Elif Shafak

In 1540 Istanbul, 12-year-old Jahan, an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie who cares for an exceptionally smart elephant named Chota, is taken under the wing of the empire's chief architect and bears witness to the creation of some of the most magnificent buildings in history. By the author of The Bastard of Istanbul.

The Architect's Apprentice

It has been a while since I have read a historical novel that compelled me so utterly. It made me fall in love with architecture and the act of building and creation all over again, in a similar way that Ken Follet's "The Pillars of the Earth" did well over a decade ago.

It is a deeply atmospheric novel, the kind that is not written to eventually become a TV series but the kind I would like to see adapted. Enjoying it suprised me, since Shafak is known in my home country primarily as a commercial author with a universal, almost beach-read level, appeal. But her mastery of the craft is deeply evident and entirely captivating.

It has been a while since I have read a historical novel that compelled me so utterly. It made me fall in love with architecture and the act of building and creation all over again, in a similar way that Ken Follet's "The Pillars of the Earth" did well over a decade ago.

It is a deeply atmospheric novel, the kind that is not written to eventually become a TV series but the kind I would like to see adapted. Enjoying it suprised me, since Shafak is known in my home country primarily as a commercial author with a universal, almost beach-read level, appeal. But her mastery of the craft is deeply evident and entirely captivating.

Arihant Verma

When Jahan Khan Rumi said in the end 

Yet... not a single day has passed since I left Istanbul without Mihrimah crossing my mind. I still remember her. I still ache. A travelling pain that moves so fast from one limb to another that I can't say whether it exists. She is the shadow that follows me everywhere, towering above me when I feel low, draining the light from my soul.,

in what seemed to be a letter written from him for the world to read and learn from, I started relating some things and feelings. 

Why is it to difficult, that even after knowing that some persons whom you (supposedly) love(d), who could never love you back the way you did/do, would never be wiped off in the impressions sculpted in your mind. Like an inadvertent chisel mark left while carving wood, that you didn't really intend. 

It's like you'd remember all the susurration of the guilty pleasure currents that they eked out, as if for the compensation for the fact that they would never do that in a conscious action. You remember the soughing of the waves you wrote poems upon them, for them, but still there's no way you'd be able to kick them out for good. It's like time, once passed it is history, you can't undo it, but accept it.

This facet of this fact was provided in this story so impeccably, that I was completely rapt reading every single detail of it. 

Not only that, I never knew the history of the lineage line that would affect the construction of Taj Mahal started in the Ottoman Empire! And the chronological timeline and the real facts taken up for construction of buildings and actual persons, were like a history lesson taken with ice creams and chocolates gifted every 5 pages read and understood. As opposed to traditional history lessons, where I'd enter slumber land before I'd reach 1500. 

I've always admired the way Elif describes things. Unlike other books, her books didn't have (atleast for me), the low stretchy parts of the book that felt boring in between. There was always an eye of the view for my eyes being guided like I was playing a virtual reality video game only completely real. This book was no different. With the description of all kinds of animals in the menagerie, and building materials, native names of the people's positions in their stature, trees, and more, it was a complete delight. 

Many more lessons were personally learnt, which I guess reading a book would always help partake the reader on their own pace and interpretations.

'Tell me. What would be the right gift to send to a man who has everything?' 'An elephant, my Lord. The biggest animal on the land.' Sixteenth century Istanbul: a young stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy has no wordly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare and valuable white elephant destined for the palace menagerie. So begins an epic adventure that will see young Jahan rise from his lowly origins to the highest ranks of the Sultan's court. Along the way he will meet deceitful courtiers and false friends, gypsies, animal tamers, and the beautiful, mischievous Princess Mihrimah. He will journey on Chota's back to the furthest corners of the Sultan's kingdom and back again. And one day he will catch the eye of the royal architect, Sinan, a chance encounter destined to change Jahan's fortunes forever. Filled with the scents, sounds and sights of the Ottoman Empire, when Istanbul was the teeming centre of civilisation, The Architect's Apprentice is a magical, sweeping tale of one boy and his elephant caught up in a world of wonder and danger.

maitha mana

Rohit Arondekar

The writing flows beautifully, weaving a story that spans almost a hundred years, and although the story is a little disjointed the overall experience is lush with emotion, wisdom and insight. I felt like I was reading a book by Haruki Murakami and although it's unfair to make comparisons given both authors have their own style and feel, there is also a similarity, that of exposing thought-provoking ideas and observations in the mundane and routine. I'm looking forward to reading more by Elif Shafak.

eliz

designing, building, loving.

