The Lady of Tarpon Springs by Judith Miller
Paperback, 320 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction,Fiction,Christian Fiction
Published Date 31 Jul 2018
Book Summary
Much to the dismay of her Greek family, Zanna Krykos makes a living as a lawyer in Tarpon Springs, Florida. When her friend Lucy needs legal advice about the business she inherited upon her father's passing, she ends up asking Zanna to run the business instead so she can focus on her medical career. Nico Kalos is a Greek diver who has worked on sponging boats in the Aegean Sea since the age of 14, giving him a vast knowledge of the trade. When he hears of an opportunity to lead a group of spongers to the United States, he seizes it. But his excitement is quickly quelled when he arrives only to discover that a young woman with no experience in the business will be in charge of the new crews. But as Zanna and Nico face even more complications than they could have imagined, they must learn to work together or risk everything they've worked so hard for.
My Review
Judith Miller's books are an automatic buy for me when she has a new release. Her newest voyage in writing has left quite an impression on me and will stay in my memory for a long time. Let me start out by saying I have never been to Tarpon Springs or even Florida but Tarpon Springs is now where I want to go do some fun historical research. Right from the start of the book I was immersed in the story, the smell of the ocean,the calls of the divers,the clanks of their diving suits,feeling the pull of the rope,the fear and anticipation of that next dive for sponges,the authentic Greek food. This book was absolutely fabulous and it challenged me as well. When a book challenges me historically I love it because it means I want to find out more about what the author is writing about. In this case looked up sponging, which I have never read about before. I also was interested in reading about the trauma divers can cause themselves by rising to the surface to quickly after a deep dive. I have heard of "the bends" before but wasn't quite sure what it was. I felt as though I were there during this whole book experiencing it, perfect descriptions! My favorite character was definitely, Nico Kalos who was in charge of the diving team. Least favorite character was for sure, Adelfo Pappas,what a sneaky slimeball. He's all for himself though he tries to make you feel as though he's on your side. I was impressed with how the author made the male characters sound and think as male characters rather than as a female author would think. I love the forward thinking of the time period as well in that the town's doctor and town's lawyers are both females. Bravo! The three spinsters sisters are a bit annoying but where a hoot, loved having them in the story. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to see what Judith puts out for us next. Highly recommended! I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House through NetGally/the author. Thank you. All opinions expressed are my own.