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Walking on Fire
Greece. Politics. Love. Danger. Reeling from a failed marriage and spurred on by a burgeoning sense of feminism, twenty-five-year-old Kate accepts a position as a speech therapist in a center for children with cerebral palsy in Thessaloniki, Greece. It is 1974, and the recent end of Greece’s seven-year dictatorship has ignited a fiery anti-American sentiment within the country. Despite this, as her Greek improves, Kate teaches communication to severely handicapped children, creates profound friendships, and finds a home in the ancient and historied city. From a dramatic Christmas pig slaughter to a mesmerizing fire walking ceremony, her world expands rapidly—even more so when she falls in love with Thanasis, a handsome Communist.
Through Thanasis, Kate meets people determined to turn a spotlight on their former dictators’ massacre of university students, as well as their record of widespread censorship and torture of dissidents. The more she learns, the more her loyalty to her country and almost everything she was taught in her conservative home state of Texas is challenged. Kate is transformed by her odyssey, but when her very safety is threatened by the politics of her lover, she must choose: risk everything to stay with Thanasis and the Greece that has captured her heart, or remove herself from harm’s way by returning to her homeland?
Through Thanasis, Kate meets people determined to turn a spotlight on their former dictators’ massacre of university students, as well as their record of widespread censorship and torture of dissidents. The more she learns, the more her loyalty to her country and almost everything she was taught in her conservative home state of Texas is challenged. Kate is transformed by her odyssey, but when her very safety is threatened by the politics of her lover, she must choose: risk everything to stay with Thanasis and the Greece that has captured her heart, or remove herself from harm’s way by returning to her homeland?
361 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 13, 2023
4 people are currently reading
2525 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Crawley
2 books17 followersKathryn Crawley was born of pioneer stock and raised in the small west Texas cotton town of Lamesa. She received undergraduate and graduate degrees in speech pathology from Baylor University. Unforeseen events and an adventurous spirit led her to Casper, Wyoming, Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Thessaloniki, Greece, where she worked in a center for Greek children with cerebral palsy from 1974 to 1976. She went on to establish roots in Boston, where she worked in educational and medical settings, early intervention, and private practice. Today, she enjoys life with her partner, Tom, daughter, Emilia, and two dogs in the Boston suburb of Belmont.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 9, 2023
What a beautiful story of self discovery. It was incredible to see the difference in Kate’s views from the time she arrived in Greece until the end of the book, it seemed she learned more about her own countries politics and the effect they had on the rest of the world, while she spent time with her new friends in Greece, all of whom who had spent the past seven years under a dictatorship!
The relationship between Kate and Thanasis, while full of tenderness, was also full of tension due to his political ties!
Walking On Fire was just such a beautiful book of growth and self discovery, away from home in a beautiful country!
The relationship between Kate and Thanasis, while full of tenderness, was also full of tension due to his political ties!
Walking On Fire was just such a beautiful book of growth and self discovery, away from home in a beautiful country!
September 17, 2023
Coming of age story meets travel meets romance meets mystery in Walking on Fire. I really enjoyed being transported to Greece with the vivid scenery & learning about international relations in the 70s as a twenty-something US woman moves to Greece to work as a speech pathologist with kids. I could feel Kate’s confusion and joy as she navigated life there.
June 24, 2023
In what remains for me the most unputdownable novel I've ever read, John Fowles’ “The Magus” (fifty years now it's been since I first dipped into its mesmerizing pages), a young Englishman disaffected with his native country and tired of a romantic involvement takes his leave of both and accepts a teaching post in Greece. A "new land and a new mystery" is how he puts it about what he’s looking for, a sentiment not unlike the “giddy anticipation” of “an exciting overseas adventure” felt by Kate Adams, the likable protagonist of Kathryn Crawley's "Walking on Fire," as she too accepts a job offer in Greece over the objections of her parents and despite newspaper pictures she sees of fierce Greek anti-American sentiment, it being not being too long after the collapse of the Greek dictatorship in 1974.
