- Hardcover: 289 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press (5 July 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0593051890
- ISBN-13: 978-0593051894
- Product Dimensions: 21.4 x 14.6 x 3.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,105,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Book Description
The moving and entertaining story of one woman's attempt to understand her family's history in Greece.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Eleni Gage, a young journalist living in New York, leaves her Manhattan flat to return to her family's native Greece and rebuild her grandmother's house in the remote but beautiful northern village of Lia. What motivates her and makes her story particularly remarkable is the fact that her grandmother, also called Eleni, was imprisoned in the house during the Greek Civil War before eventually being executed. Part personal quest into her family's history, part exploration of the nature of history itself, this is a moving yet amusing story set in Epiros, one of the least visited regions of Europe. The cast of characters include Eleni's formidable yet miniscule aunts, the thitsas, who fear that she will be eaten by wolves, her Albanian builders and the residents of modern-day Lia who help in the complex process of reconstructing the house where such terrible events took place. As this is the real Greece, populated by real people rather than rustic stereotypes, Eleni's plans do not always work out as intended though ultimately she finds the resolution she desires. NORTH OF ITHAKA will appeal to those who were entranced by CAPTAIN CORELLI'S MANDOLIN and have ever wondered about the real
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
It comes as no surprise that Eleni Gage turns out to be a gifted writer. It runs in the blood, I guess. Her father is the well known Nicholas Gage who wrote, among other fine books, one about his mother Eleni who was murdered by Communist guerrillas in the Greek civil war just after WW II. When I read it a few years ago it left me in a state of shock for about a week.
The present more upbeat work recounts the author's yearlong stay in the village of Lia, close to the Albanian border, where she succeeds in rebuilding the very house in which her grandmother and other villagers were kept prisoners before being brutally murdered more than a half-century earlier.
The author wants to strengthen her sense of rootedness in Epirus while holding on to the values and habits of thought she has acquired as an American woman. She wants to fit into life in her ancestral village without being seduced by a mindset she has been conditioned to reject - or at least question. She encounters lots of customs and practices that can be classed as superstition or magic (or even idolatry) that the locals think are part of Christianity but which she finds only marginally acceptable. Most of the people she runs into treat her with great kindness and become her friends even though none of them are nearly as well educated as she. They are mostly old or elderly.
The author experiences some emotional turmoil as the reconstruction process runs into some snags and delays, and as she has to deal with bureaucrats and others whose venality and incompetence would make a less motivated person wonder if it is all worth it. An almost constant presence in the book is the author's earthy Aunt Kanta, the Greek-born American lady who speaks imperfect English, believes everything in America is perfect, and has opinions on every conceivable topic, including why her niece is single and what she should do to get married. Even though Kanta is very in-your-face and sometimes a pain in the neck, she is still lovable. And so are the villagers. And so are the undocumented Albanians who cross the border looking for work.
What I liked most about this book, apart from its being very well written and sometimes lyrical, is its spirit of optimism and hope for the future - of humanity.
The present more upbeat work recounts the author's yearlong stay in the village of Lia, close to the Albanian border, where she succeeds in rebuilding the very house in which her grandmother and other villagers were kept prisoners before being brutally murdered more than a half-century earlier.
The author wants to strengthen her sense of rootedness in Epirus while holding on to the values and habits of thought she has acquired as an American woman. She wants to fit into life in her ancestral village without being seduced by a mindset she has been conditioned to reject - or at least question. She encounters lots of customs and practices that can be classed as superstition or magic (or even idolatry) that the locals think are part of Christianity but which she finds only marginally acceptable. Most of the people she runs into treat her with great kindness and become her friends even though none of them are nearly as well educated as she. They are mostly old or elderly.
The author experiences some emotional turmoil as the reconstruction process runs into some snags and delays, and as she has to deal with bureaucrats and others whose venality and incompetence would make a less motivated person wonder if it is all worth it. An almost constant presence in the book is the author's earthy Aunt Kanta, the Greek-born American lady who speaks imperfect English, believes everything in America is perfect, and has opinions on every conceivable topic, including why her niece is single and what she should do to get married. Even though Kanta is very in-your-face and sometimes a pain in the neck, she is still lovable. And so are the villagers. And so are the undocumented Albanians who cross the border looking for work.
What I liked most about this book, apart from its being very well written and sometimes lyrical, is its spirit of optimism and hope for the future - of humanity.
27 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Eleni Gage takes after her father and is aptly named after her heroic grandmother. This is the journey of Eleni Gage when she travels back to the family home in Lia, Greece to rebuild the home of her grandmother Eleni. To read this book, you must first have read ELENI by her father Nick Gage (the best book ever written!), only then can you understand the journey that Eleni takes. It is a joy to read about the friends she makes and how with each layer of the house completed, she falls under the spell of this enchanting village. Yet you never forget the dark secrets of the past. How her grandmother was held prisoner in the basement of the house and tortured before being shot to death for the crime of protecting her children. How hard it must have been for Nick and his sister to return to see the house that they grew up in standing tall once again.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
At last an intelligently well-written book about a 'foreigner' in Greece who isn't saying 'aren't Greeks funny with their odd little ways' but 'Aren't I odd that I didn't know these funny old customs and traditions'. OK, so Eleni isn't exactly a foreigner but she still had a lot to learn when she starts to rebuild her grandmother's house.
The insights she gives into Greek mountain-village life are fascinating and at times the memories she stirs up of her grandmotherEleni (Panther)are very, very moving.
I loved 'North of Ithaka'.
The insights she gives into Greek mountain-village life are fascinating and at times the memories she stirs up of her grandmotherEleni (Panther)are very, very moving.
I loved 'North of Ithaka'.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting
I bought this because my family comes from that region of Greece. I did not really empathise a lot with the author. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Alexia
Wonderful
Eleni Gage is the daughter of writer Nicholas Gage. His most famous book; Eleni is the story of his mother who was murdered during the Greek Civil War. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Lincs Reader
read the father's book
The other reviewers are too praiseworthy . Read her father's book "Eleni" first (classic literature) , then read this .
Published 12 months ago by ben
North of Ithaka
Well written book,Elini is as good a writer as her father (Nicholas). Her observations of Greek people and their culture are very interesting.
Published on 8 Feb 2009 by Bruce Richardson
North of Ithaca - Eleni Gage
Arrived within 2 days and I read it straight off cover to cover. Very engaging and charmingly written. Read more
Published on 4 Feb 2009 by Mrs. L. Welland
Loved Eleni but not this book
I loved Eleni, wow what a book and an amazing story and having a greek background im always on the look out for good books but this particular book was a big let down, boring and... Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2009 by Kasta
Great story and it is true
I have not finished reading this book yet and tell you the truth i want to go on and on reading it i dont want her to go back to the USA i want her to stay in Lia i love the book i... Read more
Published on 1 Jan 2009 by Scott Leslie
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