I read this in anticipation of an upcoming trip to Greece. It’s a memoir set in Athens around 2004. The author’s anthropological eye is used wonderfully here to capture her adopted country. She shares about pieces of their history and culture that have shaped the people. I loved learning more about what sets the Greek people apart. It’s not a frothy read, and focuses frequently on dark things from their history like Nazi occupation, the treatment of Albanian people, and conflict with the Turks. She also explores the way holidays, like Easter, are celebrated and how a certain group of men compete to see how many tourists they can sleep with. But I really enjoyed it and felt like I was getting an honest look at the country beyond the tourist borders.

“The Parthenon takes its color from all our thoughts and all our dreams.” - Kostis Palamas

“We are all Greeks. Our laws, our literature, our religion, our arts have their root in Greece.” - Shelley ( )

British-born Sofka Zinovieff travels back to Athens, Greece with her Greek husband and children. In Eurydice Street she recounts the first year of her efforts to "become" Greek. Embracing culture, politics and customs, Zinovieff vividly describes the swirling life around her. Because of her unbridled enthusiasm, friends comment she is more Greek than her husband. Eurydice Street is an interesting blend of history, travelogue, memoir, and political commentary on all things Athens. ( )

This story was a great introduction to our holiday in Greece. It explained many of the things we saw as we drove around Greece and gave us a useful background in to the Greek way of life. Sofia Zinovieff is honest about the shortcomings of life in Greece but also charmed by the country and as a non-native living there she is able to give a visitors perspective on this beautiful country. Set in Athens, it is clear that this is another world to northern Greece but it is still useful background. She writes well with humour and generosity. ( )

Eurydice Street is British-born journalist Zinovieff's memoir of her move to Athens with her Greek husband and their two children. The title comes from the name of their street in the suburb of Vouliagmeni. She'd trained as an anthropologist and done graduate work in Greece, so she spoke Greek and had ideas of becoming a "real" Greek, going so far as trying to become a citizen. However, unlike her husband, who quickly readjusts to life in Greece after around 20 years away, and her two children who are young enough to soak up the culture like little sponges, things don't quite come as easily for Sofka.

But it's the small joys and idiosyncrasies of Greek life that capture you. Her prose is gorgeous, and you find yourself effortlessly picking up Greek history and culture without any mental effort on your part. The book was written before the economic crisis, but you definitely get the picture that it is a society on the edge of change. She meets a politician who views doing favors as a gift he can give and gets told that her citizenship will take two years unless she knows someone. The Olympics are gearing up, and the old ways are falling apart, but still the family manages to stay together and even flourish.

Highly recommended for anyone with an interest in modern Greece, memoirs, or good prose. ( )

I read this while in Athens, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I see the one other reviewer here compared it unfavorably to Dinner With Persephone: I was going to write the opposite. I found Eurydice Street better-written and more interesting, whereas I had to skim much of Dinner. I'd recommend this book for anyone wanting an insider's perspective on Greece and Athens. ( )