Close enough it is to the time of the junta, though, that emotions are still running high among a group of characters Kate encounters who are looking to exact retribution from former officials of the regime, including, Kate supposes, her interrogator upon her arrival on Greek soil, Captain Hercules Markakis. Almost comical she finds his name, “like a Saturday morning cartoon character,” though there’s nothing funny to her about her situation as she stands anxiously before him, nervously taking in pictures of military men on his wall and recalling stories she’s heard of prison and torture under the old regime and wondering what role he might have played. What will happen to her, she wonders, if her papers don't pass muster with him.
Fortunately, though, things go well enough with him that he even shows a “flash of kindness” as he welcomes her to his country and heralds the help she will bring as a speech therapist to the nation's "poor handicapped children.” He even jokes to her that now he knows whom to call if his children need an American babysitter.
Still, glad she is to be done with him, even if there remains the matter of having to get to the therapy center on her own, since she wasn’t met by a center official as promised – not the most auspicious beginning to her new situation.
Once she’s installed in her new circumstances, though, her apprehension is quelled by the graciousness of her host family, and, even more so, by a romantic involvement that will soothe somewhat the hurt of a failed marriage back home which was in part what sent her to Greece.
However, for all her new lover's appeal, he also makes for some unsettledness by his association with an especially retribution-minded group whose ranks include a nasty piece of work named Stelios, who is determined enough about getting vengeance that he ends up posing an even greater threat for Kate than the captain, who will in the end prove to be not such a bad sort after all. Indeed, the concern that he later voices for her contrasted with the out-and-out menace manifested toward her by Stelios make up two parts of a threefold lesson the novel serves up for Kate. At the individual level, she will come to appreciate that seemingly good people can do bad things and seemingly bad people can have good motives, while on the national level, she will come to understand that seemingly good countries can do bad things, with the U.S. being the prime instance. With its support for the junta, of course, but also for its involvement in Vietnam, which is the occasion for Greek anger throughout the novel.
Much on display that anger is, for instance, when she is taken by her new acquaintances to a film which turns out to be an angry documentary about U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. Opening with a quote from 1776 about the ideals of American independence, the film follows with photos of Civil War statues and American soldiers tramping through the jungles of Vietnam as well as a larger-than-life image of LBJ, which draws raucous catcalls from the audience. So intense, indeed, is the audience reaction to what’s on the screen that it actually pushes her back in her seat as hisses grow "like a garden of snakes" to images of Nixon and in particular Kissinger, for whom there seems to be a special venom and who draws chants of “Murderer Kissinger” at a demonstration she’s also taken to where she thinks she sees the captain observing the protesters and wonders what repercussions that might make for her.
Reminiscent it was for me, the intensity of the anti-Vietnam sentiments coupled with the paranoia about possible consequences of dissent, of my time in uniform during those tumultuous times, when I was hard-pressed to feel much patriotic fervor for a nation that was supporting a regime whose odiousness was perhaps most vividly evidenced for me by the supposed remark of the regime’s Dragon Lady, Madame Nhu, that she'd supply a match to the Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire in protest – or words to that effect, anyway.
However the sentiment was expressed, it captured the character of a regime so objectionable that a cable at the time showed some U.S. officials ready to encourage a coup. There was even later speculation that the U.S. might have been complicit in the assassination of the regime's leaders, President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother, which decidedly brought an end to that phase of Vietnam governance but hardly an end to an extended U.S. presence which ended up going on for 12 more years and killing 58,000 Americans and God knows how many Vietnamese and later drawing an apology from a regretful McNamara. "We were wrong, terribly wrong," he said of a debacle which to my mind wasn’t simply an isolated terrible mistake, as McNamara might have had it, but rather part of an overall pattern of ill-advised U.S. interventions abroad propping up authoritarian regimes, with perhaps the most shameful instance being in Chile, where the U.S. role so horrified Rose Styron, widow of the novelist William Styron, that she cited it in her just-out memoir “Beyond This Harbor" as having galvanized her own activism and, like those Greek students, gotten her to particularly despise Kissinger.
