In *Mermaid Singing & Peel Me a Lotus*, Charmian Clift invites you into the sunlit, hand-to-mouth adventure of her family’s 1950s escape from Australia to Greece, gathered here in one beautiful new edition.
After time in London, Clift and her husband, novelist George Johnston, set out with their two small children to live cheaply and write—first on Kalymnos, then on Hydra. What follows is a vivid travel memoir of daily island rhythms: water hauled, meals shared, friendships forged, and the steady push-pull between making art and making a life. Clift writes with sharp humour and an eye for the telling detail, capturing both the generosity and the hard edges of traditional Greek island life.
Perfect for readers who love literary memoir, Greece travel writing, bohemian expatriate stories, and family life observed with honesty and style.
Settle in and let Clift’s islands work their quiet spell on you.
