Reviews with content warning for Torture - Havva'nın Üç Kızı

stunning prose, but the plot seemed a bit disappointing with much of it being built up for 3/4 of the novel with the rest very quickly being revealed towards the end. still would absolutely recommend it just for the writing style

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vaniavela's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Peri, a woman with a stable, upper-class life, is over-jumped by an robbery. She is a caring mother, but once upon a time she was a student in Oxford, England. When an old Polaroid snapshot falls out of her expensive handbag during the mugging, all the memories of that time [and of two friendships long gone] come flooding back to her.

This is a slow-paced book, full of rich and realistic descriptions, with which we embark on an exploration of faith, religion and finding our own path.

Three Daughters of Eve is a very philosophical book. I found it interesting to soak in these new perspectives and to meet a character like Peri.

Unfortunately, when I picked up this book, I got carried away with the idea that the friend group would be more important. The title of the book gave me the idea that this story would revolve around them, and their ups and downs, but more than that, we were given an introspection of Peri's life. I don't mention it as a complaint, I loved getting to know her story, but I was expecting more of her friends.

I really recommend this book.

CW: Graphic [Sexual assault, Islamophobia, Religious bigotry] Moderate [Suicide attempt, Torture, Child death] Minor [Animal death, Rape]

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htoomanybooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative

4.5

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tesslw's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful reflective sad

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

Set across two timelines, between the drastically different but equally immersive cities of Oxford and Istanbul, Three Daughters of Eve offers the story of Peri; a now wealthy and comfortable mother and housewife, living in Turkey and raising her teenage daughter, whilst also reflecting back on her time studying at Oxford University, the revelations she experienced and life lessons she learned; both her triumphs and her regrets.

Three Daughters of Eve is beautifully woven with thick strands of philosophy, theism, faith and the fear of someone questioning them all. In our modern day narrative, Peri arrives late and disheveled to a dinner party thrown for Istanbul’s own aristocracy and most revered citizens, having been mugged and attacked on the streets en route to the party.

As a student in Oxford, some 20 years earlier, Peri takes an exclusive elective seminar simply titled ‘God’. Taught by an elusive and charismatic but notoriously hard to please Professor, the course is designed to test the robustness of students’ beliefs and teach them to question everything. However, for some it does even more than this.

Peri consistently struggles to balance her faith and identity with modern life - and this is also reflected in her two best friends; Shirin, who is bombastic, confident and modern, and Mona who is devout, reflective and modest. The three of them, all muslim but all with differing outlooks and approaches to their faith and lives, comprise the Three Daughters of Eve (or, in a fantastic turn of phrase by Shafak, ‘the sinner, the believer and the confused’).

Across both timelines, this book also has some really beautiful parent-daughter moments (both mother and father), and this is something that plays strongly into Peri’s unease with her identity. Trying to find a happy medium between her mother’s inflexible following of Islam, vs her father’s laissex-faire approach to religion leaves Peri roiling with uncertainty.

Three Daughters of Eve left me certain that I want to read more of Shafak’s novels (I already own The Bastard of Istanbul and The Island of Missing Trees so I am looking forward to picking one or both of those up soon!)

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schorlett's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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annxmcd's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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