cheryl1213's review against another edition
5.0
(neglected to post this here...review written in Feb 2011 right after reading the advance copy supplied by Harper...)
In this debut novel, the author introduces us to Eleanora, a girl whose 1877 birth is accompanied by signs and who grows into a precocious and talented young girl. She is born as her small town is being invaded and her mother dies moments after naming her daughter. Eleanora is raised by her father and step-mother (her mother's sister) in a small town until she stows away to accompany her father on a trip to Istanbul. Her story there intersects with a low-level statesman, an American professor, and the Sultan of the fading Ottoman empire.
The book is simply lovely. The prose is well-crafted and the characters multi-faceted. I want to share tea and scones with Eleanora, a brilliant young lady who does not fully understand her gifts and who is looking for stability and familial love. I can relate to Eleanora's love for reading and passion for the characters in the books she read (furtively at first, thanks to her aunt's ideas of educating girls). The author clearly shares this joy of books and it comes through at every turn. He has crafted a tale for book lovers and for people who believe in the power of the written word and the spirit of wisdom.
On a side note, my book is an advance reader's edition so it might not hold true in all cases, but I appreciated the book's physicality as well. It is a 300 page paperback and its rough-cut edges feel perfectly matched to the content and spirit of the book.
Highly recommend.
In this debut novel, the author introduces us to Eleanora, a girl whose 1877 birth is accompanied by signs and who grows into a precocious and talented young girl. She is born as her small town is being invaded and her mother dies moments after naming her daughter. Eleanora is raised by her father and step-mother (her mother's sister) in a small town until she stows away to accompany her father on a trip to Istanbul. Her story there intersects with a low-level statesman, an American professor, and the Sultan of the fading Ottoman empire.
The book is simply lovely. The prose is well-crafted and the characters multi-faceted. I want to share tea and scones with Eleanora, a brilliant young lady who does not fully understand her gifts and who is looking for stability and familial love. I can relate to Eleanora's love for reading and passion for the characters in the books she read (furtively at first, thanks to her aunt's ideas of educating girls). The author clearly shares this joy of books and it comes through at every turn. He has crafted a tale for book lovers and for people who believe in the power of the written word and the spirit of wisdom.
On a side note, my book is an advance reader's edition so it might not hold true in all cases, but I appreciated the book's physicality as well. It is a 300 page paperback and its rough-cut edges feel perfectly matched to the content and spirit of the book.
Highly recommend.
jenn_baumstein's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book up as the ONLY one I thought MIGHT be interesting at my local book sale (last night). After coming home, I found that, not only was a) the author a Brown Alum, but also, b) the sibling (or half sibling, I'm not sure), of a friend. Small Brunonian world. So, yes, I was biased, but what are the odds? Anyhow, I am writing this note so that Max or Helen or someone who knows more about Turkey and the Ottoman empire can read the book and give me their opinion of the book. I thought it was really well written, a little wordy, fully of esoteric and "I'm an intellectual" quotes, but hey, I like books that can show off the author's knowledge. It wasn't tooooo showey. Also, any book with a precocious / talented young girl is okay in my opinion. Anyhow, it is a fun, quick ready. Some plot gaps. Anticlimactic ending, but I guess that was her chosen destiny. I won't give anything away. Now, on to the next book?
fainting_couch's review against another edition
The writing style is good and there are a few pieces that really stuck. The shape of the book, the plot etc, is a bit winding. It’s a choice that some people probably like; I thought it was fine but I do like a bit more shape and purpose to a plot. Overall solid I like the sheer amount of history.
bellatora's review against another edition
3.0
Can I just say how much I love the feel of this book? I usually get library copies of books, which means they have those weird plasticy hardcovers. But paperbacks are more my style and this one just felt so nice (the pages are raggedy like old-school books and the cover is textured). It’s so pretty (of course I proceeded to spill on it about three times so it’s not nearly so pretty anymore). It was just a joy to hold in my hands. Does that sound weird? This is why I will never accept e-readers as the future. As a supplement, yes. As a replacement? NEVER! (and I'm saying this as I'm about to buy a Kindle for myself, because I'm going to spend several months next year in a foreign country and need easy access to English-language books and don't want to haul them all home/try to give them away when I return AGAIN; so, yes, I do understand that e-readers can be really great in some instances).
