Book Review: When the Cypress Whispers by Yvette Manessis Corporon

When the Cypress Whispers

by

Yvette Manessis Corporon

On a beautiful Greek island, myths, magic, and a colorful cast of characters come together in When the Cypress Whispers, Yvette Manessis Corporon’s lushly atmospheric story about past and present, family and fate, love and dreams that poignantly captures the deep bond between an American woman and her Greek grandmother.

The daughter of Greek immigrants, Daphne aspires to the American Dream, yet feels as if she’s been sleepwalking through life. Caught between her family’s old-world traditions and the demands of a modern career, she cannot seem to find her place.

Only her beloved grandmother on Erikousa, a magical island off the coast of Greece, knows her heart. Daphne’s fondest memories are of times spent in the kitchen with Yia-yia, cooking and learning about the ancient myths. It was the thought of Yia-yia that consoled Daphne in the wake of her husband’s unexpected death.

After years of struggling to raise her child and pay the bills, Daphne now has a successful restaurant, a growing reputation as a chef, and a wealthy fiancé—everything she’s ever wanted. But across the ocean, Yia-yia can see through the storybook perfection of Daphne’s new life— and now she is calling her back to Erikousa. She has secrets about the past to share with her granddaughter— stories from the war, of loyalty and bravery in the face of death. She also has one last lesson to teach her: that security is not love, and that her life can be filled with meaning again. 

The past and the present beautifully entwine in this glorious, heartfelt story about a woman trapped between the siren call of old-world traditions and the demands of a modern career and relationship. When Daphne arrives on Erikousa with her daughter, Evie, in tow, nothing is the way she recalls it, and she worries that her elderly Yia-yia is losing her grip on reality. But as the two of them spend time together on the magical island once again, her grandmother opens up to share remarkable memories of her life there—including moving stories of bravery and loyalty in the face of death during World War II—and Daphne remembers why she returned. Yia-yia has more than one lesson to teach her: that security is not the same as love, that her life can be filled with meaning again, and that the most important magic to believe in is the magic of herself.

About the Author

Yvette Manessis Corporon is an Emmy Award winning writer, producer and author.
She is currently a Senior Producer with the syndicated entertainment news show, EXTRA.
With degrees in Classical Civilizations and Journalism from NYU, this daughter of Greek immigrants studied both of her passions. Now, Yvette's love for her heritage and her writing have come together again in her debut novel, WHEN THE CYPRESS WHISPERS.
In addition to her Emmy Award, Yvette has received several Emmy nominations, a Silurian Award for Excellence in Journalism and The New York City Comptroller and City Council's Award for Greek Heritage and Culture.
Yvette is married to award winning photojournalist, David Corporon. They have 2 children and live in New York. She spends her spare time running, cooking and teaching her children the occasional naughty Greek word in an effort to get them to speak the language.

When the Cypress Whispers is available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound, and Bookish.  Visit Yvette at http://yvettecorporon.com/, on Facebook, and Twitter.

Our Thoughts

I really liked this book.  No, wait, I LOVED this book!  It sucked me in within the first few pages.  I normally don't like any sort of review that says something is "a breath of fresh air" but When the Cypress Whispers truly is that.  The author's writing style is like the island breezes of Erikousa.  So deliciously descriptive without being overly wordy, you feel like you are right there on the island with Daphne; with the island sights, sounds, and smells of the incredibly drool-worthy food!

One of my favorite aspects of the book (besides getting to know the characters) was the food.  Oh, the food!!!  I'm a foodie. Dishes are described in a way that I could easily (and some not-so-easily) attempt to recreate them myself.  Why?  Because they talk about cooking and food - it's part of the conversation, part of the story itself.  And if you visit Yvette's website, there's even a couple recipes listed!  Yvette cooks the way I do: "a little of this, a splash of that, and some of this too, for taste."

There were a few parts of the book that were predictable, but the ending was not at all what I expected!  The entire book was an enjoyable read and I had a hard time putting it down!! Huge thumbs up from me!!  When the Cypress Whispers is a book I'll enjoy again and again!