The House By The River

The House by The River by Lena Manta

From acclaimed Greek writer Lena Manta comes an emotionally powerful saga following five young women as they realize that no matter where life leads them, the only constant is home.

Theodora knows she can’t keep her five beautiful daughters at home forever—they’re too curious, too free-spirited, too much like their late father. And so, before each girl leaves the small house on the riverside at the foot of Mount Olympus, Theodora makes sure they know they are always welcome to return.

Having survived World War II, the Nazi occupation of Greece, and her husband’s death, Theodora now endures the twenty-year-long silence of her daughters’ absence. Her children have their own lives—they’ve married, traveled the world, and courted romance, fame, and even tragedy. But as they become modern, independent women in pursuit of their dreams, Theodora knows they need her—and each other—more than ever. Have they grown so far apart that they’ve forgotten their childhood home, or will their broken hearts finally lead them back again?

This wonderful story by Lena Manta is my first novel by this particular author. It is a story of a family in the village on the base of Mount of Olympus and the generations that follow. Theodora is a young girl who falls in love with an older man Gerasimos and the quiet life she seeks turns into loneliness, pain, and joy. The families struggles and celebrations give us a glimpse of understanding we all seek and in some ways we must all go back to where we grew up to heal.

I did find some of the translating to English disheartening but I was overall impressed how Gail Holst-Warhaft appears to do her best to hold true to the original novel. It reads similar to The Thornbirds in style and prose. I found it a long read yet written well enough to engage the reader in finishing it to see how the family and characters evolve with time.

https://www.amazon.com/House-River-Lena-Manta-ebook/dp/B01N7VKP78/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8