I found this book quite a hard read for a couple of reasons. It seemed long, with a lot of characters and quite a lot of history, politics and war stuff which is not really my bag. That was one reason it was a hard read – the other was the sadness and brutality it conveyed.
Set in the Ottoman Empire in the time leading up to and passing the first world war, at the start of the book , the inhabitants of a village in Turkey live together as friends and neighbours even though they are a mixture of ethnicities, nationalities and religions.
As world political events unfold, this peace is shattered and former friends are torn apart by the cruelties of war.
There are lighter moments and lots of getting to know diverse characters, but it is still, I think a pretty heavy book. I loved Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, and some people say this is a more accomplished book, and maybe it is, but for me it was a less enjoyable read.
Sarah Wray Writer 