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tegangrey1's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
shimmery's review against another edition
3.0
Set in Turkey during the last few decades of the 20th century, this is the story of Leila and her friends, some of society’s most vulnerable people, who each have escaped a previous life and made their way to Istanbul to try to build a new one. But it’s a harsh world for women like Leila, who rely on sex work to make a living.
This is a sad story in many ways, with the state doing little to protect the women from the cruel realities they face. This reflects the reality that many women had to deal with as the author notes at the end — until 1990 in Turkey rapists received reduced sentences for attacking sex workers as it was considered sex workers could not be mentally or physically harmed by rape. With no police protection, the women have only each other to rely on. The friendships at the centre of the story give it hope and even humour.
I liked this book and found it thought provoking and interesting in a historical sense as it covers many historical events which I’d never heard about, such as the massacre in Istanbul on international workers’ day in 1977. However I felt that the story operated on a surface level and covered the lives of the women and events almost in a journalistic way, without really getting to the heart of their story or making me really feel what it was to be the women. Perhaps this is also to do with the scope of the story — it covered many lives over a huge amount of time so you don’t get a chance to be pulled in to one too deeply.
This is a sad story in many ways, with the state doing little to protect the women from the cruel realities they face. This reflects the reality that many women had to deal with as the author notes at the end — until 1990 in Turkey rapists received reduced sentences for attacking sex workers as it was considered sex workers could not be mentally or physically harmed by rape. With no police protection, the women have only each other to rely on. The friendships at the centre of the story give it hope and even humour.
I liked this book and found it thought provoking and interesting in a historical sense as it covers many historical events which I’d never heard about, such as the massacre in Istanbul on international workers’ day in 1977. However I felt that the story operated on a surface level and covered the lives of the women and events almost in a journalistic way, without really getting to the heart of their story or making me really feel what it was to be the women. Perhaps this is also to do with the scope of the story — it covered many lives over a huge amount of time so you don’t get a chance to be pulled in to one too deeply.
vivian_m_anderson's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
4.5
it was so good! what a breathtaking story of love, life, loss, sacrifice, friendship, and the underbelly of istanbul. i fell in love with the characters and shafaks style works perfectly in this format
cat132's review against another edition
5.0
wow. this writing is stunning, the chracters hopeful, the settings vivid, the events tragic. wow
bexlrose's review against another edition
2.0
I disliked this book so very much. I feel quite cross that it's ended up on the Man Booker Longlist when to me the writing feels juvenile and clunky. Of course this is all in my flawed and fairly un-humble opinion and I have a colleague who adored this book so I'm aware it is possible to like it. Not for me though. C'est impossible!
Good points: I agree with its central message of equality and friendship...ok that's it. That's all I can say. Oh and the cover is quite nice.
Bad points: It feels like a book from a 2nd year creative writing student who is still learning the craft but is sure they are hot stuff. The language was fairly simple and the book ticked along in a fairly standard manner, analogies and similies were over-used and tenuous to a cringey level.
I disliked the way everyone had a cutesy nickname that was used in full all the time.
I hated the ending, all neatly wrapped up with a bow.
I didn't feel attached to a single one of the characters.
Everything that happened was totally expected and linear and I felt that the author tried to surprise the reader in at least 2 places but completely failed at this.
What was the point of the 10 minutes 38 seconds bit? It ends up being more than that anyway. Another cutesy gimmick that feels flawed and pointless.
I simply fail to see what it was about this book that made it Booker-worthy. It won't make the shortlist. It certainly shouldn't anyway. I've layed into it more than I would had it not been longlisted for the most prestigious literary award there is, to be honest with you it is just a perfectly average, indistinct, easy reading, un-challenging novel.
2 stars.
Good points: I agree with its central message of equality and friendship...ok that's it. That's all I can say. Oh and the cover is quite nice.
Bad points: It feels like a book from a 2nd year creative writing student who is still learning the craft but is sure they are hot stuff. The language was fairly simple and the book ticked along in a fairly standard manner, analogies and similies were over-used and tenuous to a cringey level.
I disliked the way everyone had a cutesy nickname that was used in full all the time.
I hated the ending, all neatly wrapped up with a bow.
I didn't feel attached to a single one of the characters.
Everything that happened was totally expected and linear and I felt that the author tried to surprise the reader in at least 2 places but completely failed at this.
What was the point of the 10 minutes 38 seconds bit? It ends up being more than that anyway. Another cutesy gimmick that feels flawed and pointless.
I simply fail to see what it was about this book that made it Booker-worthy. It won't make the shortlist. It certainly shouldn't anyway. I've layed into it more than I would had it not been longlisted for the most prestigious literary award there is, to be honest with you it is just a perfectly average, indistinct, easy reading, un-challenging novel.
2 stars.
hhjlvnar's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
m0468_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
it was perfect 🌟🫶
tfaye's review against another edition
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0