A poignant and evocative novel of one Greek woman's story of her own and her nation's epic struggle in the aftermath of World War II.

Aliki is one of the last of her kind, a lamenter who mourns and celebrates the passing of life. She is part of an evolving Greece, one moving steadily away from its rural traditions. To capture the fading folk art of lamenting, an American researcher asks Aliki to record her laments, but in response, Aliki sings her own story...

It begins in a village in northeast Greece, where Aliki witnesses the occupying Nazi soldiers execute her father for stealing squash. Taken in by her friend Takis's mother, Aliki is joined by a Jewish refugee and her son, Stelios. When the village is torched and its people massacred, Aliki, Takis and Stelios are able to escape just as the war is ending.

Fleeing across the chaotic landscape of a post-war Greece, the three become a makeshift family. They are bound by friendship and grief, but torn apart by betrayal, madness and heartbreak.

Through Aliki's powerful voice, an unforgettable one that blends light and dark with wry humor, My Last Lament delivers a fitting eulogy to a way of life and provides a vivid portrait of a timeless Greek woman, whose story of love and loss is an eternal one. (via Goodreads)
I received an eARC of The Last Lament, courtesy of the publisher, Berkley Publishing Group, and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure what to expect from The Last Lament. I had never read anything about World War II in Greece, and I knew nothing at all about Greek laments, so I didn't know if I'd have the knowledge necessary to make this work, but the unique storytelling method absolutely blew me out of the water.

This is told in chapters based on the side of a cassette, so it's almost stream-of-consciousness for narrator and main character Aliki. Usually, I don't enjoy this kind of storytelling, but this time it kept me  entirely captivated. The only reason I didn't read this in one sitting was because I had to go to bed.
I don't want to say much about the plot, because there's a lot that won't sucker punch you the way it should if you're spoiled, but this was an amazing story.
My heart broke for Takis in this story. I desperately just wanted him to get some help for the "bomb" he said was inside of him. I almost wish he'd gone with the Red Cross, because then maybe he'd get some help. There was just so much going on that he didn't understand, that even Aliki didn;t 

One thing really bothered me about this book, and it was kind of the way the author made it relevant - the ethnographer. She shows up with a camera that completely doesn't work in their environment for whatever reason, she clearly hasn't done her research on Aliki, and then only leaves two cassettes without actually asking Aliki any questions. Like, that's a shit interview and your research is gonna be shit.

Overall, though, this was a four star read for me. It's a captivating read with a more distinct voice than I think I've ever read.

four stars and one empty one meant to signify a four star review

I would highly recommend this on audio for the true effect I think the author intended, but I recommend it in any form, really. You can pick up a copy on Amazon, Indiebound, or your favorite bookseller!

I would like to devour every single WWII historical fiction book ever written. Why? I don’t know. I have some unhealthy fascination with WWII that was birthed in my one of my high school creative writing courses. As the years have gone on, I’ve relished reading novels that reveal new stories and histories not taught in the classroom. This is why I requested The Last Lament from Netgalley.

Covering Greece’s Nazi occupation and the years after the war, The Last Lament tells the story of one woman’s journey as records her story for a researcher relieving some of the most heartbreaking moments in her life. I was hoping to discover a new perspective, learn a bit more about World War II while connecting with a new culture that was affected by the war that I know little about.

The Last Lament attempts to cover too much ground in its 350 or so pages. It hits every World War II trope possible while doing little to explain the Greek Culture, the Nazi Occupation of Greece and the volatile years of changing political powers in the months and years the followed. As a result, this story could have been set in just about any country the Axis powers occupied during this timeframe in history.

What kept me reading? Something happened one night that tore a small Greek village apart. I needed to know what happened and who was responsible. Brown teases the mystery throughout, unfortunately, because of all breadth of the story and the lack of threading one character’s story through out the narrative; the reveal is lackluster, leaving me disappointed.

