When The Cypress Whispers: A Novel by Yvette Manessis Corporon

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

The daughter of Greek immigrants, Daphne aspires to the American dream yet feels as if she's been sleepwalking through life.  Caught between her family's old-world traditions and the demands of a modern career, she cannot seem to find her place.

Only her beloved grandmother on Erikousa, a magical island off the coast of Greece, knows her heart.  Daphne's fondest memories are of times spent in the kitchen with Yia-yia, cooking and learning about the ancient myths.  It was the thought of Yia-yia that consoled Daphne in the wake of her husband's unexpected death.

After years of struggling to raise her child and pay the bills, Daphne now has a successful restaurant, a growing reputation as a chef, and a wealthy fiance - everything she's ever wanted.  But across the ocean, Yia-yia can see through the storybook perfect of Daphne's new life, and now she is calling her back to Erikousa.  She has secrets about the past to share with her granddaughter - stories from the war, of loyalty and bravery in the face of death.  She also has one last lesson to teach her: that security is not love, and that her life can be filled with meaning again.

my thoughts:

I've never been to Greece, but after reading this book I feel as I've been there now.  There are vivid descriptions of a country so beautiful, it makes me want to book a flight there TODAY!!  Luckily, I have a Greek friend who resides in Athens (we were flatmates in grad school) and she's invited me a number of times to come visit - after reading this book, I just may have to take her up on her offer.

When The Cypress Whispers is the story of a woman struggling to figure out what it is she truly wants from life.  On the surface, Daphne's life is picture perfect, but once you dig a little deeper you begin to realize that this woman's life is a lot messier than you would have thought.  So, when she gets lured to visit her grandmother and a country she loves, Daphne can't help but return to a life she left behind.  This time round she has a daughter to accompany her and to teach all of their family and cultural traditions to.

The story is fairly predictable, which makes it rather unexciting to read at times.  I found the characters to be a bit stereotypical in their actions and wasn't really rooting for any of them.  The only highlights of the book were the descriptions of the island and the food.  It was kind of interesting the way that Corporon attempted to insert myths and legends into the storyline, but in the end it really didn't seem to elevate it much.  Overall, this book did make me appreciate the obvious love for Greece that the author has, but that's pretty much it.

I would recommend When The Cypress Whispers to fans of women's fiction.  And, here's the schedule for the TLC Book Tour of: When The Cypress Whispers

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!