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sincerelystefanie's review against another edition
5.0
As a Greek girl raised in a traditional home, this book was everything I needed and more.
Mary lives in Detroit, and I have never been to Detroit, but I live in the middle of a large Greek community and, while it may not be the 1930s, during the 90s and early 2000s, I too struggled with the search for independence.
When picking up this book, I didn't release it was written in verse, but somehow it was the perfect way for Mary to tell her stories and struggles. Sometimes it's not Mary who speaks; however, any of the three narrators echo the thoughts I've had or heard in my head a thousand times before.
This book would have been my bible as a teen, and I hope it gives hope to a young greek girl raised by traditional parents that the world is changing and you can reach for the stars and achieve whatever you dream.
I rate this book 5 stars.
Mary lives in Detroit, and I have never been to Detroit, but I live in the middle of a large Greek community and, while it may not be the 1930s, during the 90s and early 2000s, I too struggled with the search for independence.
When picking up this book, I didn't release it was written in verse, but somehow it was the perfect way for Mary to tell her stories and struggles. Sometimes it's not Mary who speaks; however, any of the three narrators echo the thoughts I've had or heard in my head a thousand times before.
This book would have been my bible as a teen, and I hope it gives hope to a young greek girl raised by traditional parents that the world is changing and you can reach for the stars and achieve whatever you dream.
I rate this book 5 stars.
lacywolfe's review against another edition
5.0
I'm rating this five stars for the 13 year old Lacy who would have absolutely loved this book. Adult Lacy also very much enjoyed it :)
clarareadsandwatchesnetflix's review against another edition
4.0
Very personal book and I feel honored to read it
booknerdkc's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
nerdypotsie's review against another edition
4.0
I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book follows three characters from three different parts of the world who all end up connected in different ways. Mary in the 1930’s feels trapped by her gender and she discovers love letters documenting a love story from World War 1. Gio and Jeanne live in the time of World War 1 and their lives both unravel in ways they hadn’t expected. The three stories are woven together beautifully in verse to show a story of forbidden love, the constraints of gender expectations, the effects of war, and the life of immigrants in America.
It’s a really interesting book, but I wish Greek mythology would’ve played a bigger role in the story as that’s the major reason why I requested this arc. Regardless I did still enjoy this book and found it to be a powerful read. The women experience and how gender expectations are very limiting was so important to read about it. Despite it being a historical fiction book, this theme of the women experience is still ever important to read and learn about today as it still occurring in modern times.
It was heartwarming to finish reading this beautiful book and find that it was based on the author’s own family history. Her grandmother’s and great grandparent’s story will forever be preserved in this book and it is very sweet.
If you enjoy historical fiction or books written in verse, definitely check this one out.
This book follows three characters from three different parts of the world who all end up connected in different ways. Mary in the 1930’s feels trapped by her gender and she discovers love letters documenting a love story from World War 1. Gio and Jeanne live in the time of World War 1 and their lives both unravel in ways they hadn’t expected. The three stories are woven together beautifully in verse to show a story of forbidden love, the constraints of gender expectations, the effects of war, and the life of immigrants in America.
It’s a really interesting book, but I wish Greek mythology would’ve played a bigger role in the story as that’s the major reason why I requested this arc. Regardless I did still enjoy this book and found it to be a powerful read. The women experience and how gender expectations are very limiting was so important to read about it. Despite it being a historical fiction book, this theme of the women experience is still ever important to read and learn about today as it still occurring in modern times.
It was heartwarming to finish reading this beautiful book and find that it was based on the author’s own family history. Her grandmother’s and great grandparent’s story will forever be preserved in this book and it is very sweet.
If you enjoy historical fiction or books written in verse, definitely check this one out.
celina25's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
pagesandleaves's review against another edition
5.0
Colby Cedar Smith took me on a beautiful journey and I loved every second of it. Historical fiction just always hits and this book solidified why it is one of my favourite genres. A sweeping story across time and generations ? Sign me up. Also i’m having a great reading month so far so *cross toes* that it continues.
Call Me Athena follows a young woman, Mary, as she struggles for independence and identity as the daughter of Greek and French immigrants in 1930s Detroit. Mary yearns for true love, to have a career of her own, to become a modern American woman much to the frustration of her parents who want her to be a ‘good greek girl’. Told in verse, this novel captures the perspectives of three narrators, Mary in 1930s USA and Gio and Jeanne’s in WW1 , and delivers a powerful message of love, grief, courage and most importantly, hope.
Aahhh this book just made me feel many things and I'm still thinking about it. I was angry ,I laughed , I swooned , and probably would have cried if i had tears left. The lyrical verse perfectly carried this story and breathed life into the narratives of the characters. The story, which was loosely based on the author’s own family , tells the story of being an immigrant in America so beautifully, detailing the reality of being in the land of the free but chained and struggling at almost every turn. The yearning for a life of your own and choices of your own in a world that doesn't make room for you because of your background or your gender. Mary was a captivating character to read from , I was rooting for her right from the beginning and felt myself cheering for her at every obstacle. All of the characters in the book had depth to them and this helped make their stories so much more engaging and made their actions more understandable. I don’t know how to talk about this book other than discussing my favourite moments so I will now get onto that.
