ratfactor reviewed Last train to Istanbul by Ayşe Kulin
Review of 'Last train to Istanbul' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Ooooh, tough one. The story is all over the place. Characters come in and out of focus. Plot threads come and go. But there is an overall tension that builds and builds and eventually turned the book into a page-turner for me.
I knew absolutely nothing about Turkey's relationship with other countries during WWII going into this. So that's a plus: I now know 100% more than I used to. (It doesn't have to be completely accurate to give me a taste of the subject.)
Disappointed in the translation! I'm used to really incredible English translations of popular works (in fact, I have a theory that translations are unusually poetic and beautifully written because the people doing the translating are language fanatics and the difficult act of translating produces unusual and delightful constructions.) Some of the writing in this fell completely flat. Clumsy stuff!
It's a wreck as a drama …
Ooooh, tough one. The story is all over the place. Characters come in and out of focus. Plot threads come and go. But there is an overall tension that builds and builds and eventually turned the book into a page-turner for me.
I knew absolutely nothing about Turkey's relationship with other countries during WWII going into this. So that's a plus: I now know 100% more than I used to. (It doesn't have to be completely accurate to give me a taste of the subject.)
Disappointed in the translation! I'm used to really incredible English translations of popular works (in fact, I have a theory that translations are unusually poetic and beautifully written because the people doing the translating are language fanatics and the difficult act of translating produces unusual and delightful constructions.) Some of the writing in this fell completely flat. Clumsy stuff!
It's a wreck as a drama and maybe just okay as historical fiction. But I enjoyed parts of it anyway and I'm still glad I read it.