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R**Y
Always Love, Even When Life Is Difficult
Another book that makes you cry, smile, dream, and grieve with humanity. Ms. Shafak has such an incredible gift of bringing out the beauty even in the direst of situations. Her characters, which include people, as well as cities, are full of life. With this comes heartache, sadness, depth, beauty, fear, and love. Always love. It may not be presented as we are used to, but it is there.
P**A
Being a women in Turkey
A novel by a female Turkish writer that builds on the theory that when the heart stops beating, the brain stays active for around 10 more minutes. Tequila Leila was murdered, and in those 10 minutes remaining she remembers her life and of his friends, all of them outcasts. They built a very strong group of 5 very peculiar friends and one would give his own life for the others. Through her experiences, we learn what life is like in Istambul and, as usual, that women had barely any importance. Her childhood was not easy, her father had two wives, and she never felt she belonged there. With time she decided to flee from home and settle down in Istambul. Life was hard and to earn her living she ended up as a prostitute, where she would gradually get to know her new-found friends. After her death, these friends felt they had the duty to honor her and that she deserved to have a decent burial. They would do whatever was needed to achieve it. A book about strong friendship and the desire to live.
M**Y
could not put it down
I just finished Island of Missing trees. I fell in love with the author and chose to read 10. Minutes 38 seconds. Just as terrific. I hope you enjoyHer writing as much as I did.
J**K
What a prosaic author
There is so much filled in this tale of fiction that weaves so much history, and sadness- particuarly when one realizes this area from which the author has set the scenery- a land that was somewhat a meeting of two worlds, where warlords usurped people who had been there for centuries and built something else; alongside a faith- one gets a peak into the window- istanbul. Her story crafts for the western reader a reality not known, a harshness of a male oriented society - people in the west thing they have it bad- but even where prostitutes have rights- its not anywhere on the scale of where this story is set. Being a historical buff; her stories echoes the sentiments of tragedy- tragedy is a symptom of such dogma and that dogma entrenched is where the protagonist is. It is the most unfortunate thing to be born a women in the middle of the east asia, most certainly, where nomads and warlords of unspeakable cruelty removed greek civilization and built something else- but this tale is superb, and crafted so well. I think this is her best book. I am starting to read the others- Turkey besides the Azeri state- locks up a significant amount of journalism, so pleasant to read her insights crafted into fiction but truth underlying the dark belly of the holy piety of this city so attributed, but so far from attained . She is a great author with full of similes and metaphors and deep insight. This was a joy to stumble upon.
P**I
a short, tragic life
This novel begins with the main character, Leila, having been murdered and thrown in a dumpster in Istanbul. Before her brain completely dies, she thinks back on her short life—as a sexually abused teenager, as a prostitute, as a friend, and as a wife. The second half of the book focuses on her five special friends who proceed to honor Leila in death. Several themes are at work here, but the one that struck me the most was that of the contradictions within any religion’s set of beliefs. Hypocrisy among religious zealots apparently is common there as well. For example, Leila’s father has two wives, but Islam prohibits polygamy. In Turkey, corruption and reactionary laws reinforce the limitations placed on the lives of Leila and her misfit friends, including a transgender woman and a dwarf. A character who surfaces near the end of the book is a gay young man being forced into an arranged marriage. His outcome is one of the few bright spots in this novel, and, although it is beautifully written, this novel does not offer hope for Turkey’s progress. Leila’s friends mount sort of a minor rebellion against the treatment of Leila’s corpse, but it will have no impact on the country’s modus operandi, in which the deaths of prostitutes are not really cause for concern by law enforcement or by the general public. When it becomes clear that a serial killer is on the loose, targeting prostitutes, the authorities advise “normal” women not to panic. If a society is judged by its treatment of women, this novel indicates that Turkey has much room for improvement.
B**R
Odd
I love this author and bought this book from the used ones because the regular book was $18. I paid $10.11. The sticker on the back made me laugh, almost like I gotcha! At least take the Savers label off, I did. Now I know where to look for books
J**E
Loved it
So good!
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