had seen too many men with amputated legs after the war and thought they were not still men. He couldn’t accept that happening to him. So he knowingly denied treatment and died. His wife was left with five daughters to raise. Each of the daughters left in her time.
Julia was the first to leave. She meets Fokas Karapanos who was an engineer in Thessaloniki. She has severe problems with her MIL and they end up going off to build in Africa. Julia has three children including a daughter that she names for her MIL. They reconcile in letters over time. Fokas ends up getting killed.
Melissanthi is the next to leave. She meets Apostolas Fatouras, who is a tobacco plantation owner and very rich. He lives in Athens. He’s older than Melissanthi and eventually has health problems. Melissanthi can’t understand why her husband has withdrawn from her so completely and she ends up taking a lover, Angelos. She finds out about her husband’s condition. She tries to end the affair by leaving Angelos, but he finds her. She breaks off the affair again because Angelos’ mother has seen them together and demands an end to it. Angelos commits suicide. Then she discovers she is pregnant by Angelos. She tells her husband, who immediately starts acting as if nothing is wrong. This is their child and they are to be very happy about finally having a child, an heir. Things are wonderful for a few years, until Apostolos (the son) dies of a genetic defect. Within the week, Apostolos (the husband) dies also.
Aspasia is the third daughter to leave home. She meets Stavros Mantekas who lives in Larissa and is a driver for a dry goods company. Soon he gets a promotion and is the manager of a branch in Kalamata and they move.They have two daughters, Stella and Theodora. The marriage is not working out at all and Aspasia and Stavros plan to divorce. Stella dies. They divorce and Theodora is given the choice of which parent she will live with. Stavros expects her to say him, but Theodora realizes her mother needs her emotionally and she chooses to go with her mother.
Magdalini is the next to go. She leaves not with a husband, but with her Aunt Anna who has come home for a visit. Magdalini wants education, not a husband. America, where Aunt Anna lives is where she can get a good education. But there are men there, too. And Aunt Anna lives in Chicago. Magdalini meets Franco. They have two children, Charles and Theodora (Doris). Franco’s in a dangerous business which is not any business for women to have their noses in. But Magdalini isn’t the typical company wife. She’s aware of a lot of what’s going on and wants Charley, Franco’s father, and Franco out of the company. Charley sort of retires and spends lot of time enjoying his grandchildren. Then he is killed. Then Franco and their son Charles are killed.
Polynexi is the last at home. She dreams of acting and being adored by the masses. One man will not be enough for her. She runs off with a troupe of traveling players who immediately realize how lucky they are when they see what she can actually do on the stage. She’s a natural and learns from each role and from watching people. She and the only other female in the troupe leave and hook up with Martha’s friend Stathis. Martha and Stathis work on Polynexi to polish her and get her into the movies. She changes her name. She becomes the big star she dreamt of being. She acquires admirers as well, but turns them all away. One, Leonidas must have her. She reads a review that says she was no good in a love scene because she has no experience. So she accepts Leonidas to get some experience, in spite of the fact that she feels absolutely nothing for him. Even when she breaks off the relationship after a year and he commits suicide in front of her. She does eventually find one man who makes her feel something, but he has no use for her. Martha and Stathis die in a car accident. She’s at the top of her craft and she has no one.
The house by the river now only holds two old women. Julia is 80 and her daughter, Theodora does nothing but complain about how empty her house and her life are since her five daughters left her. That was years ago. Finally, Julia convinces Theodora that life does go on. Theodora renovates her mother’s house next door and also has some work done on her own house. She works in her garden and enjoys her life again for what it is. She stops complaining. She once again smiles.
The first to return is Melissanthi, alone. Then Aspasia with Theodora. And Polyxenia with Vassiliki, her maid who has become her close friend. Then Magdalini with Aunt Anna and Doris. And finally, Julia with her MIL, Hara, Evanthia, Theodora, and her African companion, Faida. The two houses by the river are again full of women and they all share their stories and their pains. Theodora and Julia have grand and great grandchildren to love and spoil now. And the five daughters are in a place where they can heal and be at peace.
I have given you a lot here, and yet I have barely given you a glimpse of what this 546 page novel has to share. The characters were all different and wonderfully created. The story with its six aspects is wonderful. The pace was easy to read, fast enough without killing you. The tension never let go because there was always something happening in the life of these women. It holds happiness, sadness, contentment, pain, devastation, success, failure, goodbyes and hellos. It is full of what life dishes out and how people may handle it all. Lena Manta offers up this story of these women and their lives and loves for our consumption. I wallowed in it. It is a wonderful read. I can’t recommend it strongly enough.
Highly Recommended
May 2, 2018
3 Stars.......I think.
This book was so promising in the beginning. I was having such a good time, I began recommending it to my reading buds. After, about50%, however, I began sending out apologies. Talk about a good story gone bad! The story is about five sisters who are born and raised in a small country town near Mt Olympus. When they become young women, one by one each sister leaves their home town and the remainder of the book follows each sister’s journey.
So, the focus begins with the oldest sister. We learn the good, bad, and the ugly of her life. (Let’s just say, she became “bored”.To avoid spoilers, I’ll leave it here.)
Then another sister’s story unfolds. She gets “bored”, too. Now I’m confused and I’m thinking some pages from the first sister’s story got inadvertently repeated. Hmmm!
Later in the book, another “bored” sister emerges. I’m not kidding, and these chicks should never get bored!
The amount of repetition in this book is shameful! Also,many of the characters’ actions are so very unrealistic and inconsistent with the backdrop created by the author.
So, why did I give this book 3 Stars? I actually have three reasons:
#1. Because I didn’t throw it out the window. (Was tempted at one point)
#2. I read all five hundred plus pages to the very end. (Apparently kept my attention)
#3. I did enjoy the first half. (I just got very annoyed after that.)
In addition, the book had a good story framework, however it just seemed as if the author could not properly develop or control her characters. They were just running amok! LOL!
This book was so promising in the beginning. I was having such a good time, I began recommending it to my reading buds. After, about50%, however, I began sending out apologies. Talk about a good story gone bad! The story is about five sisters who are born and raised in a small country town near Mt Olympus. When they become young women, one by one each sister leaves their home town and the remainder of the book follows each sister’s journey.
So, the focus begins with the oldest sister. We learn the good, bad, and the ugly of her life. (Let’s just say, she became “bored”.To avoid spoilers, I’ll leave it here.)
Then another sister’s story unfolds. She gets “bored”, too. Now I’m confused and I’m thinking some pages from the first sister’s story got inadvertently repeated. Hmmm!
Later in the book, another “bored” sister emerges. I’m not kidding, and these chicks should never get bored!
The amount of repetition in this book is shameful! Also,many of the characters’ actions are so very unrealistic and inconsistent with the backdrop created by the author.
