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By Jane and Kenton 18 Comments

10 Novels Set In Greece

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Books set in GreeceEvery once in a while I’ll get an email asking if I know any good books that are set in Greece. It seems there are others out there that just can’t get enough of all the beauty and wonder that Greece has to offer.

Some want to read a few books to get them in the zone for an upcoming trip (the lucky ones), while others want to reminisce about a recent holiday, or experience what it would have been like to walk among the ancients, or hope to visit her shores one day.

I get it. As a matter of fact, I too do the same thing. I like to read a few fictional books that are set in a country I’ll be visiting before travelling to an area. Sometimes you can actually see some of the places you had read about, so that’s always a cool thing.

With that in mind, I decided to put together a list of books that are set in Greece. Some are set in modern day, others in ancient times. Historical fiction can be really fun to read; if you’ve never read one before, this may be a great opportunity.

So here are 10 books to get you started. They are listed in no particular order: 

  1. The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault – a historical novel set in ancient times. Story of  two young Athenians that include everything from the olympics, Sparta, to studying under Socrates. This author has also penned a lot of other novels set in ancient Greece.
  2. The King Must Die by Mary Renault – A novel about the mythical Theseus
  3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller – A twist/different look on the trojan war.
  4. Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae by Steven Pressfield. This one is for all the 300 lovers and Spartan fans. It creatively tells the story of the mighty 300 that stood against the largest army in the world at the time.
  5. Tides of War by Steven Pressfield – Set during the Peloponnesian war of Sparta vs Athens.
  6. Greece: A Traveler’s Literary Companion by Artemis Leontis – This is a unique book. It has a collection of short stories set in Greece written by modern Greek writers – many of which appear in the book for the first time in english. Not useful for travel, but a great read of modern day Greek fiction.
  7. Murder in Mykonos by Jeffrey Siger – Detective Lovers rejoice, a whodunnit set in Mykonos.
  8. Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres – Set in a Greek island of Cephalonia (Kefalonia) when the Italian armies land on it’s shore during WWII.
  9. Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis – . Arguably the most well known on the list. The story of friendship, happiness, and finding your kefi. You could also watch the movie, which is great!
  10. The Olympian: A Tale of Ancient Hellas by E.S. Kraay. Set in 480BC during the 75th olympics. Xerxes comes with a million men to take over Greece.
  11. Bonus! Because there always has to be one: The Ten Thousand: A Novel of Ancient Greece by Michael Curtis Ford – Set in 401BC, Xenophon and his army try to return home.

I know there are many other books out there, some I may have never even heard of. If you have any good recommendations for novels that aren’t listed that are set in Greece, please leave the info in the comment section below so we can all enjoy a good read!

Happy Reading

Kenton & Jane

Ps. the above links are amazon affiliates, meaning if you buy them via those links, we get a small commission.

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Filed Under: Blog, Greek Culture Tagged With: books, greece

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Comments

  1. Lisa Chakalos says

    9 January 2015 at 12:37 pm

    You must add Eleni by Nicholas Gage and North Of Ithaka by Eleni Gage. Both wonderful books.

    Reply
    • Kenton Kotsiris says

      9 January 2015 at 11:17 pm

      Thanks for the suggestion! A lot of people have been suggesting Eleni, so I’m adding that to my list.

      Reply
  2. Virginia Howard says

    10 January 2015 at 8:16 pm

    Along with Jeffrey Siger who has quite a few mysteries Anne Zouroudi has some interesting novels.

    Reply
  3. Julie Glover says

    5 February 2015 at 2:14 pm

    Mary Stewart has three mystery novels set in Greece: Moonspinners, This Rough Magic, My Brother Michael. Dated but so good!

    Reply
  4. Barbara Hower says

    19 March 2015 at 5:43 pm

    Oooh! As a former English major, big-time reading fanatic, and lover of travel and history, can’t wait to start reading many of these suggestions. I agree with the recommendations for Eleni and the Mary Stewart books. They are definitely worth reading!

    Reply
    • Kenton Kotsiris says

      27 March 2015 at 11:20 am

      Great! Let us know what you think! I was an English major as well 🙂

      Reply
  5. Carol says

    21 March 2015 at 10:30 pm

    Wow— what a great list already!
    Neither of these authors are Greek, but they have written highly praised books about Greek travel, culture, and history.

    Dinner with Persephone: Travels in Greece
    By Patricia Storace

    Lawrence Durrell has written a lot on Greece.

    Reply
  6. denise jackson says

    29 March 2015 at 9:29 am

    Thimio’s House by John Kefala Kerr is an amazingly sensual and politically incisive novel set in the beautiful Pelion region of Greece where the author lives. Set during the current economic crisis, it stimulates every sense—taste, touch, smell, sight and, uniquely, hearing!

    Reply
  7. Sean Kenny says

    1 April 2015 at 10:58 am

    I’ve been trying to remember the name of a book I read set in a block of flats in Athens where two older men are trying to woo a slightly younger fellow tenant with food (it’s the food I’m after). Both suspect she is carrying on with the other and both are right, with hilarious consequences and delicious cooking ensuing .

    Be great if anyone else knows it

    Reply
    • Carol says

      10 April 2015 at 11:38 pm

      Could the book you’re looking for, Sean, be Corfu Banquet by Emma Tennant?

      Reply
      • Sean Kenny says

        15 April 2015 at 12:57 am

        Thanks Carol, but I think not. It was a male Greek author

        Reply
  8. Diana Stamatis Dalton says

    27 April 2015 at 3:48 pm

    These books are not set in Greece but they are set around a Greek Private Detective called Sofie Metropolis. There are 6 books in the series so far. Author Tori Carrington is the penname of husband and wife writing team Lori and Tony Karayianni.

    Reply
  9. Ruth says

    21 October 2015 at 4:02 pm

    Korakas by Anne Holloway is a good one to add to the list.

    Reply
  10. Luke Christodoulou says

    5 November 2015 at 7:21 am

    If you are into adult thrillers, there is a book series called Greek Island Mysteries with stand alone thriller/mysteries set in the Greek Isles. The Olympus Killer features Greek mythology and The Church Murders has elements from Greek religion. Both are set upon multiple islands.

    Reply
  11. Claire says

    2 February 2016 at 8:41 am

    Definitely recommend Anne Zouroudi – her Greek detective novels have some of the best descriptions of Greece (especially the food!) that I have ever read!

    Reply
  12. Susan Sadler says

    12 March 2016 at 6:13 pm

    The Greek Village series by Sara Alexi, wonderful characters and stories. I love to have them on my Kindle and read them on the beach in Greece.

    Reply
  13. Jack says

    22 October 2016 at 10:15 am

    The Hero Of Negropont by John Mole is set in 1788. A fascinating and fun trip in Greece under Turkish occupation. Great stories.

    Reply
  14. julia scanlon says

    1 February 2017 at 2:58 am

    What about My family and other animals by Gerald Durrell- quaint and funny- and what started the ball rolling for me with my love of all things Greek

    Reply

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Hi! We’re Kenton & Jane of Lemon & Olives. This blog is dedicated to exploring Greek food and culture, the Mediterranean lifestyle, and traveling Greece. We’ve collected many Greek recipes over the years from Greece and family members, and we’re still learning as we go! This blog is our way of documenting our journey…read more

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