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alundeberg's review against another edition
I started Jason Goodwin's "The Janissary Tree", a mystery novel set in 1830's Istanbul, and by page 44 I learned the same lesson as the murdered soldiers: life is short. Too short to read this disjointed and plodding tale of Inspector Yashim, one of the Sultan's eunuchs who is hyper-fixated on the fact that he literally does not have balls. This, and the fact that he likes to cook, is the sum total of his characterization so far, and for a man who only has ten days to solve the crime, he expresses zero sense of urgency or know-how. Disappointing. Disappointed. Moving on.
eowyns_helmet's review against another edition
4.0
A fun read though somewhat confusing. I never quite understood the clues that led to the final events. Or how Yashim, a eunuch, could... yes. But every time Yashim cooked, I was rapt!
ajkhn's review against another edition
4.0
I love potboiler historical fiction, and this is definitely that. Goodwin does a great job grounding the story in history without getting too wrapped up in it: having a eunuch as his main character is nice, since it means he can talk to both men and women characters. The author definitely consulted a map while writing this book. It's fun to hang out in 19th-century Istanbul, no doubt about it.
It's a bit pulp fiction, sometimes feeling like it's even against the author's desire to do so. The whole palace intrigue plot feels a bit stapled on, and there's a lot of "oh, the harem wasn't actually like that" before just going into a few pages of description of lithesome slave women. Giving some of the working class characters Scouse or Cockney accents is odd, but again, maybe an editor's decision. The deep descriptions of Turkish food are fun, and very Nero Wolfe.
It doesn't always follow the "rules" of detective stories, though, so if you're a pure detective buff this might not be your thing. But it's a fun way to hang out in Istanbul, and I could see myself grabbing the rest of the series.
It's a bit pulp fiction, sometimes feeling like it's even against the author's desire to do so. The whole palace intrigue plot feels a bit stapled on, and there's a lot of "oh, the harem wasn't actually like that" before just going into a few pages of description of lithesome slave women. Giving some of the working class characters Scouse or Cockney accents is odd, but again, maybe an editor's decision. The deep descriptions of Turkish food are fun, and very Nero Wolfe.
It doesn't always follow the "rules" of detective stories, though, so if you're a pure detective buff this might not be your thing. But it's a fun way to hang out in Istanbul, and I could see myself grabbing the rest of the series.
catherar22's review against another edition
4.0
This book was a solid four-star book for me.
My favorite parts were the the setting of the book (Constantinople in the mid-1800s) and the book's main character, Yashim, a charming eunuch. I can tell that Goodwin loves the time and place he's writing about and he did an excellent job of convincing me to feel the same.
The part of the book that I found challenging (and probably kept it from being a five-star book for me) was the author's writing style. Even though I liked the style overall (it was very warmly written), at times I just got plain lost. I didn't know what a sentence meant and couldn't put it together despite reading through a few times. Also, many chapters began with a sweeping look at the city or some historical fact about Istanbul and then zoomed into whatever scene or person the chapter was about. At times, I felt this device was used too much and it took me out of the book.
Other than that, it was a great read and I am looking forward to reading more in the series!
My favorite parts were the the setting of the book (Constantinople in the mid-1800s) and the book's main character, Yashim, a charming eunuch. I can tell that Goodwin loves the time and place he's writing about and he did an excellent job of convincing me to feel the same.
The part of the book that I found challenging (and probably kept it from being a five-star book for me) was the author's writing style. Even though I liked the style overall (it was very warmly written), at times I just got plain lost. I didn't know what a sentence meant and couldn't put it together despite reading through a few times. Also, many chapters began with a sweeping look at the city or some historical fact about Istanbul and then zoomed into whatever scene or person the chapter was about. At times, I felt this device was used too much and it took me out of the book.
Other than that, it was a great read and I am looking forward to reading more in the series!
eososray's review against another edition
4.0
The Ottoman Empire is modernizing in 1836. The corrupt Janissary Corp was forcibly disbanded 10 years ago and the Sultan is on the verge of making sweeping changes. A series of disturbing murders are committed in Istanbul and Yashim must find the culprit before wide spread panic ensues.
The cast includes a Polish ambassador without a country, a Russian ambassador with a bored wife, the leader of the new Ottoman Army, the Sultan’s mother and a transsexual dancer, to name a few. The amount of characters in this story was overwhelming and as far as I could tell not really necessary. There were also a number of side stories that were uninteresting and did nothing for the flow of the book though the most annoying part was the sheer volume of chapters. I don’t think I have ever read a book with over 100 chapters. The end of the book seemed like it was never going to finish, there was always another item to resolve and though the murderer was caught the book went on for what seemed like an age. Despite all this I really enjoyed the story, the descriptions of the harem and the city were great and despite a few historical inaccuracies it still managed to evoke the exoticness of the era and culture.
