The Cypriot

Having recently read Andrea Busfield's Aphrodite's War, which was excellent, I purchased The Cypriot wondering how anything I was about to read could live up to its predecessor. The Cypriot, however, far exceeded my expectations and is excellent in its own right. It's not the longest book you will ever read but it takes you on such an incredibly powerful journey, it's difficult to forget even after you've finished reading it. I loved the way the author flitted from present day to the past so seamlessly. I also recognised some of the Cypriot proverbs and the songs in the book and this made me laugh. But most fascinating was Andonis' transition from a village in Cyprus to London life, and the contrast too, which was made more striking by the constant reliving of the past. Really amazing.I didn't however like the phonetic translation of some Greek Cypriot words (which were also inconsistant at times). 'Nikos' is incorrectly spelt 'Nigos', 'gumandaria' is used instead of 'koumantaria'. And in other places 'Makarios' is spelt correctly and other times 'Magarios' (?). I think this is either sloppy writing, or the author did this deliberately in an attempt to convey village-speak. Whatever the reason, as a Greek speaker with Cypriot parents myself, it didn't really work for me - I thought it was unnecessary and a little irritating. I felt it made the language sound quite ugly to a non-Greek Cypriot reading it, which is a shame. That said, I think it would be churlish for me to knock a star off for this point, as it is an otherwise excellent book!I cried at the end, I'm not sure why some reviewers didn't like the ending because I certainly was not disappointed. I thought it all came together neatly and the story was beautifully told throughout. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It is so beautifully written. I found it to be both an educational and fascinating read.I liked the way the author wrote about a very troubled period in Cyprus' history and managed to show characters from all sides (Cypriot Christians,Cypriot Muslims and also British occupiers) without any bias whatsoever. I found the characters to be very well developed and sympathetically portrayed. The differing time-frames of past and present also held my interest. The contrast of the main characters's present life and that of which he had had to leave behind in his troubled homeland was deeply saddening. It brought to life the plight that many Cypriots were faced with in those very turbulent times.This book makes you want to know more about the 'Cyprus Problem' and wonder if there will ever be a solution. I recommend that you buy this book. It is an amazing read!

An interesting book if you have knowledge of the situation in Cyprus. It was well written and the political side was made more relevant than the actual novel side of it ( I appreciated that). I was upset as I was reading it as I am interested in Cyprus as I am frequent visitor - the situation, in my opinion will never be resolved. The island seems to take one step forward and then two steps backwards.

I must admit I am left surprised, impressed and inspired.After buying this book, I kept it on my bookshelf for a few days without even glancing at it until the day I finally decided to give it a brief look in order to at least justify the fact that I got into the trouble of buying it! What a "dreadful mistake" that was to make in the middle of an exam period...By the 20th page I was literally hooked and did not want to put it down, not even to eat. I ended up reading it back to back in less than 2 days. I rarely catch my self reading anything that can keep me so "magnetised", let alone for hours. Being familiar with Cypriot culture and history obviously meant that I could relate to the characters, sceneries and events described a bit easier than the average reader(I suspect) but this takes away nothing from the proficiency and charisma with which these have been depicted on paper. "The Cypriot" was for me an unexpected surprise and a thoroughly entertaining read. I highly recommend it!

Cosy reading of a complex and disturbing topic. It whetted my appetite to read more about leprosy in Cyrpus during partition and beyond. Koumi simplifies and sanitises the subject, wrapping it in a romantic story to help the medicine go down.

I enjoyed this book because of the historical association as I too am Greek Cypriot.

Bit heavy going in places but l enjoyed it for the historical facts and love story.

Quite a yarn but am sure quite close to reality