Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Waiting on Wednesday: My Last Lament by James William Brown


Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released!

This week's upcoming book spotlight is:

My Last Lament by James William Brown
Publication Date: March 1st, 2017
Berkley Books
Amazon |  Barnes & Noble | Book Depository


From Goodreads:


My Last Lament
A poignant and evocative novel of one Greek woman's story of her own and her nation's epic struggle in the aftermath of World War II.

Aliki is one of the last of her kind, a lamenter who mourns and celebrates the passing of life. She is part of an evolving Greece, one moving steadily away from its rural traditions. To capture the fading folk art of lamenting, an American researcher asks Aliki to record her laments, but in response, Aliki sings her own story...


It begins in a village in northeast Greece, where Aliki witnesses the occupying Nazi soldiers execute her father for stealing squash. Taken in by her friend Takis's mother, Aliki is joined by a Jewish refugee and her son, Stelios. When the village is torched and its people massacred, Aliki, Takis and Stelios are able to escape just as the war is ending.


Fleeing across the chaotic landscape of a post-war Greece, the three become a makeshift family. They are bound by friendship and grief, but torn apart by betrayal, madness and heartbreak.


Through Aliki's powerful voice, an unforgettable one that blends light and dark with wry humor, My Last Lament delivers a fitting eulogy to a way of life and provides a vivid portrait of a timeless Greek woman, whose story of love and loss is an eternal one.




I can't quite put my finger on just what it is that makes this book jump out at me, but something grabs me and needless to say I am looking forward to its release next March! I love the setting, and although I study Ancient Greece, I would love to read something about a more modern Greece. Something about the idea of wanting to hold onto importation traditions and culture also really captures my attention.

What do you think about this upcoming release? What are your anticipated upcoming releases?


3 comments:

  1. Such a unique concept, and the cover really stands out to me! I've never heard of this before, so thank you for bringing it to my attention ^_^ Amazing pick!

    Brittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles

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  2. This one def has a premise that is unlike anything I've personally read before - so gold star for that! I know next to nothing about what occurred in Greece during WWII actually... All the more reason to check this one out I guess!

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  3. Oh wow, that cover is incredible! I had never heard of this book before, but am always drawn to books that are set around WWII so thanks for bringing this one to my attention. :)

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