Which is getting somewhat afield of Crawley’s novel, to be sure, though the breadth of the American bent for authoritarianism is instanced in Crawley's novel not just internationally by the U.S roles in Vietnam and Greece but also domestically by the novel’s citing of a prominent American movie of the time, “Seven Days in May,” in which U.S. Army officers led by a charismatic Burt Lancaster attempt to take control of the U.S. government. Downright prescient the movie was of events today, particularly with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and its support by a real-life retired general with the same sentiments as the Lancaster character, even if the real-life general doesn't have half the charisma as the Lancaster character and the coup attempt depicted in the movie seemed wildly implausible at the time.
Enough of an impression the film makes on Kate, though, that she's put in mind of it as she studies those photos on Markakis’ wall. Perhaps the movie plot was not too far from what happened in Greece? she wonders, making an equation of sorts between the actual events that installed the junta in Greece and the possibility of such an action in the U.S.
Still, a bit of a stretch, I’ll acknowledge, trying to make parallels between Crawley's novel and events today and even perhaps hijacking her novel a bit for my own purposes, though Fowles did say of "The Magus," which as I said I was much put in mind of by Crawley's novel and which is apropos here with its depiction of Greek resistance during WWII, that he regarded any sort of reader reaction to it as legitimate. So I'll take that as sufficient warrant to unapologetically offer up my notions, however forced, about a novel which, in keeping with my thoughts about it or not, is nevertheless a compelling story of an engaging young American woman caught up in unsettling events abroad.
Close enough it is to the time of the junta, though, that emotions are still running high among a group of characters Kate encounters who are looking to exact retribution from former officials of the regime, including, Kate supposes, her interrogator upon her arrival on Greek soil, Captain Hercules Markakis. Almost comical she finds his name, “like a Saturday morning cartoon character,” though there’s nothing funny to her about her situation as she stands anxiously before him, nervously taking in pictures of military men on his wall and recalling stories she’s heard of prison and torture under the old regime and wondering what role he might have played. What will happen to her, she wonders, if her papers don't pass muster with him.
Fortunately, though, things go well enough with him that he even shows a “flash of kindness” as he welcomes her to his country and heralds the help she will bring as a speech therapist to the nation's "poor handicapped children.” He even jokes to her that now he knows whom to call if his children need an American babysitter.
Still, glad she is to be done with him, even if there remains the matter of having to get to the therapy center on her own, since she wasn’t met by a center official as promised – not the most auspicious beginning to her new situation.
Once she’s installed in her new circumstances, though, her apprehension is quelled by the graciousness of her host family, and, even more so, by a romantic involvement that will soothe somewhat the hurt of a failed marriage back home which was in part what sent her to Greece.
However, for all her new lover's appeal, he also makes for some unsettledness by his association with an especially retribution-minded group whose ranks include a nasty piece of work named Stelios, who is determined enough about getting vengeance that he ends up posing an even greater threat for Kate than the captain, who will in the end prove to be not such a bad sort after all. Indeed, the concern that he later voices for her contrasted with the out-and-out menace manifested toward her by Stelios make up two parts of a threefold lesson the novel serves up for Kate. At the individual level, she will come to appreciate that seemingly good people can do bad things and seemingly bad people can have good motives, while on the national level, she will come to understand that seemingly good countries can do bad things, with the U.S. being the prime instance. With its support for the junta, of course, but also for its involvement in Vietnam, which is the occasion for Greek anger throughout the novel.
Much on display that anger is, for instance, when she is taken by her new acquaintances to a film which turns out to be an angry documentary about U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. Opening with a quote from 1776 about the ideals of American independence, the film follows with photos of Civil War statues and American soldiers tramping through the jungles of Vietnam as well as a larger-than-life image of LBJ, which draws raucous catcalls from the audience. So intense, indeed, is the audience reaction to what’s on the screen that it actually pushes her back in her seat as hisses grow "like a garden of snakes" to images of Nixon and in particular Kissinger, for whom there seems to be a special venom and who draws chants of “Murderer Kissinger” at a demonstration she’s also taken to where she thinks she sees the captain observing the protesters and wonders what repercussions that might make for her.
