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“Imagine a murder mystery set in the Sultanate in Ottoman Turkey. It features a number of miniturists who work on commission from the Sultan. There are any number of high-blown comments on the nature of art and reality---and those got a bit tedious after a while. The various images that Pamuk evokes throughout the text are what kept me going. Rain falling on the sea at dawn, the eyes of spun-sugar bird sculptures, and many other metaphors are to be found here. The mystery itself is also interesting to follow.”
Shibopshibop wrote this review 3 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Absolutely fantastic book.”
Stephan Andreas Jensen wrote this review 5 days ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Overall it's a fine piece of literature, though not as intriguing as expected and too much into the art details.”
Gaafar wrote this review 2 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“thought provoking!”
MARIA E wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“amazing work.a portal to another world,past n history”
fahim abbas wrote this review Monday, November 16 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Though it took me ages to finish this book, I absolutely loved the literary style in which this book is crafted. It is so original. Simply brilliant. It totally justifies Orhan's Nobel prize.”
Honey Digra wrote this review Sunday, November 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Orhan Pamuk really understands about turkish culture , arts , feelings .... AND MUCH MORE!”
GIPA R wrote this review Sunday, November 1 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“It was a difficult read as meant a lot of concentration into the numerous stories within almost each chapter. I was angry at the end because the mystery which was maintained until the penultimate chapter was revealed unlike most mysteries and I felt I was tricked into trying to remember all the lengthy stories about different characters.
Chandrashekar Gangaraju wrote this review Thursday, October 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
But it was however very very rich with details particularly about taboo issues in the 16th century muslim world. It indirectly highlighted how social contructs change and that certain concepts can have different interpretations.
The author's style was unique, almost as if each character is vying to get the reader's attention separately as if in a play where actors are trying to prove themselves with histrionics apart from whats in the text of the play. ”
