Product Description

Sofka Zinovieff had fallen in love with Greece as a student, but little suspected that years later she would, return for good with an expatriate Greek husband and two young daughters. This book is a wonderfully fresh, funny, and inquiring account of her first year as an Athenian. The whole family have to get to grips with their new life and identities: the children start school and tackle a new language, and Sofka's husband, Vassilis, comes home after half a lifetime away. Meanwhile, Sofka resolves to get to know her new city and become a Greek citizen, which turns out to be a process of Byzantine complexity. As the months go by, Sofka's discovers how memories of Athens' past haunt its present in its music, poetry, and history. She also learns about the difficult art of catching a taxi, the importance of smoking, the unimportance of time-keeping, and how to get your Christmas piglet cooked at the baker's.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #92295 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 276 pages

The Independent
‘Zinovieff brings an affectionate and witty eye to the idiosyncracies- universal smoking, evil eyes, massive midnight dinners- of Greek life'

Betrams Summer Reading catalogue
'A wonderfully evocative account of moving to Athens'

The Independent (50 Best Books for Summer)
'Perfect for that Greek island paradise'

Customer Reviews

Living with an Athenian !!
A beautifully written book, giving some insight into Greek culture and the etiquette of living and surviving in Athenian society.
I loved it & learnt much that I didn't already know from my many visits & my Athenian Husband. I recommend it to anyone interested in Greece or the Greeks .

Required reading for anyone interested in Greece
Anyone moving to Greece or interested in finding out more about the contemporary country should read this book. The author, newly ensconced in Athens, takes the reader on the voyage of discovery through Greek customs, etiquette, culture and modern history that she herself has embarked upon.

As a Greek myself, I can vouch for the accuracy of her observations. She pinpoints precisely the things I love and hate about the old country, and does so in a way that is measured, yet passionate - and never less than engaging and articulate.

The real Greece
This is a smashing read. I read it whilst buying a property in Greece, and it made the whole experience enjoyable rather than stressful, as the author described and explained Greek social culture and customs. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about Greece, its extraordinary people and what it might be like to live there.