Reminiscent it was for me, the intensity of the anti-Vietnam sentiments coupled with the paranoia about possible consequences of dissent, of my time in uniform during those tumultuous times, when I was hard-pressed to feel much patriotic fervor for a nation that was supporting a regime whose odiousness was perhaps most vividly evidenced for me by the supposed remark of the regime’s Dragon Lady, Madame Nhu, that she'd supply a match to the Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire in protest – or words to that effect, anyway.
However the sentiment was expressed, it captured the character of a regime so objectionable that a cable at the time showed some U.S. officials ready to encourage a coup. There was even later speculation that the U.S. might have been complicit in the assassination of the regime's leaders, President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother, which decidedly brought an end to that phase of Vietnam governance but hardly an end to an extended U.S. presence which ended up going on for 12 more years and killing 58,000 Americans and God knows how many Vietnamese and later drawing an apology from a regretful McNamara. "We were wrong, terribly wrong," he said of a debacle which to my mind wasn’t simply an isolated terrible mistake, as McNamara might have had it, but rather part of an overall pattern of ill-advised U.S. interventions abroad propping up authoritarian regimes, with perhaps the most shameful instance being in Chile, where the U.S. role so horrified Rose Styron, widow of the novelist William Styron, that she cited it in her just-out memoir “Beyond This Harbor" as having galvanized her own activism and, like those Greek students, gotten her to particularly despise Kissinger.
Which is getting somewhat afield of Crawley’s novel, to be sure, though the breadth of the American bent for authoritarianism is instanced in Crawley's novel not just internationally by the U.S roles in Vietnam and Greece but also domestically by the novel’s citing of a prominent American movie of the time, “Seven Days in May,” in which U.S. Army officers led by a charismatic Burt Lancaster attempt to take control of the U.S. government. Downright prescient the movie was of events today, particularly with the Jan. 6 Capitol attack and its support by a real-life retired general with the same sentiments as the Lancaster character, even if the real-life general doesn't have half the charisma as the Lancaster character and the coup attempt depicted in the movie seemed wildly implausible at the time.
Enough of an impression the film makes on Kate, though, that she's put in mind of it as she studies those photos on Markakis’ wall. Perhaps the movie plot was not too far from what happened in Greece? she wonders, making an equation of sorts between the actual events that installed the junta in Greece and the possibility of such an action in the U.S.
Still, a bit of a stretch, I’ll acknowledge, trying to make parallels between Crawley's novel and events today and even perhaps hijacking her novel a bit for my own purposes, though Fowles did say of "The Magus," which as I said I was much put in mind of by Crawley's novel and which is apropos here with its depiction of Greek resistance during WWII, that he regarded any sort of reader reaction to it as legitimate. So I'll take that as sufficient warrant to unapologetically offer up my notions, however forced, about a novel which, in keeping with my thoughts about it or not, is nevertheless a compelling story of an engaging young American woman caught up in unsettling events abroad.
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April 24, 2023Letting children become adults is more than difficult. To see them physically move away plays in the head
like an old, sad movie. Kate in Walking on Fire by Kathryn Crawley flies to Greece. First, her heart is broken. She finds out from her husband the marriage is not dying. It is dead. It is in the decomposing phase. It is hard to believe she is leaving Texa Some days you are not ready to live another twenty-four hours. The question is will the next day become easier. If not, what do you do? Major events, serious ones, have caused communities to separate themselves and live in their shells. One wonders about their thoughts.
like an old, sad movie. Kate in Walking on Fire by Kathryn Crawley flies to Greece. First, her heart is broken. She finds out from her husband the marriage is not dying. It is dead. It is in the decomposing phase. It is hard to believe she is leaving Texa Some days you are not ready to live another twenty-four hours. The question is will the next day become easier. If not, what do you do? Major events, serious ones, have caused communities to separate themselves and live in their shells. One wonders about their thoughts.
