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Recept za Daphne
U kvartovski kafić gdje se slastičar Kosmas, šarmantni udovac Fanis i drugi Rumi – grčki pravoslavci – redovito sastaju na popodnevnom čaju, dolazi Daphne, rođena u Americi, sa svojom tetkom. Daphne natjera srca da ustrepere, izaziva ljubomoru i budi sjećanja na pogrom iz 1955, prisiljavajući Kosmasa i Fanisa da se suoče sa svojom bolnom historijom kako bi rizikovali nove početke.
Oštroumna i duhovita priča, Recept za Daphne, poziva čitaoca da zaviri u kuhinje, ljubavi i tajni život najstarije istanbulske zajednice.
“Recept za Daphne nam hrabro daje uvid u život grčkih pravoslavnih zajednica u Istanbulu.”
Elif Shafak za The New York Times
“Zadivljujući debitantski roman, izvanredno ostvarenje.”
Petar Frankopan, autor Puteva svile
“Razmišljanje o identitetu i ožiljcima historije.”
Public Radio International
Oštroumna i duhovita priča, Recept za Daphne, poziva čitaoca da zaviri u kuhinje, ljubavi i tajni život najstarije istanbulske zajednice.
“Recept za Daphne nam hrabro daje uvid u život grčkih pravoslavnih zajednica u Istanbulu.”
Elif Shafak za The New York Times
“Zadivljujući debitantski roman, izvanredno ostvarenje.”
Petar Frankopan, autor Puteva svile
“Razmišljanje o identitetu i ožiljcima historije.”
Public Radio International
298 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2021
55 people are currently reading
748 people want to read
About the author
Nektaria Anastasiadou
2 books34 followersNEKTARIA ANASTASIADOU is the 2019 winner of the Zografeios Agon, a Greek-language literary award founded in 19th-century Constantinople. Her writing has appeared in various literary journals, including The Markaz Review and the New Rivers Press Fiction Anthology 2019. She is currently finishing a novel written in the Istanbul Greek dialect. Her debut novel, A Recipe for Daphne, has been long listed for the 2022 Dublin Literary Award and the Runciman Award.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
April 24, 2021
This book was a beautiful story about identity, cultural heritage, and the devastating effects of cultural memory loss. But it was also a story about hope and revival. I loved it.
I have read many novels with Istanbul as the setting and have traveled to "the City" multiple times. I liked that author so beautifully drew the reader into Istanbul but also into the world of the Rum community -- and I learned so much from it.
Highly recommend this book, you'll laugh and cry and be sad when there are no more pages to read!
I have read many novels with Istanbul as the setting and have traveled to "the City" multiple times. I liked that author so beautifully drew the reader into Istanbul but also into the world of the Rum community -- and I learned so much from it.
Highly recommend this book, you'll laugh and cry and be sad when there are no more pages to read!
March 10, 2021
How I read this: Free ebook copy received through Edelweiss
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5
This book starts out as a seemingly lopsided story of an old man trying to snatch a bride, ANY bride that's too young for him - but in reality, it's so much more than that. I was surprised, but Recipe for Daphne came out to be such a rich and colorful story of cultural details, minority heritage, genocide trauma and, well... Love. It was beautiful and I can definitely recommend it.
I don't normally read a lot of romance, but I do love books that don't particularly center on romance, but have it as one of the main points, with other important axes to the story. Recipe for Daphne was just that kind of story - there is definitely love in the air, but it's also a decades-spanning story of love lost to bloody history and strife between different cultures because of prejudice.
We are dropped into the midst of a small community of Rum people in Istanbul. Rum are Istanbul Greeks, or rather, the original Constantinople Greeks who have been practicing orthodox Christianity in the area for long before it became known as Istanbul. They're a minority, and since I don't really know much about Turkish history, I didn't even know about this cultural group. By the way, they call themselves Rum because they're "Roman" - the last Byzantines. It's a really cool piece of history I wouldn't have learned, if not for this book.
As in any small cultural group, there is a big push to "marry inwards" and retain your cultural bubble, to protect its tradition from disappearing into the larger culture of the area. So many of the books that tell stories set in small communities like that stress the problem of finding a romantic partner - cause the dating pool is incredibly shallow. And so we meet a group of people, both young and old, and a lot of them are struggling with the same thing - finding love.
For a man over 70, Fanis, who our book starts with - it first appears that he wants to find love because he's a playboy and he finally wants to settle down. But in reality, we learn that he's only led the life he did because the pogrom in 1955 left its scars. It's heartbreaking, and definitely was a brilliant storyline. It made me tear up in some places. It's a story of healing and lifelong love.
