Consumed by a myth about Zeus, a magic sword, and soul mates, Greek-American professor Thair Mylopoulos-Wright has spent much of her life searching for her Other Half. At thirty-one, she spends a summer in Greece; there, alone on a tranquil island, she begins writing stories about her grandmother’s experiences in 1940s Egypt, her mother’s youth in 1960s Greece, and finally, her own life in … contemporary America—trying to make sense of her future by exploring the past.
Spanning Thair’s life from thirty-one to thirty-six, The Greek Persuasion explores human sexuality, the complexity of mother-daughter relationships, and the choices women of different generations make when choosing—or settling—for “Mr. (or Ms.) Good Enough.” Will Thair ever find that missing part of her that Zeus chopped off with his magic sword? Or is the concept of The One just one big fairy tale that has left her searching for someone who doesn’t exist?
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Overall I enjoyed reading this book. The book begins with Thair moving to a Greek Isle after a break up. While there she reflects on her life and loves as well as those of her grandmother and mother. I really enjoyed the island setting and the women’s stories. The book is well written and easy to read. Enjoy
At a time when we’re not able to easily travel, most especially to international destinations, we are fortunate to have books that help us continue to explore the world. Kimberly Robeson’s debut novel, “The Greek Persuasion,” takes place in a few distinct locations, but Greece is a central character. Greece—the colors, light, history, heritage, myths, landscapes, scents, cuisine, language—is beautifully rendered and a wonderful partner in this story that leads the reader on a revelatory journey of heart and head. Written in first and third persons, often feeling more like memoir than fiction, the unfolding tale explores the connections and disconnections of the two, while striving to meld them. The reader follows the protagonist, Thair, as she embraces the complexities of love, romance, desire, family, and culture. It’s an exploration of self-discovery and understanding that ultimately leads to self-acceptance.
I enjoyed my journey in Thair’s mind as she explores her Greek heritage, sexuality, disinterest in motherhood and other realities that modern women face today. The backdrop of Greek culture and landscape enrich the experience as we root for Thair to find fulfillment. I predict that any woman facing an uncertain future and emerging relationships will appreciate the honesty in which the author tackles these topics.
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Thought provoking
The Greek Persuasion by Kimberly Robeson is about Thair, a Greek-American woman, and her exploration of the power of love, in all its forms. We follow Thair’s explorations of her mother’s and grandmother’s lives in mid-20 century Greece and Egypt before following Thair’s own journey from Southern California to Greece in her quest to find fulfilling, long-lasting love. The Greek Persuasion is a compelling story about relationships: between mothers and daughters, among friends and soulmates. The stunning descriptions of modern Greece were enough to make me want to book my next vacation there! The Greek Persuasion is a joy to read. I highly recommend it.
I must admit I have now read and re-read “The Greek Persuasion” more times than I can count, and have been seized by its story every single time. An intricate novel spanning three-generations of women and more than two continents, “The Greek Persuasion” is a tale of love and identity that is both honest and unapologetic in how it raises the struggles faced by the turn-of-the-21st-century Western middle-class woman. Narrated in the inquisitive, reflective and often downright hilarious voice of Greek-American college professor Thair Mylopoulos-Wright, the novel explores questions of love, sexuality and identity as its first-personal protagonist writes her mother’s, her grandmother’s and her own story. Robeson takes you to the coasts of Greece and California with images so vivid you can almost feel yourself swimming with Thair in the Aegean, driving away from “suburbia hell” after a fight with her mom, and being caught by a student leaving a bar in the gay hub of San Diego. The novel is a riveting journey taken by a mind refreshingly unafraid to ask the questions many of us ask (no matter how seemingly small), and to challenge the categories with which we define ourselves— even when it involves digging into the roots of family history and the very ancient myths that make it up. An absolute delight to read—I truly could not recommend “The Greek Persuasion” more highly.
This book is smart, though-provoking, yet easy read (maybe a beach read). The locations, Greece and SoCal, are vivid characters in the book, and I felt immersed in them – could visualize the blue sea, feel the heat, taste the Greek food (fresh Greek tomatoes and their complex taste are mentioned often, signifying more than just a food). In particular I enjoyed the stories of the protagonist’s grandmother and mother, that take the reader back to 1940’s Egypt and Greece, and 1960’s Greece, and would have liked to see more of it in the novel. The protagonist’s strong relationship with her grandma and her roots in Greece inform a lot of her thinking and actions. Her musings and conversations about feminism, sexual orientation, children, expectations of women, serial monogamy, etc., aren’t heavy-handed but seamlessly woven into the novel, and they add that extra dimension that make this book a compelling and relatable read
The Greek Persuasion, Kimberly Robeson’s debut novel, delivers a captivating narrative with implications that range well beyond the day-to-day events—beginning in the Prologue with the Greek myth of the “other half.” Do we each have a special partner in life who will make us whole if we can only connect with that person? That this ancient idea of complementary halves is introduced by Phaedra to her young daughter Thair in such innocent terms as “a nice boy who will make you so happy” reflects the breadth and depth of the book’s scope. But no matter how abstract or philosophically dense the connotations in the story might be, the narrative consistently keeps the reader engrossed in the immediate lives of three generations of women: Thair’s grandmother (or yiayia) Aphrodite, known as Dita; mother Phaedra; and the central figure, Thair, a contemporary Greek-American.