June 23, 2023
Walking on fire
#ad I received a gifted copy of this book and leave this review of my own accord. Many thanks to the author and @booksparks #partner
This book is a must-read! It tells a captivating story that delves into the relationship between love and politics, and the struggle between personal desires and national security. The characters, especially Kate, are relatable and keep the reader engaged.
Kate's journey of self-discovery and courage in Greece as she navigates love, loyalty, and the pursuit of freedom is truly inspiring. The author does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere and historical context of 1974 Greece, taking the reader on a journey through a time of political unrest and social change.
The author also does a fantastic job of transporting us to Greece and its customs. As Kate spends more time in Greece, she grows to love the city and its culture, but also discovers the horrors committed by former leaders, which puts her loyalty and values to the test. The way she navigates these new truths is nothing short of amazing.
This novel is thought-provoking and evocative, and will resonate with readers who enjoy immersive historical fiction with themes of personal growth and societal change.
The gripping storyline, well-researched historical background, and nuanced exploration of love, politics, and cultural identity make this book a compelling read. The short chapters make it an easy and fast-paced read as well. I enjoyed every minute of this book and I think you will too.
#ad I received a gifted copy of this book and leave this review of my own accord. Many thanks to the author and @booksparks #partner
This book is a must-read! It tells a captivating story that delves into the relationship between love and politics, and the struggle between personal desires and national security. The characters, especially Kate, are relatable and keep the reader engaged.
Kate's journey of self-discovery and courage in Greece as she navigates love, loyalty, and the pursuit of freedom is truly inspiring. The author does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere and historical context of 1974 Greece, taking the reader on a journey through a time of political unrest and social change.
The author also does a fantastic job of transporting us to Greece and its customs. As Kate spends more time in Greece, she grows to love the city and its culture, but also discovers the horrors committed by former leaders, which puts her loyalty and values to the test. The way she navigates these new truths is nothing short of amazing.
This novel is thought-provoking and evocative, and will resonate with readers who enjoy immersive historical fiction with themes of personal growth and societal change.
The gripping storyline, well-researched historical background, and nuanced exploration of love, politics, and cultural identity make this book a compelling read. The short chapters make it an easy and fast-paced read as well. I enjoyed every minute of this book and I think you will too.
June 10, 2023
Not only did I love being transported to Greece with Kate as she took a job as a speech therapist overseas, but I learned something about history I never knew.
It’s 1974, and Kate is reeling from a broken marriage when she accepts a job in Greece. It’s already a huge step for this Texas girl, but she’s walking into a political powder keg. Due to the student uprising and the ousting of the military dictatorship, there is unrest, and many have anti-American sentiments. Kate is about to have an experience that will force her to question many of her long-held beliefs.
Kate is lucky to have kind employers, and their children take to her quickly. The problem arises when she meets handsome and older Thanasis. As they begin a love affair, Kate is awakened to Greece’s culture and history but finds herself in the middle of a dangerous dance.
I knew nothing of the Athens Polytechnic uprising and the overthrowing of the Greek military junta, so this was of great interest to me. The author, who spent time in Greece, did a great job of making the Greek culture and atmosphere come alive.
Infused with the Greek language, 𝐖𝐚𝐥𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 is a beguiling blend of self-discovery, politics, intrigue, and romance.
Thank you @booksparks for this gifted book #WalkingonFire #summerpopup
July 9, 2023
From the opening lines of this book, when Kate is trying to make her way in a new country, I was mesmerized by this story. Not only is she trying to get where she needs to be in a country where she isn't very fluent in the language, she finds out that the country of Greece is in turmoil and most of the country is against America and Americans.
Kate is able to carve out her niche of friends and friends who become family. She loves her new job and the children she works with. As her social circle expands, she encounters drama and danger when she gets mixed up with a savory group. When love enters her world, she has some tough decisions to make.
