by Elif Shafak
Chosen for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s “Reading Room” Book Club
In this novel, Turkey’s preeminent female writer spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan’s menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan’s beautiful daughter, Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire’s chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota’s help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history. Yet even as they build Sinan’s triumphant masterpieces—the incredible Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques—dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge, with jealousy erupting among Sinan’s four apprentices.
A memorable story of artistic freedom, creativity, and the clash between science and fundamentalism, Shafak’s intricate novel brims with vibrant characters, intriguing adventure, and the lavish backdrop of the Ottoman court, where love and loyalty are no match for raw power.
Chosen for Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall’s “Reading Room” Book Club
In this novel, Turkey’s preeminent female writer spins an epic tale spanning nearly a century in the life of the Ottoman Empire. In 1540, twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan’s menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan’s beautiful daughter, Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire’s chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota’s help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history. Yet even as they build Sinan’s triumphant masterpieces—the incredible Suleymaniye and Selimiye mosques—dangerous undercurrents begin to emerge, with jealousy erupting among Sinan’s four apprentices.
A memorable story of artistic freedom, creativity, and the clash between science and fundamentalism, Shafak’s intricate novel brims with vibrant characters, intriguing adventure, and the lavish backdrop of the Ottoman court, where love and loyalty are no match for raw power.
Reviews-
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March 2, 2015
Shafak's (The Bastard of Istanbul) rambling historical epic weaves its way through the rule of three sultans in 16th-century Istanbul. Twelve-year-old Jahan arrives in the city alone except for an important gift for the Sultan that he has been entrusted with by the Shah of Indiaâa baby white elephant named Chota. Jahan is quickly taken in by the palace seraglio to be Chota's trainer and caretaker, and so begins his new life in the center of the flourishing Ottoman Empire. After a year in the palace, he and Chota are ordered to assist the army in an upcoming war.On this tour that he meets Sinan, Chief Royal Architect, who is impressed by the boy's intelligence and curiosity and arranges for him to receive a palace education. Eventually, Jahan is given a coveted position as Sinan's apprentice. With three others, he studies architecture and works at construction sites, helping their master build some of the most celebrated buildings in the history of the empire. Jahan works with his beloved master for many years and witnesses disastrous plagues, the intricate dance between religious and political power, and the anxiety of changing regimes. All the while, he nurtures a secret love for Princess Mihrimah, the beautiful and headstrong daughter of Sultan Suleiman. Shafak's ambitious and colorful novel loses momentum at times, but she skillfully uses the fictional elephant trainer to paint a vivid portrait of the great architect, Sinan, and the lives of both royals and commoners. -
January 15, 2015
Following the life of an invented apprentice to the actual Ottoman Empire architect Sinan, Turkish novelist Shafak offers a liberal interpretation of Islam that's bound to create controversy, as her previous books have (Honor, 2013, etc.).In 1540, Jahan, a 12-year-old runaway from Anatolia, arrives in Istanbul by ship with a baby white elephant he names Chota-"little"-a gift to Sultan Suleiman from Hindustan. The ship's amoral British captain has forced Jahan, who knows nothing about elephants, to pretend to be Chota's Indian trainer so he can steal valuables from the sultan's palace. Lonely Jahan loves Chota and quickly learns to take excellent care of him. Drawn to the elephant's charms, the sultan's young daughter, Mihrimah, begins visiting Chota's barn. Soon, she and Jahan strike up a friendship that evolves into a chaste love that lasts through her marriage until her death. Far more complex and intriguing is Jahan's relationship to the architect, Sinan, whose philosophy lies at the heart of the novel: "I work to honour the divine gift. Every artisan and artist enters into a covenant with the divine." Sinan recognizes Jahan's untapped abilities when he and Chota help build a bridge during one of Suleiman's wars. Sinan arranges for Jahan's education and makes him one of his four apprentices. As both apprentice to the sultan's chief architect and trainer of the sultan's prize elephant, Jahan observes the glory of the Ottoman Empire, the pageantry and brutality, over a span of almost 100 years. He experiences the plague, many wars, and the rise and fall of several sultans. Shafak acknowledges the harem system and slavery, but Jahan's Istanbul is a cosmopolitan city made up of many nationalities and religions, all more or less getting along. With manufactured intrigues and lukewarm romance, plot is not Shafak's strong point. What she offers is panoramic historical fiction rich with facts, atmosphere and occasional whimsy.COPYRIGHT(2015) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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October 15, 2014
In 1540, 12-year-old Jahan serves as an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie, swoons at the sight of the sultan's beautiful daughter, and eventually joins forces with the empire's chief architect, which stirs poisonous jealousy. Shafak (Honor) is Turkey's leading female novelist.
Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
