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nderiley's review
1.0
So I picked up this book to read shortly before I actually went to Istanbul in hopes of peaking my interest and perhaps giving me some insight into what I would be seeing. Granted I didn't get *that* far into the book but after arriving in the city and feeling its life and vibrancy I was so turned off by this insistence on the fact that Instanbul is shrouded in some kind of insurmountable sorrow that I had to put the book down.
kyrajade's review
4.0
This book is an ode to Istanbul, but it doesn't seek to obscure what Istanbul really is for the average person living there. Istanbul is a city caught between times - a relic of a vast empire now in ruins and a city rising fast with the times. I feel like Pamuk has captured an intimate view of Istanbul which will soon also be another relic of another lost time. Just as he uses the writings of others who first came across Istanbul in their travels from Europe during the time of empire, his writing will be used to chronicle Istanbul's rapid changes.
natashaquay2025's review
5.0
Beautiful prose and such interesting discussion of east vs west, art, culture, history, and melancholy.
ferciboy's review against another edition
emotional
informative
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0