A review by frannyarose
Istanbul: A Tale of Three Cities by Bettany Hughes

adventurous challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

A very good in depth history of Istanbul from the Neolithic era and somewhat to the present, however more attention is paid to the Hellenistic and Byzantine era than any other timeline. I think to fully enjoy this book you’d need some basic understanding of Istanbul, Turkish, and Greek history as well. Sometimes the not fully chronological order was confusing and often cities or regions were referred to by their ancient names without explanation of current names or even their region. But I loved the main idea, that Istanbul has always been a city of new ideas, of newcomers, of refuge. We can not forget this and instead must welcome those who come whether they are fleeing violence or simply hoping for a better life. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings