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damnedmuddle's review against another edition
3.0
I couldn't finish it. It was beautifully written. There were just so many characters and plot lines that I found it very difficult to get invested.
mummybadger's review
2.0
There's no doubt that Louis de Bernières has immaculate writing style and has done an insane amount of research around the Ottoman Empire and the Gallipoli campaign, and he put so much into highlighting the conflict between Greeks and Turks, BUT....
This book is sooooooooooooooooo unnecessarily long and there were so many characters that it was impossible to really connect with any of them. They were all unlikable in their own right.
The only thing I really got from this book is that I now know that King Alexander of Greece is the only member of the monarchy to die from a monkey bite. I might have enjoyed it more if it focussed on less characters and was around 300 pages shorter because I ended up bored and wanted it to be over.
This book is sooooooooooooooooo unnecessarily long and there were so many characters that it was impossible to really connect with any of them. They were all unlikable in their own right.
The only thing I really got from this book is that I now know that King Alexander of Greece is the only member of the monarchy to die from a monkey bite. I might have enjoyed it more if it focussed on less characters and was around 300 pages shorter because I ended up bored and wanted it to be over.
diane500's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-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? No
5.0
pawswithabook's review against another edition
3.0
The synopsis suggests the novel is focussed on a single story of two characters, but I would describe it more as a novel telling the story of four individuals linked through time, and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
I found the structure and style mirrored that of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, with over 100 short chapters jumping between characters and time. This makes it quite difficult to follow, and I found myself a little confused for the first third of the book as I navigated through each of the sub-plots not having the time to fully engage with any.
Once I found my way, I did find myself quite attached to the characters, and by the final third of the book, anxious to see how their journeys would lead. I was also delighted to see Bernières plant a subtle connection to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which was quite unexpected.
However, I still struggled with the Mustafa Kamal sections, finding that they provided more of a detailed historical commentary and political backdrop, rather than passages of beautiful narrative that I favour in a novel. I, personally, think this could be removed or summarised and the novel wouldn’t suffer for it.
For the story-telling chapters, Bernières writes with elegance and beauty, conveying a tone of sadness that is impossible to articulate. With words like ‘man is a bird without wings...and a bird is a man without sorrow’ I wanted to immerse myself in these chapters and forget about the others in between.
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I found the structure and style mirrored that of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, with over 100 short chapters jumping between characters and time. This makes it quite difficult to follow, and I found myself a little confused for the first third of the book as I navigated through each of the sub-plots not having the time to fully engage with any.
Once I found my way, I did find myself quite attached to the characters, and by the final third of the book, anxious to see how their journeys would lead. I was also delighted to see Bernières plant a subtle connection to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which was quite unexpected.
However, I still struggled with the Mustafa Kamal sections, finding that they provided more of a detailed historical commentary and political backdrop, rather than passages of beautiful narrative that I favour in a novel. I, personally, think this could be removed or summarised and the novel wouldn’t suffer for it.
For the story-telling chapters, Bernières writes with elegance and beauty, conveying a tone of sadness that is impossible to articulate. With words like ‘man is a bird without wings...and a bird is a man without sorrow’ I wanted to immerse myself in these chapters and forget about the others in between.
#bookstagram #book #books #bookworm #booknerd #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bookclub #booklover #booklove #bookloves #bookish #story #storytelling #read #reading #readersofinstagram #reader #readingtime #booksbooksbooks #bookreview #bookcommunity #readers
#escape #birdswithoutwings #louisdebernieres #spotthecat #pawswithabook
bookthia's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is set during the birth of what is now the country of Turkey. The story encompasses the last of the Ottoman Empire, WW1, and the Turkish War of Independence, followed by the exchange of Turkish Greeks and Greek Turks.
It is set in a fictional Anatolian town of Eskibahce. The town is made up of Muslim Turks, Christians of Greek origin, and Armenians who live harmoniously until the "great world" interferes and tells them there is reason to hate. Each Chapter advances the story through the eyes of a different character and a number of them do so through the eyes of Mustafa Kamel (later known as Ataturk) the only non-fictional character in the story.
This is my second novel by Louis de Berniere's, having read Captain Corelli's Mandolin earlier this year. He is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, his prose is beautifully captivating, his characters are alive and fully human, his setting becomes a visually vital part of the story, his stories are filled with gems of wisdom.
This particular novel is very large and it took me over six weeks to read it. Part of that is due to the fact that it is Christmas and my spare time is spent doing other things. But the novel is almost 700 pages and is intense in some places, particularly during the battle of Gallipoli. This is not a light book, but it is an enlightening one. And, I would argue, an important one.
It is set in a fictional Anatolian town of Eskibahce. The town is made up of Muslim Turks, Christians of Greek origin, and Armenians who live harmoniously until the "great world" interferes and tells them there is reason to hate. Each Chapter advances the story through the eyes of a different character and a number of them do so through the eyes of Mustafa Kamel (later known as Ataturk) the only non-fictional character in the story.
This is my second novel by Louis de Berniere's, having read Captain Corelli's Mandolin earlier this year. He is fast becoming one of my favourite authors, his prose is beautifully captivating, his characters are alive and fully human, his setting becomes a visually vital part of the story, his stories are filled with gems of wisdom.
This particular novel is very large and it took me over six weeks to read it. Part of that is due to the fact that it is Christmas and my spare time is spent doing other things. But the novel is almost 700 pages and is intense in some places, particularly during the battle of Gallipoli. This is not a light book, but it is an enlightening one. And, I would argue, an important one.
kaddy's review
4.0
In the novel birds without Wings Louis de Bernières teaches a history lesson that left me desperately in love with the human soul. Every human soul.
" Do you know the strangest thing about being a soilder? It is that you are repeatedly ordered to commit suicide, and you obey"
" I can't convey to you the relief, the sheer pleasure, of abandoning the impossible struggle, the moment when one realizes that it is less horrifying to die than to continue to struggle for life"
" I was in Zante when I first heard cantadas, and I realized properly that there was after all something beautiful and joyful about the human soul"
" Do you know the strangest thing about being a soilder? It is that you are repeatedly ordered to commit suicide, and you obey"
" I can't convey to you the relief, the sheer pleasure, of abandoning the impossible struggle, the moment when one realizes that it is less horrifying to die than to continue to struggle for life"
" I was in Zante when I first heard cantadas, and I realized properly that there was after all something beautiful and joyful about the human soul"
mrjwathen's review
4.0
Not quite as wacky some of his other tomes. As ever, the characterisations are larger than life and their stories have chapters devoted to them, although their lives are all interwoven (occasionally only by loose geographical or political association).
The tales from the Turkish (Ottoman) lines during the Battle of Gallipoli were particularly graphic and interesting given that it is from a point of view rarely heard in Western European history.
If you are a fan of LDB then you'll love this.
The tales from the Turkish (Ottoman) lines during the Battle of Gallipoli were particularly graphic and interesting given that it is from a point of view rarely heard in Western European history.
If you are a fan of LDB then you'll love this.
_eleanor_k's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
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
4.0
gemlouise's review against another edition
4.0
What an epic book! Such a beautifully woven story about so many colourful lives over an incredibly interesting period in Turkish history. I found the chapters at war a little difficult to get through at times but the main story running through the book based in the village were beautifully told.
I highly recommend this book!
I highly recommend this book!