For Kosmas, a son of one of the ladies in the group we follow, the story is a promise of love. He's a brilliant pastry chef with great talent, dedication - and a mother who has him under her foot. Upon meeting Daphne, the niece of one of the other women who's visiting from America, Kosmas realizes that it's now or never, and that maybe it's time to stop being mama's boy.
And for Daphne, the story is like a discovery of her own self. Looking for her roots in Istanbul and trying to work out if she wants to stay in the US or move here, leave her boyfriend with whom the affair has gone somewhat stale or keep pushing - she's got many decisions to make. And does Kosmas even like her? People keep telling her he does, but he seems to be so quiet around her, with being used to American men, she really doesn't know what to make of it.
And so the story meanders and moves on. What I loved about it especially, was that there was so much we learned about the side characters as well. They're all fleshed out, and some of them have their own complete stories - you end up worrying about each one. It was a tale of community as much as a tale of love.
Recipe for Daphne left me with a pleasant feeling and I definitely can recommend it. It's a soft story which somehow also incorporates heavy questions into it - racism, prejudice, trauma and its consequences. And yet, forgiveness, romance, history, culture... And even baking. It's quite the mix!
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
4.5 stars, rounded up to 5
This book starts out as a seemingly lopsided story of an old man trying to snatch a bride, ANY bride that's too young for him - but in reality, it's so much more than that. I was surprised, but Recipe for Daphne came out to be such a rich and colorful story of cultural details, minority heritage, genocide trauma and, well... Love. It was beautiful and I can definitely recommend it.
I don't normally read a lot of romance, but I do love books that don't particularly center on romance, but have it as one of the main points, with other important axes to the story. Recipe for Daphne was just that kind of story - there is definitely love in the air, but it's also a decades-spanning story of love lost to bloody history and strife between different cultures because of prejudice.
We are dropped into the midst of a small community of Rum people in Istanbul. Rum are Istanbul Greeks, or rather, the original Constantinople Greeks who have been practicing orthodox Christianity in the area for long before it became known as Istanbul. They're a minority, and since I don't really know much about Turkish history, I didn't even know about this cultural group. By the way, they call themselves Rum because they're "Roman" - the last Byzantines. It's a really cool piece of history I wouldn't have learned, if not for this book.
As in any small cultural group, there is a big push to "marry inwards" and retain your cultural bubble, to protect its tradition from disappearing into the larger culture of the area. So many of the books that tell stories set in small communities like that stress the problem of finding a romantic partner - cause the dating pool is incredibly shallow. And so we meet a group of people, both young and old, and a lot of them are struggling with the same thing - finding love.
For a man over 70, Fanis, who our book starts with - it first appears that he wants to find love because he's a playboy and he finally wants to settle down. But in reality, we learn that he's only led the life he did because the pogrom in 1955 left its scars. It's heartbreaking, and definitely was a brilliant storyline. It made me tear up in some places. It's a story of healing and lifelong love.
For Kosmas, a son of one of the ladies in the group we follow, the story is a promise of love. He's a brilliant pastry chef with great talent, dedication - and a mother who has him under her foot. Upon meeting Daphne, the niece of one of the other women who's visiting from America, Kosmas realizes that it's now or never, and that maybe it's time to stop being mama's boy.
And for Daphne, the story is like a discovery of her own self. Looking for her roots in Istanbul and trying to work out if she wants to stay in the US or move here, leave her boyfriend with whom the affair has gone somewhat stale or keep pushing - she's got many decisions to make. And does Kosmas even like her? People keep telling her he does, but he seems to be so quiet around her, with being used to American men, she really doesn't know what to make of it.
And so the story meanders and moves on. What I loved about it especially, was that there was so much we learned about the side characters as well. They're all fleshed out, and some of them have their own complete stories - you end up worrying about each one. It was a tale of community as much as a tale of love.
Recipe for Daphne left me with a pleasant feeling and I definitely can recommend it. It's a soft story which somehow also incorporates heavy questions into it - racism, prejudice, trauma and its consequences. And yet, forgiveness, romance, history, culture... And even baking. It's quite the mix!
I thank the publisher for giving me a free copy of the ebook in exchange to my honest review. This has not affected my opinion.
Book Blog | Bookstagram | Bookish Twitter
February 5, 2021
I loved this book - a delightful mix of lighthearted comedy and weighty issues of identity and history. Includes lots of snappy dialogue (think of the film "Moonstruck," starring Cher, Olympia Dukakis, and others). Will appeal to fans of cross-cultural romance stories (like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"). A fun, quick read that I expect to revisit again someday!
