I worked on this book for many, many weeks. I picked it up at the library's big book sale in March. It has over 500 pages. I'd work on it, put it down for a while, pick it up again, ... and in between, I've been rereading magazines that I'm going to donate to the library before leaving France. Busy, busy. But I finally finished it.
Synopsis: Istanbul in the 1590s. We follow a group of illustrators / miniaturists as they struggle with the coming of a new "Frankish" style of illustration that threatens the rich tradition of the Turkish style. What's more, the book opens with the brutal murder of one of these miniaturists. Part historical fiction, part murder mystery, part insight into Muslim culture.
My Thoughts: This book is really long. And to be honest, the only reason I got all the way through it is because of the two books I'd recently started and stopped without finishing. If not for them, I probably wouldn't have gone more than 100 pages. Even though it wasn't as gripping as I might have liked, it truly is an extremely well-written piece of literature. The writer's style can be charming, and he gives us a very detailed view of life in Turkey at that time. It just isn't a good fit for my personal likes. I did enjoy the book ... I just couldn't help but think about the other books that have been waiting for me on the shelf all this time.
rating: **
read: March-May 2009
source: English Language Library (purchased at book sale; will be donated back to be sold again)
