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Bucket to Greece #1
Bucket To Greece, Volume One
Abandoned in a bucket…to new adventures in Greece.Bucket to Greece is a delightfully comical account of a British couple starting over in a new country, complete with imported cats, whilst discovering the joys and pitfalls of adapting to a strange culture. When our hero, Victor, needs a pseudonym to avoid embarrassing his wife after deciding to pen a book about up-sticking to Greece, he dusts off his original name of V.D. Bucket, the name he was stuck with after being abandoned in a bucket as a baby. As Victor adapts to his adopted homeland, he battles an obsession with the exacting hygiene standards he demanded during his illustrious career as a public health inspector, against the rather less exacting standards of rural Greece. His attempts to master the complexities of the language lead to a number of embarrassing misunderstandings.Crossing paths with the local undertaker, Spiros, was a stroke of good luck for Victor and Marigold, since Spiros just happened to have a house to sell in the charming Greek mountain village of Meli. Of course Spiros didn’t explain the strange arrangement of an Albanian living in the stone shed at the bottom of the garden, or mention the old lady’s next door filthy habit of burning plastic every morning. He also failed to mention his late uncle had plunged to his death from the roof terrace, but did a wonderful job of selling them on the spectacular views.If you’re a fan of Greek travel and culture, then this book is a must with a bucketful of laughs along the way.
335 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2019
462 people are currently reading
256 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
August 7, 2022
Book 1 in the Bucket to Greece series took me by surprise with just how funny it was. I read it on a plane journey and found myself chuckling away to myself! I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Vic and Marigold’s Greek neighbours after they move from Manchester to a house in a rural village.
They were lucky to encounter such friendly, helpful and trustworthy characters as Spiros, the undertaker whose uncle’s house they buy and Vangelis - a capable and hardworking builder.
Through Vic’s dry sense of humour we learn of the Greek custom whereby men of a certain age use boot polish to colour their greying chest hairs. By the end of the book Vic is clearly fully immersed in Greek life as he even considers doing this! Marmite can apparently be rubbed into the skin to deter mosquitoes (and most humans I should imagine!). Cat food was kept in the bathroom vanity by Spiros’ uncle and Vangelis ensures Vic that this tradition can continue after he modernizes their bathroom.
Other hilarious characters include the elderly Kyria Maria - their neighbour whose penchant for burning plastic engulfs their property in noxious fumes on a daily basis. Then there is the Albanian who lives in the shed on their property and becomes convinced that Vic is mentally deficient in a very funny episode, and a couple of horrific Neanderthal-like Brits. These people have to be read to be believed!!
In addition to writing characters really well, Vic has a fantastic gift for describing his surroundings and making them easy to visualize:
“Huge sides of pig hung from metal hooks and burly looking chaps in blood stained aprons hacked at vast slabs of meat with cleavers, the smoke spiralling from the cigarettes clamped between their lips no distraction from their concentration.”
I highly recommend Vic Bucket’s writing and if you are as curious about the origins of his pen name as I was - that secret is also revealed in this book. Highly recommended!!
They were lucky to encounter such friendly, helpful and trustworthy characters as Spiros, the undertaker whose uncle’s house they buy and Vangelis - a capable and hardworking builder.
Through Vic’s dry sense of humour we learn of the Greek custom whereby men of a certain age use boot polish to colour their greying chest hairs. By the end of the book Vic is clearly fully immersed in Greek life as he even considers doing this! Marmite can apparently be rubbed into the skin to deter mosquitoes (and most humans I should imagine!). Cat food was kept in the bathroom vanity by Spiros’ uncle and Vangelis ensures Vic that this tradition can continue after he modernizes their bathroom.
Other hilarious characters include the elderly Kyria Maria - their neighbour whose penchant for burning plastic engulfs their property in noxious fumes on a daily basis. Then there is the Albanian who lives in the shed on their property and becomes convinced that Vic is mentally deficient in a very funny episode, and a couple of horrific Neanderthal-like Brits. These people have to be read to be believed!!
