A pleasant surprise; engaging storyline amidst controversy

books:


	• The Bastard of Istanbul Elif Shafak Penguin (Non-Classics), 2008 - 368 pages average customer review:based on 25 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

AMAZING!

As a first generation Armenian-American whose parents are from Istanbul, I felt an immediate connection to this book. From the first chapter, I was immediately engrossed in the story and the characters. The text is vivid, and I found myself smiling as I read descriptions of Armenian food and customs. The characters offer interesting perspectives on the Armenian-Turkish issue. I would recommend this novel to anyone, especially to Armenian-Americans like me.

A pleasant surprise; engaging storyline amidst controversy

This book is a pleasant surprise. The characters are endearing and engaging. Revolving in the background is the question of the Armenian genocide; the novel touches directly and indirectly on the subject of truth versus denial. The reader experiences how the passing of time eases, alters, and erases factual events - not that far removed from the actual interpretation of the Turkish Ottoman state surrounding the Armenian genocide of 1915. Of course, the political intonations are unobtrusively woven so that one can choose to be carried away by the distinctive characters and storyline.

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A Recommended Read

In the end, I really enjoyed this book. Though my interest wavered in the first half, I had a hard time putting it down towards the end. I am a big fan of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. And while I wouldn't go so far as to put Elif Shafak in the same league as Mr. Marquez, there are elements of the mystical in this book that will interest those who appreciate classics such as 100 Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera. Ms. Shafak does a commendable job of weaving the details of the Armenian genocide into the story line of the book, without making the book a tragedy. Though her writing can be a bit elementary at times, the story itself shines through. I read this book while traveling in Turkey and would recommend it to those who are planning a trip to that wonderful country, or anyone else who enjoys a good story regarding complex characters, family relationships, historical perspectives and distant lands.

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great beginning

I was really excited to start reading this book, and the beginning was very well written, with wonderful descriptions of the people and environments. I felt I was seeing and hearing what the characters were experiencing. But as the book went on, the descriptions and storylines were loosening and just not as tight as the beginning of the book; and there was that whole incorporating the 'magical' aspect that was a bit much (not saying it wasn't creative, but a bit much) and the ending just didn't seem like the same time and effort was applied as it was in the beginning.

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Exceptional book

I loved this book. I could not put it down. I loved the layering and the unfolding of the stories contained within. The characters were endearing and the story magnificent. You will not forget this book nor its characters. I thought the author very brave in confronting the subject of the Armenian slaughter and diaspora and that her handling of the Turkish point of view as well as the Armenian point of view, quite fair and most excellent. I am going to read all of her books. She is a major writer.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

When The Bastard of Istanbul was published in Turkey, Elif Shafak was accused by nationalist lawyers of insulting Turkish identity. The charges were later dropped, and now readers in America can discover for themselves this bold and powerful tale. Populated with vibrant characters, The Bastard of Istanbul is the story of two families, one Turkish and one Armenian American, and their struggle to forge their unique identities against the backdrop of Turkey?s violent history. Filled with humor and understanding, this exuberant, dramatic novel is about memory and forgetting, about the tension between the need to examine the past and the desire to erase it.

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