The Taverna by the Sea is an enchanting, funny, poignant travel memoir about answering the call of adventure by taking on the challenge of running a Greek beach taverna. During a walking holiday on Karpathos, a chance encounter with a Greek–American hotel owner results in a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Jennifer Barclay. The best-selling travel writer and long-term resident of Greece drops everything, returning with dog and tent to the remote bay that will form her home for one hectic, event-filled summer.

This travelogue offers a rare account of life in north Karpathos in the South Aegean, an island famous for its traditional community and dramatic, rugged landscape, and with strong connections to Baltimore and New York. Barclay's fourth book about life in Greece provides a light, engaging and amusing read – full of anecdotes, one-liners, twists and turns – while conveying the life-affirming importance of trusting one's instincts, taking risks and grasping opportunities.

Wake with Jennifer to experience a summer of pink dawns over the olive grove and an empty bay, and swim with her in moonlight, hearing only the waves. Or help yourself to local cuisine – creamy yoghurt and local honey and warm figs, olive oil and rosemary, freshly baked bread, and wine on tap.

Alongside a cast of characters from farmers to fishermen, mad guests and a wicked witch, meet Minas the hotel owner, a creative, unconventional Greek–American with the ability to fix anything mechanical and create money out of thin air with food, plus a penchant for drinking, singing and falling asleep. Experience days full of music, days of no running water, and days with a goat tied to a tree – but also nights when the overworked taverna manager awoke convinced there was a large fish in the tent, and customers outside waiting to be served.

In The Taverna by the Sea, Barclay reveals what happens behind the scenes of an apparently blissful, peaceful paradise, capturing both the magic and the difficulties of island life. Underpinning an entertaining read for lovers of Greece and its cuisine is an inspiring call to live life to the full.