Because the story is told mostly from the point of view of Thair, it may seem at times that the events and thoughts are lifted from a personal journal. But some of the most compelling adventures aren’t Thair’s. Especially engrossing is an episode in 1942 Alexandria, where Dita, an unworldly seventeen-year-old, has volunteered to serve at the Allied Forces military base. She is assigned to change the oil in military vehicles. Before long, clad in overalls, sporting a red bandanna, and doing her work with efficiency and grace, she becomes “the most popular girl on the base.” Dita isn’t deterred by her parents’ having already betrothed her to a Greek fisherman. Setting aside a future that she may not be able to control, she relishes first the idea and then the reality of dating young soldiers. Literally, on one evening it’s “good-bye to English suitor at the front door, hello Dirk at the back.”
Read the book to see how things work out for young Dita—and what paths Phaedra and Thair take. Their stories are as real as fiction can be, with the author’s ruminations about life’s mysteries woven seamlessly into the narrative.
There is a voice to THE GREEK PERSUASION that is so unique to its author, such a specific tumble of feelings and emotions and sensations and experiences shared, that you can’t help but feel you’ve taken a journey into the heart, head, and mind of not only Thair, the main protagonist, but Ms. Robeson as well.
This is a novel that reads much like a memoir, interweaving the stories of three women—thirty-something Thair, her mother, Phaedra, and Thair’s cherished yaiyia, Dita—all juxtaposed against the memory pieces Thair writes in her search for existential clarity. The book digs deep into the culture, the gender politics, the hopes and dreams of these women of different generations and disparate life expectations, all of which inform Thair’s evolving worldview.
One of the book’s richest and most rewarding aspects is its immersion into the Greek mindset, of the author and her characters. With much of the narrative taking place in Greece, and an actual plot foundation pulled from mythology so endemic to Greek history and culture, it’s a sensorial journey into the sights, sounds, foods, and scenery of the character’s most beloved island, Kythnos. In fact, Thair’s obsession with red, ripe, Greek tomatoes is so fully realized in the text you can almost taste them yourself!
The main focus of the story—looking for and finding your “other half”—may resonate most with readers exploring their own notions of soul mates and the visceral glory of true love. At times I felt Thair’s fixation on such matters limited her worldview, and repeated explorations of why she would never want children, an element that factors into every one of her relationships, occasionally felt cynical, even harsh. But, if nothing else, there was a candor and honesty to that discussion that compelled a certain admiration, even if it might be off-putting for some.
Mostly the book succeeds in its commitment to tell its story, explore its characters, and come to its conclusions with unmitigated, unbridled passion—of its main character, of its dive into the politics of friendships, family, love, gender roles, sex, and independence; of its depiction of a single woman looking for, finding, losing, stumbling, standing, and, ultimately, discovering her true self. At its end, you feel as if you’ve been on a poignant journey with an unapologetically emotional and expressive friend, and her “peace found” becomes something you applaud.
The Greek Persuasian takes us on a sun-splashed search for self-acceptance and love. Unable to let go of the Greek myth that each person has a perfect other half out there, 31-year old college teacher Thair, heartbroken by the end of a relationship that wasn’t working, spends time on a Greek island with its happy memories of visits to her grandmother. There, she begins to explore her family history by writing the stories of this proud and determined woman; her daughter, Thair’s mother, who marries an American and Immigrates to the USA; and then herself, told in the third person to provide some distance, but interspersed with a present tense account of her life. We learn of her deep, but challenging relationships with two very different people, a man and a woman, who want different things from her. Although the novel takes place in several locations, the heart of the story is Thair’s ancestral home, the place where Thair will find herself. Robeson’s rich descriptions of the landscape, the sunsests, the food, and the way of life help to lighten the mood when Thair’s self-doubts threaten to become too weighty. But the self-doubts and honest reflections about relationships are also one of the strengths of this very engaging book, which had me hooked start to finish, and made me ready to book passage on the next plane to Greece.
I enjoyed this book. It is very thought-provoking and the characters really stayed with me. I loved all the locations and felt transported to Southern California , Greece and Egypt were wonderful.
I loved the way the author posed questions about sexual orientation and feminism.
A very sweet romance woven through a complicated story of self-discovery. Thair, the central character and narrator, struggles to understand who she is and how to love. Her efforts involve examining her grandmother’s life and then her mother’s, learning about herself as she goes. Meanwhile, she meets, loves, and leaves a number of people who do not match her expectation of a perfect second half. Thair, though, finds happiness alone in her independence, which then seems to open her to finding the love of her life. It’s a beautiful, multigenerational story of the complexities of women’s lives, the influences of culture, and the powerful urge to find a person who makes you feel complete.