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Nothing much happens and it's great! The story introduces us into the lives of different people only sharing the fact that they live in the palace. There is the haircutter's salon, the student with the big dog, the old elegant lady, the superstitious mother with her family...and of course there is always Istanbul. The city is personalized and characterized over decades and I felt like getting to know it better (though I've never been there).I read the book everyday in the tram and managed to com...
I finally finished The Flea Palace by Elif Shafak, emphasis on the ‘finally’. I’m a huge fan of Shafak’s work, and now I can say that I have read all of her books and short stories published/translated in English. As I have mentioned myriad times previously, the style and intentions of Shafak’s works are noticeably different from other modern novels; she is dauntless when it comes to tackling and grappling with prominent social issues (identity, religion, cultural heritage, ethnicity, gender, po...
Half way through, it is very slow and descriptive. There is no plot with too many details, you lose track of the characters
3.4 stars
In my honest opinion, this was a very haphazard novel. My first Elif Shafak read and I must say I was utterly disappointed. From other reviews, I gather that two of her other works are much better than what I got my hands on. No one suggested this to me nor did I have the slightest idea, beforehand, what I was getting into. Feeling adventurous, I picked this up from my local bookstore and read it in way too many interludes than I, myself would have liked. I've come to realise the fact that this
having looked for this book in stores for over a year, i was pretty excited to finally get to read it. i loved 'the bastard of istanbul' but i was a little disappointed with this offering. i found it to be rather hard to get into. these types of stories (with multiple storylines) are more compelling as you get to the inter connections between the characters, and that really didn't happen until towards the end of the novel.
This was a very fanciful book about many colorful characters living in an apartment block in Istanbul which is plagued with a horrible garbage/stench problem. It almost read like a series of short stories about a bunch of different people who all live in the same place. The story revolves around who keeps dumping garbage in front of the building and how to stop it.OK I have to say - this book's writing style did not appeal to me at all, but I think that's just my taste; I don't think it was bad
This is a very cinematic book with the narrator acting like a camera, each chapter taking place in a different apartment inside this decrepit Instanbul building, plagued by bugs and the overpowering smell of garbage. The novel is a succession of quick chapters sweeping through all the tenants lives times and again, including that of the narrator, a divorced professor with a fondness for raki. Of course, there are surprises throughout the book, and of course at the very end... I was really impres...
This is a timeless and amazingly touching story; one of Shafak's earlier and nicer novels. Set in a multi story building of apartments, with plenty of interesting residents, a must read novel presenting a slice of Istanbul, a bridge between oriental middle east and modern Europe skillfully reflected through characters and their stories.
Such an excellent work on social justice, with every story distinguished by the psychological depth of the characters. More the character evolves in the story, more you sympathize with their difficulties. It's like understanding every single being from a certain distance. In short, Elif Shafak, never ceases to amaze me!
Nice beginning and nice ending! The long-gone past and the past stories are nicely written and there is a lot of humor in them. However, I failed to be convinced by the characters residing the Bonbon Palace: although their presentation seemed interesting at first, it then transformed in a too long, unfocused wanna-be novel with a very far-fetched story. I was bored with the stories, I was bored with the long descriptions of bugs and garbage and I didn't like the characters.The quality of the sty...
Read a quarter, so far boring, hope it gets better
