An extremely interesting approach to generational history, the changing of a person over time, and magical realism, especially good for fans of the Neopolitan Novels.

The Greek Persuasion was the first book I have read from this author.

It was a little slow at the beginning, but it picked up and then it was great.

This was an okay read but abit slow for me and I couln't connect to the main character as she came across as very self-absorbed to me.

#TheGreekPersuasion #NetGalley

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

It took me a while again and again to get into this story, but that's probably because of my own conditions and not the book's fault. Truth is, I never really wanted to put it down, but unfortunately, life happened and I had to. When reading I loved it, though.

This is a very complex story, yet it's not very hard to follow. There are several timelines and POVs, but it doesn't get confusing at all, and every change in time or person has a meaning. Everything's about the evolution of the main character, her development regarding love, sexuality, mother-daughter(-grandmother) and other family relationships, and also relation to (different) people in general. It's so much about the protagonist's development that it strongly reminds me of young adult literary fiction, yet it gives off a completely different, way more adult and serious vibe. (Of course, the MC is in her thirties.) Though Thair (the MC) did sometimes seem to me a bit immature for her age, everything about her screamed kind of a peace and patience that no 16-20 year-old would ever feel or show. What I want to say is that though this story is about life crisis, and finding the way, and learning about one's self, but it's not overly dramatic and it's all appropriate for a main character in her thirties.

What I felt a bit lacking is the stories of the mother and grandmother. I understand that this story is, after all, about Thair's journey, and her ancestors' stories are just pieces of that, but I was very invested in those little stories in the story (especially the grandma's), and I would've loved to learn more about them! Not everything can be fit in one book. I get that.

The writing is very nice, and I did care for the characters the protagonist (and narrator) cared about.

One more little note: I loved Thair's musical taste! It's so similar to mine, I was always happy when she mentioned a song.

Anything Greek is a pleasure for me to read! Thair was a beautifully constructed character with depth and true spirit. The details were gorgeous and the writing was concise but not underdeveloped. Loved it!

This is ....not great? Or it's not great for me.

Thair spends her summer in her Grandmother's home on a small Greek Island. This is after her boyfriend of six years has dumped her.

This is a book about exploration - of mother daughter relationships, of family history, of self, of sexuality.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did because the description sounded intriguing and the Greek setting seemed irresistible. I just didn’t vibe with Thair’s character very well perhaps because I can’t relate to her. That made the book hard for me to finish but I made it.

I think I'm not the right audience. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, read something adult that was not a thriller, but I think I exaggerated here, because I didn't find anything exciting and fascinating in this story, which could be the story of any person. Perhaps this is what can attract the reader, I only know that it did not excite me and told me nothing.
Everything starts well, the protagonist's thoughts are interesting and stimulating, encouraging me to continue reading. The first stay in Greece is very beautiful, well described and very evocative. It is also interesting to see how various narrative lines intertwine in the novel: there is the main story, then the story of the mother of the protagonist and the story of her grandmother. In addition, the pages that the protagonist is writing also appear. This choice of various narrative "spaces" is very astute and keeps the reader's attention alive.
But now the negative things begin. I didn't like the main character. It happens, it happens not to be in tune, but in this case I felt nothing for her except indifference and impatience at times. Even the stories she has with men and women have not thrilled me, and this can depend on my coldness towards her. What I liked instead are the long talks about the search for a soul mate and about the power of writing, about the importance of myth and the freedom to choose who to love, whatever sex they have.
A book that touches on important topics such as gender love and illness, and at the same time presents a protagonist who is almost always on vacation in Greece. This alternation of serious themes set in vacation spots is destabilizing. Perhaps it is also for this reason that the book has not convinced me. However, it may appeal to many people, because it has the possibility of having a large audience.

This book is a bit slow at times. However, I enjoyed it and liked bearing about all the women and learning about Greece. It was very informative.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book free of charge. This is my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Spanning three generations of one family of women from 1942 to 2006, The Greek Persuasion proclaims its adoration for the country and culture of Greece and her people. Similar to the ways in which early civilizations used mythological stories to explain the origins of the universe, nature, and humanity, the prologue offers one source point of thirty-one-year-old Greek American Thair’s jumbled ideas about love.

Constantly disappointed by romantic love in various circumstances that reject typical male-bashing clichés, Thair’s journey of self-discovery starts with her grandmother, Aphrodite, who is called Dita. This familial relationship anchors the story geographically and emotionally. Thair’s relationship with her mom, Phaedra, is more volatile, reflecting a dynamic found in many families where grandparents and grandchildren interact with less friction than parents and adult offspring. Kimberly K. Robeson establishes three distinctively authentic voices that convey the women’s similarities and differences as shaped by their individual experiences and generational filters.

