Greece, A Love Story: Women Write about the Greek Experience

by Camille Cusumano (Editor)

Greece, it has been said, is where art became inseparable from life. The country evokes a richly embroidered tapestry of images, from old monuments rife with history to idyllic isles of glass-blue sea and blinding-white stucco dwellings. Greece enchants its visitors with its beauty, tradition, and spirit. In this eloquent collection, women share firsthand experiences of the people, history, and landscapes of Greece. Their essays go beyond ordinary travelogue to capture the ways in which Greece has shaped lives and influenced decisions. In expressing their love for the country, these women share stories as visceral as they are poignant, as entertaining as they are endearing. Whether they are seasoned travelers or armchair adventurers, Greece aficionados or those just beginning to learn about the country, readers of this compelling collection will gain a better understanding of Greece and how experiences abroad can impact their lives.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Greece

225 pages, Paperback

First published February 24, 2007

About the author

Camille Cusumano is the author of Tango, an Argentine Love Story, a memoir of a woman who loved, lost, got mad, and decided to dance. She was an editor at VIA Magazine, the West’s award-winning travel publication, for 17 years. Her work has appeared in publications such as National Geographic Traveler, Islands, Country Living, the San Francisco Chronicle, North American Review, Los Angeles Times, Christian Science Monitor, the New York Times, Yoga Journal, Vegetarian Times, and the Washington Post. Her cookbook credits include The New Foods (Henry Holt), America Loves Salads (Literary Guild), Rodale’s Basic Natural Foods Cookbook (co-written with Carol Munson, Editor Charles Gerras), and Tofu, Tempeh, and Other Soy Delights (Rodale). Her novel, The Last Cannoli (Legas), first published in 2000, was inspired by her growing up in a rather large Sicilian American family. She is the editor of the literary anthology series (above): France, a Love Story, Italy, a Love Story, Mexico, a Love Story, and Greece, a Love Story, all published by Seal Press, a division of Perseus Books, Berkeley, California. The Last Cannoli, second edition will soon be available as an eBook. See her blogs for updates on the writing life and her tango wanderings. www.camillecusumano.com
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001IXQ1OM?...

Reviews

[Jeanette (Ms. Feisty) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The editor did an excellent job of selecting these essays. They reflect a great variety of experiences and locales in Greece. There are 19 pieces, each by a different writer. Don't be put off by the book title. The "love story" refers to love of Greece, not sappy romances.

My favorites, in the order they appear in the book:

1)"Kostas and the Deep Sea"
Just overall rowdy fun!

2)"Adespotos"
The author had Greek parents but was adopted as an infant by Americans. As an adult she traveled to the mountains of Greece to visit the place where her life began.

3)"Siga Siga"
An interesting overview of the bicycling experience in Greece.

4)"A UFO in Greece"
The author married a Greek man and describes the gradual process of adjusting as a foreigner and being accepted.

5)"Rhodes's Lost Little Jerusalem"
A short but powerful piece that made me cry. The author visited the Kahal Shalom Synagogue in Rhodes and had a chance encounter with a Jewish woman who had been one of those rounded up by the Nazis in 1944. There was once a Jewish community of 2,000 in Rhodes. Now there are thirty.

I enjoyed all of the other pieces to varying degrees, with one exception:

"At the Seashore with Medea: A Marriage Unravels in Athens"
Full of self-pity over an unexpected divorce, this miserable thing didn't belong in the book. It was really all about herself and not about Greece.

[Gemma Searle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book the women who wrote these stories completely understand how I feel about this beautiful place

[Halli · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. Enjoyed the last few essays. Overall I think the editors were reaching for pieces from unhappy people who's lack of direction in their lives causes "existential crises" that aren't sated by Greece. I could have done without the religious dismissals of largely rational writers looking for proof behind everything having to do with Orthodoxy. And a main service is called liturgy, not mass. A simple clarification for the reader would have been much better than just completely dismissing one term for another. Worry beads are not a thing. Rather than ask questions about the prayer ropes that they are... Eyeroll.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book of short stories tremendously. I bought it 13 years ago & I'm so glad I held on to it! The first six chapters were especially good & the stories will remain with me for a lifetime. I can absolutely see myself reading some of these tales again & again.

I read one story a day & it was a gift because we cannot make it to Greece this year. I learned new things I didn't already know about the country's history, myth, must-see sites, traditions, hospitality & culture. The anthology jumps around to different decades. You will not find the standard descriptions of Santorini beaches or Mykonos nightclubs in these pages.

It felt like a privilege to read the intimate details of a person's travel to a new place--how the food tasted, the conversations they had, how they felt looking at the stars or visiting abandoned sites almost older than time & the impetus that lead to a trip so far from home. One common thread throughout the book is that Greece makes all of your senses come alive & the people embrace travelers like nowhere else on earth. When I do return to Greece, I will have clothes in my suitcase & the writers in this anthology on my mind.

[Vivienne Foroughirad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each story in and of itself was pretty good, but in collection they seemed a bit trite. Many followed the same idea of a young (or mid-life-crisis-aged) upper-middle class white woman travelling around Europe to "find herself". And they read like a 11th-grade English essay tasked at demonstrating the use of imagery. Of course Greece is a beautiful country, so I'm sure the waters of the Aegean are an exquisite turquoise and the men all have chiseled jaws and the moon does look like a bruised apricot, but sometimes it was a bit too much.

Many of the stories were of good quality of course, but I would recommend they be enjoyed spaced-out and interspersed with other readings perhaps, rather than plowed through in a single setting.

[Anita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Provided some good insite to Greek culture. Should have read it while in Greece instead of afterwards. Thankfully title is a bit misleading since it's not full of sappy romance stories...most are tales of adventure or misadventure. Too bad Greece was not my best travel experience.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed spending time with the author as she traveled through Greece. She wrote very vividly and I could see the scenery as she described it. Made me yearn for an opportunity to see the beauty of Greece myself in the future.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories in here and a few stinkers too. Memories aroused of my own Greek travels ... ages ago.

[Judie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful to read while in Greece. Short essays written by women about their time in Greece. Some I liked some were less appealing.

[HM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just some light travel stories so far... good for bathtub mindless reading :)