An excellent novel in verse from multiple POVs. Was so complex that I was enthralled yet entertained at the same time! Great!

I picked this book up from Netgalley on a whim, because it was auto-approved and I needed something new to listen to. And whew am I glad I did. This story was beautifully written, impactful, and held so much heart. Smith depicts family dynamics, life as an immigrant, gender roles, and finding love from three dual perspectives during war-time and the Great Depression. Each of these characters stories held so much love, heart, and ache. You will root for the three main characters as they come of age during conflicts, famine, and economic disarray. This novel is written in verse, so it's a quicker read; however if you're not a fan of in-verse novels, the audiobook reads as a typical book, just with more flowery, beautiful language. Definitely come pick up a copy from Netgalley, both formats are currently "Read Now."

I started out reading this book as the ebook and couldn't connect well with the characters. But, once I got into the audiobook I felt like I could connect more with the characters and could follow the storyline a lot better. I really did enjoy following this family and seeing the characters grow as people. My heart was full and broken within these pages. This book was definitely eye opening to see different cultures and how they immigrated over to the US to have a better life for themselves. Also, I felt like this book had lgbtq+ vibes in a certain section but, it isn't clear if that was the case or not depending on how you interpret the writing.

My daughter really enjoyed this book! She is really into history and particularly women and how they fit into and participated in history. The book was written in verse and it follows three different narratives. Sort of a refreshing change of pace. An enjoyable read.

This book follows three characters from three different parts of the world who all end up connected in different ways. Mary in the 1930’s feels trapped by her gender and she discovers love letters documenting a love story from World War 1. Gio and Jeanne live in the time of World War 1 and their lives both unravel in ways they hadn’t expected. The three stories are woven together beautifully in verse to show a story of forbidden love, the constraints of gender expectations, the effects of war, and the life of immigrants in America.

It’s a really interesting book, but I wish Greek mythology would’ve played a bigger role in the story as that’s the major reason why I requested this arc. Regardless I did still enjoy this book and found it to be a powerful read. The women experience and how gender expectations are very limiting was so important to read about it. Despite it being a historical fiction book, this theme of the women experience is still ever important to read and learn about today as it still occurring in modern times.

It was heartwarming to finish reading this beautiful book and find that it was based on the author’s own family history. Her grandmother’s and great grandparent’s story will forever be preserved in this book and it is very sweet.

If you enjoy historical fiction or books written in verse, definitely check this one out.

I really enjoyed this book! I feel like the book was easy to get into and the story kept me interested the whole time. I love the plot and I enjoyed Mary’s story!

I finished Call Me Athena a few days ago, but I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Normally, I really like novels written in verse, but something about the narrative structure didn’t land with me. The writing some how communicated emotion, but didn’t elicit empathy. I didn’t feel connected to anyone, which is also strange for me, since I love family histories and immigration stories. This book was perfect on paper, but seemed to miss the mark.

This is such a beautiful novel in verse that is uniquely told from the perspective of three different narrators. It's a wonderful representation of a young woman who is desperate to create her own unique American identity, while still holding a place for her heritage and the culture of her parents and ancestors. The juxtaposition of her story against the flashbacks of her parents childhoods in France and Greece creates an illustrious and complex story of family and identity that will resonate with young people who are striving to be independent while respecting and honoring the cultural ties and bonds that exist within their families.

The writing of this book is beautiful. The poetry angle is refreshing and full of feeling.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the different couples and the dynamics between them and their families and how they intertwine.

I absolutely loved reading it

Me gusta el hecho que sean varios poemas de personas distintas.
Se nota que algunos son de distintas épocas que los otros por la forma en la que se expresan.

As a syrian immigrant I found this book easy to relate to. Although the book isn’t contemporary I still found it easy to apply to myself. The writing was beautiful and written in a way that it was east to understand. It’s lyrical and I felt as though I could not stop while reading this book... and I didn’t because I finished it in one sitting. The struggles of the characters in this book were absolutely heartbreaking and told beautifully. I will recommend this book to anyone who is willing to listen to me talk for more than two minutes.

*Thank you to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review*

Call Me Athena, written in verse, follows the story of Mary, a daughter of Greek and French parents in the 1930s Detroit. I have never read a book like this in verse where it follows 3 different perspectives: Mary, Jeanne, and Gio. Mary’s story is woven with flashbacks to her parents lives in Greece and France as they address the issues of arranged marriages, learning about independence, and yearning to grow beyond one’s own culture.

I love how this story is written. Smith takes her families history and writes it into this beautiful poetry telling of it. It reveals how Mary was a strong and independent young woman who never let any man dictate her life. It’s almost as if you feel like you know Mary through these words. (I’m sorry if my wording is a little bit off, but I hope what I’m trying to get at is there)

Call Me Athena
By: Colby Cedar Smith
To be published: August 16, 2021
Published by: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I was gifted this book by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review

When I saw this book on my Net Galley I was so intrigued! A novel in verse? I'm so glad I took the risk and read this!
The story starts with Mary in the 1930s in Detroit. She is the child of Greek and French immigrants and trying to navigate growing up. She faces challenges of her heritage, arranged marriage, independence, and just being a teenager. We also start to get the story if her parents, through letters, intermixed with Mary's own story. It adds such a level of depth and meaning as you see the similarities and differences, while watching her parents face their own struggles during the war.
Truly a work of art I would recommend to anyone looking for something new. Break outside your comfort zone and read this when it comes out!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A story bridging multiple generations together in beautiful short verses, surrounded around WWI, the Great Depression, and early 20th century American immigration.

