Product Description

Scattered in a crescent in the sparkling waters of the Aegean, the islands of the Sporades are known to Greek fishermen as 'the gates of the wind'. It was to this unspoilt archipelago that Michael Carroll sailed Astarte, a boat of sleek mahogany with wine-red sails, named after the Phoenician goddess of the moon and the sea. But his dream of travelling where the wind took him, rootless and free, changed when he landed on Skopelos. There, a chance meeting with the charismatic Vangeli led to him buying a piece of land on a remote cove, once the site of an ancient city and the perfect harbour for Astarte. So unfolds the story of Carroll's growing attachment to Skopelos as he sets down roots and makes it his home. Engaging and vividly-described, 'An Island in Greece' is a sun-drenched tale of a life full of simple pleasures, governed by the seasons, the tides and the wind; the story of a traveller who finally arrived and a unique homage to the island that harboured him.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #53905 in Books
• Published on: 2009-02-28
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

About the Author
Michael Carroll was born in England in 1935. He was educated at Harrow and Cambridge but spent much of his early life in India. He is also the author of From a Persian Tea House, an account of his travels in Iran (also Tauris Parke Paperbacks). 'I loved the Greece I knew... the kind of free life that could be had with a boat among the islands.'

Customer Reviews

Careful
I recently bought this book thinking it was a follow-on from 'Gates of the Wind' by the same author. When the book arrived, I was disappointed to find out it is the same book, retitled and with a different cover photo. There is nothing to alert the purchaser of this. Call me a cynic, but would this have anything to do with trying to increase sales on the back of the recent success of 'Mamma Mia', by now including the word 'Skopelos' in the title? Having said this, the book is a good read for those interested in tales involving greek islands and, a particularly good read for those familiar with the Sporades, remembering of course, that it was first published in the mid-sixties.

Disappointment
I felt conned by this publication. Many people who know the area will have read Michael Carroll's "Gates of the Wind". It is the same book - so far as I can tell identical - with some five or six pages of introduction from the author. If you haven't read the original, then it is a lovely book that not only describes the development of a wonderful relationship between the author and the local people, but gives a graphic picture of the way they live. Although times have changed - particularly in Skiathos - the island life in Skopelos and Alonissos is recognisable today.

Same book, new title
I love the Sporades Islands and enjoyed Gates of the Wind so was excited to see a new book from the same author. I was disappointed. This is not a new book. It is simply Gates of the Wind with a couple of extra pages in the front. If you haven't read Gates of the Wind, this is a good book that really gives a sense of the islands and the characters that lived there. What a shame that the author didn't take the opportunity to continue the story rather than just reissue it.