So, why did I give this book 3 Stars? I actually have three reasons:
#1. Because I didn’t throw it out the window. (Was tempted at one point)
#2. I read all five hundred plus pages to the very end. (Apparently kept my attention)
#3. I did enjoy the first half. (I just got very annoyed after that.)
In addition, the book had a good story framework, however it just seemed as if the author could not properly develop or control her characters. They were just running amok! LOL!
May 1, 2018
Μια φορά κι έναν καιρό ήταν το σπίτι δίπλα στο ποτάμι και οι πανέμορφες σαν οπτασία κόρες της Θεοδώρας, η Μελισσάνθη, η Ιουλία, η Ασπασία, η Πολυξένη και η Μαγδαληνή. Όλες μα όλες ανεξαιρέτως, εγκαταλειπουν τη μητρική αγκαλιά και το σπίτι τους, ανοίγοντας τα δικά τους φτερά. Στην πορεία της ζωής τους ξεχνούν παντελώς την μητέρα τους, όλοι οι άντρες πέφτουν ξεροι από την ομορφιά τους και όταν η ζωή τις τσακίζει ξαναγυρνουν ηττημένες στη μητέρα τους και το πατρικό τους. Ούτε καμία σπουδαία υπόθεση έχει αυτό το βιβλίο, ούτε χαρακτήρες να ταυτιστείς ή έστω να μισήσεις. Ρηχή ιστορία, ρηχά πρόσωπα και ποιο είναι το συμπέρασμα; Τι μας διδάσκει αυτό το μυθιστόρημα; Φάτε τα μούτρα σας, βυθιστείτε στην αμαρτία και στο τέλος λυτρωθειτε επιστρέφοντας στο πατρικό σας. Η μητέρα δε πιο εγωίστρια πεθαίνεις, καταριέται τη μοίρα της που όλες οι κόρες την έχουν αφήσει μόνη, αντί να εύχεται το καλό τους και ας είναι μακριά της. Άσε πια οι διάλογοι, ψευτικοι και ανούσιοι. Οι περιγραφές τοπίων και φύσης σχεδόν ανυπαρκτες, οι πόλεις από τις οποίες πέρασαν τα κορίτσια αναφέρθηκαν μόνο ονομαστικά. Η Μαγδαληνή σε ολόκληρο Σικάγο βρέθηκε και ούτε μια εικόνα δεν αποκτήσαμε γι'αυτο. Το βιβλίο αυτό ούτε φιλοσοφημενο ειναι ούτε κρύβει νοήματα που πρέπει να αναλύσεις ή ανθρώπους και καταστάσεις με τα οποία μπορείς να ταυτιστείς. Θα το χαρακτήριζα έτσι απλά παραμύθι που σε ξεκουράζει όταν το διαβάζεις αλλά ένα παραμύθι που δεν σου γέννα κανένα συναίσθημα. Ένα τέτοιο ανάγνωσμα εγώ δεν το θεωρώ λογοτεχνία και συγχωρείστε μου αυτή την άποψη. Με ξεκουράσε, με χαλάρωσε, αλλά ως εκει, δεν κατάφερε ποτέ να μπει στην ψυχή μου και η λογοτεχνία κάνει ακριβώς αυτό. Δυόμισι αστεράκια από εμένα.
October 21, 2017
Im only halfway through and keep debating on whether to finish it. There are things about it that drive me crazy yet I keep reading for some reason so I'm giving it 3 stars so far. I'm reading the English translation.
It drives me crazy that it is supposed to take place in the twentieth century yet a lot of the women characters seem to continually faint! And there is much discussion about arranged marriages and dowries which might be a geographic thing. Maybe parents still liked to choose their child's spouse in Greece in 1950? I don't know. It just seems more like a late nineteenth century novel to me. I'm having a very hard time liking any of the daughters at this point. They all seem spoiled and bored with their lives... Not a happy one in the bunch! Its hard to categorize the book. My first thought was historical fiction until I realized it takes place in the mid 20th century. Then all the aggressive rather dark sex scenes made me think erotica fiction but not enough of it to classify as that either. Maybe dark romance??Its a hard book to figure out so far... and it is long....there's another fainting episode and they bring in the smelling salts...OK I'm done with this book. Definitely not what I expected or like.
It drives me crazy that it is supposed to take place in the twentieth century yet a lot of the women characters seem to continually faint! And there is much discussion about arranged marriages and dowries which might be a geographic thing. Maybe parents still liked to choose their child's spouse in Greece in 1950? I don't know. It just seems more like a late nineteenth century novel to me. I'm having a very hard time liking any of the daughters at this point. They all seem spoiled and bored with their lives... Not a happy one in the bunch! Its hard to categorize the book. My first thought was historical fiction until I realized it takes place in the mid 20th century. Then all the aggressive rather dark sex scenes made me think erotica fiction but not enough of it to classify as that either. Maybe dark romance??Its a hard book to figure out so far... and it is long....there's another fainting episode and they bring in the smelling salts...OK I'm done with this book. Definitely not what I expected or like.
August 7, 2016
Διάβασα μόνο τις πρώτες 100 περίπου σελίδες, δεν άντεξα παραπάνω. Τόσο κλισέ, τόση βλακεία, τόσο κακή γραφή δεν έχω συναντήσει ξανά - το δανείστηκα για να μπορώ να έχω άποψη.
Αποσπάσματα - κι όχι τα χειρότερα:
«Γεράσιμε, εσύ είσαι λογικός άνθρωπος! Θα βάλουμε ξύλινο πόδι, δε θα μείνεις σακάτης! Θα ζήσεις μια φυσιολογική ζωή κοντά στη γυναίκα σου και στα παιδιά σου!» εξήγησε ήρεμα. «Τι ζωή θα είναι αυτή, μισός άνθρωπος;» «Γεράσιμε, μισός δε γίνεσαι γιατί χάνεις ένα πόδι! Άσε με να φέρω τα εργαλεία μου και να το κόψουμε!»
[http://youtu.be/d2UcpubCWFs?t=9m25s] ..........................................
«Απόστολε, δε σε βλέπω καλά! Αν έβαλες στο μυαλό σου τίποτα πονηρό για τη μικρή που είδαμε χθες, βγάλ’ το! Το κορίτσι είναι μικρό, δεν είναι σαν αυτές που έχεις μάθει να γυροφέρνεις!» «Μα γι’ αυτό μου αρέσει, ρε φίλε! Το κορίτσι είναι αφρός!» «Αν σου αρέσει ο αφρός, πιες μια μπύρα και πάμε να φύγουμε!»
.............................................
