Amirosian Nights,Used

Review Bursting with crosscultural energy and sympathy.. This is a debut to treasure... Roger Bowen, English Department, University of ArizonaRansdell highlights the musicality of Greece in this romantic novel. Patrick Baliani, author of Figs and Red Wine and recipient of The National Play Award, 1998 Product Description The Greek island of Amiros offered everything Rachel wanted for her vacation: lovely beaches, leisurely afternoons at the seaside caf, and evenings of bouzouki music at the local taverna. When a lucky accident lands her a job in a bouzouki band, she finds herself working among the localslearning from them, struggling to communicate with them, loving themand finding out a lot about herself. The foreign locale and locals provide the inspiration for romance and personal discovery triggered by music, language, and culture. If you have ever experienced the challenges of studying a foreign language, learning to play a musical instrument, or living in a foreign country, you will relate to Rachel's adventures on Amiros. She might not be able to remember vocabulary words, but she easily learns to love her adopted home. From the Author Note that this is the original version of this book. The updated version has a guitar on the cover. From the Inside Flap "The novel is bursting with crosscultural energy and sympathy, and the romance at its core is brought to life with brisk, unsentimental dialogue. This is a debut to treasure." Roger Bowen, author of Many Histories Deep: The Personal Landscape Poets in Egypt, 19401945. "Ransdell highlights the musicality of Greece in this romantic novel. Amid the sumptuous island setting of Armios, her plucky young narratora mariachi player from Tucsonuncovers the heartstrings of her travels. Ransdell treats us as well to flavorful Greek idiom peppered with Spanish gusto." Patrick Baliani, author of "Figs and Red Wine." About the Author D.R. RANSDELL has traveled extensively in Greece and Mexico. She teaches ESL composition at the University of Arizona and moonlights as a mariachi player. Excerpt. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. Excerpt from Chapter One "Nai?" Yes? snapped the waiter on his way to my table. Several sets of customers had plopped down at the outdoor cafe at once, and he didn't want to lose any of them. He was irritated, the kind of waiter whod started the job thinking it would be temporary and then, twenty years later, realized it wasnt. "Ena frappe," I answered. "Gluko." An iced coffee with sugar. Thanks to the word "glucose," gluko was one of the few Greek words I could remember without trying to. The man frowned as he wrote down my order. He hated giving up his table for a twodollar coffee, and Mediterranean protocol would prevent him from hurrying me into leaving before I wanted to. If the coffee compensated for the jet lag the way I expected it to, that wouldnt be soon. Dusk had rolled into the Plaka, and the relief brought by its shadows sparked action. The tables around me were buzzing with young Americans scribbling postcards, retired Northern Europeans having a last drink before going to bed, and small groups of Greeks for whom the evening was beginning. I kissed the summer air as a silent "thank you."? "Youre going to Greece again?" my mother had asked a few weeks earlier. She was hoping Id spend the money on furnituresome outward sign of settling down. Lets seeI could have two weeks of listening to bouzouki music every night after a long day at the beach or buy a couch and matching chair. Why worry about furniture when my friends apartments looked the same way mine did? Besides, I was comfortable sitting on the floor?. I snuggled my shoulders into the chair. This was absolute comfort: a warm breeze, the cover of night, and the sweet enveloping of music. Maybe the night air was throwing stardust in the wind, but the keyboard player was looking better and bette