Okay, end diatribe. Now onto the book itself. I'm usually not a fan of slice-of-life books. I generally find descriptions tedious and end up trying to skim my way to action and/or romance, or at the very least dialogue. This being, really, a slice-of-life book (albeit with a magical realism overlay), I should've been bored. But I never was. I thought Lukas' descriptions of Istanbul were lovely and I loved that glimpse-into-the-past feeling that I get out of good historical fiction (despite the magical realism, I view it as historical fiction).
Child prodigy Eleonora Cohen is meant for great things. The portents foretell it. Unfortunately, these great things do not include having awesome magic powers. They do include being clever and well-read. In fact, being so clever that she comes to the attention of the Sultan and gains the reputation for being an oracle (not that she can foresee the future, she just gives really great advice). There's also some spying and political intriguing going on, but mostly it's about life in Istanbul and how this one little girl is quietly special and the Sultan has an overbearing mama and a warmonger advisor and, really, the little girl gives much better advice.
This is a good book for a lazy summer day. It's as languid as the Bosphorus (I'm makings this up; I don't know how languid the Bosphorus is, but it seemed pretty slow-moving when I was there). It's a pleasant, enjoyable read. Never boring, just leisurely.
Disclosure: I got this through GoodRead's First Reads.
Okay, end diatribe. Now onto the book itself. I'm usually not a fan of slice-of-life books. I generally find descriptions tedious and end up trying to skim my way to action and/or romance, or at the very least dialogue. This being, really, a slice-of-life book (albeit with a magical realism overlay), I should've been bored. But I never was. I thought Lukas' descriptions of Istanbul were lovely and I loved that glimpse-into-the-past feeling that I get out of good historical fiction (despite the magical realism, I view it as historical fiction).
Child prodigy Eleonora Cohen is meant for great things. The portents foretell it. Unfortunately, these great things do not include having awesome magic powers. They do include being clever and well-read. In fact, being so clever that she comes to the attention of the Sultan and gains the reputation for being an oracle (not that she can foresee the future, she just gives really great advice). There's also some spying and political intriguing going on, but mostly it's about life in Istanbul and how this one little girl is quietly special and the Sultan has an overbearing mama and a warmonger advisor and, really, the little girl gives much better advice.
This is a good book for a lazy summer day. It's as languid as the Bosphorus (I'm makings this up; I don't know how languid the Bosphorus is, but it seemed pretty slow-moving when I was there). It's a pleasant, enjoyable read. Never boring, just leisurely.
Disclosure: I got this through GoodRead's First Reads.
heddahboots's review against another edition
3.0
I have to admit I was disappointed. The story was great, but even I thought it kind of fizzled and that there were too many loose ends left at the end of the novel. (And if you know me at all, you know I can ignore plot holes you can drive a truck through. I have a high tolerance for shenanigans in stories.) I don't regret reading it, but I'm not sure I'd read it again.
dujyt's review against another edition
2.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the poetic description of Turkey during the last days of the Ottoman Empire (1877), and I found myself entranced by the character of Eleonora, the girl prodigy who has such an affinity for literature. But, by the last third of the book, I was disappointed that the author just frittered away these strengths with a plot that kept meandering and fizzling out, until the book just ended with really no purpose.
Since this was a debut novel, I'm going to keep an eye out for his next book. He obviously has a talent for writing about a place and for creating interesting characters, he just needs to focus on a path and stay with it.
Since this was a debut novel, I'm going to keep an eye out for his next book. He obviously has a talent for writing about a place and for creating interesting characters, he just needs to focus on a path and stay with it.
tinabaich's review against another edition
2.0
The Oracle of Stamboul grew out of Michael David Lukas’s MFA thesis at the University of Maryland, College Park. It is the story of Eleanora Cohen. Born in 1877, Eleanora grows into somewhat of a savant. She learns to read at five and by six can calculate figures in her head. She is immersed in novels before she is eight and has mastered several languages. When her father must travel to Stamboul for business, she stows away in one of his trunks at the age of eight. While in Stamboul, Eleanora’s life changes dramatically. Then the Sultan learns of her talents and seeks her advice. In the end, Eleanora must choose what path her life will take.
