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irenealgi's review against another edition
4.0
I have spent 19 days reading this novel. At a rate of an average of 3 books a month for the year 2013, this will mean I am further away from my own record than I was back in May. It's been worth it.
I wish the novel had been 200 pages shorter though, but I don't know if I would have felt Kemal's obsession so much if it weren't for the extension of a novel and the chapters dedicated to Füsun's way of eating, watching movies or smoking. Maybe they were necessary, in all their dullness.
But what I really, really, really loved was the ending. Not the story's ending, the novel's. I liked the point were Pamuk shows up and is asked to finish the story himself (ironic, I know). And that last line almost made me cry (doesn't happen very often).
It's a beautiful novel, and one I might re-read at some point in my life.
I wish the novel had been 200 pages shorter though, but I don't know if I would have felt Kemal's obsession so much if it weren't for the extension of a novel and the chapters dedicated to Füsun's way of eating, watching movies or smoking. Maybe they were necessary, in all their dullness.
But what I really, really, really loved was the ending. Not the story's ending, the novel's. I liked the point were Pamuk shows up and is asked to finish the story himself (ironic, I know). And that last line almost made me cry (doesn't happen very often).
It's a beautiful novel, and one I might re-read at some point in my life.
misslezlee's review against another edition
2.0
A friend of mine once commented that the English Patient was, " Alright if you enjoyed reading about rich people's infidelities." Well ditto, except this is about rich Turkish people's infidelities. The protagonist is a mentally ill jerk who ruins two women's lives and then compiles a museum to commemorate his "love". He has the time and money to run around Istanbul, later the world, feeding his obsession. Very voyeuristic - some parts made me feel a little bit queasy. Still, I struggled through the book, hoping that the next page would reveal something more than another episode, longingly retold in all its glorious detail, of what happened when he spent another evening watching TV with the woman he couldn't have. And then I'd read so much of this catalog that it seemed silly not to find out what really did happen. I'm not telling. You'll have to relive a rich, mentally ill, Turkish man's thirty year obsession to find out for yourself.
yuzureads's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
saba_ts's review against another edition
3.0
"Let everyone know, I lived a very happy life."
Everytime I pick up a book with a sad premise, I want to read it to renew the conviction that heartache is universal and then I don't want to read it because I know what a sad state I'll be in when I finish it. This was one of those books and I wanted to stop 10 pages in but I didn't. Beautifully written with a few slow bits in between, but gripping. A tale of a man's pursuit of happiness - a sad tale.
Everytime I pick up a book with a sad premise, I want to read it to renew the conviction that heartache is universal and then I don't want to read it because I know what a sad state I'll be in when I finish it. This was one of those books and I wanted to stop 10 pages in but I didn't. Beautifully written with a few slow bits in between, but gripping. A tale of a man's pursuit of happiness - a sad tale.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
I wasn't sure about this book at first but it did grow on me. Beautifully written and ended up feeling quite sorry for the main character although I could not quite understand the level of his obsession.
emma_ireland's review against another edition
5.0
All I have to say about this book is: every time I picked it up intending to read a few pages or a chapter, I'd look up and two hours would have gone by.
katymvt's review against another edition
2.0
2022 Pop Sugar Reading Challenge-a romance by a Bipoc.
I'm giving this a 2 because some of the descriptions of Turkey and Turkish life were absolutely beautiful. But, what a crapload of ridiculous story. The main character was obsessed with Fusun. Fusun had gotten away and then opted to give him her address. And her whole family, including husband, were OK with him just hanging out with them night after night after night. What a waste of everyone's lives.
I'm giving this a 2 because some of the descriptions of Turkey and Turkish life were absolutely beautiful. But, what a crapload of ridiculous story. The main character was obsessed with Fusun. Fusun had gotten away and then opted to give him her address. And her whole family, including husband, were OK with him just hanging out with them night after night after night. What a waste of everyone's lives.
aristide's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dianasarfati's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
3.75
This was very slow in the middle 300 pages but the flaws of the narrator were interesting. All about obsessive love, loss and self centredness really. Narrator is engaged to a woman whom he thinks he loves in a sensible kind of way. But he falls passionately in love with a much younger woman. It doesn’t occur to him to break off the engagement and spends the rest of his life regretting that. Great to read after visiting the museum.