Daughter of the Winds
By Jo Bunt
Publisher: Jo Bunt
Published: Jan.
23, 2014
ASIN: B00GK4GRFW
Amazon Synopsis:
When
the Turkish invade Cyprus in 1974 Pru, a young British Army wife, has her life
turned upside down. Two weeks later she flees the country with a baby who isn't
hers.
Over thirty years later that baby, now a grown woman called Leni, returns to the island of
Over thirty years later that baby, now a grown woman called Leni, returns to the island of
In this story of love and loss Leni will lay ghosts to rest in more ways than one.
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My Thoughts:
Imagine finding out just
after you lost a child because of a nonviable pregnancy in your mid-thirties
that the woman you’d always called your mother wasn’t your real mother, but
your adopted mother. You’re grieving the loss of a child and then grieving the
loss of your parent. That’s why Leni runs off to Cypress. She’s told her boss
it’s to write an article about the Greek cuisine in Cypress, but in reality it’s
to seek out her history and find out about her birth parents. To find out who
she really is…
Daughter of the Winds was a wonderfully touching novel, rich in
history, vivid in description and detail. Jo Bunt writes in such as way that
you are drawn into the novel asking more questions about what is going on, and
of course the only way to find out is to keep reading.
The novel moves back
and forth between the 1970’s and the present day but each change to the past
complements the information given in the present. Leni can see her past through
the fence in the no-entry zone of what used to be the town of Varosha. As the
reader, we get to experience it through the eyes of her mother Pru in the 1970’s.
I found this book to
be educational as well as entertaining. I had no idea there was even a war
there in the ‘60s and ‘70s. As a woman nearing childbirth, it must have been
frightening indeed.
For those of you who
love to indulge in culinary tastes of other countries, you will delight in the
wonderful meals that Leni is presented with. She is a food columnist for a
magazine doing an article, so the descriptions of the food and their
preparation in the book are mouth-watering. Where’s the nearest authentic Greek
restaurant?
The pacing of the
book was excellent. It totally drew me in and held my attention. I thoroughly
enjoyed it and gave Daughter of the Winds
5 stars out of 5.
Thank you to the
author for providing a copy of the book in exchange for a fair and honest
review. A positive opinion was not required. All thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Jo
Bunt was born in Cyprus to British parents. It made sense to her that her first
novel should be based there.
Following
the family's return to England Jo went to school in Nottingham, university in
Hull and then worked in London as a Recruitment Consultant for PwC for many
years. Following a family illness Jo moved to Derbyshire where she now lives
with her husband and her twin sons. This has enabled her to focus on her two
great loves in life; her family and her writing.
She
remembers writing her first 'novel' when she was seven but spent her
angst-ridden teenage years writing miserable and dark poetry. She mostly writes
mainstream fiction but is also working on a series of children's adventure
books, largely guided by her own children. When she is not writing or looking
after the children Jo is an avid reader and self-confessed food snob. If she
can combine the two she is a very happy lady indeed.
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