This book comes out 17 August 2021 and I think everyone should pick it up if you enjoy historical fiction and stories told in verse. I cant wait to buy it so I can go back and relive all my favourite moments and poems ☺️
**Okay now for some maybe spoilery gushing**
Billy and Mary were so freaking cute, i just bookmarked i think all of their moments because seeing Mary happy just made me so happy. Their first kiss, her in that green dress, when he dropped her off in the car - I JUST LOVED THEM. Seeing her parents, Jeanne and Gio’s story really gave them so much depth and allowed for them to be humans and people instead of these caricature immigrant parent characters. You really got to understand the way they were now and the things they had gone through.Reading from their perspectives and their love story was lovely and I love them so much and just wanted to protect them. im so happy and relieved that Mary got to live the life she wanted to and have the love she wanted and a career of her own, just ugghh so happy for her and mostly just pleased that the author didn't give me a devastating ending.
Thank you to Netgalley and Colby Cedar smith for the eArc and the opportunity to read this lovely story.
#CallMeAthena #NetGalley
Call Me Athena follows a young woman, Mary, as she struggles for independence and identity as the daughter of Greek and French immigrants in 1930s Detroit. Mary yearns for true love, to have a career of her own, to become a modern American woman much to the frustration of her parents who want her to be a ‘good greek girl’. Told in verse, this novel captures the perspectives of three narrators, Mary in 1930s USA and Gio and Jeanne’s in WW1 , and delivers a powerful message of love, grief, courage and most importantly, hope.
Aahhh this book just made me feel many things and I'm still thinking about it. I was angry ,I laughed , I swooned , and probably would have cried if i had tears left. The lyrical verse perfectly carried this story and breathed life into the narratives of the characters. The story, which was loosely based on the author’s own family , tells the story of being an immigrant in America so beautifully, detailing the reality of being in the land of the free but chained and struggling at almost every turn. The yearning for a life of your own and choices of your own in a world that doesn't make room for you because of your background or your gender. Mary was a captivating character to read from , I was rooting for her right from the beginning and felt myself cheering for her at every obstacle. All of the characters in the book had depth to them and this helped make their stories so much more engaging and made their actions more understandable. I don’t know how to talk about this book other than discussing my favourite moments so I will now get onto that.
This book comes out 17 August 2021 and I think everyone should pick it up if you enjoy historical fiction and stories told in verse. I cant wait to buy it so I can go back and relive all my favourite moments and poems ☺️
**Okay now for some maybe spoilery gushing**
Billy and Mary were so freaking cute, i just bookmarked i think all of their moments because seeing Mary happy just made me so happy. Their first kiss, her in that green dress, when he dropped her off in the car - I JUST LOVED THEM. Seeing her parents, Jeanne and Gio’s story really gave them so much depth and allowed for them to be humans and people instead of these caricature immigrant parent characters. You really got to understand the way they were now and the things they had gone through.Reading from their perspectives and their love story was lovely and I love them so much and just wanted to protect them. im so happy and relieved that Mary got to live the life she wanted to and have the love she wanted and a career of her own, just ugghh so happy for her and mostly just pleased that the author didn't give me a devastating ending.
Thank you to Netgalley and Colby Cedar smith for the eArc and the opportunity to read this lovely story.
#CallMeAthena #NetGalley
alyssarosev's review against another edition
5.0
I absolutely loved this book. It draws you in with the beautiful prose and following the story consumes you. I connected with this book a lot because my paternal grandfather is from Greece and my paternal grandmother is from Norway and while they didn’t come to America at the same time as these characters I still felt a connection to the book because my grandmother has told me stories about her own family coming to America through Ellis island and living in Detroit for a short time during the depression. I loved how this book was written and how it took me through three different perspectives throughout the storyline. It was an absolutely beautiful book and one of the best and most emotional ones I have read this year. Highly recommend.
melodyriggs's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
5.0
This is just an absolutely lovely novel in verse. I loved Mary's story of trying to make her way as an independent young woman in America- the daughter of immigrants who met during WW1.
aneumann's review against another edition
2.0
This was a bit of a mess. I usually love books in verse, but there were lots of problems here:
1) The person who narrated as Mary has a warbly, whispery voice and it got on my nerves so much.
2) The two couples who fell in love in this book were totally instalove. Basically they thought each other were hot and then they were "in love". It was endlessly obnoxious.
3) Mary's parts were incredibly boring. This would have been way more interesting as a love story between Jean and Gio. Even that would have issues though, because you wouldn't be able to tell that her parents are still in love. They were all such flat, boring characters.
4) The plot was a disaster. It lurched around, and basically nothing was explained. I actually scoffed when Mary is "jostled" into an elevator and suddenly Mr. Ford was there and she got a job. The ending and resolution was so abrupt. The characters just suddenly all had moments of realization that forced them to be a good parent (Gio), pursue a career (Jean), or get a job (Mary). Just so obnoxious for there to be so much wallowing and then over the course of 2 pages they all change for the better with one sentence as explanation.
Anyways, this was just a bummer.
1) The person who narrated as Mary has a warbly, whispery voice and it got on my nerves so much.
2) The two couples who fell in love in this book were totally instalove. Basically they thought each other were hot and then they were "in love". It was endlessly obnoxious.
3) Mary's parts were incredibly boring. This would have been way more interesting as a love story between Jean and Gio. Even that would have issues though, because you wouldn't be able to tell that her parents are still in love. They were all such flat, boring characters.
4) The plot was a disaster. It lurched around, and basically nothing was explained. I actually scoffed when Mary is "jostled" into an elevator and suddenly Mr. Ford was there and she got a job. The ending and resolution was so abrupt. The characters just suddenly all had moments of realization that forced them to be a good parent (Gio), pursue a career (Jean), or get a job (Mary). Just so obnoxious for there to be so much wallowing and then over the course of 2 pages they all change for the better with one sentence as explanation.
Anyways, this was just a bummer.