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cooks4eleven's review against another edition
2.0
Disappointing
Five sisters yearn for more than their small village offers. They each try their luck outside of the village. The story is engaging, but the idea that adventures should be discouraged bothered me throughout the entire book.
Five sisters yearn for more than their small village offers. They each try their luck outside of the village. The story is engaging, but the idea that adventures should be discouraged bothered me throughout the entire book.
coskel's review against another edition
4.0
Good but predictable ending
Too much foreshadowing of the very predictable ending. I still found it an enjoyable read though not memorable. Excellent translation.
Too much foreshadowing of the very predictable ending. I still found it an enjoyable read though not memorable. Excellent translation.
mollybowen's review against another edition
5.0
5 sisters from a tiny Greek village all choose separate paths.
thechronicknitter's review against another edition
4.0
This is a multi-generational saga that takes place in Greece before WWII (at the beginning) where the love story the of parents begins. After the five daughters are born WWII has begun, and we see how the single mother helps her children survive when the Germans have invaded Greece and are taking all of their food and provisions. Once the daughters are old enough they begin marrying and moving away. All are eager to leave the small village beneath Mount Olympus that they grew up in and the house by the river. But before each daughter leaves their mother tells them that whenever they want, when life knocks them down, they are welcome to return home. One daughter leaves for America, one for Africa, and the others are scattered around Greece, some in Athens at the same time. Readers watch their ups and downs, their shameful moments and the times when they are happiest. But like many of us, they all end up back home in the end with little ones in tow who fall in love with the village their mothers couldn't wait to leave.
cspacco's review against another edition
2.0
Like other reviews have mentioned, this book was incredibly tedious and repetitive. I was enthralled with the story of the first daughter, and less and less enthused as the story was basically repeated with each of the other daughters. I didn't feel like there was enough character development to really distinguish any of the characters from each other, and I really didn't like the casual "white saviour" racism through the middle of the book. I'd say, don't bother reading this
balancinghistorybooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
esquiredtoread's review against another edition
5.0
My Greece book around the world.
I REALLY thoroughly enjoyed this. It has the family psychology/dysfunction of an Anne Tyler novel but the prose and sweeping saga that Isabel Allende provides. I wish I could read more by this author, but this is the only book translated to English. I also enjoyed the look into Greek Orthodoxy in their every day lives, the village vs city, and the varying stories we got through all of the sisters. I wish this book was longer because I so enjoyed being in this world.
Also, I used Amazon whispersync to read&listen to this so I was pretty constantly in their world until I finished it, haha.
I REALLY thoroughly enjoyed this. It has the family psychology/dysfunction of an Anne Tyler novel but the prose and sweeping saga that Isabel Allende provides. I wish I could read more by this author, but this is the only book translated to English. I also enjoyed the look into Greek Orthodoxy in their every day lives, the village vs city, and the varying stories we got through all of the sisters. I wish this book was longer because I so enjoyed being in this world.
Also, I used Amazon whispersync to read&listen to this so I was pretty constantly in their world until I finished it, haha.
anatomydetective's review against another edition
1.0
A painful dragging read, a long drawn out fairy tale about amazingly beautiful women who suffer contrived tragedies.
mst3kakalina's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0