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lizaroo71's review
3.0
The Toprak family travels from Istanbul to London. Once settled there, Adem and Pembe realize they do not have much love for one another. The three children, Iskender, Esme and Yunus know little of what happens between their parents, they only know the fall out: Adem's gambling results in huge losses of income. Adem abandons his family lured in by an exotic dancer. Pembe is left to fend on her own in a world that she longs to embrace, but remains hesitant to fully comprehend.
Pembe befriends a man that begins to love her in a way Adem never has. A whole new life awaits Pembe. But soon the "affair" is discovered and Iskender must defend his family's honor. He kills his mother and goes to prison for it.
The fall out of his actions is chronicled from all sides in chapters that alternate between past and present filling in all of the pieces of the puzzle.
Definitely not an easy read, but one that gives understanding to an insular culture and how transplanting that culture to a new country leads to fear and misunderstanding.
Pembe befriends a man that begins to love her in a way Adem never has. A whole new life awaits Pembe. But soon the "affair" is discovered and Iskender must defend his family's honor. He kills his mother and goes to prison for it.
The fall out of his actions is chronicled from all sides in chapters that alternate between past and present filling in all of the pieces of the puzzle.
Definitely not an easy read, but one that gives understanding to an insular culture and how transplanting that culture to a new country leads to fear and misunderstanding.
thegulagula's review against another edition
4.0
'You could call your child "Honour", as long as it was a boy. Men had honour. Women did not have honour. Instead, they had shame. And as everyone knows, shame would be a rather poor name to bear.'
This is only the second book of Elif Shafak that I've read. I kind of like her writing style of non-sequential events of stories and multiple points of view of its characters. But it took a great focus for me to know when and who was that I was reading.
Set in Turkey and then London, the novel talked about a patriarchal and misogynistic community - how the same act of sin are viewed differently by the community depending on the sexes of the sinners. An identical twin, Pembe and Jamila who were worlds apart but still connected in ways in minds and memories: one living as a midwife in Turkey and the other married and moved to London with her family. In London, Pembe's family faced issues like racism, fidelity and money, being immigrants in a foreign land. This is a dramatic story telling of an honour killing as a result of the shame caused by a female in a Muslim family living in the West.
The characters are full of heartbreaking and depressing backgrounds that they did not tell those around them. But it is the author's style of writings that I'm particularly fond of. I only knew that English is not her native language and it amazed me how she used the language beautifully in her writings.
I'd definitely picked up more of Elif Shafak after this.
This is only the second book of Elif Shafak that I've read. I kind of like her writing style of non-sequential events of stories and multiple points of view of its characters. But it took a great focus for me to know when and who was that I was reading.
Set in Turkey and then London, the novel talked about a patriarchal and misogynistic community - how the same act of sin are viewed differently by the community depending on the sexes of the sinners. An identical twin, Pembe and Jamila who were worlds apart but still connected in ways in minds and memories: one living as a midwife in Turkey and the other married and moved to London with her family. In London, Pembe's family faced issues like racism, fidelity and money, being immigrants in a foreign land. This is a dramatic story telling of an honour killing as a result of the shame caused by a female in a Muslim family living in the West.
The characters are full of heartbreaking and depressing backgrounds that they did not tell those around them. But it is the author's style of writings that I'm particularly fond of. I only knew that English is not her native language and it amazed me how she used the language beautifully in her writings.
I'd definitely picked up more of Elif Shafak after this.
dude_watchin_with_the_brontes's review against another edition
5.0
I love every book I read by Elif Shafak, and this was no different. As always, there are themes of duality, of either/or or both/and, of the path not taken and taking the path of others.
While the themes are similar to those of Shafak's other books, as always the story is fresh and complex. It unravels and unfolds at a perfect pace. Moments are returned to throughout the book, with more knowledge of what those moments mean.
I listened to Honor as an audiobook, and the narration is wonderful. I'd stopped listening to Shafak's books on audio because of a different narrator, but Mozhan Marno and Piter Marek were so amazing, I will be following them to other books by other authors.
While the themes are similar to those of Shafak's other books, as always the story is fresh and complex. It unravels and unfolds at a perfect pace. Moments are returned to throughout the book, with more knowledge of what those moments mean.
