Remember this book? It's about a girl who goes to Greece and something happens to her.

January 4, 2013 4:29 PM

Identify-a-book-filter: I'm trying to remember a children's/young adult book that I likely read 15-20 years ago in Australia. It was about a ~13 year old girl who went to a Greek island with her archaelogist parents (for a year/the summer?) and something magicky happened.

I think she is angry and upset when her parents say they are going, at the start of the book. Once there, she interacts mostly with Greek children, and learns Greek basically by osmosis - at one point "she suddenly realised that half the conversation had been in greek!" or that her dreams were in greek, or similar. Her parents are I believe excavating a temple, and there is some parallel plot with a similarly aged young girl from the time of the temple - a servant of the temple, or even a virgin sacrifice? I remember it getting a little weird and kiddie-level scary near the end, like she is getting sucked back into the past, or the past is repeating in her life, but I'm pretty sure everything worked out fine in the end.

Crazy vague, I have been googling it on and off for a couple of months, would love to find it and get it out of my head!

posted by jacalata to Media & Arts (12 answers total)

That reminds me of A Ring of Endless Light.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:31 PM on January 4, 2013

... except maybe not, now that I read further.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:32 PM on January 4, 2013

And I was thinking of The Arm of the Starfish anyway. Which, maybe? Though it's Portugal, not Greece.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 4:34 PM on January 4, 2013

I'll chime in with An Acceptable Time, which involves a past trip to Greece, druids, and a blood sacrifice. Madeleine L'Engle for the win! (Unless we're all wrong...)
posted by epj at 5:29 PM on January 4, 2013

Since rabbitrabbit has me now thinking L'Engle, maybe A House Like a Lotus. Has Greece, but I can't recall Polly learning Greek by osmosis, and I'm thinking it was the least "magical" of the series.

The time-jump and danger aspect make me think of An Acceptable Time, though.

Maybe you're conflating all the books in L'Engle's "Time Quartet" series?

(Watch, it won't be L'Engle at all.)
posted by paisley sheep at 5:32 PM on January 4, 2013

Defintely a L'Engle book, but not sure which one. I read it though and it was definitely L'Engle.
posted by katers890 at 5:44 PM on January 4, 2013

Response by poster: Hmm - none of the L'Engle books sound familiar, although I've read A Wrinkle in Time and they definitely seem to cover some similar plot points/themes. I thought the book I remember was aimed at a slightly younger audience than these as well - I'd be surprised if there was an Older Lesbian plot that I'd forgotten - but I'll try and get copies of the quartet to read, it wouldn't be the first time I'd been wrong.
posted by jacalata at 5:58 PM on January 4, 2013

Was there something in it about the island of Capri?
posted by Soliloquy at 7:45 PM on January 4, 2013

Response by poster: I don't remember the name of the island, but my most vivid memory is of her realising that she was speaking in greek with no effort, so I don't think it would have been Capri.
posted by jacalata at 8:29 PM on January 4, 2013

Best answer: Maybe A Circle of Stones? The Amazon UK page has a cover if that helps job your memory. It was the subject of another query here.
posted by gladly at 9:35 PM on January 4, 2013

Response by poster: That sounds very like it, I think you're right!
posted by jacalata at 2:47 AM on January 5, 2013

Response by poster: I picked up a copy of Circle of Stones. It's not quite what I remembered, but my sister tells me the quote I have about "suddenly realising" is from When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit, so I think this is probably it with a couple of blended memories confusing me. Thanks!
posted by jacalata at 6:35 PM on January 29, 2013