Λίγα λεπτά αργότερα, ήταν καθισμένοι οι δυο τους μπροστά στο αναμμένο τζάκι, φορώντας από ένα μπουρνούζι και κρατώντας ένα ποτήρι κονιάκ στο χέρι. Τα ξύλα τριζοβολούσαν με ήχους τρυφερούς την ώρα που καίγονταν, ενώ η βροχή μαστίγωνε τα τζάμια σαν ενοχλητικός επισκέπτης, την ίδια στιγμή που το τραγούδι της χάιδευε τ’ αυτιά των δύο ερωτευμένων σαν μουσική υπόκρουση σε μια συζήτηση που δεν είχε τελειωμό. […] Το ξημέρωμα τους βρήκε μπροστά στη φωτιά, που όλη νύχτα την τροφοδοτούσαν με ξύλα, κι εκείνη για να τους ευχαριστήσει έλαμπε αδιάκοπα, γεμίζοντας το χώρο με γλυκιά θαλπωρή. Ο ήλιος αρνήθηκε να βγει εκείνη τη μέρα κι ίσως γι’ αυτό άργησαν να πάρουν είδηση πως είχε ξημερώσει, κλεισμένοι μέσα στο ζεστό σπίτι, με τις κουρτίνες τραβηγμένες. Και ίσως να μην το καταλάβαιναν ποτέ, αν το μάτι της Μελισσάνθης δεν έπεφτε τυχαία στο ρολόι πάνω από το τζάκι. […] Ο Άγγελος έριξε πάλι ξύλα, κάθισαν στη φλοκάτη και για λίγο κοίταζαν τον αισθησιακό χορό της φωτιάς. Εκείνος στράφηκε και κοίταξε το πρόσωπό της και την ηρεμία που ήταν απλωμένη στα χαρακτηριστικά της. Έσκυψε και άφησε ένα φιλί δίπλα στα χείλη της.
.........................................
«Νόμιζα ότι έκανα το σωστό…» ψιθύρισε, ενώ φορούσε το μπουρνούζι και το έσφιγγε πάνω της με απελπισία, ζητώντας την προστασία του. «Σωστό δεν μπορεί να είναι ό,τι μας ακρωτηριάζει!»
.....................................
Αποσπάσματα - κι όχι τα χειρότερα:
«Γεράσιμε, εσύ είσαι λογικός άνθρωπος! Θα βάλουμε ξύλινο πόδι, δε θα μείνεις σακάτης! Θα ζήσεις μια φυσιολογική ζωή κοντά στη γυναίκα σου και στα παιδιά σου!» εξήγησε ήρεμα. «Τι ζωή θα είναι αυτή, μισός άνθρωπος;» «Γεράσιμε, μισός δε γίνεσαι γιατί χάνεις ένα πόδι! Άσε με να φέρω τα εργαλεία μου και να το κόψουμε!»
[http://youtu.be/d2UcpubCWFs?t=9m25s] ..........................................
«Απόστολε, δε σε βλέπω καλά! Αν έβαλες στο μυαλό σου τίποτα πονηρό για τη μικρή που είδαμε χθες, βγάλ’ το! Το κορίτσι είναι μικρό, δεν είναι σαν αυτές που έχεις μάθει να γυροφέρνεις!» «Μα γι’ αυτό μου αρέσει, ρε φίλε! Το κορίτσι είναι αφρός!» «Αν σου αρέσει ο αφρός, πιες μια μπύρα και πάμε να φύγουμε!»
.............................................
Λίγα λεπτά αργότερα, ήταν καθισμένοι οι δυο τους μπροστά στο αναμμένο τζάκι, φορώντας από ένα μπουρνούζι και κρατώντας ένα ποτήρι κονιάκ στο χέρι. Τα ξύλα τριζοβολούσαν με ήχους τρυφερούς την ώρα που καίγονταν, ενώ η βροχή μαστίγωνε τα τζάμια σαν ενοχλητικός επισκέπτης, την ίδια στιγμή που το τραγούδι της χάιδευε τ’ αυτιά των δύο ερωτευμένων σαν μουσική υπόκρουση σε μια συζήτηση που δεν είχε τελειωμό. […] Το ξημέρωμα τους βρήκε μπροστά στη φωτιά, που όλη νύχτα την τροφοδοτούσαν με ξύλα, κι εκείνη για να τους ευχαριστήσει έλαμπε αδιάκοπα, γεμίζοντας το χώρο με γλυκιά θαλπωρή. Ο ήλιος αρνήθηκε να βγει εκείνη τη μέρα κι ίσως γι’ αυτό άργησαν να πάρουν είδηση πως είχε ξημερώσει, κλεισμένοι μέσα στο ζεστό σπίτι, με τις κουρτίνες τραβηγμένες. Και ίσως να μην το καταλάβαιναν ποτέ, αν το μάτι της Μελισσάνθης δεν έπεφτε τυχαία στο ρολόι πάνω από το τζάκι. […] Ο Άγγελος έριξε πάλι ξύλα, κάθισαν στη φλοκάτη και για λίγο κοίταζαν τον αισθησιακό χορό της φωτιάς. Εκείνος στράφηκε και κοίταξε το πρόσωπό της και την ηρεμία που ήταν απλωμένη στα χαρακτηριστικά της. Έσκυψε και άφησε ένα φιλί δίπλα στα χείλη της.
.........................................
«Νόμιζα ότι έκανα το σωστό…» ψιθύρισε, ενώ φορούσε το μπουρνούζι και το έσφιγγε πάνω της με απελπισία, ζητώντας την προστασία του. «Σωστό δεν μπορεί να είναι ό,τι μας ακρωτηριάζει!»
.....................................
August 17, 2018
One of the worst books I’ve ever read. Don’t go near this garbage. Don’t trust Goodreads reviews. Read negative reviews as well as the positive to get a full picture. Waste of time and money. Characters one dimensional, formulaic story, melodramatic, too many words.
October 30, 2018
It was predictable and I hated the format of the book...but I loved every story within this book so much! Touching, exciting... many mixed feelings about this book but ultimately I couldn’t put it down, which is why I rated it 4/5.