I enjoyed following Eleanora’s journey, but found the chapters on the Sultan less engaging. However, they were interesting enough that I always kept reading. The Oracle of Stamboul was well-written, especially for a first novel, but I was disappointed by the ending. It was not at all what I expected and seemed somewhat abrupt after the journey Lukas took me on.
If you find this time period and setting intriguing, you will probably enjoy The Oracle of Stamboul. Otherwise, I recommend you wait to see what Michael David Lukas gives us next. I expect his next novel will far exceed The Oracle of Stamboul. The bones are there. Lukas just needs a chance to flesh out his style and story-telling skills.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/review-oracle-of-stamboul.html
I enjoyed following Eleanora’s journey, but found the chapters on the Sultan less engaging. However, they were interesting enough that I always kept reading. The Oracle of Stamboul was well-written, especially for a first novel, but I was disappointed by the ending. It was not at all what I expected and seemed somewhat abrupt after the journey Lukas took me on.
If you find this time period and setting intriguing, you will probably enjoy The Oracle of Stamboul. Otherwise, I recommend you wait to see what Michael David Lukas gives us next. I expect his next novel will far exceed The Oracle of Stamboul. The bones are there. Lukas just needs a chance to flesh out his style and story-telling skills.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2011/03/review-oracle-of-stamboul.html
jgolomb's review against another edition
4.0
“Hoopoes coated the town like frosting, piped along the rain gutters of the governor’s mansion and slathered on the gilt dome of the Orthodox church. In the trees around Yakob and Leah Cohen’s house the flock seemed especially excited, chattering, flapping their wrings, and hopping from branch to branch like a crowd of peasants lining the streets of the capital for an imperial parade. The hoopoes would probably have been regarded as an auspicious sign, where it not for the unfortunate events that coincided with Eleonora’s birth.”
- from “The Oracle of Stamboul” by Michael David Lukas
Amid portents that include this ‘conference’ of birds, Eleonora Cohen is come into this world. Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs. An ancient prophecy (which is never detailed) foretold the birth of this very unique child. “Just after twilight, in that ethereal hour when the sky moves through purple to darkness, the hoopoes fell silent. The gunshots ceased and the rumbling of hoofbeats whittled to nothing. It was as if the entire world had paused to take a breath. In that moment, a weary groan choked out of the bedroom, followed by a fleshy slap and the cry of a newborn child.”
This wonderful story follows the travails of a young and uniquely gifted girl in late 19th Century Europe. Motherless, Eleonora (and her flock of hoopoes) stows away on a streamliner destined for (I)Stamboul, where her father intends to spend a month selling oriental rugs. Eleonora is not just a special child. But a girl. A jewish girl. A savant.
Her flock feeds her, protects her, scouts for her. “With time....it became apparent that their attraction was connected in some way to Eleonora. It was almost as if they regarded her as part of their flock, the queen without which their lives had no purpose. They slept when she slept, stood guard while she bathed, and when she left the house, a small contingency broke off to follow along overhead"
The hoopoes are referenced in an ancient allegory which casts the bird as a Sufi master who leads a group of thirty pupils on a pilgrimage to find God. It's an appropriate metaphor for Eleonora and the ever growing role she plays within the Caliph's court in Stamboul.
“The hoopoes would have been more surprising perhaps if Eleonora were not such an extraordinary creature herself. Even when she was an infant in her nurse’s arms, one could already discern the first shoots of what would later blossom into a stunning and demure beauty, her pleasant flushing cheeks crowned with a next of curls, wide green eyes the color of sea glass, and milk teeth like tiny cubes of ivory. She rarely cried, took her first steps at eight months, and was speaking in complete sentences by the age of two.”
The story takes place during a time when Stamboul is in transition. The Ottoman ways are very much in place and settled in. The world around them is changing. The Sultan, Abdulhamid II, is slowly finding ways to modernize his kingdom, but the world is simply moving to fast to keep up. The Sultan finds an odd ally and advisor in the sweetly naive jewish girl.
