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A review by insearchof_wonder_
The Autobiography of a Turkish Girl by Reşat Nuri Güntekin
4.0
I was inspired to read this book because of the tv series on Netflix. I was hoping the book would provide relief from the near ptsd (just Kidding) that the series triggered in me. I was frankly quite disgusted with myself for investing 72 hours (or close to it) of my life , only to have the rug jerked out from under me most unsatisfactorily.
I'm so glad I read the book! Normally, books are infinitely better than the movies and shows based on them, and I would say the same is true in this instance. Towards the end of the series, I felt they turned the Kamran character into a raging jealous hateful maniac no woman would love. The book does not portray him in that way even remotely. Also, there are a lot of melodramatic twists and turns in the show plot that are completely beyond the scope of the book's plot, and when the two are compared, the show becomes almost farcical.
However, I'm glad I watched the series (although if I ever watch it again I'll stop somewhere around the 60th episode), because I found the book to be quite skeletal in structure and style. While the show added completely unnecessary dramatic elements and storylines, they did a fantastic job of fleshing out the Calikusu/Kamran relationship. The book is intentionally spare which actually adds to its charm, but if I had read it without seeing the show, I would not be able to understand the main characters' relationship at all. I would have wondered the whole way through why she persisted in loving someone with whom she barely even had a relationship. The tv show reads between the lines and imagines, quite well, I think, exactly how the two main characters came to fall in love with each other in the first place.
The actual writing in the book is excellent: as I mentioned, it uses words sparingly but effectively to tell the story. There are beautiful metaphors throughout that assist in the story telling and character development. There are also some beautifully eloquent and poetic moments. It was a quick but lovely read.
I'm so glad I read the book! Normally, books are infinitely better than the movies and shows based on them, and I would say the same is true in this instance. Towards the end of the series, I felt they turned the Kamran character into a raging jealous hateful maniac no woman would love. The book does not portray him in that way even remotely. Also, there are a lot of melodramatic twists and turns in the show plot that are completely beyond the scope of the book's plot, and when the two are compared, the show becomes almost farcical.
However, I'm glad I watched the series (although if I ever watch it again I'll stop somewhere around the 60th episode), because I found the book to be quite skeletal in structure and style. While the show added completely unnecessary dramatic elements and storylines, they did a fantastic job of fleshing out the Calikusu/Kamran relationship. The book is intentionally spare which actually adds to its charm, but if I had read it without seeing the show, I would not be able to understand the main characters' relationship at all. I would have wondered the whole way through why she persisted in loving someone with whom she barely even had a relationship. The tv show reads between the lines and imagines, quite well, I think, exactly how the two main characters came to fall in love with each other in the first place.
The actual writing in the book is excellent: as I mentioned, it uses words sparingly but effectively to tell the story. There are beautiful metaphors throughout that assist in the story telling and character development. There are also some beautifully eloquent and poetic moments. It was a quick but lovely read.