Unfortunately, for me, The Last Lament was a plodding read. Aliki’s story was not unique and the failure to connect all the characters sufficiently left me feeling a lack of connection to the story and time period.

(review will be live on 04/05/2017 at SecondRunReviews.com)

This book was a true joy to read. It was beautifully written, with interesting characters and some little known Greek history. Being Jewish I have heard about the decimation of the Jews in Thessalonica and Rhodes. While the main character Aliki is not Jewish, another major character Stelios is. The book address what happened to the Jews and life on the islands after the Nazis were defeated. Alik, is the last professional lamenter – one who expresses grief – in her village. Lamenters were like mediums through whom the deceased’s life is expressed at wakes. Aliki was also frequently visited by the dead.

The story – of her own life - is told by Aliki via cassette tapes she is recording for a Greek-American scholar who is doing research on lament practices. Aliki tells of life in her little village under German occupation. When young Aliki is left orphaned she is taken in by Chrysoula, her friend Takis’s mother. Chrysoula also provided shelter for a Jewish woman named Sophie and her son Stelios.

Aliki, 17 years old, is caught in a love triangle involving her friend Takis (10 years old) and Stelios (nearer Aliki’s age). While young they all had to mature quickly, witnessing the execution of family members and other villagers. Like many countries in Europe, when WWII was over the survivors then had to deal with civil wars.

A form of entertainment at the time was the shadow theatre. I knew shadow puppetry was an ancient form of storytelling and entertainment in China, but I was not aware that it was used in Europe. A bit of the history of this art is given early on in the book. Stelios is quite proficient in it.

Aliki laments on the tragedies they lived through, the “what-if’s” that could have resulted in a totally different outcome, the ironies that of life, and the tarnishing of her home country.

The book is slow reading but well worth it. I loved the characters and had an emotional investment in them. There was so much heartbreak, so many regrets, yet much courage.

I'm not sure if I disliked this one due to the writing or due to this reading funk I'm in. 

I went in expecting a sweeping historical fiction account of Greece during WWII (my kryptonite), I was also super excited to read about Grecian history and the idea of a lamentor- a poet stepping into the shoes of the departed and reciting poetry about that person's history. The premise was there, the story started out interesting, and then quickly fell into the boring category for me.

Much too wordy and long in parts reciting moment by moment the journey Aliki goes on during the war and up to present day. She's recording her story on cassette tapes for a young journalist who's researching Aliki and the history of the laments. I didn't connect with any of these characters and found myself un-interested in the few shreds of a plot that came at the end, that I was just concerned about finishing it more than the journey getting there. Ultimately, this one was not for me.