Lukas' engaging writing style paints a colorful world of Sultans and court politics. His characters are subtlety complex, well-fleshed through poetic prose and sensible plot points. The deftly layered personalities are well-structured over the course of the book.
My only negative is that the story could easily have carried additional pages. I was sad to say farewell to the world of this extraordinary girl.
- from “The Oracle of Stamboul” by Michael David Lukas
Amid portents that include this ‘conference’ of birds, Eleonora Cohen is come into this world. Signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs. An ancient prophecy (which is never detailed) foretold the birth of this very unique child. “Just after twilight, in that ethereal hour when the sky moves through purple to darkness, the hoopoes fell silent. The gunshots ceased and the rumbling of hoofbeats whittled to nothing. It was as if the entire world had paused to take a breath. In that moment, a weary groan choked out of the bedroom, followed by a fleshy slap and the cry of a newborn child.”
This wonderful story follows the travails of a young and uniquely gifted girl in late 19th Century Europe. Motherless, Eleonora (and her flock of hoopoes) stows away on a streamliner destined for (I)Stamboul, where her father intends to spend a month selling oriental rugs. Eleonora is not just a special child. But a girl. A jewish girl. A savant.
Her flock feeds her, protects her, scouts for her. “With time....it became apparent that their attraction was connected in some way to Eleonora. It was almost as if they regarded her as part of their flock, the queen without which their lives had no purpose. They slept when she slept, stood guard while she bathed, and when she left the house, a small contingency broke off to follow along overhead"
The hoopoes are referenced in an ancient allegory which casts the bird as a Sufi master who leads a group of thirty pupils on a pilgrimage to find God. It's an appropriate metaphor for Eleonora and the ever growing role she plays within the Caliph's court in Stamboul.
“The hoopoes would have been more surprising perhaps if Eleonora were not such an extraordinary creature herself. Even when she was an infant in her nurse’s arms, one could already discern the first shoots of what would later blossom into a stunning and demure beauty, her pleasant flushing cheeks crowned with a next of curls, wide green eyes the color of sea glass, and milk teeth like tiny cubes of ivory. She rarely cried, took her first steps at eight months, and was speaking in complete sentences by the age of two.”
The story takes place during a time when Stamboul is in transition. The Ottoman ways are very much in place and settled in. The world around them is changing. The Sultan, Abdulhamid II, is slowly finding ways to modernize his kingdom, but the world is simply moving to fast to keep up. The Sultan finds an odd ally and advisor in the sweetly naive jewish girl.
Lukas' engaging writing style paints a colorful world of Sultans and court politics. His characters are subtlety complex, well-fleshed through poetic prose and sensible plot points. The deftly layered personalities are well-structured over the course of the book.
My only negative is that the story could easily have carried additional pages. I was sad to say farewell to the world of this extraordinary girl.
doma_22's review against another edition
4.0
L'unica cosa che ha frenato la mia valutazione finale, non dando tutte le 5 stelline, è stato il finale.
Anche se non è male, mi sembra che sia rimasto in aria, anzi che sia terminato all'improvviso.
Ho proprio avuto la sensazione che, dopo tanta "lentezza", tutto sia precipitato e finito di botto.
Ma andiamo per ordine: la piccola protagonista di questo romanzo che ci riporta indietro nel tempo, a fine 1800, è Eleonora Cohen.
Il romanzo è ambientato a Costanza per una piccola parte, quella iniziale, per poi spostarsi a Istanbul.
Eleonora nasce nel 1877, in una famiglia ebrea e sin da subito la sua vita è segnata dalle difficoltà: la madre muore di parto.
Rimasta orfana di madre cresce con il padre e la matrigna Ruxandra, la sorella di sua madre. Sin da subito si notano le sue particolari doti: una notevole memoria e sopratutto, la capacità di leggere in diverse lingue.
Quando il padre deve affrontare un viaggio di lavoro a Istanbul che lo terrà lontano da casa per diversi mesi, Eleonora non resiste e si imbarca anche lei in questa "avventura".... nel vero senso della parola perché si nasconde in un baule e si fa tutto il viaggio in nave da "clandestina", chiusa nella stiva mangiando caviale... per poi farsi notare dal padre la mattina dell'arrivo a Istanbul.
