North of Ithaka: A Granddaughter Returns to Greece and Discovers Her Roots

“A tale of homecoming and reconciliation, ‘North of Ithaka' proves the regenerative powers of home.” ― The New York Sun “Gage's vivid personal account captures the seasonal rhythms and everyday dramas of Greek life beyond the familiar resort islands, revealing a place that is, in the most traditional sense, old-world.” ― Travel & Leisure “Imbued with forgiveness, with the rebuilding of lives and houses, and moving on from tragedy...In coming full circle [Gage] has helped soothe the pain of a traumatized family.” ― The Times Literary Supplement “Ms. Gage's house project is partly an effort to move beyond the pain of memory. . . honest. . . amusing. . .she treats tradition with respect and history with realism.” ― Wall Street Journal From the Inside Flap In North of Ithaka , Eleni Gage returns to the remote Greek village of Lia, where her father was born and her grandmother murdered, to rebuild the ruins of her namesake's home and come to terms with her family's tragic history. In doing so, she leaves behind a sparkling social life and successful career to continue the tale of a family and a place which her father, Nicholas Gage, made famous over twenty years ago with his international bestseller, Eleni . Along the way she survives humorous misadventures, absorbs fascinating folklore, and comes to understand that memories of the dead can bring new life to the present. Part travel memoir and part family saga, North of Ithaka is, above all, a journey home. In North of Ithaka , Eleni Gage returns to the remote Greek village of Lia, where her father was born and her grandmother murdered, to rebuild the ruins of her namesake's home and come to terms with her family's tragic history. In doing so, she leaves behind a sparkling social life and successful career to continue the tale of a family and a place which her father, Nicholas Gage, made famous over twenty years ago with his international bestseller, Eleni . Along the way she survives humorous misadventures, absorbs fascinating folklore, and comes to understand that memories of the dead can bring new life to the present. Part travel memoir and part family saga, North of Ithaka is, above all, a journey home. ELENI N. GAGE is a journalist who writes regularly for publications including Real Simple, Parade, Travel+Leisure , The New York Times , T: The New York Times Travel Magazine , Dwell, Elle , Elle Decor and The American Scholar . Currently Executive Editor at Martha Stewart Weddings and formerly beauty editor at People, Eleni graduated with an AB in Folklore and Mythology from Harvard University and an MFA from Columbia University. She lives in New York City with her husband and their young daughter. Read more