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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A beautiful novel.
The retellings of memories from Leila's life are evocative, the descriptions of her childhood home and her family are vivid, I felt like I could picture everything.
The story takes place among political struggles, cultural change and within a society intertwined with religion and bigotry. I learnt a lot about the history of Turkey. The novel deals with women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights as well as the experience of sex workers. We explore relationships, family dynamics and secrets and friendships. Leila's story is tragic and this is a very sad and dark novel.
It did fall off slightly for me when the perspective shifted from Leila to her friends but overall this is a stunning novel and I definitely want to read more of the author.
The retellings of memories from Leila's life are evocative, the descriptions of her childhood home and her family are vivid, I felt like I could picture everything.
The story takes place among political struggles, cultural change and within a society intertwined with religion and bigotry. I learnt a lot about the history of Turkey. The novel deals with women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights as well as the experience of sex workers. We explore relationships, family dynamics and secrets and friendships. Leila's story is tragic and this is a very sad and dark novel.
It did fall off slightly for me when the perspective shifted from Leila to her friends but overall this is a stunning novel and I definitely want to read more of the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence
Moderate: Self harm, Police brutality, Trafficking
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Turkey is a place I have not longed to visit. It has a violent past and present and its treatment of women is bad to say the least.
This story had such humanity. It was about how we touch each other’s lives and leave such an indelible imprint. I liked the friendships in this story and the collection of people.
I learned quite a bit about the history of Turkey. I had never heard of the Mili massacre in Vietnam in 1968 or the massacre is in Istanbul on international workers Day in 1977. The mistreatment of sex workers is even worse here than other places. It wasn’t until 1990 that a law was changed that allowed a rapist to reduce his sentenced by 1/3 if he could prove he raped a prostitute. And though I’ve never thought much about where people are buried, the cemetery of the companionless is such a awful sounding place. I could understand not wanting your loved one to be buried there.
I really appreciated the writing of this book. The structure was interesting. I will definitely be reading more from this author.
This story had such humanity. It was about how we touch each other’s lives and leave such an indelible imprint. I liked the friendships in this story and the collection of people.
I learned quite a bit about the history of Turkey. I had never heard of the Mili massacre in Vietnam in 1968 or the massacre is in Istanbul on international workers Day in 1977. The mistreatment of sex workers is even worse here than other places. It wasn’t until 1990 that a law was changed that allowed a rapist to reduce his sentenced by 1/3 if he could prove he raped a prostitute. And though I’ve never thought much about where people are buried, the cemetery of the companionless is such a awful sounding place. I could understand not wanting your loved one to be buried there.
I really appreciated the writing of this book. The structure was interesting. I will definitely be reading more from this author.
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
