I was rather skeptical about buying Pamuk's books. Probably because I heard from a couple of my bookworm friends that the guy has a tendency to twist words and intentionally make it difficult for readers to understand. However, I enjoyed the book more than I expected.
I loved the way the writer narrated his story by POV of different characters and allowed the readers to connect the dots. There were some parts which I enjoyed more than others, for example, a coin telling about its journey from one place to another and it showed that even inanimate objects have stories to tell.
The book had a lot of historical facts and stories and honestly, sometimes, I had a hard time catching up with different characters and at times, it felt unnecessary. The ending did seem a bit rushed though. Overall, the book did portray beautiful and somewhat daunting characters.
by panda_rolling_23
4 Comments
Red is my favorite of Pamuk’s novels. He does enjoy puzzles and little tricks in the story, but I think it only becomes a problem reading in The Black Book. He does seem to enjoy mutating his style to match the content of the novel and I like that a lot. A Strangeness in my Mind (my second favorite and a much more readable book) is nothing like My Name is Red and neither are anything like The Black Book. I interpreted the excessive details as a literary stylization of the illuminated manuscript: if you look at that art, it’s absolutely saturated with minute detail. Nothing portrayed that more than the insane spiral into which Master Osman slid before he did what he did with the needle. But the chapter I am a Dog is one of the best things I think I’ve ever read.
I’ve read a few of his books but didn’t finish that one – the Agatha-Christie-like plot complications put me off. But his book on Istanbul is superbly atmospheric and really does explain a lot of what you see there, and *The New Life* (a rather strange fictional take on the Gülen movement) is terrific.
I’ve not read this, but I loved A suitable young man. He really has a way with words.
I have been struggling to read this. I have got to page 120 and I have decided to stop. I really want to read it and think the story is good but there is so much unnecessary stuff thrown in. Word porn for want of a better phrase which muddies the water. I really want to get through it but im not sure I will.