Matoula's Echo

by Richard Romanus

“It’s Greece’s Dr. Zhivago but with a better story. And it would make a great movie”. -- Kurt Russell, actor Matoula’s Echo is the epic story of a Greek girl’s journey to womanhood at the brink of World War II. This is the first of four books by Writers Guild of America Award nominee Richard Romanus, author of Sketches of Skiathos, Evangelistria, and Act III, a memoir. It’s the bitter winter of 1940. Greece is on the brink of world war and the Axis powers are poised to invade. All the able-bodied men of Metsovo have left the village to defend the border. Their only means of survival are the supplies the village women smuggle them on foot. It’s a grueling nighttime journey over harsh, snow-bound mountain passes that only the strongest can survive. Tall, gangly, near-sighted 17-year-old Maria Christina burns to join the resistance, but her physical awkwardness keeps her at home, doomed to an early spinsterhood. When Maria Christina’s radiant and charismatic older sister Matoula dies on a midnight supply run, the opportunity to become a woman she’s always dreamed of is thrust into her hands. But not without a price. As the war rages on—and deadly civil strife is set to erupt across Greece—Maria Christina struggles to measure up to Matoula and raise an infant daughter left motherless by her death. Her grief turns to shame when her long-kept secret passion erupts into an affair with the worldly Yiannis, Matoula’s widowed husband, a doctor from Athens. But for Maria Christina the most perilous journey of all is the one she still has to make when she’s forced to flee Metsovo and the civil war to begin a new life thousands of miles away in New York City. Matoula’s Echo is a sweeping coming-of-age story that moves from the hard-scrabble villages of war-torn Greece to the sleek and cosmopolitan post-war New York City. Atmospheric and gripping, Romanus’ writing illuminates the impossible decisions war forces upon us, and the price and meaning of survival. Praise for this novel. “A phenomenal achievement, not only because it tackles the great themes – war and civil war, heroism and sacrifice, love and loss, joy and misery, inner conflict and struggle merely to survive – but because it handles them so adroitly.” -- Dr Darcy Powers, Professor of English at the University of Denver “A spellbinding love story set in the thick of the modern fight for a free Greece. It has come along at the very moment when Greece - and all of us - need it.” -- Flo Conway, author “Romanus has given Greeks a new heroine who is more than mythical - and best of all one of their own!” -- Jim Siegelman, author About the author After studying with Lee Strasberg at his Carnegie Hall class in New York, Richard Romanus and his wife, Anthea Sylbert wrote and produced two long form television “Giving Up the Ghost” in 1998 and “If You Believe” in 1999, (nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for Best Original Screenplay). Mr. Romanus’ interest in Greek historical fiction started in college through films like Zorba the Greek and Never on Sunday.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Amazon, Historical

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 5, 2014

About the author

Born in Vermont and raised in Vermont and Connecticut, Richard Romanus (1943) attended Xavier University and received a BS in Philosophy. He then attended the University of Connecticut Law School for a year, after which he left school to pursue a career as an actor. He studied at the famous Actor’s Studio with Lee Strassberg and his first major role came as the character “Michael” in Martin Scorcese’s classic film Mean Streets. In the years that followed Richard Romanus performed in numerous stage productions, films and television shows. In addition to his acting, Richard Romanus is credited as the composer on several films. Together with his wife, Anthea Sylbert, he also wrote and produced Giving Up the Ghost in 1998 and If You Believe in 1999, for which they were nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for Best Original Screenplay. Since the end of 2001 Richard and Anthea have been living in Skiathos, Greece.

Reviews

[MaryJane Rings · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it was well written. I learned a lot about the plight of the Greeks during WW11.A Historical account I had never read about before. The sacrifices of the people in the small villages,their loyalty to each other as well to the greek soldiers fighting to free their nation. Maria Christina was a gifted daughter, loving sister and aunt who showed courage and determination to her family as well as the people of her village. She gave up her own desires and needs for the good of her family. She fell in love but the war kept her from a life with the man she loved. She took on the responsibilities of mother to her sister's child after she passed away. Yiannis, her sister's husband sent them to America for safety. She was able to raise the little girl to adulthood with the help of his brother Nikos in New York City. A very poignant story, rich with Greek culture, love of family, and with an unusual but believable ending.

[Alison]

kindle 262 (historical)