sharonb's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
1rebeccapearson's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.75
becsmars's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rclyburn's review
5.0
It's been five years since I've read this book, and I can't stop thinking about it.
mbondlamberty's review
5.0
Great combination of history and romance.
Shows tolerance before the onset of intolerance
Shows tolerance before the onset of intolerance
tessaays's review
5.0
I can’t remember the last time I read something so meticulously rendered that I actually felt as if I was watching a movie in my head. Unbelievably beautiful, complex writing with a level of depth and observational power that is as focused as a laser point. You’re thrown head-first into this stunning, vivid, multi-coloured world that you don’t see coming. It was a joy to read every single letter of this book.
marilynsaul's review
5.0
This is the best book I have read in ages. deBernieres takes you into a village in Turkey and one soon becomes enamored of its residents. Unlike many authors who would just lay the characters out in a chapter or so, you slowly learn about them at varying points in the book, making a weaving much like what one would find in a village or small community. Best of all, I learned about Turkey during WWI, WWII, and the war for independence. I'm not much for war books, but what kept me involved were the consequences to the people in the village, the complicated political finagling that changes peoples' lives forever. It was very apropos to understanding what is going on in the middle east and eastern Europe today, and it led me to delve into Ataturk's history. This was an absolutely AMAZING book; well-researched, well-written, and leaving one for more. As an afterword, I then read Corelli's Mandolin, which was a huge disappointment. There was still the wonderful lyrical writing, but no weaving and a terribly unsatisfactory ending. It appears the deBernieres' publishers won the day by forcing him to write a hurried, trite novel. So if you're going to start reading deBernieres, start with Birds!!!