The Book - Land of the Golden Apple by Eve Makis
» Read an extract from the book here
‘Life had lost its sweetness. Socrates felt as if he had eaten the accursed apple and was like Adam, suddenly prone to emotions he had never before experienced - fear, loneliness and shame.’
For Socrates growing up in a small Cypriot village is both idyllic and frustrating. Summer is on the horizon and yet his parents, his teachers and his interfering neighbours seem intent on spoiling his fun. He spends his time setting off homemade fireworks and causing explosions, tormenting local pensioners, spying on his brother’s girlfriends and escaping the clutches of the village policeman on his illegal moped. But his carefree days are numbered as the jasmine-scented breeze mingles with the threat of danger. Behind the façade of respectable island life lurk dark and menacing forces. An abused wife plots revenge on her violent husband and a dangerous predator stalks the innocent.
Eve Makis’ world is a fabulous montage of texture, colour and atmosphere; where light heartedness and comedy go hand-in-hand with sadness and tragedy. Land of the Golden Apple is a bewitching coming-of-age novel about the lives and loves, joys and despairs of a diverse yet tightly-knit community and about how those same ties that bind us can also constrict us.
Publication date: April 2008
» Read an extract from the book here
Buying the book
Land of the Golden Apple by Eve Makis is available in books shops from April 2008.
For a free signed copy of Eve's new book Land of the Golden Apple, please answer the following question: In the garden of which goddess did a tree bearing golden apples grow?
Five random correct entrants will receive their signed copy following publication.
All winners will be contacted by email.
The Bookseller
"Mischievous boys in a small Greek Cypriot village have their summer disrupted by the dark cloud of paedophilia. This is terrific in sense of place, the portrait of the boys and the machinations of village life. A lovely read."
Good Housekeeping
"Rich with the colour and atmosphere of a small Cypriot village, this gutsy tale starts with the misbehaviour of a boy and his mother?s attempts to rein him in. When he oversteps youthful fun with a potentially deadly prank, the spotlight falls briefly on him before illuminating a more adult and disturbing crime set to shake the community. Makis translates the darker side of domestic, small-town life into engaging, vibrant prose. "
The Big Issue
"Spring descends upon a small Cypriot village and young Socrates is looking forward to spending long balmy days with his friends. Little does he know though, that under the gloss of his idyllic surroundings lurks deceit, danger and menace, ready to turn his world upside down."
Liz Broomfield
"Makis does it again, with an absorbing, elegantly plotted and excellently-peopled slice of life in 1980s Cyprus. Young Socrates leads a life of unalloyed pleasure, out making fireworks and causing havoc with his two best friends, all their exciting posessions stashed in the shed of gentle Andrico, the town simple man. But darkness clouds their carefree lives, Marco's dad's violences gets worse and worse, and there's a crime committed that sends shockwaves - and waves of gossip - through the village. The characters are so well observed and really come alive, even more secondary characters like Petri, wide boy army lad in his John Travolta suit, and Kyriacos, owner of a dodgy arcade and full of plots to lure widows. Both of these chaps are seen as real, complex people with choices to make for good or for bad. The scene is set beautifully too, with sounds and smells mixing with sights to produce a really evocative background. I think this may be her best work so far!"
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Comments by visitors:
" Having lived in Cyprus for 25 years it's been a wonderful journey of discovery reading Eve's books. I've howled with laughter and sobbed tears of despair as the characters drew me in to their loves and lives. I just love her prose and deft sketches of utterly believable characters, whose voices i know, oh so well, as they surround me day and night here in my village. Eve keep them coming...our book club here in Maroni Cyprus, have agreed, unusually to a woman, that we have loved all three books...in fact they just get better and better. "
Posted by: ELSA BASDEN
11:16 am, 25th July 2008
" I very much enjoyed your 2 books, actaully devoured The Motherinlaw in 24 hrs.
Having lived in Cyprus for 4 years it has given me a much better understanding of just why some of the lifestyles that are led by Cypriots actually are the way they are.
What a laugh I had especially at the pessaries for thrush one ............. hilarious !!! Keep writing I am looking forward to your next book ad will order on line. "
Posted by: Kate
5:35 am, 16th March 2008