Ariadne Apostolou

In Seeking Sophia, a novel by Ariadne Apostolu, protagonist Kleio Platon had received an email from her former lover from twenty years ago. He had learned of her health issues and wanted to reach out. Once she had hoped they would marry and have a family. None of that happened. Seeking Sophia is the story of what did actually happen in Kleio Platon's life.
Illness, professional upheaval and the words found in a fortune cookie set a course for a life that Kleio had not foreseen. Realizing that her time might be limited, she became introspective and made major life changing decisions. As a result, Kleio lived by her own timeline and on her own terms-learning from her mistakes as she went. The author delves deeply into her well defined and fascinating character and the reader comes to know her well as we enter her world.
This is an impeccably crafted story which is deeply moving, profound and beautifully told. It is one of the finest books I have ever read. Highly recommended.… (más)

A feel-good, introspective look at female relationships and communal living in 1970s New York. This certainly passes the Bechdel test and offers a more nuanced and descriptive view of relationships than many other books. The detailed analysis of emotions, logic and decision-making as well as the symbolism of the physical setting to the turmoil experienced by the characters was easily my favorite part of this book. Read when you have a bunch of free time on your hands, and you're in a mood that's conducive to pondering.… (más)

It took me forever to read this book because the first novella was so annoying. I would read a few pages, then put it down in disgust unable to deal with Mal's entitled, racist views of Nicaragua, and the people who live there. But eventually I realized that Mal had been written as entitled and racist because that was what she was, and it made me appreciate the story and the writer who could get such a response in me. These novellas are all narrated by a different character, and each sound uniquely like the people they are narrated by. I didn't love the larger story, and I couldn't care less what happened to these characters beyond these pages, but it was a surprisingly good book… (más)