October 8, 2013
5 κορίτσια και 5 διαφορετικές ιστορίες. (Μπορούμε να προσθέσουμε και την ιστορία των γονέων, έτσι για να τις κάνουμε 6). Το δάκρυ κορόμηλο και καμιά δεν είχε μια μέση εξέλιξη. (Γιατί τότε δε θα γράφονταν σε βιβλίο). Όλες "προόδευσαν" ποικιλοτρόπως: η Μελισσάνθη αγάπησε το χρώμα του χρήματος και σε γενικές γραμμές τα "είδε" όλα, η Ιουλία έφτασε στην Αφρική, η Ασπασία ανέβηκε στο παλκοκρέβατο, η Πολυξένη έγινε θεατρικό αστέρι και η Μαγδαληνή έφτασε στο Σικάγο και έγινε αρχιμαφιόζα. Στο τέλος όλες έπεσαν και χτύπησαν, σηκώθηκαν όμως και χτύπησαν την πόρτα της μαμάς και της γιαγιάς, και έγιναν όλοι one big happy family. Οι μεμονωμένες ιστορίες μου άρεσαν αλλά κάπου με έχασε η συρραφή του τέλους. Εκτός, κι αν θεωρήσουμε το βιβλίο ως ύμνο προς την ελληνίδα μάνα προς την οποία υποβάλλω τα σέβη μου.
given-up
October 18, 2018DNF at 12%
Too much drama and too little Greece for my taste. The dialogs are unbelievable. There was also a couple of things in the plot that I hated, for example already 3 girls of around 18 years old got married with men at least 20 years older than them. In one of the cases the love story started (although only in a platonic level) when the girl was 12. If it were only ONE case in the story, I would have taken it as "the case in the book", but three already? WTH? And there are still three single girls. I do not want to know more. I don't get what is in the author's mind. And it doesn't seem to be something usual, common or accepted for that time and place, since everyone in the book is scandalized with each marriage. It's sick. I'm done.
Too much drama and too little Greece for my taste. The dialogs are unbelievable. There was also a couple of things in the plot that I hated, for example already 3 girls of around 18 years old got married with men at least 20 years older than them. In one of the cases the love story started (although only in a platonic level) when the girl was 12. If it were only ONE case in the story, I would have taken it as "the case in the book", but three already? WTH? And there are still three single girls. I do not want to know more. I don't get what is in the author's mind. And it doesn't seem to be something usual, common or accepted for that time and place, since everyone in the book is scandalized with each marriage. It's sick. I'm done.
March 9, 2018
The story in The House by the River could have made for a really interesting and endearing book. However, this book was painful. To me, all the characters were shallow and unbelievable. All the emotions were over the top. The entire story was super unbelievable and juvenile. And there was soooo much love at first sight. All the daughters were beautiful and men fell in love with them within seconds of meeting them. There weren’t any deep or authentic interactions between characters. It was all so cheap fairytale-esque. That being said, I’m not sure if the issue is in the writing or the translation. Either way, I wouldn’t recommend the English translated version of this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 24, 2018
Oy this book was so long (and so is this review!). And horrifically preachy and moralizing in all the wrong ways (particularly around suicide). And apologetic of rape in "it's just men being passionate" and "it's culturally appropriate for a 20 something dude to have the hots for a 12 year because we're Greeks in the early 20th century" way. And also kind of racist.
The book starts off with Theodora and her husband (the aforementioned pseudo pedophile, who I guess "technically" didn't do anything wrong, because he did wait for Theodora to turn 18 before they got married and did anything, but still...) and their 5 young daughters. The husband is dying from an infection because he's too stubborn to have his leg amputated and doesn't want to be "half a man" and so when he dies, Theodora has to raise her daughters alone through the famine and hardships of WWII. She is still super young and beautiful, but doesn't want to remarry, even though her mom Julia, tells her to so she won't be alone when her daughters get married and leave.
Theodora is somehow shocked *shocked* that her daughters grow up and want to leave, because their little village is "paradise." She tells them the house by the river will always be there for them to come home to as they leave one by one. (Foreshadowing!!)
The daughters don't leave in the order they are born, but the subsequent chapters tell their stories in birth order, which was kind of confusing, and I'm not going back to look up which order is which, so my summary will be as chaotic as this book. Lots of spoilers, because you can't understand the absurdity of this book without them, and really you don't want to spend your days reading this anyway.
Julia the daughter (not the mother) leaves first (I think, this book was so fucking long). Her husband is also quite a bit older than her, but he is a good guy (the best of all the husbands actually) with a batshit crazy mom of his own. His mom hates Julia for no reason. Like hates to the fucking point where she tries to poison her own son, makes it make it appear Julia is having an affair that she isn't having, and other awful things. Luckily the father in this situation is cool, and they eventually figure this all out together, and the couple leaves for a job in Africa (Ghana? I forget where exactly and again, not looking things up). They have a pretty good life (three healthy daughters, one son who either dies at birth or shortly thereafter) and Julia becomes the white savior of the community (so much thinly veiled racism in Julia's chapter). When her husband is killed by the villagers due to his shady business partner causing a major accident and lots of deaths, Julia and her daughters, along with a black woman who has been their servant the entire time, flee back to Greece. She and her batshit MIL have made amends by now, and eventually the six of them end up back in the village at the house by the river.
Melissanthi marries a tobacco baron for his money. Julia the mother is trying to get Theodora to marry the guy, because he's about twenty years older than Melissanthi and is Theodora's age, but he shows up at their house and asks to marry Melissanthi after meeting her like, once. They get married and start off having lots of hot sex. At one point though they have a fight and he rapes her on the floor of their room, but it's cool because it's him being passionate and eventually she's into it (*eyeroll*). The husband ends up having a heart condition and stops it with all the sex, so Melissanthi starts having an affair with a guy who is actually her age, and they truly love each other, but she won't leave her husband because she feels loyal to him. They break up and reconcile over another on the floor rape scene in a hotel that's almost exactly like the one with her husband. Eventually the mother of the guy she's having an affair with finds out about the affair and blackmails her into breaking it off, and the guy is so distraught he kills himself. (This is suicide #1 in this book, BTW.) Melissanthi is horribly distraught and blames herself, even though it is not her fault, and of course finds out she's pregnant immediately after his death. Her husband knows about the affair but is happy about the baby (they hadn't been able to have their own kids). Their son drops dead randomly from an undiagnosed heart condition about 6 or 8 years later, and then her husband drops dead right after the boy's funeral, leaving Melissanthi alone to return to the house by the river.
Aspasia marries a merchant/truck driver, but really wants to be a singer. She has an amazing mother in law, but her husband is kind of an ass. They have two daughters, but she's not particularly interested in being a mother, and is happy to let her MIL take over, particularly when she gets a job singing in clubs. Being a career woman is scandalous. Her husband constantly harps on her to quit, and it isn't said that her earning power is hurting his ego, but it definitely is. She starts traveling to other clubs in the summer and having affairs. Eventually she tries to reconcile with her husband, but by then he knows about the affairs and is pisses (he BTW, also having affairs) and refuses to touch her or talk to her. They sort of make up a bit when their oldest daughter is dying of cancer, but eventually get divorced. The youngest daughter decides to stay with Aspasia and they also go back to the house by the river.
Polyxeni runs away from home to join a traveling theater group, and changes her name to Xenia. She befriends one of the woman (Martha) in the troupe who has a "connection"/lover (Stathis) and the two of them leave to go to Athens where Stathis acts as a sort of agent and gets her jobs in the theater and small movie roles. Xenia has never experienced love and doesn't understand it, so she starts dating a guy who is basically stalking her to figure out what it what, and that makes Stathis furious for "toying" with the guy. When Xenia breaks it off after a year the guy kills himself in front of her apartment and Stathis blames her for his death. (This plot point made me really angry; the guy was written not only as a kind of stalker, but he also had tried to kill himself at least 2-3 other times when his other relationships had ended, it's not like Xenia could have 1) known this before they started dating, 2) ended the relationship in a way where he wouldn't have tried to kill himself, or 3) just kept dating him to her own detriment when he was unstable.)
At Martha's insistence Stathis helps with the PR to make it seem like Xenia was devastated and didn't know what was going on with him. Xenia's career explodes! Martha and Stathis have a daughter. She eventually starts dating another guy many years later and gets dumped herself, takes it really hard, and starts to think more about her future and motherhood, and spends more time with Martha and Stathis's daughter. Martha and Stathis get killed in a car wreck, and Xenia adopts their daughter, and the two of them return to the house by the river.
Magdalini goes to Chicago with Theodora's sister Anna, because she's the scholarly one who wants to further her education in America. Except she never goes to school or takes any classes beyond her English language tutoring, and instead ends up unwittingly marrying a member of the Mafia. At first her mob boss father in law hates her, but because she's nice and friendly with the household staff they take her to overhear some information that saves her husband from being killed, which wins over her FIL a bit, and then later he's smitten with his grandkids (a son and daughter). But it's the Mafia, so a rival faction blows up their house, killing the FIL, and then when she and her husband are getting ready to leave the Mafia and disappear, her husband, son, and uncle are all gunned down. Magdalini goes catatonic for a year, while her aunt Anna takes care of her daughter, and then she, her aunt, and her daughter return to Greece to the house by the river.
Are you exhausted yet? Because I cut out all the moralizing about how children shouldn't "abandon" their parents, how they should always listen to their mothers, how all of the daughters were punished for leaving "paradise" by losing their husbands and/or lovers and/or sons and/or firstborn children, and about how all of the girls had destroyed their souls, but coming home could cleanse them of their wrongness and of daring to have a dream to do something other than live in a small village forever. (Although I honestly kind of zoned out during the reunion chapter, because it was really fucking hokey, but it did literally say something about them destroying their souls.)
Another really odd quirk of this book, particularly noticeable in Aspasia's chapter, was that they tended to not refer to the various kids as "our son," or "our daughter," or even by their name, but as "the child." Like, "what about 'the child.'" "What are we to do with, 'the child.'" I don't know if this is a side effect of the translation from Greek to English, or some quirk of the Greek language I'm unfamiliar with, but it got to the point where it was rather off putting.
I should also note that I normally reserve my 1 star ratings for books I truly hate, and I didn't exactly hate this book (for example, I'd rather read this again than The Buried Giant) but I knocked a star off for the racism and rape disguised as passion.
The book starts off with Theodora and her husband (the aforementioned pseudo pedophile, who I guess "technically" didn't do anything wrong, because he did wait for Theodora to turn 18 before they got married and did anything, but still...) and their 5 young daughters. The husband is dying from an infection because he's too stubborn to have his leg amputated and doesn't want to be "half a man" and so when he dies, Theodora has to raise her daughters alone through the famine and hardships of WWII. She is still super young and beautiful, but doesn't want to remarry, even though her mom Julia, tells her to so she won't be alone when her daughters get married and leave.
Theodora is somehow shocked *shocked* that her daughters grow up and want to leave, because their little village is "paradise." She tells them the house by the river will always be there for them to come home to as they leave one by one. (Foreshadowing!!)
The daughters don't leave in the order they are born, but the subsequent chapters tell their stories in birth order, which was kind of confusing, and I'm not going back to look up which order is which, so my summary will be as chaotic as this book. Lots of spoilers, because you can't understand the absurdity of this book without them, and really you don't want to spend your days reading this anyway.
Julia the daughter (not the mother) leaves first (I think, this book was so fucking long). Her husband is also quite a bit older than her, but he is a good guy (the best of all the husbands actually) with a batshit crazy mom of his own. His mom hates Julia for no reason. Like hates to the fucking point where she tries to poison her own son, makes it make it appear Julia is having an affair that she isn't having, and other awful things. Luckily the father in this situation is cool, and they eventually figure this all out together, and the couple leaves for a job in Africa (Ghana? I forget where exactly and again, not looking things up). They have a pretty good life (three healthy daughters, one son who either dies at birth or shortly thereafter) and Julia becomes the white savior of the community (so much thinly veiled racism in Julia's chapter). When her husband is killed by the villagers due to his shady business partner causing a major accident and lots of deaths, Julia and her daughters, along with a black woman who has been their servant the entire time, flee back to Greece. She and her batshit MIL have made amends by now, and eventually the six of them end up back in the village at the house by the river.
Melissanthi marries a tobacco baron for his money. Julia the mother is trying to get Theodora to marry the guy, because he's about twenty years older than Melissanthi and is Theodora's age, but he shows up at their house and asks to marry Melissanthi after meeting her like, once. They get married and start off having lots of hot sex. At one point though they have a fight and he rapes her on the floor of their room, but it's cool because it's him being passionate and eventually she's into it (*eyeroll*). The husband ends up having a heart condition and stops it with all the sex, so Melissanthi starts having an affair with a guy who is actually her age, and they truly love each other, but she won't leave her husband because she feels loyal to him. They break up and reconcile over another on the floor rape scene in a hotel that's almost exactly like the one with her husband. Eventually the mother of the guy she's having an affair with finds out about the affair and blackmails her into breaking it off, and the guy is so distraught he kills himself. (This is suicide #1 in this book, BTW.) Melissanthi is horribly distraught and blames herself, even though it is not her fault, and of course finds out she's pregnant immediately after his death. Her husband knows about the affair but is happy about the baby (they hadn't been able to have their own kids). Their son drops dead randomly from an undiagnosed heart condition about 6 or 8 years later, and then her husband drops dead right after the boy's funeral, leaving Melissanthi alone to return to the house by the river.
Aspasia marries a merchant/truck driver, but really wants to be a singer. She has an amazing mother in law, but her husband is kind of an ass. They have two daughters, but she's not particularly interested in being a mother, and is happy to let her MIL take over, particularly when she gets a job singing in clubs. Being a career woman is scandalous. Her husband constantly harps on her to quit, and it isn't said that her earning power is hurting his ego, but it definitely is. She starts traveling to other clubs in the summer and having affairs. Eventually she tries to reconcile with her husband, but by then he knows about the affairs and is pisses (he BTW, also having affairs) and refuses to touch her or talk to her. They sort of make up a bit when their oldest daughter is dying of cancer, but eventually get divorced. The youngest daughter decides to stay with Aspasia and they also go back to the house by the river.
Polyxeni runs away from home to join a traveling theater group, and changes her name to Xenia. She befriends one of the woman (Martha) in the troupe who has a "connection"/lover (Stathis) and the two of them leave to go to Athens where Stathis acts as a sort of agent and gets her jobs in the theater and small movie roles. Xenia has never experienced love and doesn't understand it, so she starts dating a guy who is basically stalking her to figure out what it what, and that makes Stathis furious for "toying" with the guy. When Xenia breaks it off after a year the guy kills himself in front of her apartment and Stathis blames her for his death. (This plot point made me really angry; the guy was written not only as a kind of stalker, but he also had tried to kill himself at least 2-3 other times when his other relationships had ended, it's not like Xenia could have 1) known this before they started dating, 2) ended the relationship in a way where he wouldn't have tried to kill himself, or 3) just kept dating him to her own detriment when he was unstable.)
At Martha's insistence Stathis helps with the PR to make it seem like Xenia was devastated and didn't know what was going on with him. Xenia's career explodes! Martha and Stathis have a daughter. She eventually starts dating another guy many years later and gets dumped herself, takes it really hard, and starts to think more about her future and motherhood, and spends more time with Martha and Stathis's daughter. Martha and Stathis get killed in a car wreck, and Xenia adopts their daughter, and the two of them return to the house by the river.
Magdalini goes to Chicago with Theodora's sister Anna, because she's the scholarly one who wants to further her education in America. Except she never goes to school or takes any classes beyond her English language tutoring, and instead ends up unwittingly marrying a member of the Mafia. At first her mob boss father in law hates her, but because she's nice and friendly with the household staff they take her to overhear some information that saves her husband from being killed, which wins over her FIL a bit, and then later he's smitten with his grandkids (a son and daughter). But it's the Mafia, so a rival faction blows up their house, killing the FIL, and then when she and her husband are getting ready to leave the Mafia and disappear, her husband, son, and uncle are all gunned down. Magdalini goes catatonic for a year, while her aunt Anna takes care of her daughter, and then she, her aunt, and her daughter return to Greece to the house by the river.
Are you exhausted yet? Because I cut out all the moralizing about how children shouldn't "abandon" their parents, how they should always listen to their mothers, how all of the daughters were punished for leaving "paradise" by losing their husbands and/or lovers and/or sons and/or firstborn children, and about how all of the girls had destroyed their souls, but coming home could cleanse them of their wrongness and of daring to have a dream to do something other than live in a small village forever. (Although I honestly kind of zoned out during the reunion chapter, because it was really fucking hokey, but it did literally say something about them destroying their souls.)
Another really odd quirk of this book, particularly noticeable in Aspasia's chapter, was that they tended to not refer to the various kids as "our son," or "our daughter," or even by their name, but as "the child." Like, "what about 'the child.'" "What are we to do with, 'the child.'" I don't know if this is a side effect of the translation from Greek to English, or some quirk of the Greek language I'm unfamiliar with, but it got to the point where it was rather off putting.
I should also note that I normally reserve my 1 star ratings for books I truly hate, and I didn't exactly hate this book (for example, I'd rather read this again than The Buried Giant) but I knocked a star off for the racism and rape disguised as passion.
May 4, 2018
A good book can leave you speechless. Conversely, a bad book—like this one—force feeds you rant food… I’ve just finished a 550 page feast and I’m worked up to the point of soapboxing.
I have so much to say and, like this author, I will not edit myself or pare down to just the best thoughts.
Buckle up.
I suffered the full length of this book BECAUSE I AM NOT A QUITTER. About 300 grueling pages in, I complained to a friend about how very repetitive and awful it seemed. “You’re still reading; so, is it redeemable?”
“No.”
You can’t wrap a satin bow around this much shit without leaving readers feeling gyped.
I found this book because I got it for free from Amazon on Book Day. The back cover’s description was so inviting. Four stars on goodreads? Awesome! I felt like I’d gotten a real steal! Fellow readers, I was led so very far astray.
This book was just wrong. What are its top offenses?
A) The structure and timeline left me feeling so very lost. It was utterly incoherent.
B) It was repetitive like a Pop/Rock earworm that starts up every time you turn on your car radio. “THIS AGAIN?!” By the end of the second sister’s saga, I was ready to quit. But, with my friend’s impression in my head, I pressed on… hoping for some redeeming qualities to filter out of the remaining plotlines. I found none. Not one.
C) Karma’s wrath? There was such a sense of impending doom surrounding each of the sisters. It palpitated off the page. Was the lesson of this book supposed to be: Don’t leave home or all of your sons and husbands will die? These were the most fatefully flawed women in print.
I will continue my list of qualms by asking a series of (fairly obvious) questions that were overlooked or ignored by the author:
1. What are the chances that five sisters from a poor village family end up getting a fairytale treatment from absolute strangers? Come on. Astronomical, surely. Each of these girls is whisked away from their mother to a faraway place, treated like royalty and never wants for anything again. Seems a bit… unlikely. All that was missing were singing mice and 5 stray glass slippers. Really.
2. If they really hit it as big as they did, why didn’t any of them think to send money back to their mother… or even talk to her? Each of them seems to love their mother enough to name one of their daughters after her, but… in 20 years, despite their wealth and status, none of them manages to pop by and say “hi” to Ma? Really.
3. Speaking of money, why did none of them resolve to make the most of their newfound good fortune and stick to the straight and narrow? How can five people possibly make so many bad decisions in a row? Really.
4. Can we just say it frankly? Polyxeni is a psychopath. Furthermore, her character is so inconsistently written it’s a crime.
5. Also… Why does her character assume everyone will know about her breaking up with Leonidas? He killed himself IMMEDIATELY after she broke up with him. How could a cover-up be needed when the word couldn’t have gotten out? Really.
6. Is it even possible that she could be such a good actress without actually experiencing human emotion? Like, not even a single one? Really.
7. Does it really take just one week to develop a massive drinking addiction? If so, anyone who has ever gone on vacation should go straight from Arrivals to rehab. Really.
8. If she’s supposed to be so devoid of human emotion and understanding, she would have to treat everyone around her like a case study rather than a human being. And, if she doesn’t need any intimacy, why does she bother staying in touch with Martha (who is apparently conducting a long, amateur psychological experiment on her despite her professional history in acting rather than medicine!)? Again, it’s all so inconsistent it drove me nuts! Just like Polyxeni. Really.
9. If Polyxeni is so famous, how is it that none of her sisters recognize her? Mention her? Leverage her star status? Anything? Really.
10. What were all the deaths for? I could see killing off lots of people if it created drama and upheavals of power, like in GoT. This was killing for the sake of human suffering. Really.
