The fiddler's daughter

A strong feeling of despair grew steadily inside me too. I made a decision then, I didn't want to live like this woman did. I didn't want to live like my Mum, or my Aunt Thodoula, or even Diamandina or Zaharenia, who was considered lucky for not being abused by her husband. I wanted to live differently, to enjoy life, but how? I was poor. I was female. I was Kokolis's daughter. Somehow a desperate decision made me lift my head up high, grit my teeth and think: I will have a better life than this! I had to live a better life! This story is a hymn to life and creation. It follows a woman's journey towards personal freedom and the realization of her dreams under very difficult circumstances, in the early 19th century, in Corfu. The historical events of that period are recounted through the narration of a young child, with many elements of local folklore, and an honest and tender account by a woman who made up her mind to fight until death, so that she may choose her destiny despite her indescribable poverty, abandonment, social stigma and rejection. During her dramatic and adventurous journey, she found out that 'the impossible can become possible'. This novel is a message of hope and love for life.