”Resentment is a cage, talent is a captured bird. Break the cage, let the bird take off and soar high. Architecture is a mirror that reflects the harmony and balance present in the universe. If you do not foster these qualities in your heart, you cannot build."

new favorite book. no words. no, actually, I have a lot of praise for this one, I just don't know how to put it into words. best book of the year? of my life? perhaps the most beautifully written one.

the story never failed to progress at any point. the more I flip through the pages the more it felt like I am a part of it, thus, never lost in the story. throughout the whole journey of Jahan and his elephant Chota from their homeland to setting their feet on the wilderness of Istanbul (which will eventually grow into their nature & personalities), I was in-ves-ted. 

I was expecting a light read and obviously it didn't meet my presumptions, didn't fail nor surpass it neither, but in a good way. from easy reading, the story took a huge turn and put me in the most satisfying emotional rollercoaster ride. heart-warming, yes. exciting, yes. hilarious, yes. poignant, yes. disturbing, yes. loved and felt-loved, yes yes. diverse characters, engrossing with a lil bit spice of mysterious plot, and exceptionally atmospheric writing... what more can I say?

meh I'm so bad at explaining things, especially my thoughts lol. the best way to review this is to not review it at all, honestly. am just going to browse my annotations on repeat.

excerpts:
p. 1 "Those who yearned for completeness would be called 'the lovers' and those who aspired to knowledge 'the learners'." ... "I wish I could look back and say that I have learned to love as much as I loved to learn."
p. 87 "In order to gain mastery, you need to dismantle as much as you put together."
p. 135 "Beneath every building we raise — it doesn't matter whether it's small or large — just imagine that below the foundation lies the centre of the universe."
p. 272 "What we create can weaken us, rarely it does kill us."
-
p. 422 from author's note: "'May the world flow like water,' Sinan used to say. I can only hope that this story too, will flow like water in the hearts if its readers." and it did. ♡


highly recommended for enthusiasts of:
animals and nature; architecture; art; found family; not-a-single-character-even-the-most-minor-ones-are-left-out; firm historical basis supporting the plot; inspirational elements; lyrical writing; to literally everyone, read it please thanks

in the words of my mother, “a really nice story”. sometimes you just want to sit down and read a gentle book and this was it. extremely pleasant, written in a lovely way.

Vivek Chand

Another good book by Elif Shafak. A fictional tale around the famous architect of the major monuments and mosques in Turkey - Mimar Sinan, and his fictional apprentice who pretends to be a mahout from India. An easy read which gives some perspective of the life and times of Sinan.

Laura Friel

Laura Kurth

From the acclaimed author of The Bastard of Istanbul, a colorful, magical tale set during the height of the Ottoman Empire Chosen for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall's "Reading Room" Book Club In her latest novel, Turkey's preeminent female writer spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan's beautiful daughter, Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire's chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota's help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history. Yet even as they build Sinan's triumphant masterpieces--the incredible Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques--dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge, with jealousy erupting among Sinan's four apprentices. A memorable story of artistic freedom, creativity, and the clash between science and fundamentalism, Shafak's intricate novel brims with vibrant characters, intriguing adventure, and the lavish backdrop of the Ottoman court, where love and loyalty are no match for raw power.

Miguel

Meniah

Abir

A dazzling and intricate tale from Elif Shafak, Booker-shortlisted author of 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World 'There were six of us: the master, the apprentices and the white elephant. We built everything together...' Sixteenth century Istanbul: a stowaway arrives in the city bearing an extraordinary gift for the Sultan. The boy is utterly alone in a foreign land, with no worldly possessions to his name except Chota, a rare white elephant destined for the palace menagerie. So begins an epic adventure that will see young Jahan rise from lowly origins to the highest ranks of the Sultan's court. Along the way he will meet deceitful courtiers and false friends, gypsies, animal tamers, and the beautiful, mischievous Princess Mihrimah. He will journey on Chota's back to the furthest corners of the Sultan's kingdom and back again. And one day he will catch the eye of the royal architect, Sinan, a chance encounter destined to change Jahan's fortunes forever. Filled with all the colour of the Ottoman Empire, when Istanbul was the teeming centre of civilisation, The Architect's Apprentice is a magical, sweeping tale of one boy and his elephant caught up in a world of wonder and danger. 'A gorgeous picture of a city teeming with secrets, intrigue and romance' The Times 'Shafak's most ambitious novel yet her best - generous and imaginative' Independent 'Exuberant, epic and comic, fantastical and realistic . . . like all good stories it conveys deeper meanings about human experience' Financial Times 'Fascinating. A vigorous evocation of the Ottoman Empire at the height of its power' Sunday Times 'Intricate, multi-layered, resplendent, vividly evoked, beautifully written' Observer 'Sumptuous, absorbing, moving' Independent on Sunday

The Architect's Apprentice

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