The Summer of My Greek Taverna : A Memoir

Rating:
Summary: Stone's book on Greece is right on target in every way
Review: As a Greek-American who was born, and lives in the US, but also lived in Greece for 12 years, I am always very interested in reading the experiences of expatriates, especially those from the US. I took some time to read through the other reviews here, especially focusing on the ones with negative things to say. I must say this, because I like to keep my reviews brief: Tom Stone did not produce the perfect book here, nor do I think we should expect that from him---what he did do was absolutely capture both the Greek mentality and spirit, the beauty of the land and its culture, and the very difficult divide in which foreigners who live in Greece full-time find themselves. I highly recommend this book not just for Greek diaspora who want to wax nostalgic of the mother country, but for ANY American heading over for a visit, if not a longer stay. I recently recommended this book to two proteges of mine who were headed to Greece for a short stay, and a semester abroad respectively, and both told me upon their returns that it was a priceless learning tool which enhanced their visits, as well as a very enjoyable read. I cant think of any higher recommendation than that of didacticism and real world, in-country experience. Well done, Mr Stone!

Rating:
Summary: Good story, poor editing
Review: As a Philhellene hungry for true accounts of ex-pat's lives in Greece, and an ex-pat myself living in Greece, I really wanted to like this book. Unfortunately, I struggled many times with its irrelevant details and sometimes boring passages, which caused me to put it down frequently.

Unless you know or like Patmos already, it's difficult to envision some landscapes because either the details provided were too limp or simply tried to hard to paint a picture in my head where my imagination might have done better with fewer, succint descriptions.

I was also disappointed with simple editing/writing mistakes that Stone and his editor made such as using too many Greek words (spelled phonetically, not true to Greek) and then giving the English translation afterward. A person, like myself and many others, who know both Greek and English can find it annoying to have the same thing repeated twice. It's a beginner's mistake from Strunk and White's rules.

If I could get over the poor editing and lifeless passages, I found a gem of a story that could have shined brilliantly with the right organization, more concise adjectives and characters that came more to life. I do admire Thoma for his motivation, intention and courage to make his dreams come true. I do believe he is a good storyteller, as the author says he is in the book. I do believe this could have been a great memoir.

Please don't hate me for writing this review, but I'm being honest by presenting the good and the bad. A better memoir is "The Sailor's Wife" by Helen Benedict or Katherine Kizlos' "The Olive Grove."

Rating:
Summary: More Disappointing Than Cold Moussaka
Review: I heard Tom Stone interviewed recently on NPR's "Savvy Traveler." I couldn't wait to read this book, which seemed to promise a wonderful combination of travel and food writing. I was sorry to discover that it delivers nothing more than a tepid narrative of Stone's adventure, made nearly unreadable by the author's self-congratulatory tone. Stone's memoir develops no interesting characters and is so poorly organized, edited, and written that if there was actually a good story there the reader would be too annoyed to enjoy it. I would recommend that Stone employ a ghost writer if he wants to share his personal experiences in print ever again (but since he's a writer by profession this may be too much to expect).

I can't help commenting on the thing that irritated me most about this book, which was Stone's representations of his wife and kids. They were, in this book, just beautiful props without personality, devices for Stone's self-flattering view of himself.

One bright note: I haven't tried any of the recipes yet. Maybe they will redeem this disappointing book.

