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The Bastard of Istanbul

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The Bastard of Istanbul

Written by: Elif Shafak
Narrated by: Alix Dunmore
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About this listen

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of The Bastard of Istanbul by Edif Shafak.

One rainy afternoon in Istanbul, a woman walks into a doctor's surgery. 'I need to have an abortion', she announces. She is 19 years old and unmarried. What happens that afternoon will change her life.

Twenty years later, Asya Kazanci lives with her extended family in Istanbul. Due to a mysterious family curse, all the Kaznci men die in their early 40s, so it is a house of women, among them Asya's beautiful, rebellious mother, Zeliha, who runs a tattoo parlour; Banu, who has newly discovered herself as clairvoyant; and Feride, a hypochondriac obsessed with impending disaster. And when Asya's Armenian American cousin Armanoush comes to stay, long hidden family secrets connected with Turkey's turbulent past begin to emerge.

Orange Prize for Fiction, Long-listed

©2019 Elif Shafak (P)2019 Penguin Audio
City Life Historical Literary Fiction Urban World Literature

Critic Reviews

"Wonderfully magical, incredible, breathtaking...will have you gasping with disbelief in the last few pages." (Sunday Express)

"A beautiful book, the finest I have read about Turkey." (Irish Times)

"Heartbreaking...the beauty of Islam pervades Shafak's book." (Vogue)

What listeners say about The Bastard of Istanbul

Average Customer Ratings
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Brilliant!

What story writing!! amazingly candid and touches your heart. excellent narration! looking forward to the next book by the author

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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What a Book!

I loved it!!! The story, narration, presentation of the characters and everything about the book is laudable! The experience was worth it!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Turkish delight

Narrator was good and the writing of this author is quite good.. Characters were built

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

poetic writing

this book is a window into the Turkish and Armenian history, especially around the genocide. the characters in the book reminded me of a Gabriel Garcia Marquez book. they come alive in front of your eyes with their individual quirks. the climax is a winner, least expected.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Kudos to the narrator!

As beautiful an insight as this book is into the relatively lesser known/discussed/advertised Armenian and Turkish cultures, the absolutely marvelous narration by Alix Dunmore is what makes the whole experience truly profound and deeply enjoyable. A beautifully written book and fantastic narration -- loved every bit of it!

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Beautifully narrated.

The story was expected from Elif Shafak . Rich in history and strong characters.

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What a wonderful and powerful take and tale

Enjoyed this book of one of my favourite authors, who's woven together so many threads of life including resilience in the face of trauma and tragedy; survival and strength of the marginalized communities; sisterhood and solidarity.... All these are located both in Turkey and the United States through which we can taste, smell and saviour this story.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Transports you to another world

The recording is quite brilliant. The author goes above and beyond to immerse you in the scenery and backgrounds of all her characters. The twists and surprises, though predictable, are handled extremely delicately so you tend to admire how she ties up the ends. Her writing style is very evocatice, generating imagery and emotion that puts you right in the shoes of her characters, and offers you an empathetic lens to them. You may disagree with their actions, and their choices, but you learn to understand and empathise with them all.

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Great narration, brilliant writing

Really enjoyed listening to the book with all the voices and accents, I was immersed in the book and couldn't stop listening. Elif Shafak once again has written a captivating book and did not disappoint even a little bit!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Very Flat storyline

Other than tge narrator's impeccable pronounciations, the story is so much predictable and divieting from the main story that its difficult to continue. All the while you wait for some good turn the story but ig just goes on without a point

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1 person found this helpful