Mrs. Papadakis and Aspasia

Mrs. Papadakis and Aspasia: Two novels, two sides of Greek village life.


"This is the story of how my marriage almost broke up, but it is also a story of goats and fish soup and hippies and a woman named Zambeea, not to mention a mystical vision involving a yellow brocade chair." Welcome to the world of Carolyn Papadakis, an American woman living in a Cretan fishing village. In between dodging sharks in the sea and the octopus in her refrigerator, Carolyn's world is rocked by a smug American visitor and an accidental career in drug smuggling. The fallout threatens her marriage, and only a trip to America provides the answer she seeks. A delightfully comic novel, Mrs. Papadakis offers an affectionate portrait of village life.

Aspasia is about Katherine Lakaloukanakis, an American woman living in a mountain village in Crete. After a painful life in America, Katherine finds happiness with her husband Dimitris and their daughter Aspasia. But while Dimitris is away on a cargo ship, Katherine learns a terrible secret, and the claustrophobic village life threatens both Aspasia's safety and Katherine's sanity. A suspenseful novel with a surprising crime, Aspasia explores the power of a mother's love.