“What am I?” is the question that bubbles beneath the surface of The Greek Persuasion, and the running thread about tomatoes (Is it a fruit or a vegetable?) reinforces that debate. Thair’s socioeconomic privilege in having the luxury of going away to focus on herself is the most obvious advantage, which she acknowledges along with the perks of being heterosexual. Thair often seems aimless with a tone that’s frequently maudlin and self-indulgent. As the main narrator Thair’s voice isn’t as compelling as the older women’s. Frequent usage of clichés (not related to male-bashing), archaic gender role references, and Thair’s immaturity create a philosophical whiplash effect that simultaneously makes her seem much older and much younger than her thirties. Maybe that’s intentional.

When Thair asks in the year 2000 on page 40, “What is it about America that makes some people say it in such a distasteful way?” it reads like the perfect setup for her to have some later substantial thoughts about the 9/11 terror attacks in the U.S., but Thair never mentions them as the story moves into 2001 and forward into the mid-2000s, which seems odd unless that omission is intended to highlight how self-involved she is.

Constructed in three parts, The Greek Persuasion offers readers a novel of nuanced stories within multilayered stories about individuals, one family, one country, and the world over the course of three generations.

The Greek Persuasion is a fantastic novel that suprised and touched me. This is definitely different than what I usually read, and I am so glad I gave it a chance.

In this book we meet Thair,who, after her boyfriend of six years ends their relationship, decides to spend the summer on a small Greek island where her grandmother had lived. She spends time writing about her grandmother and her life.

The story takes place over six years of her life from the age of 31 to 37 detailing her relationships, the questioning of her own sexuality (that aspect surprised me, but was wonderful), and her relationship with her mother and her own culture.

I really enjoyed that it was written in two different perspectives, as we hear Thair's voice as narrator in the first person and then Thair as the third person when showing Thair’s writing.

I loved Thair's story, but I didn't love Thair, I did not find her to be relateable at all, but that does not mean I didn't not think this was a fantastic book, as it really was.

I absolutely adored this book and will be purchasing a copy for all of the women in my life! Robeson does a phoneme always job of intertwining the lives of three outstanding women. This is a must read for anyone recently out of a breakup.

I picked this up because I thought I’d like to read something a little different from my normal reads. Thair, after her boyfriend of six years ends their relationship, decides spend her summer holiday on a small Greek island where her grandmother lived. While she’s there she starts writing about her grandmother from the pieces she shared before she died, her mother from what she’s willing to share and herself. Through her time alone and her writing she questions what she wants from a relationship and the notion of finding ‘the one’.

The story takes place over six years of her life from the age of 31 to 37 detailing her relationships, the questioning of her sexuality and her connection with her mother and their cultural background.

I read the entire novel in one sitting (without actually intending to) because I found myself completely engaged by Thair’s thoughts. I enjoyed the way it was written and the switch from first person with Thair as the narrator to third person when showing Thair’s writing. Oddly enough though, I’m not sure I really liked Thair but I did like the expression of her story.

Book received from Netgalley and She Writes Press for an honest review.

This book is well written, albeit a bit slow in parts and has a good storyline, but I couldn't connect with the main character so that kinda killed it for me. She came across as very self-absorbed, and it was hard to find anything to like about her. The dual storyline added another dimension to the book though, and I learnt a lot about the Greek culture from it.

A mid-life coming-of-age is an interesting, and very, very real, situation. Robeson takes this unusual period and explores the mind and heart of a woman in her thirties who is discovering herself.

Thair is 31 and her boyfriend has just broken up with her. She retreats to her safe place, which happens to be a small Greek island. As a part of her therapy, she starts writing what she calls ‘stories’ but is actually a meandering diary of recollections about her beloved grandmother, mother and later, herself.

Thair is obsessed with the old Greek mythological story of everyone having a soulmate and her life is a search for that one person who completes her. Spread across five years of self-exploration, Thair discovers her sexuality (she could be bisexual or pansexual) and finally finds love.

The writing is gentle and at times meandering, but surprisingly, somewhere after a third of the book, became engrossing. There is a lot of explorations of concepts, ideas and feelings. Though Thair is searching for romance, the whole romance by itself is not the main focus – the focus is Thair’s journey.

This is a slow, almost introspective read for a lazy downtime.