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savaging's review against another edition
5.0
"There comes a point in life where each one of us who survives begins to feel like a ghost that has forgotten to die at the right time"
This book. This beautiful book. What a book to read during this rise of nationalism and appeals for a 'white ethnostate' - to watch how ideologies like this have played out before.
Birds Without Wings is funny and horrible, full of appreciation for regular, poor people, and full of animosity towards the head honchos with their big ideas that bring the most beautiful things to ruin.
This book. This beautiful book. What a book to read during this rise of nationalism and appeals for a 'white ethnostate' - to watch how ideologies like this have played out before.
Birds Without Wings is funny and horrible, full of appreciation for regular, poor people, and full of animosity towards the head honchos with their big ideas that bring the most beautiful things to ruin.
smokyseagoat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
thebobsphere's review against another edition
3.0
Let’s face it. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin is a tough act to follow up. The 1994 novel was popular then and is considered a classic now. Once you have a tome like that in your repertoire it’s difficult to write another hit. In fact it took almost ten years for Birds Without Wings to be published (although 2001’s novella Red Dog could be seen as a breather)
Thankfully, for the most part, Birds Without Wings is not Captain Corelli’s Mandolin part 2. There are some similarities, which are common in de Bernières novel but, for the most part he approaches this BWW differently.
The novel takes place in a tiny village in Turkey. There’s a small cast of characters and a lot of page space is given to establishing each protagonist, their. background, job and how other villagers view them and how they interact. Some of the stories are anecdotal, some are serious but the main point is that this village consists of Muslims and Christians and for the most part they get along with each other.
The problem starts when World War I hits and the destinies of the townspeople disperse. Some become soldiers, some stay and some are herded out of the village. This is where some religious conflict occurs but it’s still quite civil. Later on in the book there are the exodus of certain religious sectors, which is serious.
The main focus on the book is the friendship between two boys, who are separated during the war and their destinies take extreme paths. One becomes a part of the Turkish army and the other becomes a renegade soldier.
By the end of the book everything is tied up in a slightly melancholic way. It works though.
Without a doubt this is an ambitious novel. Not only is there a sizeable cast of characters, there’s also many side chapters dedicated to the major historical events of the period, the rise of Mustapha Kemal, the death of King Alexander and various invasions and political moves which shaped modern day Turkey (and the cause of the dissent which still happens today)
However Captain Corelli’s Mandolin had charm. There were moments where I laughed and I loved how all the details in the book had an integral role to play in the plot (which occurs in Birds Without Wings final chapter and epilogue)
Although de Bernières did not want to create a carbon copy of CCM, and I’m glad he didn’t, all the charm and cleverness of that novel was chucked in the wayside. Birds Without Wings has many dull moments and sometimes there’s too much of an emphasis on battle plans and political maneuvers which gets boring after reading about them for the umpteenth time.
The characters are ok and are memorable but definitely not a patch on the protagonists of his past books.
The book is not a complete write off. The writing is fantastic, as always and I did not abandon it as I wanted to see how the story would develop and one cannot deny that the last chapter and epilogue will move you. If the rest of the book was like that I would have liked it more.
I see Birds Without Wings as a failure, albeit a noble one.
Thankfully, for the most part, Birds Without Wings is not Captain Corelli’s Mandolin part 2. There are some similarities, which are common in de Bernières novel but, for the most part he approaches this BWW differently.
The novel takes place in a tiny village in Turkey. There’s a small cast of characters and a lot of page space is given to establishing each protagonist, their. background, job and how other villagers view them and how they interact. Some of the stories are anecdotal, some are serious but the main point is that this village consists of Muslims and Christians and for the most part they get along with each other.
The problem starts when World War I hits and the destinies of the townspeople disperse. Some become soldiers, some stay and some are herded out of the village. This is where some religious conflict occurs but it’s still quite civil. Later on in the book there are the exodus of certain religious sectors, which is serious.
The main focus on the book is the friendship between two boys, who are separated during the war and their destinies take extreme paths. One becomes a part of the Turkish army and the other becomes a renegade soldier.
By the end of the book everything is tied up in a slightly melancholic way. It works though.
Without a doubt this is an ambitious novel. Not only is there a sizeable cast of characters, there’s also many side chapters dedicated to the major historical events of the period, the rise of Mustapha Kemal, the death of King Alexander and various invasions and political moves which shaped modern day Turkey (and the cause of the dissent which still happens today)
However Captain Corelli’s Mandolin had charm. There were moments where I laughed and I loved how all the details in the book had an integral role to play in the plot (which occurs in Birds Without Wings final chapter and epilogue)
Although de Bernières did not want to create a carbon copy of CCM, and I’m glad he didn’t, all the charm and cleverness of that novel was chucked in the wayside. Birds Without Wings has many dull moments and sometimes there’s too much of an emphasis on battle plans and political maneuvers which gets boring after reading about them for the umpteenth time.
The characters are ok and are memorable but definitely not a patch on the protagonists of his past books.
The book is not a complete write off. The writing is fantastic, as always and I did not abandon it as I wanted to see how the story would develop and one cannot deny that the last chapter and epilogue will move you. If the rest of the book was like that I would have liked it more.
I see Birds Without Wings as a failure, albeit a noble one.
jack_wilson's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I understand why the book has such acclaim but I just never got into it in the way I expected to. I think my expectations were too high.
The characters I thought were going to be really fleshed out were Philotei and Ibrahim, but I ended up really not caring about them, or any other character for that matter. The biggest issue for me was the focus on Kemal…if I wanted to read about him I’d pick up a history book.
The characters I thought were going to be really fleshed out were Philotei and Ibrahim, but I ended up really not caring about them, or any other character for that matter. The biggest issue for me was the focus on Kemal…if I wanted to read about him I’d pick up a history book.
murakami96's review against another edition
3.0
It's a decent book that unfortunately falls into the pitfalls of having too much to say but not enough space nor focus to say it. The beginning is very engaging but the plot of the characters is often sacrificed for establishing historical context and conversely the historical context is often sacrificed when Mr Bernieres remembers to tug on the thread of the plot. All that being said it's a brilliant and very ambitious undertaking.
whynotsmile's review against another edition
4.0
Having failed to complete Captain Corelli, I was a bit reluctant to try this one. Did take a while to get into, and I kept losing track of characters, but after a bit the story took over and it was a worthwhile read.
reads_ellen's review against another edition
5.0
Ughh. Beautiful. Rich. Colourful. Honest. Illustrates peculiarities of history through the stories of a former Ottoman town. Undoubtedly one of the best fiction books I’ve read (and best historical fiction book).
michellel123's review against another edition
3.0
Wonderful - combining history with interweaving stories of a small town.
joestewart's review against another edition
5.0
I enjoyed the writing - robust vocabulary coupled with a complicated story. Well executed and one of my favorite books.
margaret21's review against another edition
5.0
I was encouraged to read this book following our recent visit to Turkey. I'm so glad I did. It might be fiction, but it's strongly rooted in the early 20th century history of this region, giving an overview of the life and times of Kamal Ataturk, and the bloody, tempestuous history of the former Ottoman Empire and parts of the Balkans. The book centres on the lives of the inhabitants of Eskibahçe. We meet its Muslim and Christian inhabitants, living in neighbourly harmony together. There's Rustem Bey, their neighbourhood aristocrat; imams, priests, teachers, beggars,prostitutes, boys who grow up to be soldiers, girls who grow up to be wives, or soon-to-be-wives. We become rooted in the simple rhythms of life in this community. So when it all goes wrong, when war starts, we care. This is a disturbing but compulsively readable book which serves as a helpful and accessible introduction to 21st century Turkey, as well as being a wonderful story, with many skilfully interwoven threads.