Thank you Netgalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for an e-arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This novel is absolutely beautiful. It is written in verse which is one of my favorite methods of storytelling, and it far exceeded my expectations which were admittedly quite high. Smith's poetry is masterful, evoking emotions, drawing powerful images and expressive plot onto every page.

Call Me Athena is the story of Mary, a 16 year old girl growing up in Detroit in the early 1930s. The daughter of French and Greek immigrants, Mary faces the struggle of finding her own place and following her heart against the darker realities of the Great Depression, being seen as an outsider, and the cultural expectations for "good Greek girls." The novel is haunting at times and realistically portrays the challenges and loss faced during this time in American history.

In a twist that I did not know to expect, (don't worry, this is not a spoiler), Smith tells the story through multiple POVs, Mary's-in the 1930s, and each of her parents-during the first World War (when they were the age Mary is at present), and eventually in the present as well. Smith also includes letters written between Mary's parents during the war. Mary finds the box of them in storage, and they are artfully used to enrich the story.

There are footnotes throughout the book, and the author included photographs and a detailed note at the end which explain that Call Me Athena is a tribute to her own grandmother, Mary. This story is stunning at every level. The poetry itself is rich, the storyline is powerful, and Smith balances between the haunting realities of growing up during the first World War and the Great Depression with a shining thread of hope. Although the book is considered YA, this is truly a book for everyone who has ever faced growing up, finding themselves, facing cultural expectations, and finding a place and a family who love you as you are.

I have never read a book written in verse before, and was unsure of how I would feel about, and I absolutely adored it. In verse, the emotions are so bare and real, every moment, be it simple or life changing, feels monumental and important. The writing is simply beautiful and lyrical and really whisks you away. Connecting to each of the characters was so easy and I loved the various perspectives provided. You have the story of Mary, daughter of immigrants, born in America, trying to decide who she is and what she wants amongst the struggle of being labeled as a foreigner in America. Then you have the story of her parents; her father, Gio, born in Greece but forced to flee his home and fight in World War I in order to become a U.S. citizen, and her mother, Jeanne, born in France and eager to help everyone and does so by becoming a nurse.

The struggles faced by each person in this book is very plain and frank and honestly heartbreaking. A story like this is one that needs to be told and ready; the experience of immigrants in America, their lives beforehand, the hard times faced in the supposed land of the free, and their unending hope and determination.

Many, many tears were shed while reading this, and it made me want to learn more about these types of experiences and has inspired me to do my own research. Everything about this book was poetic and poignant and I will be thinking about it for a long time.

Call me Athena is a novel in verse that reads really quickly.
You follow two timelines from the early 20th century. One during the first World War in Europe and a second in Detroit in the 30s.
This is a novel full of beautiful, short sentences.. Hope, dreams and the american identity and dreams.
By being in verse, you get to feel the strongest emotions of the protagonists. Going to the point in a poignant manner.
American and Greek identities (and a mix of both) are represented (a bit of French as well) in Call me Athena, following a true, but obviously romanticized, story from the author's family.

I personally do enjoy novels in verse, but if my memory is correct this is my first time reading an historical novel in verse, the ones I usually read are contemporary. If you like the genre, I would recommend you to check this book.

I was in shock when I first opened the DRC and found out that this novel was written in verse. I rarely read books written in such style but it blew me away how the author captured the imagery and themes that stood out in the story through strings of lush and lyrical sentences. Incorporated with vibrant characters and a heartwarming storyline, this debut is stunning and enthralling from beginning til the end.

This book is about a Greek/French/American girl named Mary, and her struggles of being a girl in a traditional and conservative society. Mary has big dreams of getting a job and driving a car, but society is adamant about her getting married and having children. In this book, she deals with love, grief, and adolescence all while chasing her dreams. It also switches back and forth from her POV to each of her parents’ points of view before they came to the United States, including their love story (they’re so adorable!).
I love this book so much! It was beautifully written and so captivating. I like that it had three POVs because each felt like a different story and it helped me understand the parents better. Another unique aspect of this book is that it’s written in verse. I think that made the book more engaging. The character development was one of the best parts of this book. Overall, the writing was so beautiful and the plot was heartbreaking and it taught me a lot about Greek and French culture. I recommend this book for fans of poetry, historical fiction, and coming-of-age novels. I can’t wait till the book comes out!

The story follows three narrators:
In 1930’s Detroit it follows 16 year-old Mary who is the daughter of Greek and French immigrants.
In the 1910’s we see Giorgio (Mary’s father) navigate from Greece to America and then to France.
Also in the 1910’s we have Jeanne (Mary’s mother) in Saint Malo, France.

It’s a novel in verse, which normally isn’t my type of book. I decided to read it because I love Greek mythology and the whole 1900’s era. I ended up loving it as it was easy to read and beautifully written. I loved the cover and how Colby Smith included pictures of her family.

Thank you to NetGalley for a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.