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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
My Name is Red plunges us into the universe of the miniaturist workshops of Sultan Murad III in the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 16th century. One of the gilder artists, nicknamed the Delicate, was sent ad patres by an illuminator colleague and then thrown into a well while the workshop to which he belonged was working on producing a prestigious and secret book at the address of the sultan. This work seems to contradict the canons of Islamic art and the rules enacted by the masters of the school of Herat.
The story presents colorful characters who each take on a part of the narrative in chapters that fit together cleverly and use the recurrence of narrative motifs. We will ignore the implausibilities of the language used by the characters, which does not mainly provide the period covered. We must remember that we are in an oriental tale where all the licenses and wonders are possible, such as prosopoeia. Unfortunately, the story could be more balanced and laboriously drags on. Weariness quickly wins.
The story presents colorful characters who each take on a part of the narrative in chapters that fit together cleverly and use the recurrence of narrative motifs. We will ignore the implausibilities of the language used by the characters, which does not mainly provide the period covered. We must remember that we are in an oriental tale where all the licenses and wonders are possible, such as prosopoeia. Unfortunately, the story could be more balanced and laboriously drags on. Weariness quickly wins.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book, but it didn’t grip me like I hoped. While the ending was a surprise, I wish there had been better clues… and maybe a bit of a quicker resolution. I did enjoy the debates and exploration of what it means to create art and express faith.
slow-paced
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Mixed feelings. Feels like an alt Name of The Rose through an Islamic lens. Perhaps the translation does it disservice but I struggled to care for any of the characters and having their perspectives made me in fact dislike them. Perhaps this is the intent, to show the dark craven desires each one of us possess, counterpoint to the beautiful art some are capable of producing, which the book did succeed in doing. But this only served to create a bleak and depressing world.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Pamuk writes beautiful prose❤️ There’s an element of ‘huzun’ in all the works of Pamuk or Turkish literature I have read. He writes strong, confident, sexy women. I loved the first half the most. The second half is slow because it goes into detail about the miniaturist business. I’m not well versed in that and it was slower going albeit interesting. The book is awesome!
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes