martydah's review against another edition
5.0
Before I picked this book up, I had little idea of the turbulence that swept through Greece during the late 60's to the late 70's. The story begins on the night of the military coup and recounts the experiences of three women and one man, all from the same family. Sophie, Anna, their mother Eleni and her brother Mihalis. Each resists the junta's oppressive regime in their own ways. Sophie and her left-leaning boyfriend commit secretive acts of rebellion until he is arrested and she flees to France. Eleni, a doctor, becomes involved in running an underground clinic for victims of torture - an act that could easily mean torture and imprisonment for herself. Mihalis, a radical poet, at first retreats from public life, but find that he can't be silent and disengaged after all. Anna, the youngest child, becomes embroiled in a stormy student protest toward the end of the regime's tenure that nearly costs her her life. This book does an excellent job of recreating the tension and fear that ran underneath the semblance of normal life and the fine line between survival and protest that each character must walk.
cmcgowan76's review against another edition
5.0
The Green Shore by Natalie Bakopoulos is a historical fiction novel that follows the effects of the military coup d'etat in 1967. While not a well-known historical movement, or at least one I didn't have knowledge of, it devastated much of Greece (mostly Athens) for many years. A coup d'etat is the sudden, illegal takeover of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to depose the extant government and replace it with another body, civil or military. Bakopoulos's novel follows the lives of one family and how this movement shaped their future.
She paints a very vivid picture of Greece, far different from the one that springs forth in my mind from movies such as Mama Mia' or The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Those deliver only romantic notions of this country with white washed buildings and beautiful seaside views. While these are still a part of the country, The Green Shore gives the reader a more intimate relationship with Greece, and by choices of the characters, Paris, France. The two countries are juxtaposed against one another to illuminate not only the struggles, but the triumphs of a turbulent political climate.
***Small plot spoilers***
Bakopoulous's family in the novel centers on the lives of four major characters, of which the reader loves and hates. Sophie, the first major character the reader connects with, is a strong willed activist in love with a very wealthy leftist boyfriend. This relationship fizzles when Sophie must suddenly flee the country and it is with her departure I feel we, as the reader, really get to know who she is without the plight and passions of Greece thrust upon her. Sophie is smart and strong, she knows her mind and her heart, and it is with grace and dignity that she reclaims the woman she should be in Paris. Her defect from the country is not selfish, in fact, it is to save those she loves. This breaks her mother's heart but about Sophie, Bakopoulos's writes, "She emerged from the womb with her hand out first. Christos [her father] had once joked that Sophie cut the cord, bathed herself, put on her shoes, and walked out of the hospital room, fully formed and bossing the nurses around." Her choices were almost predetermined and I fell immediately in love with Sophie's persona.
Eleni, Sophie's mother, is a widow struggling with the imprint of Sophie's idealist and revolutionary father thrust upon her daughter's internal drive. But she also see's her deceased husband's passion in Sophie, which makes her proud. She, herself, eventually becomes resistant to the invasion and uses the skills she possess to help. Eleni is afraid to be a part of another resistance and we see this in her actions, her choices. "At her feet she noticed discarded “No” ballots. At first, she assumed they had been cast by others like herself, people who wanted to vote their hearts but then became afraid. Then she considered something else. These “No” votes were probably bogus, planted there to dissuade those who entered brave and proud, to show them that yes, others had also thought like you, but see? They made the “right” decision after all." Through this I understood the challenges Eleni faced as a mother, what to do? Follow her heart, protect her home, make a safety net for her children? The turbulent forces of motherhood are alive and well deeply embedded with the turbulent forces of the world.
Eleni's brother, Mihalis, is a poet and former activist. This new push conjures up for him not only the hurt from the communist movement in the past, but stirs his desire to be a part of something great again, to take back Greece for the people.
