Edward Fenton's love for Greece can be witnessed through the number of books that he wrote about the country. He has written two picture books which include Alekos's Island, 1948, and An Island for a Pelican, 1963. These books are simple with straightforward stories. However, they are stepping-stones for the author to write his two other young adult historical novels: The Refugee Summer, 1982 and finally, The Morning of the Gods. Through these books, one glimpses authentic cultural and historical settings of Greece; the first novel is set in a suburb of Athens during the Asia Minor catastrophe, and the second in regional Greece during the Colonels' Dictatorship.

Fenton authentically and realistically portrays the setting of Greece during the specific historical periods, while he objectively outlines the political episodes that the plots unveil. Together, all four books make up a rich fictional archive of an author's love for his...