A lovely book -- which I'd not have been able to enjoy, learn from and comment on, without Maureen Freely's incredibly fine translation.

A fascinationg memoire of Istanbul by one of Turkey's finest authors. I liked this more than Snow (fiction) which suffers from excessive melodrama. I still liked Snow a lot. ( )

I selected this book because I plan to go to Istanbul this fall. I have heard that it is a beautiful, exciting city. After reading Pamuk's descriptions of his hometown, I am wondering who to believe. Although he obviously loves the place of his birth, his descriptions of its decrepit buildings and gloomy streets do not make traveling there enticing. His word paintings of the Bosphorus and the ships & ferries that plied its waters are vivid and it does seem to be a waterway worth seeing. ( )

http://amiralace.blogspot.com/2008/01... ( )

A random airport choice which intrigued me. He starts with his life in the city of Istanbul and takes the reader on trips round the city and into its history.
"Istanbul's greatest virtue is its people's ability to see the city through both Western and Eastern eyes." ( )