Kronos

by Laurie Devine

Kronos is a passionate, powerful contemporary Greek tragedy centered on a wily Greek beauty who is loved by two brothers – one a leftist leader and the other a rightwing colonel – whose intertwined lives paint a fraught multi-generational family saga of contemporary Greece. The unforgettable beauty of the azure Aegean and Greece’s rugged mountains provide the exotic background for a story of primitive passions harkening back to ancient times. The storytelling begins in a women’s cave of remembrance carved many millennia ago but still alive with love that never dies.

Kronos—in this, its debut publishing in the United States—is part of the five-volume Devine Sagas by the award-winning American author Laurie Devine. Kronos was an international bestseller when first published in 1991 in London. Along with the other standalone novels in this series—Nile, Saudi, Crescent, Kronos and Cypress—these family sagas were written and published 1979-1994, some by Simon & Schuster in New York and all by Andre Deutsch in London. Now, in 2024, for the first time they are being published in digital editions and all will be available everywhere by December, 2024, on Amazon Kindle.

These novels all rest soundly on history and are fictional stories modeled on the lives of real people—especially women of the developing world—and aim to tell the deepest truths behind headlines. Their blood and guts are reflections of real human suffering. So are their heartfelt emotions of love, shame, hate, healing, and forgiveness, which lie at the birth of history.

In Kronos, Marika of the blue-black hair is a charismatic and indominable modern Greek woman beloved by maybe one too many young village bloods. Christos, the left-winger with star power and a big heart, is on the losing side of the Greek Civil War after the Nazi Occupation and immigrates to Boston where he never stops yearning for his lost love. Yorgos, the right-wing brother, becomes one of the powerful colonels in the Greek junta and almost but never quite wins Marika. Looming between the brothers, whose lives play out not only in the shadows and allure of Athens but also among the strong and resilient Greek community of America, is Marika’s most deeply held secret. Which of the brothers is the father of her beloved son Nikos?

This classic, satisfying saga abounds with joy, deceit, betrayals, seething emotion and the wild and sensual rhythms of this country held so dear by so many. What is Greece really like? Its Zorba dancing and hearty taverna fare and the Aegean—that oh-so-beautiful sea—births not only deep romantic passion but also the ancient legacy for philosophic greatness, and ethical struggles for the goodness that can become life’s richest treasure. The story of Marika is not only centered on a woman who inspires undying love but also on a woman who develops the will and the courage to become a true hero of her time and her place.

741 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1992

Reviews

[David Arthur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kronos is a sweeping family story that calls to mind the golden era of publishing in decades past when paper was cheap(er) and publishers weren't afraid to publish very long books. This book is a time investment, to be sure, given the length, but it's a rich and rewarding read, and I consider the hours reading time well spent.

This is the first book of Devine's that I've read (although she's been widely published), and I'll certainly seek out her others. There's something captivating about the way Devine writes her characters: they leap off the page and grab you, pulling you into a story so well crafted that you'll taste the salt on your lips from the spray of the ocean, and follow the sound of her passionate characters as they intertwine themselves around your heart.

Highly recommend this one.

[Megan McCallister · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book three months ago and can't stop thinking about it. Kronos is a sweeping family story that is carried out over the courses of many pages, but at its center is Marika, a fiery protagonist who is given such life on the page that I feel like I know her in real life now. I could see this book being taught in writing workshops in an age where writing female characters is much discussed.

I couldn't put this book down once I picked it up, and more than once I paid the price of being overly tired at work the next day after staying up too late to finish another chapter. Currently seeking out everything Laurie Devine has ever written so I can devour that too.

[Edwin Radin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me and it did not disappoint. I love big, sweeping fiction in the vein of Kristin Hannah (The Women, Four Winds), and Kronos hits the mark the same way. This isn't a fluffy, feel-good book with nothing to say; Kronos is a multi-dimensional piece of literature that explores the complexities of family and politics, without sacrificing the story at its heart to do so.

Reissued here in Kindle form after previously being traditionally published as an international bestseller, I'm so pleased to see that this book is being reintroduced to new generations (and hopefully many more to come).

Five stars.

[Barbara Tsipouras · Rating 5 out of 5]

This epic novel was a real surprise for me. I didn't expect any American author to have such insight in Greek modern history and Greek culture. Marika and Christos are such lovable characters although the are still real people with flaws.
I suggest all second or third generation Greeks living "exo" read this novel to better understand their parents and grandparents and their "patrida".