Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review
The Cretan Runner by George Psychoundakis. Published by Penguin Books
Novel Genre: Non-Fiction
The Cretan Runner is a witness account of the German Invasion of Crete in 1941 which devastated Crete for several months. It is written like a journal, and narrated in first-person by the author, George Psychoundakis. The story's protagonist is the author during the invasion where he is 21 at the time and first takes place in Canea, Greece but through his journeys is brought to several other cities on the island and even Egypt. George is given the task of sending important messages to cities and villages on the island of Crete, which is very mountainous. This means he and whomever he runs with must cross mountains daily and avoid German search parties. Throughout the book, he suffers from close calls with the Germans, starvation, and many other problems.
"Full of death, and the excitement of a fighter who wildly enjoys his own part of the dangerous business."-The Sunday Times. I completely agree with the quote as George did live and enjoy the lifestyle at several points, even in the bleakest times. He was also known for his infectious laugh and personality by many who knew him, and by his commander at one point who also translated the book from Greek, (Sir) Patrick Fermor.
In this book, the writing style is very similar to basic English and is sometimes hard to read in one sitting as some points in description become very lengthy. Also, since it was translated into English by a British man, it sometimes differs from American English in certain word meanings. "Soon the long-awaited telegram, saying that the aeroplane with stores would be arriving in a few days, came from Cairo. I don't remember where I had been sent, but I was not present at the drop. But when I got back, I learnt the whole queer story."(81) This was towards to beginning of the story which was describing the first night of the invasion when several airplanes began dropping German parachutists onto the island during the dead of night.
Reading this book I saw how hard some moments were for many in Europe. People often times had livestock and food stolen so that the Germans could continue to fight. I also have a relationship with this book through my grandfather and his brother who were very similar to George. They also served in the Greek Resistance during World War II and also sometimes sent messages to other cities and villages. I enjoyed this book greatly and would like to read other books by George Psychoundakis as he wrote other books about World War II, and the fact that I like to read about stories, fiction or non-fiction, about events in World War II.
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Dimitri really seemed to enjoy the book because it strngthened his Greek backround. The writing style seemed to be a little different from american english because it was written in Greek and translated by someone who was/is British. The passage from the book is really intrigueing becuase it sparks curiosity as to what's going to happen next. This review is very different because it is non-fiction and everything seemed to be desctibed a little more thoroughly. I might consider reading this book becuase although I am not really into non-fiction, I do love a good war novel.
ReplyDeleteDimitri was happy with the book he read and you could really tell he had no problems with it. The writing style was unique in it's own way and it was told by the author as some sort of journal. He picked an effective quote in that it was interesting and suspenseful in a way, it got me thinking.His review seemed a little more of a higher level skill because of the explanation. very good in my opinion I would not consider reading the book not that it was a bad review or anything but it just doesnt seem like a book i could stick with.
ReplyDeleteDimitri seemed to enjoy the book and liked reading it. The book was written in greek then translated so it was originally form greek literature and was interesting. I liked the passage he picked because it kept me wondering about the book and linked to it. Dimitri's review was very good because it had a lot of information and i liked reading it. This book sounded interesting and fun to read. I think i might enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteDimitri enjoyed reading this story because he likes reading stories about World War 2, also, he connected with this book because his grandfather and uncle were like the main character. The style of the writer is simplistic language with length descriptions. The passage from the book caught my attention because you can already get a feel for what the story may be like, full of action and adventure. This is the first review I've read so I cannot compare it but it is a very good review in my mind. I would consider reading this book because I enjoy reading stories like this. Also its action packed so it wont get boring very fast.
ReplyDelete1.) Dimitri liked this book and it was also about a subject that he really enjoys to read about.
ReplyDelete2.) the book was written in Greek but then translated into English.
3.) i liked the passage he picked because it made me more curious about this book.
4.) i liked reading this review of the book because it was descriptive and good.
5.) i would consider reading this because it seems interesting and the type of book i would enjoy