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ploy_keener's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
literateprogrammer's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I read the first half of the book wondering whether it was worth continuing. It was.
suzytc10's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
sofia_reading's review
5.0
I love the writing style and history this novel offered but I must admit that it's actual storyline did seem to drag at times midway, but it does pick itself up again and then you need your tissues at the ready. It's saving grace through out is the absolutely beautiful expression of the author and the insight into that era in history just before the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. I was so intrigued by the way in which the various religious and ethnic group lived not just side by side but in ways that were both fully absorbed in each other's ways while in other ways clearly delineated. Would definitely recommend to others.
gorecki's review
4.0
Birds Without Wings is a kaleidoscope of stories, characters, and history, that wins the reader's heart quite easily, no matter what their preferred type of literature is. If you like historical fiction - you will like this book in its whole. If you like love stories, then you will find something for yourself in the story of Philothei and Ibrahim, probably even Rustem Bey and Tamara or Rustem Bey and Leyla. If you like war, then you will like the parts about the falling apart of the Ottoman empire, the Balkan wars and the rise of Mustafa Kemal. And if you're just interested in other cultures and people, you will find a lot of them here - Turkish, Greek, Armenian, you name it.
This book follows a period in the history of the Ottoman empire, particularly its fall and the rebirth of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal, through the stories of the people living in a small town called Eskibahce not far from Smyrna (Izmir). It is rich in characters with own personal stories, problems, hopes and fears. It tells us how Christians and Muslims lived side by side, in friendship and understanding, and how they ask each other to pray to their gods in case something bad is happening to one of them. Philothei is a very beautiful Greek girl, who makes everyone dizzy with her beauty and is engaged to be married to Ibrahim, a Turkish goat herder and a friend of hers since childhood. Ayse, the wife of the town's imam is best friends with Polyxeni, Philothei's mother. Karatavuk (his real name Abdul) is a boy taken to fight in a war because he's Turkish, while his best friend Mehmetcik (his real name Nicos) is not allowed to join the army and his friend because he's Greek. Levon the Armenian pharmacists is attacked by one Turk, only to be saved by another and taken away int he end. In this novel we get acquainted with all of these people's worlds in peaceful times, and then see how their lives and they themselves change as the circumstances around them start to crumble and the world goes mad. We see how people who have been Ottomans one day suddenly become divided into Greeks, Armenians, Circassians the next, and are being marched over to places they have never seen in their lives.
I really enjoyed the style and language of the book. The characters are very vivid, the narration keeps you interested all the time. The story flows very naturally and lightly, the pace of the book is just right. I really admired some of the writer's techniques and how there was not a single chapter that looked or sounded as if it were hurried or forced. The pages are full of cultural references, descriptions of traditions and beliefs that make it very colorful and interesting. And while being beautiful and poetic in some chapters, the story is also quite heartbreaking when showing how cruel and vicious people can be with each other, and the amount of pain and destruction they are able to cause in the name of power and territory.
However, I did find some parts dealing with the historical background on the Balkans (Balkan war, situation in Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, etc.) and Mustafa Kemal's rise a bit lengthy and detailed. While Mustafa Kemal's story fits perfectly in setting the background for the rest of the narration and what is happening in Eskibahce, the complete overview of his life, the places he's been to and how he felt, as well as the detailed description or army actions and war makes some chapters sound a bit more like taken our from a history book. I do agree that setting the right historical background is of great importance to this story, but having in mind the length of the book, I believe that giving this background in a bit more compact and shorter form, would have been sufficient. Even like this, though, it was still a great read!
This book follows a period in the history of the Ottoman empire, particularly its fall and the rebirth of Turkey under Mustafa Kemal, through the stories of the people living in a small town called Eskibahce not far from Smyrna (Izmir). It is rich in characters with own personal stories, problems, hopes and fears. It tells us how Christians and Muslims lived side by side, in friendship and understanding, and how they ask each other to pray to their gods in case something bad is happening to one of them. Philothei is a very beautiful Greek girl, who makes everyone dizzy with her beauty and is engaged to be married to Ibrahim, a Turkish goat herder and a friend of hers since childhood. Ayse, the wife of the town's imam is best friends with Polyxeni, Philothei's mother. Karatavuk (his real name Abdul) is a boy taken to fight in a war because he's Turkish, while his best friend Mehmetcik (his real name Nicos) is not allowed to join the army and his friend because he's Greek. Levon the Armenian pharmacists is attacked by one Turk, only to be saved by another and taken away int he end. In this novel we get acquainted with all of these people's worlds in peaceful times, and then see how their lives and they themselves change as the circumstances around them start to crumble and the world goes mad. We see how people who have been Ottomans one day suddenly become divided into Greeks, Armenians, Circassians the next, and are being marched over to places they have never seen in their lives.
I really enjoyed the style and language of the book. The characters are very vivid, the narration keeps you interested all the time. The story flows very naturally and lightly, the pace of the book is just right. I really admired some of the writer's techniques and how there was not a single chapter that looked or sounded as if it were hurried or forced. The pages are full of cultural references, descriptions of traditions and beliefs that make it very colorful and interesting. And while being beautiful and poetic in some chapters, the story is also quite heartbreaking when showing how cruel and vicious people can be with each other, and the amount of pain and destruction they are able to cause in the name of power and territory.