11. Is it even possible to cover 20 years of life for 6 protagonists in the course of 550 pages? I don’t think so! (And now I know so!) This book had to move so quickly that it may be the first book with G-Force. HUGE, GUT-WRENCHING, LIFE-ALTERING moments were covered in the span of a page. I cannot cope with this. Really.
12. Was it too much work to drop a few timely references in order to remind readers of the era during which this is supposedly taking place? Between jumping back 20 years every time a new chapter started and the lack of context, this book crafted a purgatory of time. Really.
13. I feel like I don’t “know” any of these women. There was no time to get to know them, how they think, what makes them tick. This book was just a log of moral transgressions and deaths. Really.
14. Magdalini, supposedly the studious one, sure didn’t fight hard to achieve her dream of studying physics. She learned English (no small feat—it’s a wonky language) and then said, “done!” I was so disappointed when this sister’s whole story was ALSO about a relationship. Really?
15. This point could be a symptom of reading a translated copy: BUT, this book contained every bad cliché I’ve ever read. Given the less-than-adventurous plot lines, I would be more likely to assume the original Greek suffered from these same linguistic maladies. Such uninteresting reading. *exhausted eye roll* Really.
16. Speaking of word choice, if I���d heard one more girl’s libido referred to as “volcanic,” I would have thrown my copy of the book into lava. Yuck. Really.
17. Random: Theodora was a bad ass. Her struggles during WWII were fascinating and proof positive that she loved her children…. SO HOW DID SHE LET THEM GO 20 YEARS WITHOUT STALKING THEM DOWN TO CHIDE THEM?
18. Random Point Expanded: HOW THE HELL DID HER WWII STRUGGLES NOT COME UP LATER IN THE BOOK? These girls lived and struggled through WWII in very tangible ways. How did they never have to draw on those experiences or recall the horrors later on? And because these experiences don’t come up later, why did the author bother to mention them at all!? I guess because it was the only good part of the book. REALLY.
*deep breath*
In conclusion, there was ONE piece of wisdom in this book: “If you don’t suffer, you don’t learn.” I will move forward from this experience with a deeper appreciation for well-planned, compelling stories.
... And a strong aversion to volcanoes.
I have so much to say and, like this author, I will not edit myself or pare down to just the best thoughts.
Buckle up.
I suffered the full length of this book BECAUSE I AM NOT A QUITTER. About 300 grueling pages in, I complained to a friend about how very repetitive and awful it seemed. “You’re still reading; so, is it redeemable?”
“No.”
You can’t wrap a satin bow around this much shit without leaving readers feeling gyped.
I found this book because I got it for free from Amazon on Book Day. The back cover’s description was so inviting. Four stars on goodreads? Awesome! I felt like I’d gotten a real steal! Fellow readers, I was led so very far astray.
This book was just wrong. What are its top offenses?
A) The structure and timeline left me feeling so very lost. It was utterly incoherent.
B) It was repetitive like a Pop/Rock earworm that starts up every time you turn on your car radio. “THIS AGAIN?!” By the end of the second sister’s saga, I was ready to quit. But, with my friend’s impression in my head, I pressed on… hoping for some redeeming qualities to filter out of the remaining plotlines. I found none. Not one.
C) Karma’s wrath? There was such a sense of impending doom surrounding each of the sisters. It palpitated off the page. Was the lesson of this book supposed to be: Don’t leave home or all of your sons and husbands will die? These were the most fatefully flawed women in print.
I will continue my list of qualms by asking a series of (fairly obvious) questions that were overlooked or ignored by the author:
1. What are the chances that five sisters from a poor village family end up getting a fairytale treatment from absolute strangers? Come on. Astronomical, surely. Each of these girls is whisked away from their mother to a faraway place, treated like royalty and never wants for anything again. Seems a bit… unlikely. All that was missing were singing mice and 5 stray glass slippers. Really.
2. If they really hit it as big as they did, why didn’t any of them think to send money back to their mother… or even talk to her? Each of them seems to love their mother enough to name one of their daughters after her, but… in 20 years, despite their wealth and status, none of them manages to pop by and say “hi” to Ma? Really.
3. Speaking of money, why did none of them resolve to make the most of their newfound good fortune and stick to the straight and narrow? How can five people possibly make so many bad decisions in a row? Really.
4. Can we just say it frankly? Polyxeni is a psychopath. Furthermore, her character is so inconsistently written it’s a crime.
5. Also… Why does her character assume everyone will know about her breaking up with Leonidas? He killed himself IMMEDIATELY after she broke up with him. How could a cover-up be needed when the word couldn’t have gotten out? Really.
6. Is it even possible that she could be such a good actress without actually experiencing human emotion? Like, not even a single one? Really.
7. Does it really take just one week to develop a massive drinking addiction? If so, anyone who has ever gone on vacation should go straight from Arrivals to rehab. Really.
8. If she’s supposed to be so devoid of human emotion and understanding, she would have to treat everyone around her like a case study rather than a human being. And, if she doesn’t need any intimacy, why does she bother staying in touch with Martha (who is apparently conducting a long, amateur psychological experiment on her despite her professional history in acting rather than medicine!)? Again, it’s all so inconsistent it drove me nuts! Just like Polyxeni. Really.
9. If Polyxeni is so famous, how is it that none of her sisters recognize her? Mention her? Leverage her star status? Anything? Really.
10. What were all the deaths for? I could see killing off lots of people if it created drama and upheavals of power, like in GoT. This was killing for the sake of human suffering. Really.
11. Is it even possible to cover 20 years of life for 6 protagonists in the course of 550 pages? I don’t think so! (And now I know so!) This book had to move so quickly that it may be the first book with G-Force. HUGE, GUT-WRENCHING, LIFE-ALTERING moments were covered in the span of a page. I cannot cope with this. Really.
12. Was it too much work to drop a few timely references in order to remind readers of the era during which this is supposedly taking place? Between jumping back 20 years every time a new chapter started and the lack of context, this book crafted a purgatory of time. Really.
13. I feel like I don’t “know” any of these women. There was no time to get to know them, how they think, what makes them tick. This book was just a log of moral transgressions and deaths. Really.
14. Magdalini, supposedly the studious one, sure didn’t fight hard to achieve her dream of studying physics. She learned English (no small feat—it’s a wonky language) and then said, “done!” I was so disappointed when this sister’s whole story was ALSO about a relationship. Really?
15. This point could be a symptom of reading a translated copy: BUT, this book contained every bad cliché I’ve ever read. Given the less-than-adventurous plot lines, I would be more likely to assume the original Greek suffered from these same linguistic maladies. Such uninteresting reading. *exhausted eye roll* Really.
16. Speaking of word choice, if I���d heard one more girl’s libido referred to as “volcanic,” I would have thrown my copy of the book into lava. Yuck. Really.
17. Random: Theodora was a bad ass. Her struggles during WWII were fascinating and proof positive that she loved her children…. SO HOW DID SHE LET THEM GO 20 YEARS WITHOUT STALKING THEM DOWN TO CHIDE THEM?
18. Random Point Expanded: HOW THE HELL DID HER WWII STRUGGLES NOT COME UP LATER IN THE BOOK? These girls lived and struggled through WWII in very tangible ways. How did they never have to draw on those experiences or recall the horrors later on? And because these experiences don’t come up later, why did the author bother to mention them at all!? I guess because it was the only good part of the book. REALLY.
*deep breath*
In conclusion, there was ONE piece of wisdom in this book: “If you don’t suffer, you don’t learn.” I will move forward from this experience with a deeper appreciation for well-planned, compelling stories.
... And a strong aversion to volcanoes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2018
Σελ. 50
«Η ζωή είναι σαν το ποτάμι που κυλάει αυτή τη στιγμή μπροστά μας. Εύκολα σε παρασύρει και σε τραβάει όπου εκείνο πηγαίνει. Όπως ένα ποτάμι δε γυρίζει πίσω, έτσι κι εσείς, αν σας παρασύρει, δε θα μπορέσετε να γυρίσετε… Να προσέχετε πάντα το ποτάμι… Μη σας παρασύρει…»
Η αλήθεια είναι ότι δεν ήξερα πόσα αστέρια να του βάλω. Ταλαντευόμουν ανάμεσα στα 3 και στο 1. Όμως, μετά από πολλή σκέψη κατέληξα στο ένα αστέρι. Οι λόγοι είναι οι εξής:
1) Το μελό, το κλάμα και η όλη δραματική φάση
2) Και οι πέντε ιστορίες είχαν τραγική κατάληξη (εκτός από το τέλος που φυσικά είναι HEA) που άρχισε να με κουράζει αυτό και περισσότερο να με εκνευρίζει.
3) Πολλές σελίδες η κάθε ιστορία. Γενικά με κουράζουν τα βιβλία με 500-550 σελίδες και πάνω.
4)Πολλά κλισέ και στο λόγο τους αλλά και στην όλη ιστορία (οι διάλογοι για κάποιο λόγο δεν μου φαίνονταν φυσικοί).
Το μόνο που μου άρεσε, και κάθε φορά την παραδέχομαι, είναι η πρωτοτυπία της Μαντά. Όπου παίρνει κάθε κλισέ ιστορία και της προσθέτει κάτι τεχνικά καινούργιο (εδώ πρόσθεσε 5 αδελφές) και το βγάζει λίγο από την κλισαδούρα του.
Η ιστορία, all in all, δεν με συγκίνησε, αντιθέτως με κούρασε.
Και εδώ θα με ρωτήσετε αφού δεν σου άρεσε το βιβλίο γιατί το διάβασες;
1)Το διάβασα γιατί μου το σύστησε φίλη.
2) Γιατί έχω ξαναδιαβάσει Μαντά και μου άρεσαν τα βιβλία της που είχα διαβάσει. Όμως, είχα διαβάσει μερικά από τα τελευταία της ("Τα Πέντε Κλειδιά", "Η Εκδίκηση των Αγγέλων") που είχαν στοιχεία που τα έκαναν διαφορετικά από τα παλαιότερά της. Ήμουν περίεργη να δω πως είναι και αυτό και πίστευα ότι και αυτό θα μου άρεσε αλλά τελικά αποδείχτηκε το εντελώς αντίθετο.
Τέλος πάντων, δεν θα την παρατήσω τόσο εύκολα τη Μαντά. Αν βρω ευκαιρία να διαβάσω και άλλα βιβλία της θα το κάνω. Απλώς αυτό έτυχε να είναι miss για εμένα.
«Η ζωή είναι σαν το ποτάμι που κυλάει αυτή τη στιγμή μπροστά μας. Εύκολα σε παρασύρει και σε τραβάει όπου εκείνο πηγαίνει. Όπως ένα ποτάμι δε γυρίζει πίσω, έτσι κι εσείς, αν σας παρασύρει, δε θα μπορέσετε να γυρίσετε… Να προσέχετε πάντα το ποτάμι… Μη σας παρασύρει…»
Η αλήθεια είναι ότι δεν ήξερα πόσα αστέρια να του βάλω. Ταλαντευόμουν ανάμεσα στα 3 και στο 1. Όμως, μετά από πολλή σκέψη κατέληξα στο ένα αστέρι. Οι λόγοι είναι οι εξής:
1) Το μελό, το κλάμα και η όλη δραματική φάση
2) Και οι πέντε ιστορίες είχαν τραγική κατάληξη (εκτός από το τέλος που φυσικά είναι HEA) που άρχισε να με κουράζει αυτό και περισσότερο να με εκνευρίζει.
3) Πολλές σελίδες η κάθε ιστορία. Γενικά με κουράζουν τα βιβλία με 500-550 σελίδες και πάνω.
4)Πολλά κλισέ και στο λόγο τους αλλά και στην όλη ιστορία (οι διάλογοι για κάποιο λόγο δεν μου φαίνονταν φυσικοί).
Το μόνο που μου άρεσε, και κάθε φορά την παραδέχομαι, είναι η πρωτοτυπία της Μαντά. Όπου παίρνει κάθε κλισέ ιστορία και της προσθέτει κάτι τεχνικά καινούργιο (εδώ πρόσθεσε 5 αδελφές) και το βγάζει λίγο από την κλισαδούρα του.
Η ιστορία, all in all, δεν με συγκίνησε, αντιθέτως με κούρασε.
Και εδώ θα με ρωτήσετε αφού δεν σου άρεσε το βιβλίο γιατί το διάβασες;
1)Το διάβασα γιατί μου το σύστησε φίλη.
2) Γιατί έχω ξαναδιαβάσει Μαντά και μου άρεσαν τα βιβλία της που είχα διαβάσει. Όμως, είχα διαβάσει μερικά από τα τελευταία της ("Τα Πέντε Κλειδιά", "Η Εκδίκηση των Αγγέλων") που είχαν στοιχεία που τα έκαναν διαφορετικά από τα παλαιότερά της. Ήμουν περίεργη να δω πως είναι και αυτό και πίστευα ότι και αυτό θα μου άρεσε αλλά τελικά αποδείχτηκε το εντελώς αντίθετο.
Τέλος πάντων, δεν θα την παρατήσω τόσο εύκολα τη Μαντά. Αν βρω ευκαιρία να διαβάσω και άλλα βιβλία της θα το κάνω. Απλώς αυτό έτυχε να είναι miss για εμένα.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,389 reviews