Book: The Olive Tree

[Lofos-5]

A while ago, it might even have been on CL, we discussed the interesting and popular books from Victoria Hislop with a Cypriot or Greek background (e.g. The Sunrise, The Island, The Thread) - all quite good books and easy to read as they combine history and drama etc. (I think this genre is called Historical Fiction?).

I just finished another book, by Lucinda Riley, called The Olive Tree - not quite the same as the ones from Hislop but it's main story is about a house in Kathikas and a visiting family from the UK over the last decades until 2016. It was apparently a Sunday Times top ten bestseller and certainly reads quite well whilst it does not necessarily reveal much about Cypriot history or culture.

Still, I liked it - and finished it in 2 nights

Anyone else read it - or any other similar the above books to recommend?

A.

[ast]

I read 3/4 of this book at the end of last summer and then put it down as I tend to do, they then often go unread but picked it up again at Christmas and finished it.
Have to say it was throughly enjoyable and a good twist towards the end, first Lucinda Riley book I had read.

[smudger]

Hhmmmm - maybe time for a book review section?? Any interest peeps??

[Bograt]

Thank you for the head's up about the book. I just went onto the Kindle store and downloaded a sample to the Kindle I keep in Cyprus (god I love technology). I'll have a look at it next week, it sounds like my kind of thing.

I'd love a book review section. I could tell you about "How to Stay Alive" by Bear Grylls that I'm just reading. It includes advice about snakes, earthquakes, driving off-road (all good for Cyprus) and other random stuff. Surprisingly interesting I must say, and very informative. You never know when you may need to survive a bear attack, or tape together a broken limb, or make a solar still.....

[Ams]

Thanks

I'd not heard of this book (or the author) before and have now bought and downloaded it on my kindle. Looking forward to reading it.

[Bograt]

Ooh Bograt that sounds right up my hubby's street, I wonder if it's available in Greek?!!

I bet he would love it, it's so good. I just Googled it for you to see about the Greek - no go, sorry! What a shame. It's only available in Hardback at the moment, which is fine. I didn't want to download it, as it has diagrams and stuff, which never seems as good on a Kindle. It's a lovely, big, fat, orange lump of a book, but not too heavy. I wanted to bring it with me next week, but if you saw how much other stuff is coming over you'd understand that it would be a "last wafer thin mint" situation. If that changes, and it travels with me, I'll bring it to Kissonerga and you can have a look

It also tells you all the essentials to take with you before you go off into the wilds. How to light a fire. How to cross a river, build a shelter, survive in the snow. How to dance the tango (well maybe not that last bit, but you get my drift).

[PaphosAL]

Am I the only one who got skewed by the subject title in here? I was expecting a special buffet meal evening coming up at The Olive Tree (taverna, Polemi), which you'd need to BOOK for, doh...

AL

[Bograt]

[quote=Flossie post_id=47087 time=1515088915 user_id=11

Bograt my other half is a Bear Gryls groupie! He's pretty good actually at all sorts of outdoorsy type things as being Cypriot his family don't shy away from foraging etc and he did used to hunt. We have a boat and he goes off down Akamas in it with 3 days supplies and just fishes and does 'boys stuff'!
[/quote]
That sounds fun, hope he brings you home some tasty fish. Boys stuff - made me smile.

I'm all for the country and a bit of foraging myself, in fact I'd love to learn about Cypriot foraging. But you'd never, and I mean never, get me to go camping overnight, yikes. Even with Mr Grylls in tow.

[Yioula]

Al........don’t worry I’m with you it does sound like a fabulous Taverna The Olive Tree...............but the book sounds like a good read also.....

[2QuarterPints]

When I was a child living outside Nicosia; it was in the 50's and I think I must have been 5 or 6, I can remember being given a book for "Being the most helpful boy in the class", and I can recall it was "How many miles to Cyprus" and i was given it by the wife of the then Governor, Sir Hugh Foot. As proud Mothers do, mine put it away safely so that I could read it one day "When you are older". I never did get around to it and, sadly, when my Mother died, a less than thoughtful sibling threw it out when clearing her house. Now that this thread has reminded me about it, I shall now see whether I can locate a copy. Not very optimistic though as it was about 60 years ago and I suspect it wasn't a big seller.

[2QuarterPints]

Since my last post I have Google'd the book and it was published in 1955, and I now know the name of the author. All I have to do now is find a copy!

[smudger]

Check the charity shops. Many, like the Paphiakos Book shop in Tremithousa, have a request service, whereby you fill in a card and if the book happens to come in we give you a call. I'll check when I go in tomorrow.

[brengreen]

Definitely a charity shop. Just checked Amazon books and on both said currently unavailable. You could try The Moufflon shop in Nicosia they have a lot of old books (great place to mooch aroundmin). Unfortunately the one in Paphos closed a few years ago. I used to go in there and they would get it for me from Nicosia.

[trevnhil]

€7-49 from the Book Depository, with free world wide delivery..

https://www.bookdepository.com/search?s ... =Find+book

[brengreen]

I thought D&PG was looking for the book How Many Miles to Cyprus fro his childhood.

[ast]

"How many miles to Cyprus" appears to be available on Amazon books, £15 GBP

[2QuarterPints]

Thanks ast. I have just taken a look and now just have to persuade my wife that buying it is essential! Having seen the price for a German edition, I wish I had a copy or three.