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"A good introduction to Greece's struggle for independence", August 13, 2010
By: Feathered Quill Book Reviews
This review is from: Giorgi's Greek Tragedy (Paperback)

Giorgi's Greek Tragedy is an historical novel recounting the events leading up to, and including, Greece's fight for independence from the suffocating rule of the Ottoman Turks. Seen through the eyes of several family members, the reader is carried along as the family struggles at the hands of their Turkish rulers.

The author opens her story with a look at life in a quaint Greek village in 1790. We see how hard the men work to provide for their families, what the women must do to keep home life running smoothly, and how children contribute. The reader is given a glimpse of wedding customs and how tradition determined so much in the lives of Greek peasants.

The idyllic village life is first interrupted by Turkish tax collectors, then later in the same chapter by the Sultan's Janissary Corps. The Corps were known for making infamous "child gatherings" trips where they would select healthy Greek children and take them away to be raised to fight for the Sultan. On one such trip, the Corps selects young Panos Papakalos for this "privilege." When his parents try to stop the kidnapping, they are ruthlessly killed by the Turkish scouts. Fortunately, the other two sons, Giorgi and Yianni, are off playing and avoided the terror that visited the house that day. But when they returned later and discovered the bloodshed, their lives are forever changed. Young Giorgi is soon obsessed with punishing the murderers and vows to one day get revenge.

The bulk of Giorgi's Greek Tragedy follows Giorgi and Yianni as they run off and join the kleftes (Freedom Fighters), hoping to join up with Kapetan Zaharias Barbitsiotis, the leader of the rebels, and avenge their parents' murder. After a brief stint in a training camp, the boys are soon in the middle of the fight for freedom. Giorgi quickly learns to relish the killing of Turks, but Yianni prefers the quiet of reading and writing poetry.

Life is hard for the young fighters and many Greek rebels die from both the harsh living conditions and the Turk's swords. But the overbearing rule of the Turks has hardened the young men's hearts and they willingly fight on.

It is apparent that the author did her research and is fascinated by the Greek fight for independence. She has included many details about the Freedom Fighters' lives, and has even included a glimpse of the hardships military animals, such as pack mules, faced. For those who get squeamish reading detailed fighting scenes, take note, this book focuses much more on the daily lives of soldiers and their families, and avoids gory battle scenes.

Although the history is central to the narrative, the characters' stories sometimes get lost as the historical events take over. For example, the boys' search for the Freedom Fighters is interrupted by an old man's tale about brave Kapetan Zaharias and later a priest tells them about a castle at Mystras in 1259. At these points, the reader may feel like they are attending a lecture on Greek history rather than reading an account of two boys growing to manhood as they fight for their country's freedom. But when the story gets back on track, the action quickly picks up.

Quill says: This tale is a good introduction to the events surrounding Greece's struggle for independence seen mainly through the eyes of two brothers.

"History--True-to-life", July 10, 2011
La Vaughn Kemnow (Oregon, USA)
This review is from: Giorgi's Greek Tragedy (Paperback)

The words that flow from Pauline Hager’s pen (or word processor, however it may be) paint pictures so clear it seems that one is there. In her novel she brings history alive, in an easy flow of words and many details that help give credence to the story. It's like taking a step back into the past; and the past becomes the present. The detailed descriptions and emotions clearly presented add much to this narrative. Ms. Hager has obviously done a lot of research and has constructed a compelling novel that is hard to put down. Interesting, lifelike characters and many tragic events under the Ottoman Turkish Empire bring an element of pathos to this lifelike story; and the bravery and determination of these suppressed people of Greece evoke feelings of hope and encouragement for other suppressed peoples.

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"An entertaining and touching read", October 7, 2010
By: Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
This review is from: Giorgi's Greek Tragedy (Paperback)

The fight for freedom and independence spread across the globe during the nineteenth century. "Giorgi's Greek Tragedy" tells the story of a particular Greek who takes up the call for freedom fighting and seeks to battle against the Turks. A story of love, war, and family, "Giorgi's Greek Tragedy" is an entertaining and touching read, that should prove hard to put down.

"Giorgi's Greek Tragedy"
By: Alexander Vavoulis (Fresno, CA USA)
This review is from: Giorgi's Greek Tragedy (Paperback)

The book cover says that this is the author's first novel. I view the book as a historical novel in that the plot takes place during an important part of of modern Greek history. The author must be a phihellene to write such a beautiful novel.
The events takes place in the Peloponesse, also called Moria, which is a peninsula and forms the southern part of Greece. The setting of the novel is a Greece under occupation by the Ottoman Empire(Turkey)for some 400-years. A cruel occupation for the Greeks who lived there.
Pauline Hager focuses on a family to weave a story that is humane, tragic, tearful, sensitive and real. Parents who are killed in cold blood by the Turkish authorities, a daughter who is taken to a harem, and a son who is taken to become a special soldier for the Turkish leader. Two sons, Giogis and Yiannis survive and leave their village to join the kleftes (rebels) in the mountains. Their life stories are told: Giorgis fights the occupiers and Yianne becomes a priest. Each following their instincts and what is most important to each of them.
The author writes in a very clear style which held this reader's attention. One can learn from this novel, for example, how the human spirit can rise above a tragic situation in the face of adversity. It also makes clear that Greeks, whereever they live, annually celebrate on March 25th the revolution that gave them back their freedom and their self-esteem.

"A novel about Ottoman Occupation in Greece", June 4, 2011
By: SofiaSteryo-Bartmus (West Hills, CA USA)
This review is from: Giorgi's Greek Tragedy (Paperback)

Pauline Hager has done an excellent job in capturing the essence of a very painful and dark time in Greek history-the 400 years of Ottoman occupation. The characters are so real and representative ot the people of that era, that you forget that this is a novel and not a documentary. This is a story of love, revenge, deception, and fighting for one's freedom and the freedom of a country, but also a story of forgiveness. Each chapter takes you inside the homes, lives, customs, struggles and hearts of each character and you become familiar with them. We learn about three generations, spanning from 1790 to 1829. I couldn't help but feel compassion for these courageous people for what they had to endure, and couldn't wait to turn the page to find out more about them and the outcome of their circumstances. War can change people's lives in an instant; one day you are living peacefully in a small village and the next moment you are under the domination of another country and helpless to defend yourself. The story is very well researched and well written, with Greek words spread out throughout the book, which makes it interesting reading, especially if you recognize those words.

The lives of the Greek peasants were harsh and cruel under the occupiers, as they worked hard, long hours in their fields. Some men became "klefts" (freedom fighters) in the treacherous mountains, leaving their families behind, sometimes never to see them again. Others, remained in their homes trying to keep peace with the Turkish authorities. Some of those families were killed in front of their own children, while others witnessed their young sons taken away to the Turkish army, or their young daughters snatched away to the Sultan's harem in Constantinople, Turkey. Giorgi is one of those young men (whose parents are shot by a local Janissary Corps scout) who becomes a "kleft" and fights for revenge, while Yianni, his brother, follows his calling of becoming a priest and forgives the atrocities done to his family.

Giorgi's Greek Tragedy not only keeps your attention until the very end, but it also teaches you about an important time in Greek and Turkish history. I enjoyed it very much.

Giorgi's Greek Tragedy

by pauline hager

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