I enjoyed Walking on Fire as it gave me a glimpse into the world of Greece as well as opening my eyes to how other counties viewed the United States and our politics. It was interesting to learn about some of the food and customs of the country as well as seeing how we, as foreigners in other countries, have to let go of the idea of our superiority and be more open to how others view us.
Walking on Fire is a well written and very enjoyable story. It gives the reader a look at an interesting but troubled country during the 1970's, while also making it relatable through the story of a young women trying to find herself. Highly recommend!
Kate is able to carve out her niche of friends and friends who become family. She loves her new job and the children she works with. As her social circle expands, she encounters drama and danger when she gets mixed up with a savory group. When love enters her world, she has some tough decisions to make.
I enjoyed Walking on Fire as it gave me a glimpse into the world of Greece as well as opening my eyes to how other counties viewed the United States and our politics. It was interesting to learn about some of the food and customs of the country as well as seeing how we, as foreigners in other countries, have to let go of the idea of our superiority and be more open to how others view us.
Walking on Fire is a well written and very enjoyable story. It gives the reader a look at an interesting but troubled country during the 1970's, while also making it relatable through the story of a young women trying to find herself. Highly recommend!
July 24, 2023
Some days you are not ready to live another twenty-four hours. The question is will the next day become easier. If not, what do you do? Major events, serious ones, have caused communities to separate themselves and live in their shells. One wonders about their thoughts. These perceptions lead them out of those close quarters.
Ayelet Gundor-Goshen writing causes an unsettled and sad feeling. Thank goodness, she did not cater to feelings that are only hungry for happy, happy. What a lie! Akyelet Gundor-Goshen might want us to know that life brings distressing times along with better times.For this we must thank her.
Yes, she is writing about a shootout.One that includes a Black boy and his mother and a few Jewish people from a synagogue.This is a psychological novel. Feelings are important. The heart might not have the right answers. That does not mean to reject them.. Listen to the heart and save a friend or a relative. I think the parents in Boston discovered it is better to listen to the adolescence heart, their body language, etc. Because these black days will cause us to need something as small as a hug or a drive away from it all.
Ayelet Gundor-Goshen writing causes an unsettled and sad feeling. Thank goodness, she did not cater to feelings that are only hungry for happy, happy. What a lie! Akyelet Gundor-Goshen might want us to know that life brings distressing times along with better times.For this we must thank her.
Yes, she is writing about a shootout.One that includes a Black boy and his mother and a few Jewish people from a synagogue.This is a psychological novel. Feelings are important. The heart might not have the right answers. That does not mean to reject them.. Listen to the heart and save a friend or a relative. I think the parents in Boston discovered it is better to listen to the adolescence heart, their body language, etc. Because these black days will cause us to need something as small as a hug or a drive away from it all.
June 16, 2023
Walking on Fire by Kathryn Crawley
Following an abrupt end to her marriage, Kate is set adrift and searching for her next chapter in life. When opportunity comes knocking in the form of a job working as a speech therapist in Thessaloniki, Greece, she takes a leap of faith and uproots her quiet existence. Soon, Kate is exposed to an entirely different way of life, and her eyes are opened to world politics as the anti-American sentiment running rampant in 1970s Greece is impossible to ignore. When she falls for a handsome Communist, her values are challenged as she must decide whether to follow him blindly or make up her own mind.
While this book is fictional, it is based on the author’s own experiences in Greece, and as such can be considered semi-autobiographical. This lends an authentic feel to the writing, which helped balance the otherwise somewhat uneven style. The pacing was difficult, as some scenes dragged out with repetitive mentions of certain objects (like Kate’s yellow ski parka) or ideas (like Kate’s repeated questioning of her loyalty to America, using similar words and thoughts). I also had to repeatedly set down the novel, as I found some of the political ideals/action/violence accepted by the lead character to be against my personal viewpoints. While exploring other opinions is important, the impressionability of our lens, Kate, was frustrating. On a positive note, the description of 1970s Greece was very historically accurate, likely due to the author’s personal journey, and she immerses the reader within the Greek lifestyle. Ultimately, this book will make you think, and has the potential to begin some interesting conversations.
Following an abrupt end to her marriage, Kate is set adrift and searching for her next chapter in life. When opportunity comes knocking in the form of a job working as a speech therapist in Thessaloniki, Greece, she takes a leap of faith and uproots her quiet existence. Soon, Kate is exposed to an entirely different way of life, and her eyes are opened to world politics as the anti-American sentiment running rampant in 1970s Greece is impossible to ignore. When she falls for a handsome Communist, her values are challenged as she must decide whether to follow him blindly or make up her own mind.
While this book is fictional, it is based on the author’s own experiences in Greece, and as such can be considered semi-autobiographical. This lends an authentic feel to the writing, which helped balance the otherwise somewhat uneven style. The pacing was difficult, as some scenes dragged out with repetitive mentions of certain objects (like Kate’s yellow ski parka) or ideas (like Kate’s repeated questioning of her loyalty to America, using similar words and thoughts). I also had to repeatedly set down the novel, as I found some of the political ideals/action/violence accepted by the lead character to be against my personal viewpoints. While exploring other opinions is important, the impressionability of our lens, Kate, was frustrating. On a positive note, the description of 1970s Greece was very historically accurate, likely due to the author’s personal journey, and she immerses the reader within the Greek lifestyle. Ultimately, this book will make you think, and has the potential to begin some interesting conversations.
September 18, 2023
It's 1974. Twenty-something, Texan, Kate takes a speech pathologist job in Greece, a place embittered by her nation's involvement in their recently overthrown dictatorship. Will Kate feel like a stranger in a new place, or will she find a new home in it? And what will she do when she finds herself intertwined with both love and politics?
This debut novel had a slow start to the plot, but once it picked up, I couldn't put it down. Kate is such a well written protagonist character. I felt connected to her internal monologues; her thoughts, emotions, and fears. Kathryn Crowley also vividly captures Greece with her words, and I could visualize everything she was describing. She also uses greek dialogue as well, but follows it up with the english translation for easy reading.
I recommend this book to people who love historical fiction and politics.
This debut novel had a slow start to the plot, but once it picked up, I couldn't put it down. Kate is such a well written protagonist character. I felt connected to her internal monologues; her thoughts, emotions, and fears. Kathryn Crowley also vividly captures Greece with her words, and I could visualize everything she was describing. She also uses greek dialogue as well, but follows it up with the english translation for easy reading.
I recommend this book to people who love historical fiction and politics.
October 11, 2025
This story of self-discovery has it all. A gorgeous foreign setting (Greece in the 1970s), a naive but sympathetic heroine, and political intrigue. Greece is just breaking free of a US-supported military junta and striving for democracy when Katie arrives in Thessaloniki as a children’s speech therapist specializing in children with cerebral palsy. It is a story lush with detail of the sights and sounds of local life and with the experiences and evolution of the protagonist. When Katie gets emotionally and physically involved with a handsome local, the political impacts the personal and she is faced with difficult choices about the man she loves and her loyalty to her own nation.
June 25, 2023
This is a beautifully told story of the main character Kate's awakening to love, politics, and herself. She's gone from the sweet tea and comforts of her Texas home to the food and cultures of Greece. As a speech therapist, she helps others speak more clearly at the same time she's gaining a voice, a boyfriend, and a mind of her own.
November 16, 2024
Walking on Fire is a beautifully written novel full of cinematic scenes and deep emotional connections which transform the main character. We follow the protagonist, young twenty-five year old Kate, as she falls in love with a new country, culture, family, and partner. This is a deeply profound read.
December 20, 2025
In the middle of reading the paper version of this book, the audio version was released, so I pivoted to listen. Audiobooks are my favorite way to read, and this narrator did not disappoint. She was perfect for reading this story. And the story was fantastic - set in beautiful Greece, it was a story of adventure and self-discovery. Great work, Kathryn!
March 28, 2023
The author's real-life experience in Greece in the 1970s gives WALKING ON FIRE an authentic feel to the story of Kate who is working in Thessaloniki, Greece during at a time of great upheaval, politically and personally for Americans. An exciting and eye-opening read.
April 4, 2023
Why in the world would Kate be torn between remaining in exciting Greece, the country that has captured her heart, and returning to Texas? In this fascinating novel Katheryn Crawley reveals the answer and much, much more in this story of political intrigue, cultural shock, and love's challenges.
June 14, 2023
This is a story that immerses you in Greek culture and language and examines political life in the 1970s. I had a great time speaking to Kathryn Crawley about how she wrote this book, inspired by her letters home: https://www.deaddarlings.com/kathryn-...
March 21, 2023
such a good read!
March 22, 2023
I loved the main character and was with her on every step of her travels. Her inner dialog was spot on.
March 30, 2023
Really enjoyable book.
April 2, 2023
It's Greece in 1974 and a West Texas woman is on the road to self-discovery. A classic women's fiction novel with heart.
April 11, 2023
I learned so much about contemporary Greece—and was enchanted by Kathryn Crawley's vividly rendered protagonist. Great read!
April 29, 2023
Loved this book from beginning to end!
June 11, 2023
A vividly engaging read, I throughly enjoyed this one!
June 15, 2023
I loved the setting of Walking on Fire and the protagonist’s captivating journey.
June 18, 2023
Great story about a unique place and time. I was riveted.
July 20, 2023
This novel has it all: rich complex characters, a gorgeous setting, political intrigue, and romance.
April 3, 2023
An engrossing weekend read.
July 29, 2023
Kate’s adventure to Greece in 1974 ended up being much more than she expected!
At the beginning of the story, Kate is a unique combination of independent and naive. She’s lived in a few different states since completing her formal education in speech therapy and getting married ... and divorced. Now she’s ready to really branch out and move half-way around the world for a job in Greece that she saw in a journal. She didn’t speak any Greek when she applied, but the kind woman who hired her assured her that she could pick up enough as she went along in her job helping children.
Shortly before she packs her things and gets ready to move to Greece for the year, she finds out the political climate isn’t very hospitable to Americans. It gives her a few second thoughts, but she really doesn’t understand how someone could hate a whole population the way they’re trying to make it sound. The woman from the center who hired her assures her that they’ll be her Greek family and keep her safe. The situation is reasonably comfortable, until Kate starts making some choices and adventures on her own.
While the story takes place almost 50 years ago, it felt contemporary and the descriptions of Greece were beautiful. The commentary about the people, customs, and culture were also interesting. This was an enjoyable book that earned 3 out of 5 stars. It would be recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction, especially in a memoir style.
At the beginning of the story, Kate is a unique combination of independent and naive. She’s lived in a few different states since completing her formal education in speech therapy and getting married ... and divorced. Now she’s ready to really branch out and move half-way around the world for a job in Greece that she saw in a journal. She didn’t speak any Greek when she applied, but the kind woman who hired her assured her that she could pick up enough as she went along in her job helping children.
Shortly before she packs her things and gets ready to move to Greece for the year, she finds out the political climate isn’t very hospitable to Americans. It gives her a few second thoughts, but she really doesn’t understand how someone could hate a whole population the way they’re trying to make it sound. The woman from the center who hired her assures her that they’ll be her Greek family and keep her safe. The situation is reasonably comfortable, until Kate starts making some choices and adventures on her own.
While the story takes place almost 50 years ago, it felt contemporary and the descriptions of Greece were beautiful. The commentary about the people, customs, and culture were also interesting. This was an enjoyable book that earned 3 out of 5 stars. It would be recommended to those who enjoy historical fiction, especially in a memoir style.
June 13, 2023
Kate walks a fine line in this page-turner filled with a to-die-for location, rich characters, and an edge-of-your-seat plot.
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