A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £0.25
Get an extra £5 when you trade in books worth £10 or more until June 30, 2012. Trade in A Watermelon, a Fish and a Bible for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £0.25, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Find more products eligible for trade-in.
|
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'So much more than another romantic beach read, this is a powerful piece of writing' Sunday Telegraph.
Product Description
It is July 1974 and on a bright, sunny morning, the Turkish army has invaded the village of Kyrenia in Cyprus. For many people, this means an end to life as they know it. But for some, it is a chance to begin living again. Koki, a young villager, feared and hated by her neighbours for her startling red hair, has spent her life in shadow. But held captive in the house to which the women of Kyrenia have been brought, she can at last speak to them as an equal. She can tell them her story of a summer long ago. The young, Turkish shoe-maker who came to the village and took her heart away with him when he left. And how she has longed for him all these years and never known why he left, what took him away. Adem Berker is a Turkish soldier and for him, the invasion of his former home is an opportunity to seek out the woman he has loved for so many years. Waiting for a chance to return, his only thought has been of her. And so, by cover of darkness, he searches every house, every pathway for a glimpse of that head of flames. For Richard, growing old and grey in a dank bedsit in the centre of London, where the underground trains shake the foundations, the invasion of Cyprus stirs memories of his time as a British pilot, of a woman, a child and a secret it is becoming all too difficult to keep.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Christy Lefteri's debut novel is a darker read than the sunny and romantic cover suggests, though it is indeed a love story above all else. Dealing with events surrounding the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, the book is a little reminiscent of 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' in portraying the devastations inflicted on the local populace by an invading army. Unlike Louis de Berniere's multiple-viewpoint narrative however, Lefteri concerns herself mostly with the struggles of her two main protagonists, interspersing their story with the reminiscences of an older character based in London. The book features some very gruelling scenes but the dark tone is leavened by sharp and often beautiful prose, and the author's selection of detail is always a delight. What works particularly well is the sense that we are entering a world of storytelling; that legends, myths and reputations in the close-knit Cypriot communities are all perpetuated through communal interaction. The invasion of a military force thus becomes even more shattering as old heirarchies are overturned and untold stories begin to emerge. I finished the book feeling not only haunted by the struggles endured by the characters but by a way of life that seems almost to belong to a different age. Ms Lefteri is obviously a writer of great talent, and I shall certainly take an interest in whatever she does next.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A tale of intersecting lives brought together during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and told over a period of eight days, Lefteri's first novel moves along at a fast pace and has some haunting, poignant moments. Personally I found her style a little grating at times and her depiction of Greek Cypriots as victims and Turks as bloodthirsty rapists is probably a little overdrawn; nevertheless, it paints a picturesque if sentimental portrait of Cyprus and is structured cleverly, weaving a series of personal stories spanning decades into the space of a dramatic week. Not a literary classic but a very passable page-turner and an interesting literary take on one of the darker moments in Cypriot history.
Style: 5/10
Structure: 8/10
Depth: 5/10
Originality: 5/10
Unputdownability: 7/10
Style: 5/10
Structure: 8/10
Depth: 5/10
Originality: 5/10
Unputdownability: 7/10
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have read several books about the conflict in Cyprus but I found this one the most disturbing. It was also written very strongly from the Greek Cypriot point of view. The Turks are not all cruel and also suffered greatly. I also think there was too much poetry in it. The book was obviously written from her parents memories and in that way it is very touching.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great title, brilliant book!
Riveting, beautiful and brutal, I found this book a real change. About somewhere I knew nothing about, either the island or its history, I ended up researching the events of 1974... Read more
Published 20 days ago by ALI JC
the sun bleeds the slaughter of yesterday
Set in Cyprus (1960 & 1974) and London (1974), A WATERMELON, A FISH AND A BIBLE, is essential the story of Koki, a Greek Cypriot woman during the Turkish invasion of the island,... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kartowidjojo
I would thoroughly recommend this book!!!!
I found this book fascinating, yet deeply disturbing. It is beautifully written...poetic almost. Having said that, this book is full of gritty realism. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Angela T
Absolutely amazing!!
This is the first review I am writing, and I just had to because of how moved and emotional this book made me! Read more
Published 8 months ago by Maz
How I hate the 'historic present'
This lady is clearly a gifted writer and the story hangs together. It is not a love story. It is a drama with both tension and angst. The cover doesn't help. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Charles Lewis
absolutely loved it
I really could not put this down. The writing is so vivid and really reminds me of my first visit to Cyprus in 1972. The story too, kept me really hooked. A really great read!
Published 9 months ago by Kyri
Boring
I read this for a Book Club but if I had a choice I wouldn't have read it. I found it boring and didn't finish it.
Published 11 months ago by R. Spencer
Great Read
I recently read this book on my summer holiday, a fantastic read and very well written, i highly recommend it, i was hooked from the very first page.
Published 11 months ago by rowan tree
Captivating
It's a long time since a book kept me awake until 5am because I just couldn't put it down. I had to know what was going to happen next - was he going to save them? Read more
Published on 9 May 2010 by Andria
Don't sprout where you haven't been planted
I read this book after it was reviewed on BBC Radio 4 recently. The author was interviewed as well and this helped me understand where the powerful emotion in the book has come... Read more
Published on 1 May 2010 by Singapore Relic
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
