Arrested Song: Media

Irena Karafilly’s Compelling Novel, Arrested Song | June 4, 2023

By Eleni Sakellis

Historical fiction often highlights historic events and characters in a dynamic way, allowing readers to experience the past through the characters and the choices they make in the course of their journey through the book. Arrested Song by Irena Karafilly brings history to life with strong characters, detailed descriptions, and a compelling plot in this page-turner which opens in a village on the Greek island of Lesvos during World War II.

Read the full review on The National Herald

Βook of the Month: ‘Arrested Song’ by Irena Karafilly | June 20,  2023

Set in the northeastern Aegean island of Lesvos, in the picturesque village of Molyvos, from 1941 to 1974, during some of the most dire decades of the 20th century, Arrested Song depicts the turbulent life of Calliope Adham.

Read the full article on Greek News Agenda

The Writing Of Arrested Song | May 27, 2023

On The Table Read Magazine, “the best book magazine in the UK“, Irena Karafilly writes about the inspiration behind her new book, Arrested Song, and her creative writing process.

Read the full article at thetablereadmagazine.co.uk


Table Read Magazine | May 20, 2023

Author Interview by JJ Barnes

I interviewed Irena Karafilly about her life and career, what inspired her to start writing, and the story of her latest novel, Arrested Song.

Read the full interview at thetablereadmagazine.co.uk


Authorlink® | March 28, 2023

Author Interview by Anna Roins

ARRESTED SONG is everything: the mundanity of Greek village life, a WW2 story of occupation, resistance, espionage, and survival. It’s a love story many times over, and it is a journey of self-discovery and purpose in the face of change and encroaching modernity. It is a saga. Readers of historical fiction will love the breadth and depth Irena Karafilly has articulated in this 400-page story. Her vivid, evocative writing was next only to visiting the actual Greek island.

Read the full interview at Authorlink.com


Athens Insider | March 8, 2023

Diana Farr-Louis interviews Irena Karafilly, author of Arrested Song.

“It isn’t often that one reads a novel one can’t put down. It’s even rarer to want to read it again almost immediately because it is so rich and rewarding, its intriguing characters evolving and interacting over more than three decades of turbulent Greek history. It is rarer still to be able to meet and talk to the author. Irena Karafilly has become my newest favorite novelist, earning a place alongside Louise Erdrich, Elif Shafak, and Barbara Kingsolver. The more I read her, the more I marvelled at her imagination, language, portraits, plots, and ability to weave all the strands into an epic, thought-provoking saga that kept me turning pages long after I should have turned off the light.”

Read the full interview at Athens Insider


Writing.ie | March 20, 2023

“What an amazing achievement!” my literary agent pronounced. “I love it. Only I can’t possibly sell a Greek War and Peace in this day and age!”

Read the full article at Writing.ie