However, I did find some parts dealing with the historical background on the Balkans (Balkan war, situation in Bulgaria, Serbia, Greece, etc.) and Mustafa Kemal's rise a bit lengthy and detailed. While Mustafa Kemal's story fits perfectly in setting the background for the rest of the narration and what is happening in Eskibahce, the complete overview of his life, the places he's been to and how he felt, as well as the detailed description or army actions and war makes some chapters sound a bit more like taken our from a history book. I do agree that setting the right historical background is of great importance to this story, but having in mind the length of the book, I believe that giving this background in a bit more compact and shorter form, would have been sufficient. Even like this, though, it was still a great read!
aerdna's review
5.0
Turkey is one of those places that sink deep into the bone- one of a handful of places that I still think about often after only a short visit. I’ve been on the hunt ever since to learn moremoremore about the rich culture and history of the area. Birds Without Wings is the clear winner so far.
Bernieres sketches a picturesque Anatolian village and the lives of its inhabitants on the cusp of the collapse of the decaying Ottoman Empire. Their lives are a fascinating mix of a bewildering number of traditions: Christian saint days and Muslim muezzins, Turkish written in Greek letters, goatherds living in ancient Lycian tombs, Frankish suits worn with fezzes. And everybody drinks the olive oil from the tomb of the unknown saint. The first part of the book picks its way slowly through these details, mixing in perspectives from a host of characters. Bernieres has a beautiful knack for painting a vividly complete personality, and I fell in love with his characters and his village. The first half of the book was not terribly plot heavy, but was very enjoyable and did not feel static at all.
The tone changes in the last half of the book, when WWI and nationalism rear their ugly heads and some explication of the advent of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the general politics of the time is necessary. Bernieres does this through a series of wryly narrated biographical snippets of Ataturk’s life (and briefly that of the Greek royalty), culminating in the formation of a Turkish state and the various Balkan, Greek, and European wars that accompanied the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. There were a few somewhat preachy parts about the ills of nationalism and imperialism and the relative absurdity of the concept of ‘nation’ (not that I can disagree with much of what he said), but overall I think he did an excellent job of educating the reader on the history without detracting from the heart of the story that he is telling. He does a great job highlighting the absurdities of politics, and these are some of the funniest sections of the book.
But Bernieres is doing something very interesting here, besides just illuminating a slice of Turkish history. He shows the ramifications of politics on the local level, how the disruptions of nation building can create enemies out of neighbors, ruin economies, and make killing monsters out of the potter next door. There is no ‘bad guy’ in this tale (except for maybe Lloyd George in England, of whom Bernieres is hilariously disdainful), just people trying to scrape by amidst the fears and uncertainties of war.
It’s gonna be hard to follow this one up.
Bernieres sketches a picturesque Anatolian village and the lives of its inhabitants on the cusp of the collapse of the decaying Ottoman Empire. Their lives are a fascinating mix of a bewildering number of traditions: Christian saint days and Muslim muezzins, Turkish written in Greek letters, goatherds living in ancient Lycian tombs, Frankish suits worn with fezzes. And everybody drinks the olive oil from the tomb of the unknown saint. The first part of the book picks its way slowly through these details, mixing in perspectives from a host of characters. Bernieres has a beautiful knack for painting a vividly complete personality, and I fell in love with his characters and his village. The first half of the book was not terribly plot heavy, but was very enjoyable and did not feel static at all.
The tone changes in the last half of the book, when WWI and nationalism rear their ugly heads and some explication of the advent of Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk) and the general politics of the time is necessary. Bernieres does this through a series of wryly narrated biographical snippets of Ataturk’s life (and briefly that of the Greek royalty), culminating in the formation of a Turkish state and the various Balkan, Greek, and European wars that accompanied the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. There were a few somewhat preachy parts about the ills of nationalism and imperialism and the relative absurdity of the concept of ‘nation’ (not that I can disagree with much of what he said), but overall I think he did an excellent job of educating the reader on the history without detracting from the heart of the story that he is telling. He does a great job highlighting the absurdities of politics, and these are some of the funniest sections of the book.
But Bernieres is doing something very interesting here, besides just illuminating a slice of Turkish history. He shows the ramifications of politics on the local level, how the disruptions of nation building can create enemies out of neighbors, ruin economies, and make killing monsters out of the potter next door. There is no ‘bad guy’ in this tale (except for maybe Lloyd George in England, of whom Bernieres is hilariously disdainful), just people trying to scrape by amidst the fears and uncertainties of war.
It’s gonna be hard to follow this one up.
meganori's review
4.0
He writes in a strangely impersonal style and it takes a while for things to get started, but somehow thus book still works out pretty well. I really enjoyed the historical setting - a small town in Turkey during World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. It's a time and place I have never read about before. The chapters about gallipoli from the Turkish point of view were particularly memorable.
canadianbookworm's review
5.0
Had to read this faster than I would have liked. The best book I read in a long time.
clwvtclw's review
1.0
Tried to get into this novel but after 250 pages I gave up. Too many narrators, no characters I connected with, very serious historical fiction shared too quickly and randomly intermingled in the narration.