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A Bell in Bellapais: Echoes from a Cyprus Village
Cyprus 1948. John and Vivian Guthrie, along with their small daughter Deirdre, stumble upon the beautiful and untouched village of Bellapais. A chance meeting with a local leads to a decision that will change the course of their lives forever, as they adapt to village life in this enchanting true story on the island of Cyprus.
131 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 15, 2016
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November 12, 2018Description from @carobmill: A great companion to Bitter Lemons. John Guthrie was one of the first non-Cypriot settlers in Bellapaix. A friend of Durrell, his book is a gentle, endearing description of the village and life in Cyprus in the 50s. Deserves to be better known.
April 29, 2019
This was a charming book which described the author’s experiences living as ex-patriots in Bellapais in Northern Cyprus for a quarter of a century until the mid 1980s. It was easy to read and, for the most part, an enjoyable look at life in the town and its characters.
I initially thought it would cover much of the same ground as Laurence Durrell’s Bitter Lemons of Cyprus as this is also set in Bellapais at around the same time. While there is some overlap, A Bell in Bellapais mostly compliments Bitter Lemons. It is much gentler and less concerned with politics although it does touch upon how the troubles in Cyprus impacted this sleepy town. (Durrell had already left Bellapais when the Greek Population were moved to Southern Cyprus).
My main criticism of the book is that John Guthrie spends a little too much time describing their seemingly endless stream of British visitors to Irini, their house in Bellapais. I found these descriptions a little dull and unnecessary in contrast to their colorful anecdotes about the local Cypriot characters. I also found it a little odd that the author wrote in the third person about his experiences.
I would recommend this though for anyone planning a visit to Northern Cyprus. It is delightful and poignant without being too “heavy” a read.
I initially thought it would cover much of the same ground as Laurence Durrell’s Bitter Lemons of Cyprus as this is also set in Bellapais at around the same time. While there is some overlap, A Bell in Bellapais mostly compliments Bitter Lemons. It is much gentler and less concerned with politics although it does touch upon how the troubles in Cyprus impacted this sleepy town. (Durrell had already left Bellapais when the Greek Population were moved to Southern Cyprus).
My main criticism of the book is that John Guthrie spends a little too much time describing their seemingly endless stream of British visitors to Irini, their house in Bellapais. I found these descriptions a little dull and unnecessary in contrast to their colorful anecdotes about the local Cypriot characters. I also found it a little odd that the author wrote in the third person about his experiences.
I would recommend this though for anyone planning a visit to Northern Cyprus. It is delightful and poignant without being too “heavy” a read.
November 27, 2024
Loved it! A fabulous description of life in Bellapais.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews