lucyblack 's review for:

Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali

2.0

reflective medium-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

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Why has this short Turkish novel been so hyped recently? It is the story of a very serious young Turkish man falling in love with a cabaret dancer and painter in 1920's Berlin. He is very whiny, most of the book is him pining or whining. He sees her portrait in a gallery and becomes obsessed with her. Miraculously, he meets her and she turns out to be a manic pixie dream girl. Some of the descriptions of time and place are interesting, the structure is good (if a bit dragged out in the middle) and there is a nice piece of action and twist at the end. Generally though, this was too much time spent in the head of an unlikeable emo man.