This leaves Anna, the youngest daughter, whom I'm sorry to say, I couldn't stand. While she's touted as the young girl that finally reaches maturity and breaks the bonds of being the "baby" of the family, I found her whiney and misguided. Her choices stem not from a place of passion for her country like Sophie's, Eleni's, or even Mihalis', but from a selfish deep need to prove she is worthy.
However, I believe Bakopoulos's point of her novel was to help the reader understand the devastation of heavy-handed government and how it pushes people to the extremes of their inner demons; what people will do when they feel they have no other choice.
I found the novel to be moving in a deep and genuine way, and I found myself completely captured by the family involved, turning each page to find out if they were safe, alive, whole, loved. The power of Bakopoulos's writing is her ability to keep the reader's stamina in full force to the end. This was a book I did not want to put down. It wasn't that I just wanted to know what happened, I needed to know what happened.
This is Bakopoulos's first novel, complete at 368 pages, published by Simon and Schuster. While it is historical fiction, the prose is so elegant and full of wisdom, the history becomes the backdrop which propels the story to unfold. It does not, in anyway, feel like a textbook story of a military plight. This book questions many of our deepest philosophical questions, particularly the balance between public and private domains of ourselves, our families, our country. This book should go on the "read now" list. I stumbled upon it via a Writer's Digest article and I'm so glad I did.
For more about Natalie Bakopoulos visit her author page on the Simon and Schuster website: http://www.simonnovels.com/authors/natalie-bakopoulos
She paints a very vivid picture of Greece, far different from the one that springs forth in my mind from movies such as Mama Mia' or The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Those deliver only romantic notions of this country with white washed buildings and beautiful seaside views. While these are still a part of the country, The Green Shore gives the reader a more intimate relationship with Greece, and by choices of the characters, Paris, France. The two countries are juxtaposed against one another to illuminate not only the struggles, but the triumphs of a turbulent political climate.
***Small plot spoilers***
Bakopoulous's family in the novel centers on the lives of four major characters, of which the reader loves and hates. Sophie, the first major character the reader connects with, is a strong willed activist in love with a very wealthy leftist boyfriend. This relationship fizzles when Sophie must suddenly flee the country and it is with her departure I feel we, as the reader, really get to know who she is without the plight and passions of Greece thrust upon her. Sophie is smart and strong, she knows her mind and her heart, and it is with grace and dignity that she reclaims the woman she should be in Paris. Her defect from the country is not selfish, in fact, it is to save those she loves. This breaks her mother's heart but about Sophie, Bakopoulos's writes, "She emerged from the womb with her hand out first. Christos [her father] had once joked that Sophie cut the cord, bathed herself, put on her shoes, and walked out of the hospital room, fully formed and bossing the nurses around." Her choices were almost predetermined and I fell immediately in love with Sophie's persona.
Eleni, Sophie's mother, is a widow struggling with the imprint of Sophie's idealist and revolutionary father thrust upon her daughter's internal drive. But she also see's her deceased husband's passion in Sophie, which makes her proud. She, herself, eventually becomes resistant to the invasion and uses the skills she possess to help. Eleni is afraid to be a part of another resistance and we see this in her actions, her choices. "At her feet she noticed discarded “No” ballots. At first, she assumed they had been cast by others like herself, people who wanted to vote their hearts but then became afraid. Then she considered something else. These “No” votes were probably bogus, planted there to dissuade those who entered brave and proud, to show them that yes, others had also thought like you, but see? They made the “right” decision after all." Through this I understood the challenges Eleni faced as a mother, what to do? Follow her heart, protect her home, make a safety net for her children? The turbulent forces of motherhood are alive and well deeply embedded with the turbulent forces of the world.
Eleni's brother, Mihalis, is a poet and former activist. This new push conjures up for him not only the hurt from the communist movement in the past, but stirs his desire to be a part of something great again, to take back Greece for the people.
This leaves Anna, the youngest daughter, whom I'm sorry to say, I couldn't stand. While she's touted as the young girl that finally reaches maturity and breaks the bonds of being the "baby" of the family, I found her whiney and misguided. Her choices stem not from a place of passion for her country like Sophie's, Eleni's, or even Mihalis', but from a selfish deep need to prove she is worthy.
