From USA TODAY Bestselling author Kathryn Gauci comes a vivid memoir of her life and travels across the ancient and spectacular islands of Greece.
After more than thirty years as a successful carpet and textile designer, Kathryn decided it was time for a change: she wanted to become an author, and the first place she turned for inspiration was Greece, where she had worked as a carpet designer in Athens in the 1970s.
With no idea of what she would write about, she took two months off and returned in 2005 in search of a new adventure. All she knew was that she wanted to find the old Greece that was quickly disappearing through modernization and tourism. It was a great leap of faith to make this change in mid-life, yet not being one to miss an opportunity, she packed her bags and set out alone, hoping to discover the beauty and rich tapestry of characters that had inspired such great writers of the past – Nikos Kazantzakis, Lord Byron, Henry Miller, Patrick Leigh Fermor, Odysseus Elytis, and Homer himself.
Follow along with Kathryn’s journey as she explores the centuries-old mastic villages of Chios; the island of Lesbos, with its vast landscapes of olive groves and purveyors of the world’s finest ouzo; Karpathos, with its stunning beaches and crystal-clear turquoise waters; and finally, the majestic mountains and gorges of Crete, home of the God Zeus, the legend of the Minotaur, and that famous Cretan spirit of Zorba – the same spirit that fought against the Ottomans and the Germans in World War II.
Staying in unspoiled villages and mountain retreats, she also discovers the mouth-watering regional food cooked in the age-old tradition. Along the way, she finds her own story – and discovers that a part of Greece will always be embedded in her psyche.
Praise for An Aegean Odyssey:
“An Aegean Odyssey isn’t just a memoir. It’s a history book. A travel journal. A cultural record. A living, breathing map of the Aegean soul.” ~ Shelley Dark, Author of HYDRA IN WINTER
“Yes, Kathryn Gauci is the travelling companion I want. The one I need, the one I’ll carry on my shoulder wherever I go. Trust me when I say … if you have any sense of adventure, you need a companion like her too. And, An Aegean Odyssey is a book you must read.” ~ Sharon Blomfield, Author of SIFNOS CHRONICLES 1 & 2
“If you’ve any experience at all of Greek people and culture, then surely you’ll also find this work totally absorbing. She has a wonderful gift for evoking in you mental pictures of the places she’s describing, the people she’s interacting with. Kathryn Gauci is a living treasure that all avid book readers would do well to appreciate.” ~ John Manuel, Author of fiction and nonfiction set in Greece
