What even was that? I would've given this three stars but the intensely ham-fisted last 10 pages would not allow that.

Beautifully written and touching, exploring history, family, relationships, food, love, and how the past is felt in the present. Brings Istanbul vividly to life.

sınav var diye okuyup kafamı kurcalayarak tekrar okumak istediğim kitaplardan biri

Set partly in kitchens, and partly in buzzing cafes, the novel follows Asya, a 19-yo rebellious girl born into a family where men do not live long, and Armanoush, an Armenian relative of Asya. Shafak beautifully explores the relationship between the two girls, and the women who foster Asya's growth while she uncovers the mystery of her parentage. The poster-adorned walls, the Johnny Cash music, the trips to the cyber cafes and the unforgettable cuisine all serve as backdrop to the effects of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 by the Turks, ultimately affecting the girls and questioning the relevance of borders in today’s world.

معجبنيش الربط بين إن شوشان يتيمة وآسيا لقيطة ولا إن ليفنت قاسي ومصطفي أناني وشخصيته غريبة كدا مع إنه كان مدلل كتير ممكن يطلع فيه جزء من القسوة لكن أنه حقير للدرجة دى ممكن من الكبت .. الرواية عامة معجبتنيش نهائى وفيها أخطاء زى الناس اللى ركبت على سفينة سيدنا نوح وطبق العاشوره حكايات كلها تأليف وليست حقيقه ، وكل القواعد اللى فى الرواية مستفادتش منها من الآخر مطلعتش برسالة من الروايه نهائى .

i was not expecting that twist at allllll, sometimes the perspectives jump around a lot but it was good

This book was full of colors, smells, food, music, faces, voices, stories. It was so vivid, I did not feel like I was reading anymore. It felt like I was there with the characters and seeing everything with my own eyes. I loved the atmosphere created by Elif Shafak. It was a lovely chaos, if I can say so. She has a powerful writing, full of humour and courage that will catch your attention and tease your curiosity.

Amazing!

Finally grasping Elif's way of writing... Oppositions, contrasts, intermingled stories,... I should write a more elaborate review! Out of routine, I opened this book two years ago but was not in the mood for fiction and I only read Elif when feeling trapped in my non-fic in order to aerate my mind and eyes! Along the years, Elif has mastered her own style that is so marketing oriented It's no surprise that she is amassing prize after another. Hers are page turners because she knows her audience too well to address their logical mind, instead of which she fills her texts with good wit, exotic quotes and magical words, those that unlock one's imagination... In fact, magic is a constant in her books be it in a form of a Jinn or the weird Thumbnellas (which to this day I still despise in her book Black Milk) The thing is she always made sure to have two parallel universes where boundaries are ambiguous and blurry... The first book I have ever read written by her was "The 40 Rules of Love", at that time I felt like reading two books at the same time... Back then I was ignorant of her style... Her usual themes are all built on contradictions Love/Hate, Faith/Secularism, Reality/Dreams, Femininity/Masculinity, Life/Death, Beginning/End.... Etc which is characteristic of the recent story telling techniques (I happen to be reading a book about it simultaneously)... Elif's mastery is also clear in the fact that nothing she puts in her book is useless nor without purpose, I felt that in "The Bastard of İstanbul" clearly more than in "The Forty Rules of Love" and it was again confirmed in her latest "10 minutes and 38 seconds" or "Three Daughters of Eve"... I guess that Shafak is an author worthy of following closely not because of the themes she writes about, more about her technical writing capacities... In Arabic she is a حرايفيّة... فعلا تمتهن حرفة كتابة القصص... And back to the book, full of manifestos and rules as is the custom with her... She built her story around characters not events and it has made me feel compassionate all along with the events and all... One of the important lessons for creative writing I deduce is starting with defining your characters first and imagining the links they might develop.. A bit similar to a thesis chapters: work on each chapter first, each theme is a character that fits in the bigger scheme of the problem statement... although one might think that a thesis has no creative writing in it I believe that you can't write one without it! Anyway, I enjoyed to be back in the streets of Istanbul, to be hearing the ferries approaching the shore on the Bosphorous,... The city itself is so full of contradictions that Elif, just like Orhan, has no trouble in placing her characters in it.

I loved this book so much! I admire Shafak for her storytelling. My heart aches for Zeliha and Asya and Armanoush. It warmed my heart to read how Shafak handled the ongoing Turkey vs Armenia issues. And how everything came in place... it was like finishing a puzzle; satisfying and sad at the same time.