Beautiful and thought-provoking historical fiction with characters you won’t ever forget.  I really loved this book.
My Last Lament by James William Brown takes us back to World War Two and the years following, and Greece. I hadn’t ever read anything about Greece during WWII, and the subject matter here was the main reason I requested this book on NetGalley (not to mention that cover has a haunting quality to it). I wanted to learn more about Greece and WWII, and wow this book did not disappoint. I learned so much about Greece’s history, and what happened during the war and afterwards.
My Last Lament is told from the point of view of Aliki, an old woman who has the gift of lamentation. The book is told in the format of Aliki speaking into a tape recorder, so the book feels like a conversation, as we read Aliki’s memories of the past.  I was instantly drawn to Aliki and her voice. She speaks in simple words, and there is no flowery prose here. Sometimes historical fiction, or literary fiction, can feel so wordy and pompous, but there is none of that here. I loved Aliki’s voice and character, and was interested in her story and her life. Hers is a voice I will not forget, as her story is heartbreaking and beautiful, and I felt an immediate connection to her.
Aliki’s father is killed by Nazi’s early on, and she goes to live with a woman, Chrysoula, and her son, Takis. Chrysoula soon takes in Jewish refugees, Sophia, and her son, Stelios, and has to hide them from the Nazi’s who have overtaken the village. I really liked the character of Chrysoula.  She was strong and unflinching, and I enjoyed reading her character. Besides Chrysoula, Aliki’s other mother figure in the book comes in the form of Yannoula, who has been taking care of Stelios’ home in Athens.  Yannoula was also a favorite of mine.
After the war ends, Takis, Aliki, and Stelios end up in Athens and try to start a life there. The three begin putting on shadow-puppet plays that star Karagiozis, and the real-life history of the shadow-puppet theatre was interesting. I had no idea about all this, and the shadow-puppets brought a haunting quality to the book, and also speak to the point about how important art is, even in times of war.
From Athens, the trio then goes to Crete, and they try to find a way of life there as well. I found the sections on Crete to be interesting, but also bogged the plot down a bit, and perhaps those parts could’ve used a bit of editing. It was interesting historical detail and setting, but it kind of stopped the flow of the story for a bit.
There is a bit of a love triangle of sorts here, and usually I can’t stand love triangles, but I didn’t have an issue with it here, as Aliki’s choice is apparent from the beginning. The characters of Aliki, Stelios, and Takis are all well drawn and compelling. Each has their own voice and their unique personality, and they each interested me. I went back and forth with Takis, from being irritated by him to anger, to sadness, and then back again, and I just felt he was a well-written character, and perhaps the most interesting of the characters. The official synopsis mentions madness, and there is indeed madness in the book, and there are scenes that are very difficult to read. Not because they are too graphic, but because the subject matter is intense.
The book The Iliad is referenced here quite a bit, and as I just read that last year, it was interesting to see quotes from that book woven throughout and to be able to understand the references.  You do not need to have read The Iliad however. Another book brought up a few times was The Count of Monte Cristo, and now I want to read that one more than ever!
I will not soon forget My Last Lament as the characters are so well done here, that their stories will stay with me. This book really surprised me and brought tears to my eyes, along with educating me about Greece’s history. 
I think that this book would make for an excellent book club selection, as there is so much to discuss here (characters, history, plot, etc). I highly recommend this book for anyone who loves historical fiction or well-written characters. 

Bottom Line: Beautiful and haunting, with unforgettable characters.

We need to be remembered, we need to have our song sung and Aliki is one of the last to do this for people, she is a lamenter, she tells our story, sings our song when we’ve died.   Because she is one of the last, she is asked by a young researcher to record some of her laments for posterity, for history, for the stories.
Aliki’s approach to this request is to tell her own story, her last lament.  Aliki lives in northern Greece and she begins with the German occupation during World War II when she witnesses a German soldier kill her father for stealing a squash.  People are hungry and they will do whatever they can even if it’s the last thing they do.   Aliki is taken in by her friend Takis’s mother, who in turn hides a Jewish woman and her son, Stelios. Takis is devoted to Aliki and becomes jealous of the attention Aliki shows to Stelios and this jealousy uncovers deeper problems within Takis.  
When finally, the Germans burn down their village, the three, Aliki, Takis and Stelios make their way through the countryside, trying to stay alive and becoming more and more entwined in each other’s lives.  There is love and betrayal, there is hope and death, there is renewal and loss.  
This isn’t a happy story but it unfolds another layer of the lives that people endured during the most unendurable of times.  And isn’t this what we all want? To be heard?

Thanks Berkley Publishing Group and netgalley for this ARC.

Sad, compelling, and absorbing;  In the end it's worth getting thru the pain and memories

What I loved about this novel was the journey that I took.  Aliki was asked to talk about her life as a lamenter, recording her story on a tape recorder and some tapes for which a woman would later return and collect from her.  As a lamenter, wearing the shoes of a deceased individual, Aliki would enter into a state, where she would compose a chant talking about the deceased individual and their life.  It was usually the older individuals who called upon Aliki and then when her services were completed, the body was ready for burial.   Aliki thought she should begin her story and these tapes at the beginning and so it is here in 1943, Aliki is 14 and the Germans are living in her homeland.  This story is told to us as if it is spoken on audiotapes.  It’s a story about Aliki when she grew up and about her current situation, simultaneously.  

Her friend Stelios begins to make puppets and he asks Aliki to help him put on a show. The two of them become great puppeteers together and you can feel a closeness between them.  Takis begins to act strangely but the two of them don’t pay much attention to him as I feel they are preoccupied with their own lives.  The story becomes quite intense as the Germans hold nothing back as they attack the village, for it is time for them to leave and their exit is dramatic.  This is a story of itself as their lives are no longer as they were.   Stelios decides he will go to Athens.  Aliki decides she will go with him and they will take Takis with them.  With hearts that are heavy, promises that have been made, and troubles from within, these three individuals wander out into the world to find their place in it.  I enjoyed their travels, their turmoil’s and their accomplishments.  With lots of conflicts and drama, I liked the fight that Aliki fought all by herself.  As we hear this story of her life we also hear how Aliki is dealing with her current situation.  I liked this part of the story as Aliki was funny and she had a spark in her.  Her life has been adventurous and now, one of her oldest friends is losing the battle of their life.  This is not a real sad time in the novel but a time for reflection.  Aliki reflects and talks with her friend and I like how the two of them chat and reminisce.   This novel was better than what I had expected. 4.5 stars

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.

Literature at its best! Creative, powerful, and imaginative - this story is heartbreaking and beautiful all at once.

This book was an interesting read, and it was different to hear about world War two in Greece. The story was very sad, but it just didn't draw me in as a reader so it took me a while to get through this book.

Aliki is one of the last of her kind, a lamenter who mourns and celebrates the passing of life. Told in flashbacks, we experience Greece during and after WWII, through the eyes of Aliki as a child, a young woman, and an old woman. Lyrically written, this book evocatively shares a time and place with its readers. Reminiscent a bit of All the Light We Cannot See, in that the book shares a deeply personal and unusual look at the devastation of war. Definitely recommend, especially for those interested in history.

I received this ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair & honest review.

When this story begins, it is told by Aliki as she records her thoughts, reminisces, no longer the young girl she once was. Beginning toward the end of WWII, this continues on through the years of the civil war that follows in Greece, and beyond to Aliki’s reminiscences.

Aliki is the last of her kind, a professional lamenter in her village in the northeast part of Greece. When someone in her village dies, she is asked – these days by the old families only – by the relatives of the deceased to lament. A way of saying – this person was here, was loved, lived their life and is now gone. Remember them.

A composer of dirge-poems, called mirlogia, chanted at wakes and such. Well, actually, I don’t really compose them. I seem to fall into a kind of state and they really compose themselves and just pour through me like a long sigh.

She’s been left a recorder and several tapes for her to record her thoughts on her history as a lamenter, by an ethnographer who is interested in studying this before history and time leave us with no one to share their stories of how they came to be this person who spent her life honoring the dead with lamentations.

Aliki’s mother left when she was a child, not dead but no longer a part of her life. And so when her father is executed, Aliki, as a child, had gone to live with friends of her parents, Chrysoula and her son Takis. Later on, others join the household in secret, Sophia and Stelios, her son, hiding in the basement, hidden from the eyes of the soldiers always around. Eventually they will be forced to leave this village but wherever Aliki goes, her father haunts her, giving advice, checking in, keeping his eye on her.

The dead never seem to finish with us, or is it we who never finish with them?

This is where Aliki’s story begins, but it isn’t so much what happens in this story as the telling of it that pulls you in. It feels as though you’re listening to the tapes she’s recorded for you, she’s telling you her tale. Sharing with you her story of how, as she grew from a young girl to a woman to an older woman, her life was filled with so many things, emotions - fear, loss, first love, more loss, the ugliness of jealously taken to extremes, poverty, horrid living conditions, hunger, resignation, the loss of too many in her life. And, hard to believe, perhaps, but true – there is even some humour to lighten the darker moments, courtesy of Aliki’s father’s presence.

