Customer Reviews

To Hellas & Back - My Modern Day Greek Tragedy

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A friend of mine in Australia recommended this book to me. I was very skeptical because I am not really the target audience for women's memoirs... but my friend said "trust me, you'll love it." She was totally right.

To put it simply, I love the way this woman writes. Every paragraph is an enjoyable adventure. She can be both hysterically funny, witty and charming while at the same time successfully making you feel the agony of her strange saga. I was more than willing to travel thru the 200+ pages of her story because she could make me laugh and cry at the same time.

Similarily, she balances her themes perfectly - the hysterical observations of an ex-pat trying to make some sense out of an unfamiliar foreign culture and the tragic pit one falls in as their marriage falls apart. The two intertwine and balance each other perfectly, keeping me engaged from start to finish. A great read.

This book fell into my hands by chance. I had no idea at the time that I would end up reading it 3 times in 3 weeks (I have never read a book more than once).
It's a true story about love, sacrifice, and culture shock, and a lot more. It shows how much a woman's love for a man can change her life, damage her self esteem and nearly send her to a shrink. But don't think that this book is a sad story from start to finish. It will make you laugh and it will make you grab a tissue to wipe away the tears shortly after. Some people are prepared to give up their job, family, their LIFE, to be with the person they love. But "To Hellas and Back" goes to show that most of the time these sacrifices cause nothing but heartache.

Lana Penrose does not set out to write this book to "attack" or "criticise" Greece or the Greek people for that matter. Her personal experience was set in Greece so that is why she writes about Greece. Any person can experience culture shock in any country. There is a huge difference between being a tourist and being "Lana". A tourist stays for a limited time, sees the "hotspots" and returns to their country without any strings attached and a damaged psyche. Someone like Lana has to find the strength to leave her husband on the other side of the world, try to pick up the pieces and go back home.
It shows that living in a huge house, manicures, and shopping do not add up to happiness, love, and security.
A must read for anyone interested in human relationships and how they can make us or break us. A sequel is in the making and I look forward to reading it since Lana Penrose's talent can easily be compared to that of David Sedaris and Elizabeth Gilbert. GO GIRL!!!

In a world where most people wipe snot on their sleeves Lana Penrose proudly wears her heart on her sleeve.
For Lana to be a long way from home is frightening to be a long way from anywhere is the mother of all terrors.
"To Hellas And Back" is a bare knuckle read on romance,pain,loneliness,magic and lose while all along the book is laced with a remarkable dose of intelligent self depricating humor.
The most admirable quality of "Hellas And Back" is Lana invites the reader to take a candid look inside her mind which is toxically cloaked in depression.
This is a brave piece of work I highly recommend you have a read.

To HELLAS and BACK - WoW, what a great read. I am not an avid reader as such, but my sister recommended this book to me and urged me to go out and buy a copy, so I did. I could not put this book down. Lana's unique writing style engaged me instantly. The way that she perceives and describes people/situations and life in general is so entertaining. This book took me through a whole gammut of emotions, at times, I laughed out loud, and other times, I shed a tear. Her vocabulary and her quirky sense of humour makes this a must read.

Thank you Lana. My sister and I can't wait to read your next book!!