In addition to writing characters really well, Vic has a fantastic gift for describing his surroundings and making them easy to visualize:
“Huge sides of pig hung from metal hooks and burly looking chaps in blood stained aprons hacked at vast slabs of meat with cleavers, the smoke spiralling from the cigarettes clamped between their lips no distraction from their concentration.”
I highly recommend Vic Bucket’s writing and if you are as curious about the origins of his pen name as I was - that secret is also revealed in this book. Highly recommended!!
June 4, 2020
Really on the line between 3 & 4 stars because this had great characters, was witty & amusing, & overall charming. It would have been very good as a feel-good stand-alone story, but I dislike cliff-hangers in series. It's cheap, IMO. If I like the work I will read more.
April 7, 2023
When Victor and Marigold move from grim-up-north Manchester to a picturesque Greek village, they’re looking forward to a happy, peaceful retirement, but will Victor be able to shake off his hygiene obsession long enough to embrace his pathogen-loaded new world?
Despite the idyllic location, life isn’t all sun and stifado; the house is basic, the garden is a wilderness, and a mountain of hard labour and bureaucracy lies ahead. With the help of the loveable, colourful locals, no problem is unsurmountable and the work, along with a cultural education, begins. With practical matters taken care of, the transition should now be plain sailing, but when Victor is faced with an illegal immigrant, an unwanted pregnancy, and a vulgar xenophobe his typical English decorum is sorely put to the test.
Victor’s true identity is something of an enigma. Due to his modest disposition (or a fear of being pelted by tomatoes), his memoir is a cloak and dagger undertaking. He adopts a pen name, the origins of which are so implausible one wonders whether Koς Bucket might just be pulling the reader’s leg. Be it truth or fiction, the intrigue makes his story all the more compelling and it’s easy to imagine him scribbling surreptitiously behind his closed blue door.
‘Bucket to Greece’ has all the ingredients of a great British sitcom; it’s a highly entertaining moving abroad story in which events and characters are artfully satirized to hilarious effect.
Μπράβο!
Despite the idyllic location, life isn’t all sun and stifado; the house is basic, the garden is a wilderness, and a mountain of hard labour and bureaucracy lies ahead. With the help of the loveable, colourful locals, no problem is unsurmountable and the work, along with a cultural education, begins. With practical matters taken care of, the transition should now be plain sailing, but when Victor is faced with an illegal immigrant, an unwanted pregnancy, and a vulgar xenophobe his typical English decorum is sorely put to the test.
Victor’s true identity is something of an enigma. Due to his modest disposition (or a fear of being pelted by tomatoes), his memoir is a cloak and dagger undertaking. He adopts a pen name, the origins of which are so implausible one wonders whether Koς Bucket might just be pulling the reader’s leg. Be it truth or fiction, the intrigue makes his story all the more compelling and it’s easy to imagine him scribbling surreptitiously behind his closed blue door.
‘Bucket to Greece’ has all the ingredients of a great British sitcom; it’s a highly entertaining moving abroad story in which events and characters are artfully satirized to hilarious effect.
Μπράβο!
March 22, 2023
I thought I was the only germ phobic left in the world. Glad to know I’m not. Bucket To Greece was an entertaining page-turner. I laughed plenty and chose my favorite characters based on the vivid details provided by V. D. Bucket. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
September 8, 2020
A light and fun read about the joys and perils of starting a new life in a foreign land. Glad there are more books in the series as most of the characters are likeable and really starting to grow on me.
The writing style puts me in mind a little bit of Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole series which I love. Victor has a hint of the adult Adrian about him! A lot of fun and a bit of escapism in these difficult times. Looking forward to starting book 2 and the continuing saga of Victor and Marigold's new life.
The writing style puts me in mind a little bit of Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole series which I love. Victor has a hint of the adult Adrian about him! A lot of fun and a bit of escapism in these difficult times. Looking forward to starting book 2 and the continuing saga of Victor and Marigold's new life.
