Customer Reviews
Overcooked. - By: Lovetoread, 06 Oct 2007 
Very evocative descriptions of the Greek island of Patmos & some interesting insights into the Greek way of life. However, Stone comes over as rather naivein his dealings with the locals. The events took place many years ago & I suspect Stone was inspired by the current success of the travel writing genre - he admits that he got the ideain an airport bookstore.
The way Stone ended the narrative part of the book was mean-spirited,in my opinion, & detracted from my overall enjoyment.
Pleasant holiday read - By: GeeJayBee, 26 May 2007 This is an enjoyable & well written personal account of the author's experiences of Patmos & the people he met & worked with. I think some people go over the top with the reviews on many of these books setin holiday destinations, because they love Greece & aspire to have this type of experience. It is a pleasant read & quite evocative but thats all.
A perfect read for a Greek beach (or any beach!) - By: Mr. Patrick J. Tierney, 14 Jun 2006 
This superbly written tale of hope, adventure, aspiration, disappointment & final triumph is quite simply one of the best travel 'reads' around - I sat on a beachin Crete last week & read itin one go! Tears on the way as I rad it but it left me with sense of real hope as someone who one day hopes to emulate Stones travel - the descriptions of the food are responsible for my expanded waste line! Don't miss it - Brilliant!
Find your own kefi !!! - By: BusyReader, 03 Jul 2005 This book is a very humorous & well written story of a manin love with a place, & of his dreams to be a world famous restauranteur. Patmos, the tiny Greek island famed for St.John's Book of Revelations, just off Samos & requiring several hours journey by boat to get there is where Tom Stone wrote this his second novel. He is given the chance to go into partnershipin a taverna on a beach named 'The Beautiful Helen'-after the former wife of its current owner . He took the opportunity, against the advice of his wife, & friends, & changed roles from tourist to cook. Taking his wife & two small children with him he was no longer able to while away his time being "the host" & drinking into the wee small hours, but had to work hardin the kitchen, developing varicose veins into the bargain. Closing the restaurantin those wee small hours, falling into bed & sleeping for a while then opening again for the fishermen at seven.
Despite the relentless hard work the book tells of many joys: the changing beauty of the island, friendships with islanders & foreigners he had known over the years, descriptions of island life, festivals , parties & traditions, & the people that Tom has had the fortune to get to knowin the many years he has been there, yachts that arrived from nearby Mykonos for dinner & the everlasting support of his long suffering wife & family.
The book tells of this one summer - a time of change & of learning just who your friends are & a time of growing up for Tom. It was a very pleasant compulsive read, one that I found hard to put down & that I wanted to finish & savour along with all of the lovely foods so vividly described. I wanted to taste the cool tzatziki, the fiery chilli & the sticky pickled quince & wash it all down with endless glasses of retsina. Above all I wanted to find my own kefi on my own greek island taverna!
