A Lone Red Apple (Paperback)

by Aurelia (Author) "The gods of Olympus sit serenely on their thrones as a dignified procession of citizens parades before them..." (more)
Key Phrases: new marina, Senior Lectureship, Mykonos Bar, Greenwich Park (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"'A Lone Red Apple' is a clever, modern day romance...the main plot focuses on the lovers, Matthew and Elena, but subpllots feature the threat of commercializaiton on the quaint island of Mykonos; Elena's rocky relationship with her family; Matthew's chance at a promotion at his university in England; and, of course, Sappho's poetry. Interwoven are influences and humor from the temperamental gods and goddesses. The theme emphasizes the two worlds that the lovers represent, London and Greece...throughout the story Aurelia effortlessly combines snippets of Greek history, mythology, and poetry. Her writing appeals to all the senses through detailed descriptions of the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of both Mykonos and Greenwich. -- The News Item, Shamokin, PA., August 7, 1999

"A delightful tale of romance and mischief...those with only half an interest in Greek mythology will find it intriguing and there are plenty of side plots to entertain...as to the significance of the title, 'a lone red apple,' and how a quiz night at the Plume of Feathers Pub in Greenwich fits into this tale, that is for the reader to discover." -- The Guide Magazine, Greenwich, London, October, 1999

"Aurelia, in her novel, 'A Lone Red Apple,' has achieved a literary tour de force in creating modern characters who work for their living and have personal and professional problems while seeming to be contemporaries of the gods of the ancient world...their influence on the characters of the novel and their co-existence appear as natural and rational as they were for the ancients...among the gods who have roles in the plot of the book, Aphrodite has no reason to feel slighted, as there are love scenes which should measure up to her standards of excellence..the author shows great skill in making a transition from the atmosphere of the Aegean to an Anglo-Saxon environment, where one of the chapters takes place. The spirit of place is shown in the mentality of the people, their way of life and their pastimes in a pub, in contrast to those in a Greek cafe. The fact that the English locale is in Greenwich, close to the Prime Meridian Line dividing East from West symbolica! lly emphasizes the differences and cultures in the lives and characters of the protagonists." -- Greece-In-Print, December, 1999

"One of the book's most striking elements is that it reads as a fun and accessible history and travel guide...it is a practical guide to Greece in the guise of a romantic novel...I was spell-bound by her description of Rhenia, one of the islands near Mykonos that is a sacred burial ground for warriors from the nearby island of Delos. A fisherman dropped her off to examine the grave markers. She was totally alone on the island where no one is allowed to live and she remained there for several hours. She describes it as 'magical,' and says it was so still she could hear her own breath...one of the many entertaining sub-plots details the actual conflict between the young and the old on the isle over a development issue...her story is illustred by Bill Papas, whose political cartoons for "The Guardian" and "The Sunday London Times" became well-known in the Sixties... -- The Athens News, Athens, Greece, March 5, 2000

"Those who study classics sometimes dream of using their knowledge of literature, language, and mythology to write a work of fiction. One American philhellene, Aurelia Smeltz, decided t give it a try after she came to Mykonos four years ago for an extended stay at the home of Greek friends.. she has turned her experiences living abroad in London and Greece into a delightful novel, entitled 'A Lone Red Apple.'" -- Kathimerini, International Herald Tribune, Athens, Greece, September 9, 1999

Anyone visiting Greece would be well advised to read this remarkable novel--an irresistible atmosphere, a true "feel" for Greece. -- Excel, In-Flight Magazine, Excel Airways, U.K.

The love of Greece's ancient legends and London' stately suburb of Greenwich have combined for Pittsburgh author Aurelia, whose first novel is the cross-cultural romance, A Lone Red Apple. Her romantic novel has a whimsical cast, with asides from Grecian gods and goddesses as they observe the developing romance between Elena, a beautiful Greek painter, and Matthew, a British classics scholar who comes to Elena's native Mykonos to teach a summer classics seminar. Aurelia said in a phone interview that she set the British parts of her novel in Greenwich, England, in part because it is a community she visits nearly every summer with her husband, John. The Plume of Feathers pub, which figures in a scene in the book, is a real life watering hole the couple enjoys. The popular local pub is becoming well-known because it is the only pub that lies on the Greenwich meridian, the place the year 2000 will dawn first. Greenwich is known worldwide as the place from which people measure time. Aurelia's 234-page book is illustrated by Bill Papas and was published by Greek America Press. -- FROM PRESS ENTERPRISE, BLOOMSBURG, PA.

