The House on Paradise Street

For somebody who knew nothing about post WWII politics in Greece, this was a most interesting and informative read. The great strength of this book is that it explains a complex political background very clearly and weaves it into the story in such a way as to make it easy to follow.
In terms of writing, it's not 'Captain Correlli's Mandolin' which is why I've given it three stars. The story is well-told with strong female characters but the alternating POVs jarred a little with me from time to time. The older women are very convincingly and sympathetically drawn but I found the grand-daughter annoying. Unfortunately the final part is written in her POV which spoiled the ending for me.
While it's very readable, this is a book about show more serious topics. It gives great insight into the background to contemporary Greece and would be well worth reading before visiting Greece. But it isn't light holiday reading.
In my case, it was an impulse kindle buy. These can be hit or miss, but this is one I'm very pleased I found. show less

This is a gripping story told in alternating chapters through the voices of Antigone Perifanis, a Greek communist who has been in exile in Russia since the end of the Greek civil war, and Maud Perifanis, an English woman living in Greece. At the start of the book, these two come together through the death of Nikitas - Maud's husband and Antigone's son. As the story unfolds, the horrific impact of WW11 and the Greek civil war on the Greek population is revealed through events in the Perifanis family. The story is closely influenced by actual events and a lot of historical detail is narrated through the main characters so the writing is more reminiscent of a memoir or biography than a novel. Nonetheless, Zinovieff deftly explores the show more themes of mourning [loss of loved ones] and melancholia [loss of homeland] of the two central characters. One for Grecophiles. show less