April 26, 2022
I power read this first book in V D Bucket’s moving to Greece series of memoirs in two days. Vic is a natural storyteller with his larger than life characters and easy writing style. Mr Bucket must have been a riot in his previous job as an environmental health inspector. Far from being staid, as one might imagine from someone who wrote reports for a living, his writing is warm and witty. His observations on both locals and other ‘Brits’ (sorry, Europeans in those days) are spot on, tongue in cheek. I’m so looking forward to the rest of the series.
November 4, 2022
What a warm, light-hearted, feel-good book to start this series, by the loveable and really funny, ex Restaurant inspector, 'Victor Donald Bucket'. The stories are so believable and the characters and places so wonderfully descriptive I felt like I already knew them, or at least wanted to, well apart from Harold and Joan of course! I'm looking forward to the next book in the series already and seeing what future escapades the Buckets get up to now they've settled on The Mani peninsula, and also seeing how the characters of the people I've already met develop. An absolute must for any Grecophile. 🇬🇷💖🇬🇷
September 21, 2022
I had been recommended this book by several friends so had been excited to read it. The book was even better and more humorous than I had expected! The author's writing style takes you along in such a way its hard to stop reading. His descriptions of his new Greek neighbors and friends are delightful ( even if all neighbors are not).Learning the new language was often very funny. "Your Prime Minister is a very handsome man" phrase brought trouble several times to Victor. I liked learning about Greek culture ( for instance - parking) and foods. The banter between Vic and his wife Marigold was at times hilarious . I can't wait to start on the second book. Highly recommended
January 8, 2022
Although some of was interesting, I felt the author was stretching points for the sake of humor. Not tempted to read the second volume.Bucket To Greece, Volume One
March 10, 2021
Oh, my goodness, V. D. Bucket - name withheld to protect everyone - is an hysterical writer. I spent much of the book laughing. He has a wonderful way with words. His English humor is front and center. The characters simply come to life on the page. If you would like to know what it is really like to move to Greece, this is the book for you. I cannot wait to begin volume two.
June 11, 2020
A delightfully entertaining book about an older couple "upping sticks" and moving from Manchester to Mani in Greece. If you like to read about other people's trials and tribulations while trying to fit in in a foreign land (I do) then this will fill your bill. The fact that Victor is a retired restaurant health and safety inspector provides a lot of the humor, with the newly adopted cats close behind. It put me in mind of "My Family and Other Animals" by Gerald Durrell, which I love! Fortunately there are many more volumes to come!
July 17, 2020
Not your typical trying too hard to be funny memoir
VD is entertaining in his anonymity... he admits to some subterfuge and as someone with surprise English relations, I look forward to hearing more about that. I appreciated that the locals he met were not out to screw him, but were helpful and kind. That the men he had doing construction work did a good job and his ability to keep his mouth shut about his cleanliness fetish allowed him to make genuine friends, was refreshing! I want photos! At least of the view from the roof.
VD is entertaining in his anonymity... he admits to some subterfuge and as someone with surprise English relations, I look forward to hearing more about that. I appreciated that the locals he met were not out to screw him, but were helpful and kind. That the men he had doing construction work did a good job and his ability to keep his mouth shut about his cleanliness fetish allowed him to make genuine friends, was refreshing! I want photos! At least of the view from the roof.
May 20, 2020
A very nice book in its category. Good prose, funny anecdotes, no chauvinism (a problem which plagues man of the expats memories out there). An interesting portrait of the Greek village where the author settled down. I just find the book too short. I would put together the existent four books into two volumes.
December 22, 2020
Hilarious
Poor Victor s persuaded by his wife to relocate to a small Greek village for their retirement. They purchase a small house and have it renovated b y a nice local contractor, assisted by his brother -in-law. Victor , while intelligent and likeable , is worthless with tools of any sort.
Poor Victor s persuaded by his wife to relocate to a small Greek village for their retirement. They purchase a small house and have it renovated b y a nice local contractor, assisted by his brother -in-law. Victor , while intelligent and likeable , is worthless with tools of any sort.