The cast includes a Polish ambassador without a country, a Russian ambassador with a bored wife, the leader of the new Ottoman Army, the Sultan’s mother and a transsexual dancer, to name a few. The amount of characters in this story was overwhelming and as far as I could tell not really necessary. There were also a number of side stories that were uninteresting and did nothing for the flow of the book though the most annoying part was the sheer volume of chapters. I don’t think I have ever read a book with over 100 chapters. The end of the book seemed like it was never going to finish, there was always another item to resolve and though the murderer was caught the book went on for what seemed like an age. Despite all this I really enjoyed the story, the descriptions of the harem and the city were great and despite a few historical inaccuracies it still managed to evoke the exoticness of the era and culture.
cdbaker's review against another edition
4.0
Probably 3.5, but I rounded up. It was recommended to me by another friend who works on the Middle East. The author definitely knows his Ottoman history and does a good job making the 'scene' of 19th century Ottoman Istanbul come alive. I liked the protagonist a lot. I liked the supporting cast quite a lot. The mystery itself was kind of secondary to the cast and scene.
robynryle's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book, though I have to admit there are parts I didn't quite understand, so if anyone out there has expert knowledge on eunuch sex, fill me in. I liked the detailed sense of setting in Istanbul. I like mysteries that are really grounded in the place, and this one is. You feel like you're in Istanbul. Makes me want to go to Istanbul, which is always a good thing. I like the "investigator", Yashim, and I hope this is the first in a series of Yashim novels. I learned a lot about the Ottoman empire, Istanbul, the Janissaries. I even liked how the author goes into great detail about what Yashim cooks. Like a little 19th century Turkish cookbook thrown in the middle of an interesting story. But again, how does a eunuch have sex exactly?
ablotial's review against another edition
3.0
There was a lot of interesting history in this book... maybe too much. The plot was intriguing and kept me coming back but it moved ... so ... slowly... it was hard to keep my interest for long despite wanting to know what happened. Normally I update page numbers every time I read a book, but with this one I was only reading 2-4 pages most days so I just updated when I felt like I'd read enough.
janetreads's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
I enjoyed this — but I didn’t fall in love with it as some people have. I also didn’t have a super strong reaction against it. It has a Sherlock Holmes quality by being set in a major city in the midst of great changes. I enjoyed the vignettes of Istanbul and honestly would love to have an even richer image of the city (perhaps that will come in the next book).
The plot centered around intrigue at a high power level (& with high potential consequences). Personally, I prefer a mystery series to start a little more “at home.” Maybe it reminds me of the shock & disbelief I lived through during the Matt Smith Doctor Who years when they destroyed and restitched back together the universe like six times. (At times it’s simply too much to have dire consequences all the time). This book didn’t go that far, but it wasn’t a simple clever murder mystery to start off on. If author’s want to “raise the stakes” of their mysteries (which is not necessy) I think it’s more fitting later into a series when we know characters better and there’s more space to explore the complexities of high stakes political mysteries.
I’m a bit spoiled by the excellent writing of P.D. James, of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad, and (on the lighter side) “The Thirsday Murder Club” series. So I can be a bit tough on new mysteries. But all in all I think I will read the second book to see if the series will grow on me.
The plot centered around intrigue at a high power level (& with high potential consequences). Personally, I prefer a mystery series to start a little more “at home.” Maybe it reminds me of the shock & disbelief I lived through during the Matt Smith Doctor Who years when they destroyed and restitched back together the universe like six times. (At times it’s simply too much to have dire consequences all the time). This book didn’t go that far, but it wasn’t a simple clever murder mystery to start off on. If author’s want to “raise the stakes” of their mysteries (which is not necessy) I think it’s more fitting later into a series when we know characters better and there’s more space to explore the complexities of high stakes political mysteries.
I’m a bit spoiled by the excellent writing of P.D. James, of Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad, and (on the lighter side) “The Thirsday Murder Club” series. So I can be a bit tough on new mysteries. But all in all I think I will read the second book to see if the series will grow on me.
annebennett1957's review against another edition
3.0
Set in Istanbul in the early 1800s this book is both historical and a mystery. It gives insights to the Ottoman Empire and historical information about their culture, as well as social and religious information. This book won the Edgar Award but I found it difficult to get "into".
(Catching up on old reviews from pre-blogging and pre-Goodreads days. Written on 7/23/21 but the book was read years ago. I'm working off my notes.)
(Catching up on old reviews from pre-blogging and pre-Goodreads days. Written on 7/23/21 but the book was read years ago. I'm working off my notes.)