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Ferry Tales - an offering to the world Jul 15, 2008
REVIEWED BY CHARLENE KNADLE
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
CHARLENE KNADLE RECEIVED HER BACHELOR'S DEGREE FROM HARDING COLLEGE, MASTER'S FROM STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY, AND DOCTORATE FROM ST. JOHN'S UNIVERSITY. SHE IS A POET (DANDELION SLEEVES: POEMS OF NATURE AND ORDINARY LIFE; LOCAL COLOR: THINGS, PLACES, PERSONS, EXPERIENCES) AND NOVELIST (PAPER LOVERS) WHOSE WORK HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR A PUSHCART PRIZE. SHE EXAMINED THE WORKS OF PAT CONROY FOR THE 11-VOLUME LIBRARY REFERENCE WORK,POPULAR CONTEMPORARY WRITERS.
George Giannaris describes his book, Ferry Tales, as being "primarily for my children," yet I have seldom read an autobiographical work that seems more of an offering to the world. (Most recently, I found that quality of voice in the late Nuala O'Faolain's Are You Somebody? The Accidental Memoir of a Dublin Woman and have since read upwards of a dozen such books.)
Giannaris doesn't disguise autobiography as fiction, the way Khaled Hosseini, in most of The Kite Runner, seems to. The book is straightforwardly about himself, yet there is a "storybook" feel to the narrative as he relates incident after incident. In the process, the unique characteristics of colorful characters become exposed. His experiences are varied, intertwined with the lives of others, and lived for long durations in different locations--Brooklyn, Queens, both forks of Long Island's east end, and across the ocean in Greece, among others. He has felt included and loved, chastised and shunned; he has seen himself as the "outsider" and as the center of action; he has felt enormous pride and keen embarrassment at members of his family. In short, he invokes a sense of the universal, stimulating in readers memories of our own related but very different lives.
The book is peppered with humor--both smiles and guffaws, all of it organic, none forced. An occasional phrase seems both perfect and admirably witty, some bordering on the literary. And there are passages that suddenly and unexpectedly draw tears.
George Giannaris writes of his own life, yet he often mysteriously seems more observer than actor, even as he lets the reader in on his inner responses and outer reactions. Most of the time we notice his generosity of spirit towards others, even as he lays bare the truths of his humanly angry or mean-spirited feelings.
Educated as an electronic engineer with an emphasis on computers, Giannaris nevertheless has stayed with the family business, that of running a Greek restaurant, The Hellenic, located in proximity to the ferry that runs between the eastern end of Long Island's north fork and Connecticut. Relating to so many familiar and new customers on their way to or from the ferry forms the basis of many of the scenarios of the book, hence the title. Yet the heart of the matter is closer, with fellow workers, family, friends, the pressures of sixteen-hour, non-stop days, and with recreational experiences (boating, spear fishing, diving, day trips to exotic places). George Giannaris seems to be one "on whom nothing is lost,"* who is able to recognize the significance in the every-day even as he lives it. The wisdom he weaves into the telling of each true tale of himself teaches and rewards us, even as, entertained, we read with our feelings close to the surface.
*Henry James
Are You a Cidiot or Countrytard? May 22, 2008
Though the phrase is too often used in literary circles, this first effort by George Giannaris is truly a âÂÂmust readâ for anyone seeking pure entertainment or good-natured âÂÂpost-readâ discussion. Insightful and poignant at times âÂÂ" laugh out loud hilarious at others âÂÂ" Mr. Giannarisâ gift to the reader is his ability to make us all look at life with a different perspective and newfound appreciation. Whether focusing his thoughtful point of view inward with total honesty and self-deprecation, or looking outward with the eye of a âÂÂcomedicâ sociologist, his descriptive prose is both observant and enlightening. I, for one, am anxiously awaiting his next literary effort.
Laugh Out Loud May 08, 2008
If you are Greek, know someone Greek, or even if you know nothing about Greeks, you will get a real kick out of this book...Entertaining to say the least. Excellent, fast reading, and most of all REAL... I'd recommend it to everyone.. Young and "older". Believe me, you can relate to it. I'm buying several to give out as gifts. Nothing like a feel good gift.
Extremely Entertaining May 08, 2008
I read this book a few days ago and enjoyed every chapter of it. The stories, mostly independent of each other, have a common theme; how the Cross Sound Ferry impacted the business, it's location, and the funny stories that surround its history. The biker midgets are a classic and a must read!
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