This richly sensuous account of Durrell's years in the British civil service takes place after the end of World War II and just before the island of Rhodes is handed back to Greece. His evocative descriptions range from the scent of citrus groves and flowers of every form and color to the rhythm of the sea (alternately savage and soothing) and the play of light over the island as the sun moves across the sky. He intermingles these pleasant accounts with the grim reality of having to rebuild a nation and an island after Nazi cruelty has left it a shambles. "Penetrating description, intense imagery, high and persistent color...it is a presentation which sparkles with an intense brilliance and fire." -- Christian Science Monitor