Rating:
Summary: More Disappointing Than Cold Moussaka
Review: Like other books of this genre---rich-enough-upper/middle classer eschews conformist corporate lifestyle for simple labor-intensive technologically sparse villa/farm lifestyle in foreign settin---the pure escapist notion of removing oneself from the rat race of traffic jams, cell phones, voice mail and other so-called conveniences of 21st century life somehow acts as a welcome tranquilizer for my overactive and overextended braincells.
Rather than choosing Provence or Tuscany, the author, Tom Stone, decides on the Greek Island of Patmos where John the Evangelist penned his gospel and the feared book of Revelations, as his halycon destination. Tom's reasoning is both nostalgic and capitalistic: it was on Patmos that he met and wooed his wife and wrote his first novel and it is on Patmos that he will accrue enough cash to see himself financially clear for an entire year. All he needs do is rent 'The Beautiful Helen' Taverna for the four hectic months of the summer season, incorporate his multi-national repetoire of delicious menu entrees to the typical Greek fare and through hard work and determination rack in a sizeable fortune.
Unfortunately, Tom overplays his hand with an overindulgence of American optimism. Amidst a silent, embarrassed chorus of less-than-encouraging island characters, Tom learns what the islanders already know: Fresh produce, fine recipes and hard work are not the only ingredients needed in maintaining a successful restaurant,a watchful eye is first and foremost when one is dealing with an unscrupulous partner like the taverna's owner, Theologos.
Soon, Tom's dreamscape of blue water and Greek light are obliviated by the all consuming operation of the taverna. As the Beautiful Helen's popularity increases, Tom's clearly drawn time allocations are blurred into a huge block of toil and varicose veins that barely afford him the time to sleep.
However throughout the Sisyphian tasks of running the taverna, Stone's writing style remains chatty and enthusiastic. Happily, in spite of his bouts with jealous friends, thieving partners, and evil-eye removing witches, Tom remains pleasantly breezy, refusing to let his misjudgement dampen his spirits. Above all, the reader gets the sense that even as he is cast out of his Eden by economic necessity, he is not soured by the presense of the serpent in the garden---his omnipresent need to breath the air of Hellas remains pure and untainted. His exuberance forces us to understand why he undertook the proposition in the first place while his charitable highlighting of the high points of taverna life rather than his humiliations results in a pleasant true-to-life portrayal of the Greek's resolve in business as seasoned by the resource-isolated island life.
One Note: I was saddened that the author's marriage to 'Danielle' ended in divorce no matter how amicable--his love for her was palpable even through the worst of his ordeal.

Rating:
Summary: Getting It Right
Review: Many expatriates write about their Greek experiences but very few get it right. Tom Stone does an amazing job of capturing the Greeks and all their foibles, the place and all its magic, the lifestyle and all its pitfalls. Forget all the other books you may have read by foreigners in Greece and get this one for its authenticity, charm and great writing.

Rating:
Summary: The Summer of my Greek Taverna
Review: Save your money and read "Extra Virgin" instead.

In a book about someone opening a greek restaurant, it takes the author half the pages to even begin cooking his first meal. Much of the book is given to the author's whining about money, unfair deals and his struggles.

And to Tom (the author), thanks for reminding us that you sleep in the nude. That added so much to the book.

No laugh out loud moments here and the recipes are just really filler to pad the book.

Rating:
Summary: Enthusiastic about Patmos
Review: Since I have spent a lot of time on the Island of Patmos, I was glad to learn that this book had been published and I ordered it immediately. I have a few negative observations to make about the book, so I'd better start out with the positive stuff. The book is a pleasant read. In general the author captures the flavor and beauty of the island and its inhabitants. It is also a fast read. But my own experience on the island makes me believe that its people are rather un-Greek in the sense that they are kinda sneaky. They are also generally unhappy people, quite grim. This may be caused by being dominated by the church. One young Patmian I met said he wanted to go away and live in Athens because he couldn't stand the idea of living his whole life in a cemetery. Too much religion makes Demitrios a dull boy.

Now, the book is about how an American gets duped by a Patmian when he agrees to become his partner in a beachside restaurant. This isn't really enough of a story to make a whole book, but as it turns out, it is rather successful because the author has flair and a knack for characterization that he uses effectively.

There may be a problem in the possiblility that readers will get the notion that all Greeks behave in the same underhanded way as the author's alleged partner. They do not. Patmians are a special kind of Greek, which may have something to do with the island's being dominated by the monastery up on the hill. The abbot of the monastery actually functions as the local bishop, and he isn't even a bishop. Most of the monks at the monastery are a pretty sour lot, too. The local priests, on the other hand, are a nice bunch of people who try to make outsiders feel welcome even in church. Strange, isn't it?

The author is also the narrator, and little attempt is made to separate the two. This means there is little literary distance in the work...the author gives the impression of writing in the white heat of his emotional letdown when the whole situation at the restaurant comes to a head and he has to confront his thieving partner. The other characters are portrayed quite well, even the minor ones.

Summing up, this is an interesting story, but is only a story, even though it is probably based on real life experience. But there of not enough of it for a full length book.

Rating:
Summary: The Summer of my Greek Taverna
Review: Very enjoyable ! Tom Stone is a breath of fresh air in the travel writing world. There is a sensual undercurrent in his writing! Loved this book!