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Istanbul cover art

Istanbul

By: Orhan Pamuk, Maureen Freely
Narrated by: John Lee
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Summary

Turkey's greatest living novelist, Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk, guides us through the monuments and lost paradises, dilapidated Ottoman villas, back streets, and waterways of Istanbul - the city of his birth and the home of his imagination.

©2013 Orhan Pamuk (P)2013 Faber Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Istanbul

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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Self indulgent and random

Stuffed full of nostalgic and personal minutiae, it descended into a disorganised miscellany of this and that from times gone by, jumping around and failing to hold my attention

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5 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Development of a writer

Apart from the excellent descriptions of a fascinating city, I found his struggle through painting and then a failed university diploma in architecture very moving. It is this part of the book that brought it alive for me. His eye for his beloved city may well have been aided by his 2 'failed' careers; it is full of lyricism and insight.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Atmosphere

The writer describes Istanbul very evocatively, weaving aspects of his personal history with that of the city. Describing atmosphere is a challenging task, but Pamuk does so in a way which draws out many moods and tensions.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinatingly interesting 😊

Told in an authentic way - memories from a family with lovely descriptive passages about old Istanbul

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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Worth the effort

Overall enjoyable but at times a hard listen. Full of facts and references not all relevant. Have read better books from this author.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

Took me a few chapters to fully get into it but once I did, I really enjoyed and appreciated Pamuk’s genius. The translation and the narration are also very well done.

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Brilliant

Great book , well read .
What's not to like?
Highly recommended . A must for those who intend to visit or have visited the city .

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