Customer Reviews

Greek Winds of Fury

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been a Judith Gould fan from way back when. Loved SINS, NEVER TOO RICH, TOO DAMN RICH and FOREVER. Then it seemed Ms. Gould was in a kind of decline, with shorter books and plots. What I loved about GREEK WINDS OF FURY is the double prologue - only wish it took place even more in ancient times than the present, but still...the old Judith Gould whom I loved and grew up with seems to have reemerged. I adored the sprawl of the book and the exotic locations. The only thing I missed from the old Goulds that I loved was that there is so little sex in this book! But it reminds me of Mary Stewart in her heyday - only placed in modern-day Greece. Bravo, Ms. Gould.

My, oh my. Ms. Gould has outdone herself (in my opinion) and created one of the scariest protagonists alive - Chara Zouboulakis. It's obvious Ms. Gould travels to do her research, knows her art and how the art world works (TOO DAMN RICH) and has encountered characters galore in her travels. Who else would wind up with those charming nurses? Yes, there could have been more romance (read sex), but overall, I was smitten with this book. It's obvious she cultivated archeologists, knows all about the Nazi era in Greece and the looting that went on, and get this - even knows her music (as she did in FOREVER! I want more Goulds out there. And the longer they are, the more they entice. I found GREEK WINDS OF FURY fascinating - being half-Greek myself, she truly captured the Greek spirit. In this novel, the spirit of Mary Stewart's early books live on. Please, Ms. Gould - MORE!

This book was a disappointing because it jumped around to much. It starts with the history of Greek sculptures, then jumps to modern times. There are several characters but none of their story lines seem complete, several things are left hanging. The book is totted as a novel of romantic suspense, although there is very little romance at all. This is the first book I have made myself finish. It just never got better.

While I always love to read novels set in Greece, reading Greek Winds of Fury was a Herculean task (pun intended). This long, meandering story of an ancient statue of the goddess Hera, created on Samos in 522 BC, later pillaged by the Nazis, and lost under the caves on Samos, starts off interestingly enough. But, alas, the plot then descends into unrelated story lines that confuse and bore the reader. We encounter the ferry strike in Athens (an all too true occurence), the cruise ship transporting illegal aliens, the icy cruise director, the hearty nurses from New Zealand visiting Greece, the mysterious doctor in Turkey, the vastly wealthy but sinister Liapsis family, the curmudgeonly archaelogy professor, the gruff Greek-American single dad, etc, etc. Then of course is our intrepid heroine, Miranda Kalli, who is part Greek, has a Ph.D., works in a prestigious art gallery in Manhattan. Of course it wouldn't be Judith Gould without some sex scenes thrown in at random moments, which do not involve our heroine, but instead involve her friend back in the Hamptons. As you can see, these unrelated plot lines are confusing and really detract from the story. The best line in the whole story came at the very end, when we learn that the hunky Mike Savides (aka the Greek-American single dad) hails from "Tarpon Springs, Florida", where I happen to live. It took ages to finish this lengthy 474 pg. tome. Read it at your own peril.

This was a particularly good read because my yiayia (grandmother) was born on this Island of Samos where the mystery takes place - and I have been there so many times, lost count...... Very well written! Greece is my passion and have taught same at our local college and still teach seminars once per quarter. - :)

Leaving NYC and heading for an archeological dig with Miranda was another exciting adventure with Judith Gould. Up to this point, my all-time favorite Gould book was "Time to Say Good=Bye" because I loved the setting and the wonderful characters, but "Greek Winds" just kept me reading and reading. This may be her eighteenth book, but she just keeps getting better and better.

Sorry, but this book is just not up to the standards of earlier Judith Gould novels.

One of the many problems is the inconsistency of the main character. Miranda is written as a brilliant, fiesty, adventurous, spunky, modern woman. She has a Ph.D, works in a prestigious art gallery in Manhatten, and often uses her Manhatten aggressiveness to get what she wants. Yet, she is engaged to a stuffed shirt hedge fund manager, who shares none of her values; none of her interests; and she does not even have the gumption to tell him how much she hates him calling her "Mandy" instead of Miranda. Then, incredulously, she becomes angry when she thinks he is sleeping with someone else, and decides to break their engagement. She is, however, too embroiled in the intrigue of murder, smuggling, and mayhem in Greece to bother telling him until the end of the book.

The cover of the book says "Romantic Suspense". If one lingering kiss between Miranda and the man in Greece to whom she is attracted, is considered "romance", the author has completely lost her way.

The plot is complex, too drawn out, and the surprise ending deteriorates into a whimper.

A big disappointment.

Judith Gould is BACK with a great new book. My favorites are also NEVER TOO RICH, TOO DAMN RICH and FOREVER. I loved the action, pace, excitement and twisted plots.

GREEK WINDS OF FURY is a terrific read. If you're a Judith fan, give yourself and your friends a treat for Christmas.