Read Greek to Me Adventures of the Comma Queen Mary Norris 9781324001270 Books

Product details Hardcover 240 pages Publisher W. W. Norton & Company; 1 edition (April 2, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 1324001275

Greek to Me Adventures of the Comma Queen Mary Norris 9781324001270 Books Reviews

• I loved the book. I want to (among other things) applaud the author’s insistence to always use the (ancient or modern) Greek names of gods and heroes, instead of their latinate versions. And, then, she decides to make an exception with... Hecuba -- the sound of which is, to modern Greeks, like something emanating from deepest Africa. But Norris loves the sound so much that she... makes it no less than twenty times!
  
  There couldn’t have been any other culmination of this book than the “meeting” of the author with Patrick Leigh Fermor. She knocks at the door of his house in Kardamyli
  
  "I had stood outside a closed door and felt frustrated if you can’t open a door, it might as well not exist. But a door that opens, as this one now did, framing Elpida, is an invitation to a whole world that had previously been denied."
  
  Elpida is Leigh Fermor’s housekeeper -- but, kind reader, please note that it is also the Greek word for Hope...
• The first few pages were delightful. The author is an excellent writer and was humorous and irreverent. That didn't last very long though. She then started explaining everything in Greek, translations and etymology. I enjoyed the translations and etymology for a few pages, but that seemed to be the essence of the book. I tried skipping ahead hoping to learn more about Greece, a country that I love. Sadly, no the translations kept coming and I lost track of the story because of the distracting translations. Perhaps, the language of Greece was supposed to be the focus of the book, but if that was her intention and this was the wrong book for me.
• The reviews here are quite good, and I agree with most. Learning Modern Greek is tough for this old geezer too, and accenting the wrong syllable keeps me humble too. I promised my Squeeze I would take her to Greece if she learned some Greek, so I bought this book for her.
  
  Been watching the PBS series, “The Durell’s of Corfu” based on Gerald’s book, but want to read Lawrence’s books now. (BTW, Corfu is what the Italians called the island, the Greeks call it Kerkira.)
  
  Also, after Norris’ description, I want to see the statue of Athena in Nashville, Tennessee. Maybe before I travel to Athens.
• I bought this book because I wanted to know more about Ancient Greek as it survives today. What I got was a lot of that but a certain amount of rather jarring revelations about Ms Norris's personal life which I had no interest in. The sections about her travels in Greece were interesting, for the most part. The account of plays still performed in Ancient Greek was fascinating and I would have like to know more. It's hard enough to find actors for these ancient plays, but when they speak in Greek it really narrows the pool. I know they may or may not actually understand what they are saying and have memorised sounds, as opera singers may not be fluent in the language of the opera they are singing. And I would have liked to know more about the audience for such performances. But I did not need to know about her brother who died or her other brother who is transgender. Such details seemed out of place. I guess I expected it to be a serious book.
• Whether you love history, linguistics, traveling or Greece, (or all of them!) this book is delightful and engaging! Loved it so much that I bought two more as gifts! Enjoy!
• I hate this book! I’m on page 17 and I almost put it down. Are you kidding me? All I want to do is pick up my third passport and head back to Greece. I also grew up in Cleveland, on the Great Plains side. I can’t ask for a better description of how it feels to step off that plane, inhale that dry crisp air and head to monastaraki to buy tickets to anything at Herod Atticus. If I get through this book it going to be a miracle. I’ll take it with me. Bye.
• Norris is the type of American whose Midwestern, ultimately patriarchal upbringing left an unslakeable need for an existence that offers a bit of color, of seeming romance. Where was pudgy little Mary in the 60s and 70s that she would find it so very bold to sunbathe in the nude? A boring person much as one can find all first-ever throughout. Mexico.
• Very funny; a most enjoyable read and not just for nerds! Had me laughing out loud.