However, I believe Bakopoulos's point of her novel was to help the reader understand the devastation of heavy-handed government and how it pushes people to the extremes of their inner demons; what people will do when they feel they have no other choice.
I found the novel to be moving in a deep and genuine way, and I found myself completely captured by the family involved, turning each page to find out if they were safe, alive, whole, loved. The power of Bakopoulos's writing is her ability to keep the reader's stamina in full force to the end. This was a book I did not want to put down. It wasn't that I just wanted to know what happened, I needed to know what happened.
This is Bakopoulos's first novel, complete at 368 pages, published by Simon and Schuster. While it is historical fiction, the prose is so elegant and full of wisdom, the history becomes the backdrop which propels the story to unfold. It does not, in anyway, feel like a textbook story of a military plight. This book questions many of our deepest philosophical questions, particularly the balance between public and private domains of ourselves, our families, our country. This book should go on the "read now" list. I stumbled upon it via a Writer's Digest article and I'm so glad I did.
For more about Natalie Bakopoulos visit her author page on the Simon and Schuster website: http://www.simonnovels.com/authors/natalie-bakopoulos
im2bz's review against another edition
4.0
A beautifully written novel about a part of history I knew very little about. The book follows a family's experiences during the time surrounding the Greek coup d'etat in 1967. I enjoyed the descriptive insights into the local culture and traditions. It starts a bit slow, but follow through, because it definitely picks up and becomes quite engaging. The characters are well-developed and the topic seems well-researched. There isn't much of a true plot, but the book appears to be more character-driven rather that plot-driven. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, and I would like to read more books by this author in the future.
johannalm's review against another edition
4.0
The Green Shore, Natalie Bakopoulos
A terrific read and an impressive first novel. The Green Shore tells the story of a family dealing with life during and after the 1967 military coup in Greece. The novel chronicles the way certain members of the family survive the invasive, oppressive, and frightening military dictatorship that lasts for far too many years. Each in their own quiet and not so quiet way defy the dictators, if only by leaving Greece. The story unfolds leisurely, like a summer day in Greece, and totally fits the tale being told. Each of the main characters captivates, and their small and large rebellions teach you so much about who they are. I really enjoyed this and was glad to learn about a piece of history I knew absolutely nothing about
sarahc3319's review
3.0
I enjoyed Scorpionfish so much that I wanted to read more from her-- this one wasn't quite as captivating, but still a great book. I wanted to know more about Eleni and less about her children. My selfishness aside, it's worth a read.
p_tremuloides's review
5.0
One of the loveliest books I've read this year. I didn't know much about the Greek military coup that began in 1967, and now I know only slightly more, but Bakopoulos seems to have done her research, and on top of that created a number of compelling characters which she managed to shuffle through the duration of the coup.
Part of what I found lovely about this book was the pacing, and the precision with which Bakopoulos wove these characters together -- and how she tied their lives into the background of the coup, which in itself became a sort of character.
I found the book especially poignant given the increasing civil unrest in America at the moment, and how many of the things the characters in this novel were critical of, of the military government of Greece in this time, could be extrapolated (to varying degrees) to apply to some of the critical discourse going on around free speech / police violence / etc. in America today.
Part of what I found lovely about this book was the pacing, and the precision with which Bakopoulos wove these characters together -- and how she tied their lives into the background of the coup, which in itself became a sort of character.
I found the book especially poignant given the increasing civil unrest in America at the moment, and how many of the things the characters in this novel were critical of, of the military government of Greece in this time, could be extrapolated (to varying degrees) to apply to some of the critical discourse going on around free speech / police violence / etc. in America today.
illszjan's review
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ahsimlibrarian's review
1.0
The beginning drew me in and it is about a time and place I know nothing about--Greece in the 1960s and the political upheaval there. But it didn't move into its story fast enough for me, so I abandoned it.
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