July 3, 2019
Excellent read.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I love Greece and her islands and enjoy reading about people who have ‘ upsticks’. You descriptions of the people and places helped me to visualise it.I am looking forward to your next one.
I enjoyed this book immensely. I love Greece and her islands and enjoy reading about people who have ‘ upsticks’. You descriptions of the people and places helped me to visualise it.I am looking forward to your next one.
October 28, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Lighthearted reading to while away an early winter/late autumn read. You can practically smell the aromas that are Greek, garlic, sunripe tomatoes not to mention the herbs. Hilarious in places too takes it to a five star level.
February 15, 2020
This is about a retired couple who go to live in Greece. I usually really enjoy reading about peeople who have taken the plunge to go and make a new start in a foreign country. Sadly this one was a bit dry for me. It claims to be really comical but I am afraid I didn't see that.
March 30, 2020
Fascinating and funny
I'm not sure how much of this is non-fiction but it's certainly a comical and very cleverly written book. You can also pick up a bit of the Greek language if you fancy. Way too much feline narrative for liking but overall a good read.
I'm not sure how much of this is non-fiction but it's certainly a comical and very cleverly written book. You can also pick up a bit of the Greek language if you fancy. Way too much feline narrative for liking but overall a good read.
June 11, 2020
An entertaining read especially if you've visited any of the Greek islands. The author has the ability to draw you into village life and the comings and goings of the locals.
Looking forward to volume 2
Looking forward to volume 2
November 30, 2020
Fun and farcical
Moving from Manchester to a small village in Greece was how a middle aged couple chose to start their retirement. The book is fun, with great characters, and a fast read.
Moving from Manchester to a small village in Greece was how a middle aged couple chose to start their retirement. The book is fun, with great characters, and a fast read.
February 17, 2021
Cute
I was in the mood for a light and funny read and this book fit the bill. I plan to read the next book in the series.
I was in the mood for a light and funny read and this book fit the bill. I plan to read the next book in the series.
September 14, 2019
A great story
It was a great story to read, can't wait to start the next book of theirs. Moving into a foreign country isn't always easy.
It was a great story to read, can't wait to start the next book of theirs. Moving into a foreign country isn't always easy.
September 16, 2019
Enjoyable read
This is fun easy reading.
Being a fan of travel books I enjoyed the trials and tribulations they couple encountered.
I will buy the next installment
This is fun easy reading.
Being a fan of travel books I enjoyed the trials and tribulations they couple encountered.
I will buy the next installment
January 12, 2020
A Bucket in the Greece
I found the book very amusing, even where it wasn't supposed to be. I'll move on to volume 2 asap, to see if Maria gets out of the pool!
I found the book very amusing, even where it wasn't supposed to be. I'll move on to volume 2 asap, to see if Maria gets out of the pool!
April 4, 2020
Amusing move to TA a Greek village
The couple sound like they’d make great travel companions with a lighthearted but down to earth appreciation of their new village.
The couple sound like they’d make great travel companions with a lighthearted but down to earth appreciation of their new village.
April 15, 2020
Perfect reading for any Grecophile
I laughed out loud constantly- such a true account of living in Greece including the boorish Brits! Looking forward to reading the next book!
I laughed out loud constantly- such a true account of living in Greece including the boorish Brits! Looking forward to reading the next book!
April 16, 2020
Excellent
Thoroughly enjoyable and a great read. Looking forward to the next of which I will be downloading immediately after this.
Thoroughly enjoyable and a great read. Looking forward to the next of which I will be downloading immediately after this.
May 5, 2020
An absolutely delightful read. A lighthearted and funny way to pass a few hours. I shall straight away start on the next one.
June 18, 2020
A very cute, enjoyable read. Loved the British humor and Brit turn-of-phrases throughout the book. Looks like there are numerous in the series and I will definitely give Volume Two a try.
August 4, 2020
Think I am going to enjoy reading this series. Well written and interesting with a good flow. On to the next in series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews