I recieved this book as part of a giveaway. After reading about half of it, I decided to stop reading it. I didn't find the story compelling. There wasn't anything that hooked me but I chose to give it a fair shake.

The prose style I also find a bit lacking amd dull. The structure of the story is set up like a diary which may attribute to the prose style, I'm not sure.

This wasn't for me but maybe someone else will enjoy it, if that's their style of literature. ( )

It was interesting to learn about different cultures in this novel set in Cyprus, and the tension there regarding Greece that intertwined the main characters marriage and choosing where to put down roots and what that really means to different people. It’s not a happy narration but I did become invested in Androulla and Giannis, the main characters wanting them to live happily.y ever after.
Several story strands to get you thinking. ( )

This book's synopsis sounded intriguing, but I found it hard to connect with the story, setting, and characters. I almost quit reading several times during the first half; it wasn't until the last 100 pages or so that the book started to interest me. The book covers many difficult topics, such as infertility, immigration, poverty, and marital problems. None of the problems really seemed to be resolved during the story, but the characters do grow from going through them. Not a book I would read again, but I'm sure there are others out there in which this book would hit home. ( )

The story of Androulla and Giannis, married but not quite, living in Cyprus, both with ties to the country and wanting to make it their permanent home but cannot yet. Androulla has polycystic ovarian syndrome and much of the story revolves directly, or indirectly around this. The writing was good, but there were unnecessary, to my mind, story lines, one concerning Androulla’s sex drive, and another her relationship with food. The title itself seems forced. Cyprus doesn’t get that much rain, but every time it rains the weather reflects the story arc in some way, making for a contrived feeling. There were a number of peripheral characters I really enjoyed, but it wasn’t until the second half of the book that I actually found myself liking and rooting for Androulla and Giannis. But I am glad I persevered and had the opportunity to read it. ( )

[ARC review]
This is a beautifully written, stunningly nuanced book illuminating a pivotal year in the life of a young woman, Androulla, who seeks a home country of her own choosing, while coming to terms with the denial of her birthright as a woman, to bear children. I was quickly drawn into the story and followed it with increasing concern and involvement as the year unfolded. Androulla faces many daunting obstacles, through which she evolves and grows in complex ways. No path is straight for her; nothing proceeds as planned, or hoped.

The story is developed entirely from Androulla’s viewpoint, by which she is revealed to be highly intelligent, sensitive and conflicted. What saves her from swamping in her volatile emotional sea is the humanity, and strength of will, at her core.

Characters are portrayed with depth, understanding and flair. The author is particularly good at rendering the tension of internal conflicts and doubts, as well as the unbidden aftereffects of trauma. She writes with clarity and searing honesty, including on difficult matters of youth suicide, risky drunken behavior, and the pathos and ordeal of threatened pregnancy loss.

The story is filled with adroit blends of reminisce, coupled with cogent word pictures from everyday life. One of my favorites is Androulla thinking about how her stepfather Kostas was her father “in all the ways that mattered”, as punctuated by her “sliding open the door to her window box balcony” and “inhal[ing] the fresh smell of rain,” by which I believe she acknowledges how fortunate she has been to have him as her father.

The book has many grounding details, such as differences in Greek and Greek-Cypriot pronunciations, and the way many Cypriots ‘declare’ their valuables when they sit down to table. But though the writing is steeped in the culture and outlook of a specific country, it resonates with much broader human experiences.

Exceptional passages for me included –
1. Giannis reading an impressionistic, poetical piece he has written. It reveals a hidden dimension to his character that while surprising, is resounding and entirely believable.
2. The description of Androulla preparing a meal while talking on the phone with her British friend Naomi. It combined the comforting thread of everyday tasks with the reassurance of an enduring friendship.
3. Olympia’s warning to her daughter about ‘shiny people’.
4. An interesting discussion between Androulla and Pantelis about the evolving relativity of who one is, depending on one’s context.

In sum, I found this novel to be a tour de force, which I highly recommend. ( )