TLC Book Tours: When the Cypress Whispers by Yvette Manessis Corporon

Title: When the Cypress Whispers
Author: Yvette Manessis Corporon
Format: ARC
Publisher: Harper
Publish Date: April 1, 2014
Source: TLC Book Tours

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're a fiction fan.
• You like family stories.
• You're an armchair traveler.

 What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: "The daughter of Greek immigrants, Daphne aspires to the American Dream, yet feels as if she's been sleepwalking through life. Caught between her family's old-world traditions and the demands of a modern career, she cannot seem to find her place.

Only her beloved grandmother on Erikousa, a magical island off the coast of Greece, knows her heart. Daphne's fondest memories are of times spent in the kitchen with Yia-yia, cooking and learning about the ancient myths. It was the thought of Yia-yia that consoled Daphne in the wake of her husband's unexpected death.

After years of struggling to raise her child and pay the bills, Daphne now has a successful restaurant, a growing reputation as a chef, and a wealthy fianc?-everything she's ever wanted. But across the ocean, Yia-yia can see through the storybook perfection of Daphne's new life- and now she is calling her back to Erikousa. She has secrets about the past to share with her granddaughter- stories from the war, of loyalty and bravery in the face of death. She also has one last lesson to teach her: that security is not love, and that her life can be filled with meaning again."

My Two Cents:

"When the Cypress Whispers" is the story of Daphne, a woman who is struggling with her life. On the surface, she seems very successful. She runs a Greek restaurant in NYC and has a wonderful daughter. When she visits her grandmother in Greece, her grandmother has the uncanny ability to realize that things are not as they seem on the surface.

I enjoyed this book. It is a sweet love story mixed with a story of finding oneself and finding where you belong. It is a little predictable, especially with regard to the love story but if you're looking for a comfort read, this book definitely fits the bill.

I really liked the family story part of this book. Daphne has an incredible relationship with her Yia-Yia. Even though her grandmother doesn't have an education and seems content with her life on the small Greek island where most of this book was set, she does some pretty amazing things with her life as Daphne finds out in the book.

The setting of the book was definitely stand out to me. The small Greek island at the center of this book so seems like a place that I would love to visit. I loved how the author described the island. I could definitely picture what it looked like. If you are looking for some quality armchair traveling, this may be a good pick for you!

Follow the Rest of the Tour:

Tuesday, April 1st: Svetlana’s Reads and Views
Wednesday, April 2nd: BookNAround
Thursday, April 3rd: A Bookish Affair
Monday, April 7th: Sweet Tea and Lollipops
Tuesday, April 8th: From L.A. to LA
Wednesday, April 9th: A Novel Review
Thursday, April 10th: A Bookish Way of Life
Monday, April 14th: Peeking Between the Pages
Tuesday, April 15th: BoundbyWords
Wednesday, April 16th: Book Dilettante
Wednesday, April 16th: The Infinite Shelf
Thursday, April 17th: A Chick Who Reads
Monday, April 21st: Always With a Book
Tuesday, April 22nd: Doing Dewey
Wednesday, April 23rd: Kahakai Kitchen
Thursday, April 24th: Broken Teepee
Tuesday, April 29th: Dwell in Possibility
Wednesday, April 30th: Savvy Verse & Wit