The Gold Letter

By: Lena Manta, Gail Holst-Warhaft - translator

Narrated by: Erin deWard

Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

A cherished heirloom reveals the destinies of three generations of women in a powerful saga of lost love by the bestselling Greek author of The House by the River.

After years spent in Germany struggling to come to terms with a dispirited and abusive past, Fenia Karapanos has returned to her roots in Greece. Her estranged grandfather has bequeathed her his villa in Athens, a gesture she assumes is reparation for having disowned her late mother. After taking in a grateful Syrian refugee to help her restore the property - and her life - Fenia discovers a collection of love letters hidden under the floorboards, reaching back nearly a century. In each one, Fenia unfolds another piece of her broken family history.

But it’s Fenia’s solicitous cousin, Melpo, who offers more to the story than Fenia can imagine. Melpo shares everything she knows - about Fenia’s grandmother and mother, their elusive and heartbreaking searches for happiness, and two families linked across decades by betrayal, secrets, abandonment, and forbidden love. It upends everything Fenia believed was true about her family. But it could also draw her closer to finding self-fulfillment - and a place to call home.

©2017 by Lena Manta. Translation © 2019 by Gail Holst-Warhaft. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What a wonderful story!

Such a masterfully told story...so completely magical. Anything, everything by this author takes you to another place and pulls you in. But this is the best.

Beautiful story!

Beautiful love story that spans 3 generations. The narrator did a great job with the character voices! The story was bittersweet and interesting! Loved it!

Touching

This was an excellent book filled with touching details and many twists and turns. Recommend highlyl

Great read.

Loved it. Good information about Greek culture over the generations starting in the late 1800's.

The Greek ways

I really loved the love story. The family saga really fascinated me. The charterers especially the women were well developed.

From Constantinople to Athens, Greece

This compelling story spanning several generations of the same family taught me much about the people and the times dating back to the Ottoman Empire. I knew little of the conflicts and wars in that area, and the exile of the Greeks from Constantinople. The tale of three generations of women who fell in love with men from the same family, but were not allowed to marry was devasting and sad. The family link of Fenia Karapanos, who had returned to Athens to inherit her family’s estate, after enduring a life of abuse and hardship, was unfolded slowly and carefully, allowing the listener to grasp each detail. Many times, I found myself so angry at the stubbornness and ignorance of the men in both families that I could just spit! It was definitely the women that held the families together, until one of those men finally grew a backbone, and I was cheering, when he finally stood up to his mean and domineering wife! I was so moved by the wisdom of the women who learned from their experiences, even after great losses. They learned to love. They shared what they had learned and they left a legacy to their children and grandchildren. Excellent listen, and superb conclusion.

Completely compelling!

Characters and storyline with background so graphically described you were there in Constantinople and Athens wishing fate would be kindler to these two families- couldn’t wait to continue to the end!

Great story!

Takes a bit to get going but very good! I really enjoy listening to this book!

The Gold Letter

I enjoyed this book. However l found keeping track of all the Greek names a challenge

really enjoyable historical fiction

Great narrator and story, brings his Tory to life through the women and love stories of a family across more than acentury.