The Jasmine Isle

This is a wonderful novel, written with modernistic techniques. The Greek life, the communal life, the naval life, the concubine life, the love life... all these are themes closely interrelated and excellently played out by the author. The translator has managed to carry the rhythm, the contextual and linguistic ambiguity and complexity of the original. I enjoyed reading the translation as must as I did reading the Greek.

Creatively authored by Ioanna Karystiani and expertly translated by Michael Eleftheriou, The Jasmine Isle is a conceptual and metaphorical tale of contemporary Greek literature. Mina Saltaferou forcibly weds her eldest daughter Orsa in spite of a love her daughter already feels for another. In a classic style and with a particularly vivid depiction of memorable characters, The Jasmine Isle narratively embodies the truths and barriers of women and men as set by society's predetermined constructs. Especially recommended as a work of exceptional talent, The Jasmine Isle is very highly recommended reading for its intricate and intimate telling of a deep tale, persistently focused on the unjust social constraints felt by so many.