When Londoner Matthew Wyttman, a classics professor, and Elena Angelides, a Greek artist, arrive at Mykonos on the same ferry, they don't realize that their lives will soon change because of the actions of the ancient Greek gods and the lyric poetry of Sappho. Zeus, Aphrodite, and Eros, with the assistance of the Muses, Poseidon, and the Zephyrs set the stage for the couple's love story. Their tale unravels amid the beauties of the sacred isle of Delos and windmill-sprinkled Mykonos, where the variety of Greek culture, including the distinctive family structure, food, poetry, dances, religious rituals, and battle between environmental concerns and the economic boom of tourism are amply portrayed. The whimsy of the gods enables Matthew and Elena to review their priorities and is just the spur they need to make positive changes in their lives. Their separate awakenings occur in an instructive yet vivid backdrop of the Greek islands and are affected by a dialogue between the gods and the beauty of Sappho's poetry. Supported by the apt, accomplished, and humorous illustrations of Bill Pappas, this promising author uses many techniques to develop the novel. The secondary characters could be more developed and the transitions smoother, but these are small quibbles in an enjoyable read. -- From Independent Publisher

Product Description
Set in modern times in the timeless land of the gods, A Lone Red Apple is a love story that takes place on the cosmopolitan Greek island of Mykonos and the nearby, sacred island of Delos. Just as these islands are opposites, so too are the lives of Matthew, a staid and shy British professor, and Elena, a lovely Greek artist with a passionate zest for life. They meet when Matthew comes to Mykonos to teach a seminar on the love poetry of Sappho. When Zeus awakens Aphrodite and Poseidon from ancient sleeps and instructs them to cause mischief in the lives of the mortals, Mathew and Elena experience a mythical Greece known only to the gods and a few, favored mortals.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 226 pages
• Publisher: Greek America Press (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892430002
• ISBN-13: 978-1892430007
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,283,491 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Didn't Work, April 2, 2002

By	Diana F. Von Behren "reneofc" (Kenner, LA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book did not work for me at all. Perhaps--and I say this sarcastically--- it would make a good lunch-hour filmed children's special with the modern story acting as a kick-off introduction for the retelling of the Greek Myths. The book focuses on a classics professor from Britain and a beautiful artist from Mykonos; they fall in love only because the mischevious Greek Pantheon deems that it must be so. Great. Problem is that between all the falling in love and dialogue between the gods, there is an awful lot of silly nonsense that goes on where the author showcases the places--both historical and modern---and its important personages in a cartoony tutorial where either the professor, the artist or the professor's students get to show off their knowledge of Greece in typified travelogue fashion. ZZZzzz

Anyone interested in reading such a book, already knows such stories, and could repeat them with more panache than the author. We needed more plot and less sidebars.

The star goes to the lovely and whimisical drawings of Mykonos and its unearthly inhabitants.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A lovely, lyrical romp, February 13, 2002

By	Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A LONE RED APPLE is a fizzing potpourri of mythology, travelogue, Greek history, educational techniques, poetry, and a tidy little love story. It is rare that an author can demonstrate this much pleasure while serving to enlighten the reader by reviewing the lives of the Greek gods and thoroughly painting the lovely Grecian islands from both an historical view and a contemporary setting for the story. We are given travel guides in the guise of students and their teacher (and his duplicitious paramours) and it is through their interaction with the heavenly overseeing mythical gods that we find a veritable summer idle. The love story is touching, though a bit too abbreviated, and we are not always clear about the identities of the incompletely fleshed out secondary characters (where was the editor?). At times the dances and the food and the travelguide approach borders on being stiff, but this is a wonderful bit of fluff that in the end has taught us something about a lot of things. Refreshing and a perfect book to take on the airplane to whatever lover's destination you choose!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Dumbed Down, June 20, 2001

By	Eileen Kopec (Orinda, CA USA) - See all my reviews

I bought this book because I was going to the Greek Islands and thought it would be fun to read while I was there. Unfortunately, I found the book to be very poorly written. The characters spoke to each other as if they were reading out of a text book. The author obviously did a lot of research for this book, but wrote it all into the book in a stiltingly awkward way. The characters were all cardboard cutouts, and the plot ridiculously thin. It was written on a very childish level. The author tells you everything, rather than showing you. She assumes the reader has no previous knowledge of anything. I cannot recommend this book at all.