When the Cypress Whispers
After the heartbreak of losing her first husband, Daphne is ready to marry practical Stephen. But she cannot move forward without looking back, and she feels compelled to move the wedding to tiny Erikousa, Greece, where Daphne spent every childhood summer with her beloved Yia Yia. As Daphne regains the inner peace she felt swimming in the Ionian Sea and eating Yia Yia’s traditional food, her shy five-year-old daughter, Evie, opens up and thrives among the boisterous neighbors and feral cats. The one dark spot is the fisherman, Yianni, who is cold to Daphne (and vice versa) but dedicated to Yia Yia. Daphne learns the history of the deep connection between the surly fisherman and her grandmother. She also learns to open herself up to the voices of the cypress trees. Though Daphne’s journey is the emotional center of the book, the real star is the island of Erikousa, from the sun-baked patios to the spitting widows who meet every ferry. There is just enough humor to balance the heartache, and a dash of history adds depth. Readers will be transported. --Susan Maguire