Non è tanto credibile, lo so, ma così scritto e descritto bene che si dimentica facilmente.
Come non è credibile la reazione del padre, ma va bene, passiamo sopra anche su questo, non è importante....
Da qui in poi la storia si fa più interessante ed intrigante. Andiamo a passeggio con Eleonora, il padre e l'amico Bey per le strade di Istanbul, viviamo l'atmosfera delle strade nella parte europea, i vicoli e lo scandire delle ore e del tempo del Ramadan.
La narrazione a questo punto si intreccia con quella del Sultano, la vita a palazzo, la storia dell'Impero.
In un tragico incidente Eleonora perde il padre e si chiude in se stessa. Solo la lettura, la tranquillità della biblioteca in casa dell'amico del padre che la accoglie e lo studio con il reverendo Muehler, l'aiuteranno a superare il lutto.
Tra parti "inventate" e fatti storici realmente accaduti, la svolta definitiva, cioè la scelta di Eleonora. Perché? Scompare....ma almeno le facciamo spiegare il motivo? Mi sarebbe piaciuto saperlo e, questa volta, non riesco nemmeno ad immaginarlo.
Peccato, secondo me avrebbe arricchito di più la narrazione... ottima di per se, piena di descrizioni e delle riflessioni e dei sentimenti di Eleonora.
VISUAL CHALLENGE UPGRADE 2019: 3_pettirosso
Anche se non è male, mi sembra che sia rimasto in aria, anzi che sia terminato all'improvviso.
Ho proprio avuto la sensazione che, dopo tanta "lentezza", tutto sia precipitato e finito di botto.
Ma andiamo per ordine: la piccola protagonista di questo romanzo che ci riporta indietro nel tempo, a fine 1800, è Eleonora Cohen.
Il romanzo è ambientato a Costanza per una piccola parte, quella iniziale, per poi spostarsi a Istanbul.
Eleonora nasce nel 1877, in una famiglia ebrea e sin da subito la sua vita è segnata dalle difficoltà: la madre muore di parto.
Rimasta orfana di madre cresce con il padre e la matrigna Ruxandra, la sorella di sua madre. Sin da subito si notano le sue particolari doti: una notevole memoria e sopratutto, la capacità di leggere in diverse lingue.
Quando il padre deve affrontare un viaggio di lavoro a Istanbul che lo terrà lontano da casa per diversi mesi, Eleonora non resiste e si imbarca anche lei in questa "avventura".... nel vero senso della parola perché si nasconde in un baule e si fa tutto il viaggio in nave da "clandestina", chiusa nella stiva mangiando caviale... per poi farsi notare dal padre la mattina dell'arrivo a Istanbul.
Non è tanto credibile, lo so, ma così scritto e descritto bene che si dimentica facilmente.
Come non è credibile la reazione del padre, ma va bene, passiamo sopra anche su questo, non è importante....
Da qui in poi la storia si fa più interessante ed intrigante. Andiamo a passeggio con Eleonora, il padre e l'amico Bey per le strade di Istanbul, viviamo l'atmosfera delle strade nella parte europea, i vicoli e lo scandire delle ore e del tempo del Ramadan.
La narrazione a questo punto si intreccia con quella del Sultano, la vita a palazzo, la storia dell'Impero.
In un tragico incidente Eleonora perde il padre e si chiude in se stessa. Solo la lettura, la tranquillità della biblioteca in casa dell'amico del padre che la accoglie e lo studio con il reverendo Muehler, l'aiuteranno a superare il lutto.
Tra parti "inventate" e fatti storici realmente accaduti, la svolta definitiva, cioè la scelta di Eleonora. Perché? Scompare....ma almeno le facciamo spiegare il motivo? Mi sarebbe piaciuto saperlo e, questa volta, non riesco nemmeno ad immaginarlo.
Peccato, secondo me avrebbe arricchito di più la narrazione... ottima di per se, piena di descrizioni e delle riflessioni e dei sentimenti di Eleonora.
VISUAL CHALLENGE UPGRADE 2019: 3_pettirosso
tscott71's review against another edition
3.0
It started so well and then....stopped. did the author run out of ideas?