Eat, Drink and Be Married by Eve Makis
Doing research for my script I stumbled upon a book about an english/cypriot family leaving in Nottingham and thought I would give it a go and see what it talks about.
It was absolutely amazing and very relatable to my script. Below is some general background information on the book and the author. And further on in the blog post I will discuss why I liked it and how it affected my work.
Eve Makis is Greek Cypriot who was raised in England. Her parents were Greek Cypriot immigrants who worked unreasonable amount of hours in their fish & chips show. Her parents did not have much of an education because their parents could not afford the bus fare to send them to school. Eve studied at Leicester University and during her spare time she would write, jot down notes from her personal experiences and experiences form her relatives. She had a typical strict Cypriot upbringing where she was not really allowed to go to university and study as a Cypriot girl only left the home unless she was marries. Also, she lived in Cyprus for a few year as a freelance reporter and a radio presenter before moving back to England.
Synopsis of the book:
Costantina Papamichael only wants her daughter to do one thing: get married. The main character though, Anna, has higher hopes for herself as he would like to got o university instead of settling down with a nice rich greek man, in a four bedroom house and a BMW. But, she does have someone who has her back and believes in her; he grandmother. Her yiayia teaches her about the family heritage and how to read coffee cups.
The novel discusses the struggle that Anna has to please her parents but also try and break free from the tradition while growing up as a first generation British Cypriot.
My opinion:
In Eve Makis novel there are similar situations which will be included in my sitcom, such as the food and some of the traditions. I cannot fully relate to the character Anna as I am not first generation British Cypriot but third, meaning my family is slightly more relaxed but still desperately attempts to hold onto the Cypriot traditions.
One thing that I do share with Anna and will come through in my script is my grandmothers need for me to find a nice, Greek, wealthy and educated man.
Furthermore, in Eve Makis novel there is a lot of description of what life was like back in Cyprus and her family reminiscing those days. The difference with my script is that my family has left Cyprus (for the second time) to move to London. My sitcom family is not very strict nor conservative but more care free and will focus very much on the comedic aspect of living as a Cypriot in London and less on the history of a Cypriot and how they ended up in England.
It was absolutely amazing and very relatable to my script. Below is some general background information on the book and the author. And further on in the blog post I will discuss why I liked it and how it affected my work.
Eve Makis is Greek Cypriot who was raised in England. Her parents were Greek Cypriot immigrants who worked unreasonable amount of hours in their fish & chips show. Her parents did not have much of an education because their parents could not afford the bus fare to send them to school. Eve studied at Leicester University and during her spare time she would write, jot down notes from her personal experiences and experiences form her relatives. She had a typical strict Cypriot upbringing where she was not really allowed to go to university and study as a Cypriot girl only left the home unless she was marries. Also, she lived in Cyprus for a few year as a freelance reporter and a radio presenter before moving back to England.Synopsis of the book:
Costantina Papamichael only wants her daughter to do one thing: get married. The main character though, Anna, has higher hopes for herself as he would like to got o university instead of settling down with a nice rich greek man, in a four bedroom house and a BMW. But, she does have someone who has her back and believes in her; he grandmother. Her yiayia teaches her about the family heritage and how to read coffee cups.
The novel discusses the struggle that Anna has to please her parents but also try and break free from the tradition while growing up as a first generation British Cypriot.
My opinion:
In Eve Makis novel there are similar situations which will be included in my sitcom, such as the food and some of the traditions. I cannot fully relate to the character Anna as I am not first generation British Cypriot but third, meaning my family is slightly more relaxed but still desperately attempts to hold onto the Cypriot traditions.
One thing that I do share with Anna and will come through in my script is my grandmothers need for me to find a nice, Greek, wealthy and educated man.
Furthermore, in Eve Makis novel there is a lot of description of what life was like back in Cyprus and her family reminiscing those days. The difference with my script is that my family has left Cyprus (for the second time) to move to London. My sitcom family is not very strict nor conservative but more care free and will focus very much on the comedic aspect of living as a Cypriot in London and less on the history of a Cypriot and how they ended up in England.
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