Typical Loti (if you have read his Pêcheur d'Islande or Madame Chrysanthème [upon which Puccini's Mdm Butterfly is loosely based] you wlll have some idea what to expect). Part of the attraction is his evocative description of an exotic setting and its mood (Turkey, cf. the northern Atlantic for PI and Japan for MC). Beyond this, he skillfully evokes a melancholy atmosphere, and contrasts an over-civilized, blasé if not bored British naval officer with roots in the subdued green English countryside with the raw energy and bright colors - and naive but unstinting openness - of the primitive / decadent but vital Turkey he encounters during one of his missions. As in Mdm Chr, during the protagonist's temporary residence abroad, he has an affair with a local who puts her whole heart and soul into it and him, with the consequences we can perhaps foresee even if Loti hints at times that they may be avoided. Another interest may be the double perpective on the affair as seen by it s actors within the rules and assumptions of their two different cultures. I gave it 3 stars for all these qualities, but not more bcs of the lack of 3-dimensional characters or any profound maturation / enlightenment in the protagonist -- this is definitely NOT a Bildungsroman. The hero's emotional involvement with Ayizadé, the Circassian slave whom he makes his lover, does evolve but if you are looking for a book which will deepen your understanding of the meaning of life and the universe or even a deep insight into human nature, this is not the book for you. Yet, like the other two titles I mentioned at the beginning, it is a tale which will stay in your memory; unlike best-seller type fiction one can read and forget. One curious note: On the date of May 20, 1877 he writes a letter to a Turkish acquaintance from distant Brighton. In the final section, also dated May 20, 1877 he describes his arrival in Istanbul, to begin the short final chapter in his life. Obviously one cannot be in Brighton and Istanbul the same day. Is this a misprint in my edition? An oversight on the part of the author? A post-modern suggestion that every story is a construct, and this particular one could have two different and contradictory endings? Or a clear indication to the reader that the final part is taking place only in the protagonist's imagination, whether a dream, a day-dream, or a drug-induced revery? -- The novel was first published in 1879, when Loti himself was 29 years old, which is not contradictory with the indications concerning the protagonist. Indeed the novel is written in the first person and one can be tempted to confuse protagonist and author. It is presented, in its sub-title, as "taken from the notes and letters of a British naval ltnt," and announces his death upon which the novel ends. (No spoiler warning necessary bcs any reader will presumably see this bfr starting the book.) This is where any possible parallel btn protagonist and author ends, bcs Loti lived for another 4 1/2 decades, and died at the ripe old age of 73. OTOH, he was indeed a naval officer, altho Loti was French not British and thus served in the French not the British fleet.