Eve Makis

Journalist Katerina Knight longs to know why her grandmother, Mariam, so rarely speaks about her family and childhood. When Mariam dies suddenly, Katerina inherits her grandmother's journal and handwritten letters stashed in a wooden spice box; cryptic treasures written in Armenian, Mariam's mother-tongue.

The Spice Box Letters

Eat Drink and Be Married

In quella scatola è nascosto un segreto. Vieni a scoprirlo Certi ricordi possono cambiare la vita... Quando sua nonna Mariam muore, Katerina eredita un’antica scatola da spezie. Al suo interno, avvolti da un intenso profumo, trova delle lettere e un diario scritto in armeno. Katerina scopre così che la sua famiglia è stata devastata dalla tragedia armena del 1915. Non solo Mariam, ancora bambina, è stata esiliata dalla sua casa in Turchia e separata dall’amata famiglia, ma ha anche dovuto affrontare il terribile dolore per la perdita del primo amore. Inquieta per ciò che ha scoperto, Katerina vuole andare a fondo in quella storia. Decide allora di mettersi sulle tracce dell’amata nonna e intraprende un viaggio che la porterà dall’Inghilterra a Cipro e poi dall’altra parte del mondo, a New York. Sarà un tuffo nel passato, ma anche un modo, per Katerina, di liberarsi di ricordi dolorosi in cui è ancora intrappolata. Un vecchio diario, delle lettere ingiallite e i ricordi di una vita. Il commovente viaggio di una donna alla ricerca della verità sulla propria famiglia «Le sue osservazioni sono sempre lucide e vi terranno incollati alle pagine fino a un finale emozionante.» Daily Express «Munitevi di fazzoletti di carta prima di iniziare a leggere questa straordinaria storia che rappresenta in un modo incredibile il costo della guerra in termini di vite umane. Il romanzo è costellato di scene che rievocano il trauma fisico, emotivo e mentale che molte famiglie armene hanno subito durante il massacro del loro popolo nella prima guerra mondiale.» Eve MakisÈ nata a Nottingham da genitori greco-ciprioti che si trasferirono in Inghilterra nel 1960. Ha studiato alla Leicester University e, prima di diventare scrittrice a tempo pieno, ha lavorato come giornalista e speaker radiofonica. Vive con il marito e i suoi due figli tra il Regno Unito e Cipro. Il suo romanzo d’esordio è stato tradotto in cinque lingue e ha ottenuto il premio Young Booksellers International Book of the Year. La scatola delle lettere perdute è il suo quarto romanzo.

La scatola delle lettere perdute

Annas Odyssee

Katerina inherits a scented, wooden spice box after her grandmother Mariam dies. It contains letters and a diary, written in Armenian. As she pieces together her family story, Katerina learns that Mariam's childhood was shattered by the Armenian tragedy of 1915. Mariam was exiled from her home in Turkey and separated from her beloved brother, Gabriel, her life marred by grief and the loss of her first love. Dissatisfied and restless, Katerina tries to find resolution in her own life as she completes Mariam's story – on a journey that takes her across Cyprus and then half a world away to New York. Miracles, it seems, can happen—for those trapped by the past, and for Katerina herself.

A Novel

Anna's head reels with plans to escape life behind the counter of the family chip shop on a run-down Nottingham council estate. Her mother Tina wants nothing but the best for her daughter: a lavish wedding and a fully furnished four-bedroom house with a BMW parked in the driveway. She thinks Anna should forget the silly notion of going to college and focus on finding a suitable husband. Mother and daughter are at loggerheads and neither will give way. Anna's ally and mentor is her Grandmother Yiayia Annoulla. She tells Anna stories about the family's turbulent past in Cyprus, the island home they were forced to abandon. Yiayia practises kitchen magic, predicts the future from coffee grains and fills the house with an abundance of Greek-Cypriot delicacies. Anna longs for the freedom enjoyed by her brother Andy but spends time appeasing her parents, dodging insults from drunken customers or going on ill-fated forays with her petulant cousin - the beautiful Athena. It is only when family fortunes begin to sour that Anna starts to take control of her own destiny... Wonderfully dark and funny, this is a bittersweet tale of mothers, daughters and being caught between two cultures.

Eat, Drink and Be Married

Anthony Cropper

The Accidental Memoir takes you on a journey of self-discovery. This beautifully illustrated book is filled with inventive and accessible writing prompts, as well as tips for anyone wanting to document their lives and explore their creativity. The Accidental Memoir will show you how to: Write a memoir Flex your writing muscles Exorcise your demons Relive moments of magic Make sense of life Reminisce Create social media content Become your own therapist Reduce stress Have fun Leave a lasting legacy This innovative concept was developed as an Arts Council project to help people tap into their own lives. Working with diverse groups from refugees to the elderly and prisoners, it has been a resounding success in unearthing stories that otherwise may never have been told.

The Accidental Memoir

You can choose your friends but you can't choose your mother-in-law. Electra and Adam are living proof that opposites attract. Electra is warm, passionate and creative. She wants to have a baby. Adam is calm, reasonable and very English. He doesn't. Enter the mother-in-lawa Cold, critical and snobbish, she disapproves of her son's marriage. And then she moves in with them. Will their relationship survive? A darkly funny, insightful and cautionary tale that will make you question where your loyalties lie.

Eve Makis

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