Heartbreaking, yes, but lovely.


Pub Date: 4 April 2017

Many thanks for the ARC provided by Berkley Publishing

This was a wonderful book and I enjoyed reading it immensely.  I thought it was a little slow at the beginning, but it picked up.  The whole book was beautifully written and there were enough side stories to keep the book interesting but not too confusing.  I was hesitant at first about the way it was written - like she was talking into a cassette recorder about her life.  Her little side comments about stopping the tape here and interweaving her life story with what she was doing at the time of the recording was very unique and it worked well for this story line.  Even though it's not a happy ending book, you want to root for the young lovers throughout the whole thing.  The moral of the story is a universal one.

Wonderful story. Grips you from the beginning. This book, set during the second world war, tells a different point of view than what I have been used to. I will be recommending this book to my library's purchasing department.

I read the first half of this but then had no interest in finishing it. It just didn't capture my imagination.

Finally, a proper work of literature. A genuinely engaging, stirring, compelling story, even an educational one. I chose to read this because I realized I don't know nearly as much about Greece's recent history as I do its ancient one. Granted, ancient history is a far more fascinating field of study, not to mention far more favorable to the birthplace of democracy, theatre, fables and so on than more contemporary times, but still...as far as educations go, I prefer a well rounded one. Especially when I can find it in fictional form. Especially when it's done as well as it this.  So anyway...this novel set up in epistolary manner of sorts, done via long audio recordings for a visiting ethnographer and tells a story of a young Greek woman, a girl, really, forced to mature all too soon by the extraordinary circumstances, as she lives through WWII and the subsequent civil war, the latter arguably more devastating of the two, not to mention the following decades, which were barely an improvement. Not just a mere history recollection, this is a serious drama, a love story or really a love triangle of sorts made no less serious or ardent by the character's young ages, involving a Jewish boy she helps and her adoptive brother of sorts. The girl ends up an old woman, the eponymous last lamenter, mourning seemingly not just the life she didn't get to have, but also her country's tragic past and not so glorious present (it really only makes the news for its financial woes and involvement in the immigrant crisis). Either that or it's a place you go to have a lovely vacation blatantly ignoring the privations around you with that special touristy characteristic of select vision. Can't find much info on the author, GR only lists one other book to his credit, written long ago and also about Greece, point is the man knows his subject (having lived and worked there for a decade) and conveys his knowledge with skill and poignancy. Not a light read, obviously, as if one would expect much lightness from a war book with lament in its title, but a very good one. Very much worth the time. The sort of book that reminds a reader of what a reading experience ought to be. Strongly recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

Oh, how I had such hopes for this novel. A story set in the small village of Crete and then Athens, and told by a professional lamenter, Aliki, should be an opportunity to hear a culturally rich story (from my perspective anyway, as I am not Greek and not familiar with the practice of lamenting). But the narrative style just did not allow that to happen. 

Aliki, as a teenager, is an unworldly girl who lacks deep emotional resonance. I understand this because she is a girl interrupted by war and traumatized by its atrocities. In fact, on several occasions, she states that she is too exhausted or unwilling to contemplate the extraordinary events she experiences. These qualities do not make for a good story teller. But for crying out loud, she has no emotional response when her dead father starts talking to her. It's just a simple fact, directly stated, and briefly explained by old village beliefs. 

As Aliki travels across Greece, many people tell her their stories of war. The stories should shock, and jar, and elicit an emotional response from Aliki and the reader. But again, the brief narrative style works against emotional connection because the stories are brief, delivered as simple fact, and directly stated. Also, these stories come from secondary characters who the reader does not know or have an attachment to, and Alki shares very little of her reactions.

The novel is titled My Last Lament, but there is a greater focus on WWII than the lament. I understand the reasoning; the reader needs the insight of the past to understand the last lament. But the tradition of lamenting is not universal, and the brevity of storytelling misses the opportunity for immersion and introspection. Very disappointing.