Through his writing he demonstrates a deep-felt love for Greece and its people. His profound knowledge of the history of the country coupled with a lively imagination at times takes the reader off into some strange flights of fantasy. When he returns to the very real world of the Inner Mani it is often to show that the region is as fantastic as anything from his imagination.

You may find that you'll need a dictionary to hand and one or two passages on the convoluted history and genealogy of long dead rulers and despots may leave you thinking you've stumbled across a medieval census but don't be put off, you will also be rewarded with writing that leaves you with images that will last you a lifetime.

But beware, I was so captured by PLF's description of the Mani that I had to follow in his footsteps and go and see for myself. Not the first and I'm sure not the last.


Smart and witty travel in Southern Greece   August 21, 2001
 14 out of 15 found this review helpful

I took this book with me on a trip to Sparti in Southern Greece this year (2001). Although this book recollects a journey taken (in the 1950s) before the tourist blitz, it still holds true in many of the subjects discussed...especially the undying village myths that combine pagan and Christian elements. Paddy does a great job melding history with his travels, and relates the present-day to what happened during the Byzantine era and Turkish occupation. His imagery is very complex, but his portraits of the Greeks in the Mani are very insightful and entertaining.


A rather turgid read   July 12, 2001
 8 out of 34 found this review helpful

This was not so much the entertaining travelogue I was hoping for as a scholarly work on Greek and Maniot culture. I find out to a rather turgid read, lying on the border between erudition and pomposity.