The Cat of Portovecchio: Corfu Tales - Maria Strani-Potts

The Cat of Portovecchio takes readers into the lives of the inhabitants of a bustling Corfu fishing village. Every character has a story to tell, and very often their lives intersect. Zoe mourns her dead husband and young Louisa her mother. Father Anthony plots and schemes. Young lovers meet in secret. Feisty Joy is one of many strong women who take charge. Her husband, Spiro, the best-looking man in the village, return from the sea, scattering gifts. There are celebrations of Easter and Christmas, feasts for saint's day and name days, births, marriages, deaths and funerals.

Through all of these lives stalks the Cat of Portovecchio, Mamee, imperious and opportunistic, both loved and reviled by the villagers. She hunts for food as the aroma of cooking wafts through the air. Readers can share with the characters the preparation of authentic food. Families enjoy fish stew, midnight soup and just-picked summer vegetables in fresh tomato sauce; they savour octopus dipped in vinegar, grilled snapper and small stout, dark red salami in which the white fat stands out against the ruby red meat like rich spotted marble.