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irenevh 's review for:
The Architect's Apprentice
by Elif Shafak
3,5 stars
Rich in culture and with multilayered characters, "The architect's Apprentice" is set in an interesting time and place, presenting the lives of many, but overall lacks a clear plot/or direction as it goes through the story.
The Architect's Apprentice takes place in 16th and 17th Century Istanbul; a context which was very new to me. In every aspect the setting of this story is richly described, vibrant with the culture of that time which intrigued me a great deal.
It follows the life of Jahan, a young man brought to the Sultan's palace as the caretaker of the new Elephant and how he rises to become an apprentice to the Royal Architect.
Jahan tries to navigate life in Istanbul, trying not to get into trouble despite the lies he has told to get there and comes to see the city as his home.
We see his relationship with the people around him grow as his life goes on, and how it impacts him. but beyond that, we don't see much.
this book is in every way a character driven story, lacking practically any hint of a clear plot to follow. And although the culture intrigued me sometimes I had to set myself to reading it. Not because it isn't well written, but because it is a 400+ book where for most of it I had no clue where it was going. What goal/ending it was working towards.
when the ending came, I liked it a lot. It connected back to earlier set ups and very nicely and interestingly wrapped up the story. But in the end, this book despite it rich culture, layered characters and rich writing disappointed me because for too much of it I felt like I was just trudging along, without a clear direction.
Rich in culture and with multilayered characters, "The architect's Apprentice" is set in an interesting time and place, presenting the lives of many, but overall lacks a clear plot/or direction as it goes through the story.
The Architect's Apprentice takes place in 16th and 17th Century Istanbul; a context which was very new to me. In every aspect the setting of this story is richly described, vibrant with the culture of that time which intrigued me a great deal.
It follows the life of Jahan, a young man brought to the Sultan's palace as the caretaker of the new Elephant and how he rises to become an apprentice to the Royal Architect.
Jahan tries to navigate life in Istanbul, trying not to get into trouble despite the lies he has told to get there and comes to see the city as his home.
We see his relationship with the people around him grow as his life goes on, and how it impacts him. but beyond that, we don't see much.
this book is in every way a character driven story, lacking practically any hint of a clear plot to follow. And although the culture intrigued me sometimes I had to set myself to reading it. Not because it isn't well written, but because it is a 400+ book where for most of it I had no clue where it was going. What goal/ending it was working towards.
when the ending came, I liked it a lot. It connected back to earlier set ups and very nicely and interestingly wrapped up the story. But in the end, this book despite it rich culture, layered characters and rich writing disappointed me because for too much of it I felt like I was just trudging along, without a clear direction.