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saraza3's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Rape, Ableism, Animal cruelty, Racial slurs, Xenophobia, Racism, Slavery, Animal death, Antisemitism, Sexual violence, Drug use, Sexual assault, War, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, and Excrement
Minor: Death and Death of parent
pacifica's review
emotional
reflective
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? It's complicated
3.25
a true bildungsroman. the majority of the book is about Jahan growing and learning—mostly about architecture, but he does learn some things about love, culture, and politics. so rose-tinted are his glasses that Jahan seemed like an adolescent to me for over half of the novel, though in actuality he becomes an adult and reaches middle age before i even realized. my main gripes with this novel were that nothing particularly important seemed to happen until the final 130 pages or so; and that the reveals, though not unfounded, still came out of left field to me.
i also felt like the novel lacked a coherent thread linking each part to the other. Master Sinan dropped many one-liners of wisdom during nearly every project he and his apprentices undertook, mostly regarding knowledge and hard work and the sanctity of building, but his proverbs were still rather abstract and vague to me. there's nothing wrong with authors presenting multiple themes in their works, but this book meandered imho. also there were a couple twists and developments in the third act that i really didn't vibe with (probably a cultural difference tho)
HOWEVER i really did like Shafak's writing style, which was beautiful and straightforward. had this book had a more cohesive, overarching conflict, i'm sure i would have enjoyed it more. i'll take a peek at her other works and see if any pique my interest.
i also felt like the novel lacked a coherent thread linking each part to the other. Master Sinan dropped many one-liners of wisdom during nearly every project he and his apprentices undertook, mostly regarding knowledge and hard work and the sanctity of building, but his proverbs were still rather abstract and vague to me. there's nothing wrong with authors presenting multiple themes in their works, but this book meandered imho. also there were a couple twists and developments in the third act that i really didn't vibe with (probably a cultural difference tho)
HOWEVER i really did like Shafak's writing style, which was beautiful and straightforward. had this book had a more cohesive, overarching conflict, i'm sure i would have enjoyed it more. i'll take a peek at her other works and see if any pique my interest.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Excrement and Antisemitism
Moderate: Animal death, Death, War, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, Racial slurs, Ableism, and Sexual harassment
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