The Secrets of the Little Greek Taverna by Erin Palmisano

4*

If you like Chocolát and Like Water for Chocolate, you’ll thoroughly enjoy this debut novel with a vein of magical realism running through it. A few generations back, a group of women in the village of Potamia on the small Greek island of Naxos drank from an elusive spring and magical things began to happen. This is the story of their female descendants.

Although she doesn’t believe in fate, American Marjory (Jory) finds herself in Potamia after a brochure with a beautiful wooden yacht calls to her. There she meets Cressida, a young widow who owns the guesthouse and taverna (that never opened following her husband’s tragic death) who has a gift for imbuing her baked goods with whatever emotion she’s feeling at the time, her older neighbor Mago who sews stunning garments and other pieces based on the color waves that speak to her and guide her hand, the surly, but beautiful Nefeli who has a sixth sense that allows her to anticipate future events (although she’s incapable of seeing the truth in her own marriage), and a bevy of friendly and quirky villagers who add color and a certain mystique. In this story, this group of women, with help from Jory who travels when inspiration strikes and creates a sense of home wherever she lands, form an unexpected friendship and work together to finally open the taverna and guesthouse. And then there’s the mysterious Shane, the handsome, charming American Jory meets and instantly feels a “sizzle” with.

Over the course of one summer, Cressida moves beyond her profound grief, Mago faces her fears and embraces her future, Nefeli reaches her breaking point, and Jory learns the true meaning of home and wrestles with her instinct to leave. Although the closed door romance between Jory and Shane is the primary one, the focus is on the unlikely female friendships and the over-riding sense of “home.” Personally, I would have preferred multiple narrators (Cressida, Jory, and Mago) rather than third person since, many times, the narrative became bogged down with descriptions, but this was a minor flaw in an otherwise delightful, delicious tale.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.