Giorgi's Greek Tragedy

So many periods in history such as The American Civil War, World War II, The Holocaust, The Russian Revolution, to name a few, have been written in abundance and depicted in movies. Very little is known about Greece's War of Independence (1821-1829) from the Ottoman Turks that subjucated Greece and the Balkan nations for four centuries. Author Pauline Hager crafts a compelling tale of the Greek peasants’ struggle for independence. Cruel treatment by her captives had reduced Greece to a poverty-stricken state, riddled with corruption and crippled by heavy taxes. Local Turkish pashas ruled with a combination of laxity (change your Christian religion and pay no taxes) or by extortion (pay the right person and you are left alone.)
Set in 1790 high in the rugged mountains of the Peloponnese peninsula of Southern Greece, the story recounts the tale of eleven-year-old Giorgi’s tragic quest for revenge when he discovers secret agents of the Ottoman sultan’s elite Janissary Corps murdered his parents. Later as young teenagers with his younger brother Yianni, they leave their widowed Aunt Tasia’s home to join the outlawed Greek rebels (kleftes) in the craggy Taygetos Mountains. Ensconced in deep mountain caves, the rebels live and train to battle the Turks. Yearning to join forces with his hero, Kapetan Zaharias, Giorgi encounters many obstacles, preventing him from realizing his boyhood dream of fighting alongside him. The brothers' stories are told as Giorgi fights the Turkish occupiers and Yianni becomes a priest, each following their own instincts.
Far below in the valleys and dales, the overworked and overtaxed peasants toil incessantly in the fields. In spite of the hardships, their compelling spirit for freedom and survival overcomes all obstacles. With the aid of The Greek Diaspora and The Great Powers of England, France and Russia, Greece gains her independence from Turkey. The story briefly depicts some battles before and during the war, and the bravery of the men and Kapetans who commanded them. Love of family, love between a man and a woman, and love of country resounds in this historical novel.