Finding Ithaka: An Epic Story Traversing Time

by Anna Harvey

Home on Ithaka, Odysseus reflects on his life and the choices he has made.

Duty bound to join the Greek expedition to Troy, his brilliant strategy ended the Trojan Wars. But the barbarity of the Greeks and the arrogance of Agamemnon their leader, cannot go unpunished by the gods. On the perilous journey home filled with strange creatures and foreign peoples, Odysseus embarks on a passionate affair with Kirke, a mysterious priestess. Now the appearance of an owl, a portent of death, threatens the palace's peace and harmony. As the kingdom faces a new peril, Odysseus must make one final decision.

Dr Thea Sefton, escaping the breakdown of her marriage, joins an archaeological expedition to the Greek island of Kefalonia. It was here her Greek lover, Dimitri Kampitsis, abandoned her twenty years before. As they search for clues for the lost palace of Odysseus, Thea finds herself strangely drawn to Rob Hughes, a climate scientist.

But her peace is quickly shattered after Thea discovers her former lover Dimitri is not only on the island, but is the powerful sponsor behind the archaeological venture.

Past and present collide in the captivating page-turner based on genuine research. The writer takes the reader on a journey to solve an enduring archaeological mystery and retell a timeless epic classic.

Genres: Romance

538 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2020

Reviews

[Sappho · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real page turner. A fresh retelling of the classic Trojan war with a contemporary mystery to match. Central is Odysseus' relationship with Circe. Alongside is a story of the search for the historical palace based around a genuine archaeological mystery. The relationships that bloom out of this are told with depth and insight, bringing an unexpected twist at the end. I really enjoyed the story and also the Greek landscapes. A really good book to escape to distant Greek shores.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! My 5 star review:

I love Greek mythology and especially the tales of the Odysseus and his travels. The author introduces us to the duty bound Greek who is tasked with an invasion of Troy, to bring back proud Helen, wife of Menalaus, brother to the Greek king, Agamemnon. Odysseus is a brilliant strategist and through his discipline and command, his actions help end the Trojan Wars. On the dangerous journey home to Ithaka, Odysseus and his loyal Greek warriors find their path filled with unsympathetic foreigners, strange and dangerous creatures and stormy seas. He is drawn to and desires the beautiful, mysterious priestess, Kirke (Circe). Will he ever make it back home to his kingdom, wife and son?

Dr. Thea Sefton, obsessed with all things Odysseus, joins an archaeological expedition to the Greek island of Kefalonia. This island brings back memories of her Greek lover, Dimitri Kampitsis, who she has not seen in 20 years. As her team and her look for clues and the location of the lost palace of Odysseus, Thea finds herself attracted to Rob Hughes, a climate scientist. This, tied with
discovering that her former lover, Dimitri, is on the island, and is sponsor behind the archaeological dig.

I enjoyed how the author incorporates the collision of past and present events in this well researched book. Ms. Harvey takes the reader on a journey to solve an archaeological mystery and retells the timeless epic classic as seen by the man himself, Odysseus. I cannot wait to read book two in the trilogy.

I would like to thank Anna Harvey, BooksGoSocial and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

[Roopkumar Balachandran · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like to thank Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review. I like Greek mythology since my college days. I have read a short account of Odysseus and his journey home after the Trojan War.

In this novel "Finding Ithaka" written by Anna Harvey, the author has excellently handled the story of Odysseus and the story of Dr.Thea Sefton into one fantastic page-turner. The characters in the life of Odysseus and Thea have resemblances.

An archaeological expedition team along with Thea comes to a Greek Island Kefalonia which they believe that the lost palace of legendary Odysseus is somewhere on this particular island.

And also Thea is not new to Greece as her lost love Dimitri Kampitsis is the sponsor for the expedition. Why Dimitri left Thea 20 years back and did they find the Odysseus palace forms the rest of the story.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.

For full review with images:
http://www.chromaring.com/2021/01/fin...

[Irene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part Greek mythology and part modern day search for Odysseus’s palace. Plenty of material for a lover of all things Greek to get their teeth into especially with the amount of work the author has put into her research on this subject. It is a lively book without doubt, in both sections. I particularly enjoyed hearing about the food, landscape and the Greek love of hospitality. Intriguing cover too. A great debut from this new author. I was given this ARC by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Tom Kane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant
Anna Harvey moves with a pace between the story of ancient Greek hero Odysseus' home coming and trials after the defeat and sacking of Troy, with a modern-day love story.
The main character, Thea, is part of an archaeological team trying to discover the lost palace of Odysseus. But she discovers a ghost from her past wants her back.
Past and present become entwined in this beautifully written story.

[Simon Fidler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book seemed mysterious to me from the start and I found the twists and turns thrilling!
I know a bit about mythology and I found this book well researched and the characters are very interesting. I also thought the end was fantastic! Well worth a read. - 5 Stars

[Michael Loizidis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy this book! It has a creative and suspenseful story line and a lot of Greek myths ! 👍