Review by Ragnar Lothbrok -- "Better dead than divo...

Ragnar Lothbrok · Post by **Ragnar Lothbrok** » 24 Feb 2019, 22:32

[Following is a volunteer review of ""Better dead than divorced"" by Lukas Thanasis Konandreas M.D..]

3 out of 4 stars

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Lukas Thanasis Konandreas M.D. shares his memories as an 8-year-old coupled with several consented interviews and old court records in his book, Better Dead than Divorced: The Trials of Panayota wherein he sets forth the heart-wrenching story of Panayota, a beautiful young lady from Kupaki (a conservative community in Greece at the time), whose life takes a turning point for the worst when she meets George Nitsos, a handsome ladies' man who would soon make her and her family's life miserable; even after she's infamously killed and her righteous cousin, Thanasis, faces with a corrupt jury that weighs everyone down back in Kupaki.

Before reading this book I was unaware of many things about old days when men and women had to live by different regulations, arranged marriages took place and corruption, worse than ever, led to irreversible social disputes. It is very easy to be deprived of those times in today's society for it seems to be repudiated and dismissed by almost everyone in this generation, but this book gave me a remarkable insight of olden times through Panayota's woeful story.

I personally found this book breathtaking; the author did a great job in making of this memoir a highly readable, poignant and riveting account. The story gripped me exceptionally, and the characters felt so real to me that it made the author's rendering even more credible. The book is surprisingly full of intriguing and entrancing events that eventually make the reader categorize this reminiscence as fictional although it's not.

The author has a very sterling writing style; he is able to convey the characters' emotions, ideas, and actions in detail. The ideal use of both descriptive and concise language draws the reader's attention from beginning to end. Plus, storytelling is usually a burdensome challenge, yet I was enthralled by the author's praiseworthy potential to make it look easy and consummate.

I would eagerly recommend this book to people who are interested in real life-like stories taking place in days of yore when feminism was not a prominent movement and social manners led to arranged marriages that placed more importance on reputation and social status. This book could also be of your interest if you are curious about women's adversity in former times and the melancholic lifestyle brimming with much hardship they were subjected to. Ultimately, this book is great for you if you like well argued true crime related books.

In recognition, the author's intent to help the reader familiarize with the characters and places displayed all over the book by adding representative images and topographic photos of Kupaki is highly appreciated. In conclusion, I loved the overall content of the book to a great extent. This astounding book could be deemed as one of the greatest masterpieces of Lukas Konandreas; however, the edition of the book is to be partly held in disfavor. I came across more than 45 grammatical errors, chief among them the wrong usage of quotation marks in dialogues. Keeping this in mind, I reckoned the book was not professionally edited; therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

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"Better dead than divorced"
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BelleReadsNietzsche · Post by **BelleReadsNietzsche** » 26 Feb 2019, 01:27

This sounds fascinating. I am trying to minimize how much true crime stuff I consume, but this is the kind of review that makes me itch to pick it up.

I am interested in women's issues/feminism as well, and books that shed light on what social situation/society is like in other times and places. So you've really intrigued me with this great review. Thanks!