The House by the River: a family saga set in the country of Greece

The House by the River by Lena Manta is a family saga story set in the beautiful country of Greece. Living in a small village by a river at the foot of Mount Olympus, Gerasimos and Theodora have five daughters: Melissanthi, Julia, Aspasia, Polyxeni, and Magdanlini. When tragedy strikes, Theodora is left to raise her daughters alone. As they grow into beautiful young women, Theodora knows she can’t keep her daughters at home forever. They are too curious, too free-spirited with too much wanderlust to stay in their tiny village. But before each girl leaves, she lets them know they are always welcomed to come home to the house by the river. Theodora must endure the twenty-year silence from her daughters as they live their lives. They marry, travel the world, courted various romances, fame and their own tragedy. Will their own tragedy bring them back together to the house by the river?

The House by the River is a long, in-depth family story. Separated into sections, detailing each daughters’ successes, failures, and tragedy. The stories started out strong. I enjoyed Theodora’s story as well as Melissanthi’s and Julia’s. Unfortunately, the other daughters’ stories were tedious and very unrealistic. However, the best part of the book is when the daughters, one by one, return to the house and in various ways find forgiveness and healing from their waywardness. Overall, I enjoyed the story. The imagery of the various towns and villages in Greece are stunning. However, it is hard to recommend because it is just so long and tedious to the point of repetitiveness

 

The House by the River is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook