Persephone's Paradise

by Eneth Bridge

Persephone’s Paradise is a book about love and redemption in the middle of a mystery. The story takes place on the fictional Greek island of Nysa, and it is narrated through the eyes of two women. Young Nora is invited to a wedding by a former boyfriend who is marrying a Greek woman. For the duration of her stay, she is being hosted on the farm of the bride’s sister. After the sudden death of her father, Nora is ready for a change of scenery even if it is only for a few weeks. Wesley’s invitation could not have been timed better. The beauty of the island works its magic on her; however, there is one thing that disturbs the young American. Upon arrival, she starts having perturbing dreams, similar to the ones she used to have as a child. Meanwhile, she meets the queen of the farm, Liana, who takes an interest in her immediately. Liana is considerably older than Nora and has her own demons to conquer. When Nora goes on a boat trip to a hidden cove, she learns about the legend of the Cave Madonna. During that trip, she also discovers something inside the chapel above the cove. She becomes obsessed with solving the mystery, but it is hard to connect the dots with so many pieces of the puzzle missing. Realizing that she can’t do it alone, Nora enlists the help of two new friends. As time passes on the farm, Liana and Nora’s personalities evolve, for the better or worse, due to their interaction with each other. At the end, Nora has to decide what action to take and whether she can live with the consequences of her decisions.

225 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 7, 2015

About the author

Eneth Bridge was born in the melting pot of Central Europe, but left as a young woman for the United States. She had been an aspiring writer in her own native tongue but gave it up in order to fully immerse in her new adopted language. Bridge considers herself an American writer; however, her stories and characters transcend national borders.
Bridge gets inspiration from her travels. “A story is born,” she says, “when I visit a place and start hearing the history and the secrets behind it. The minute these whispers, which could emanate from rocks, walls, buildings or even from the water, enter my ears, I am hooked. All I have to do is listen with an open mind.”
Although she originally pursued her studies in literature, Bridge ended up graduating with a music degree. Besides writing, she is passionate about playing the piano and creating mixed media art pieces. For her, art is for the hands, music is for the soul and writing is for the mind.

Reviews

[AnnMaree Of Oz]

DNF. Awful people with no morals. Affairs and foul attitudes do not make for an entertaining story, in my mind.

[Lavenia Otts · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exercise in discovery

A woman journeys to the island of Nysea where she finds her true self, love and murder. It is a heartwarming story.