I listened to Honor as an audiobook, and the narration is wonderful. I'd stopped listening to Shafak's books on audio because of a different narrator, but Mozhan Marno and Piter Marek were so amazing, I will be following them to other books by other authors.
Spoiler
I thought it was interesting that there was a different narrator for İskender, but not for others when it's told in first person. But that eventually makes sense.hinalovestoread's review
2.0
I guess it was simply not my piece of cake irrespective of the fact that the issue talked aout is of paramount importance. I would have liked this book if it was not for the frequent jumps of years and the change of perspectives amongst characters all of a sudden.
niharikaaaaaa9's review
3.0
Unease and sadness.
Those were my primary two emotions while reading this book. Unease, because we knew what the end of the book would be (that's given away at the beginning), and so the whole book, I felt as though I was waiting for the other shoe to drop; sadness, because even though you wanted to be happy for a character, you knew that the other shoe would drop, and they wouldn't be happy, and so I didn't want to hope for a happy ending.
I would recommend The Bastard of Istanbul, another book by Elif Shafak, over this one.
Those were my primary two emotions while reading this book. Unease, because we knew what the end of the book would be (that's given away at the beginning), and so the whole book, I felt as though I was waiting for the other shoe to drop; sadness, because even though you wanted to be happy for a character, you knew that the other shoe would drop, and they wouldn't be happy, and so I didn't want to hope for a happy ending.
I would recommend The Bastard of Istanbul, another book by Elif Shafak, over this one.
kate66's review against another edition
4.0
Half of this book was spent gnashing my teeth and the rest of it bemoaning the fact the end was coming before we'd reached the bit I was interested in.
Honour is clearly a reference to so-called honour killings. It is clear from the start that the woman who has been murdered is Pembe and her killer is her son who has stabbed his mother to death because she has been seen with another man.
I truly dislike the phrase "honour killing" as if its not murder, plain and simple. The other thing I really dislike is the disparity between what is allowed for men and for women (and its not so long ago in this country (UK) that women were considered the property of her father or her husband. It makes my blood boil that a man can do what he likes but a woman could lose her life simply for being friends with another man. But then I do not understand 95% of religions so ...
Shafak's brilliance is that she gives you characters who you truly feel for. Not that I felt bad for the son in prison. I'd have thrown away the key.
But still, this is good book that will make you feel things very strongly. My only criticism is that I wanted it split more equally into before and after the act. The story focuses mainly on the before and the after felt rushed. There's a pretty hefty curveball towards the end that I didn't feel was explored enough. But this is a purely personal point of view. Otherwise I just gnashed and shouted at the book (always a good sign).
I listened to the audio version which was very well read by Colleen Pendergast.
Honour is clearly a reference to so-called honour killings. It is clear from the start that the woman who has been murdered is Pembe and her killer is her son who has stabbed his mother to death because she has been seen with another man.
I truly dislike the phrase "honour killing" as if its not murder, plain and simple. The other thing I really dislike is the disparity between what is allowed for men and for women (and its not so long ago in this country (UK) that women were considered the property of her father or her husband. It makes my blood boil that a man can do what he likes but a woman could lose her life simply for being friends with another man. But then I do not understand 95% of religions so ...
Shafak's brilliance is that she gives you characters who you truly feel for. Not that I felt bad for the son in prison. I'd have thrown away the key.
But still, this is good book that will make you feel things very strongly. My only criticism is that I wanted it split more equally into before and after the act. The story focuses mainly on the before and the after felt rushed. There's a pretty hefty curveball towards the end that I didn't feel was explored enough. But this is a purely personal point of view. Otherwise I just gnashed and shouted at the book (always a good sign).
I listened to the audio version which was very well read by Colleen Pendergast.
amongthelunatics's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
universuldenisei's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
didsreads's review against another edition
5.0
Trust Elif Shafak to tear my heart into several million pieces and knit it whole again.
This one revolves around typical issue on how Muslim women 'branded' in a society. The double standard of it between a woman and a man - though they committed the same sin. She did what she does best, telling a multigenerational story - passing traumas from parent to children.
My main take on this : The audacity of men - in general. Tell me about it, huh.
This one revolves around typical issue on how Muslim women 'branded' in a society. The double standard of it between a woman and a man - though they committed the same sin. She did what she does best, telling a multigenerational story - passing traumas from parent to children.
My main take on this : The audacity of men - in general. Tell me about it, huh.