Regarding history, this book complements Last Train to Istanbul. While Kulin's novel paints Turkey as a near-utopian destination for Jews facing the horrors of WWII in Europe, this novel fills out the picture more. It offers a more balanced representation. To be clear, I loved Kulin's novel too, and I wouldn't necessarily change any of it. I just found that reading both books offered different perspectives and insights. For readers interested in following up and learning more about identity politics in the Balkans (including Turkey), I recommend the documentary film, "Whose Song Is It?"
Regarding history, this book complements Last Train to Istanbul. While Kulin's novel paints Turkey as a near-utopian destination for Jews facing the horrors of WWII in Europe, this novel fills out the picture more. It offers a more balanced representation. To be clear, I loved Kulin's novel too, and I wouldn't necessarily change any of it. I just found that reading both books offered different perspectives and insights. For readers interested in following up and learning more about identity politics in the Balkans (including Turkey), I recommend the documentary film, "Whose Song Is It?"
Read
March 24, 2021I simply cannot get enough of this book. I’ve read it twice by now and some quotes became common phrases among friends. “The Recipe for Daphne” captures the very nuanced spirit of Istanbul that is quite often overlooked by tourists. Though I’ve been to Istanbul couple of times before, Daphne has completely changed and shaped my perceptions of the city. Rather dark and heavy history as well as very charming and sentimental moments are portrayed with such delicacy that you’d think those characters are real.
Without spoilers I’d recommend this book to everybody who wants to understand Istanbul as The City.
Without spoilers I’d recommend this book to everybody who wants to understand Istanbul as The City.
August 18, 2025
'" It's true that, as Orthodox Christians, We have no past and no dead. Our past is always present, and the dead are always with us while we are in church. Still, the dead should not be a part of our daily life. Put your hand to the plow. Stop looking back. And take a good look around you: now is quite different from then."
A story beautiful and unique in how it portrays the history and present of the Rum, the Christian descendants of the Byzantines in modern day Turkey and in how it portrays love and lust among those over 70. It is surprisingly deep for a romcom, as it covers nostalgia, generational trauma, oppression, the desire to maintain one's culture and faith, love, culture clash, communal memories, and so many other topics with poise and grace.
one of the places where this book truly shines is in how it covers intergenerational dialogues and relationships. We have characters who are elderly, interacting with their younger relatives, caring about them, loving them, disagreeing with them and bidirectional learning taking place. We have a character learning to accept and mourn a traumatic old love, and another trying to bring a new love to life. All of this occurs as a microcosn in the wider context of the Rum people's journey, with all it's triumphs and tragedies. The personal tragedies and losses are given context and scope within the larger tragedies of the pogroms against the Rum people. The Turks/Ottomans/Muslims are not demonised, but seen as humans - some of whom are good and some of whom are not. Some of whom protected and loved their Rum neighbours, and some of whom did not. Some of the most sympathetic and beautiful moments in the book occur between the Rum and their 'Ottoman' neighbours. Whether sympathy and consolation in relation to the atrocities that took place, or an almost father-son relationship between a Rum baker and an older Turkish baker.
The book contains beautiful, poetic, hilariousand emphatic idioms from both Greek and Turkish. It contains elements of culture including food, music, liturgy, language and prayers from Greek and Turkish traditions. It contains aspects of the history of the Rum people including violence, pogroms and forced migration. It is far from a religious book, but some of the inclusion of Orthodox prayer, liturgy and theology really resonated for me as an Orthodox Christian. So did the discussion of intergenerational trauma, which is not too far removed from the experiences of Copts.
Truly beautiful, albeit the pacing issues, and a book I will find myself daydreaming about for years to come.
A story beautiful and unique in how it portrays the history and present of the Rum, the Christian descendants of the Byzantines in modern day Turkey and in how it portrays love and lust among those over 70. It is surprisingly deep for a romcom, as it covers nostalgia, generational trauma, oppression, the desire to maintain one's culture and faith, love, culture clash, communal memories, and so many other topics with poise and grace.
one of the places where this book truly shines is in how it covers intergenerational dialogues and relationships. We have characters who are elderly, interacting with their younger relatives, caring about them, loving them, disagreeing with them and bidirectional learning taking place. We have a character learning to accept and mourn a traumatic old love, and another trying to bring a new love to life. All of this occurs as a microcosn in the wider context of the Rum people's journey, with all it's triumphs and tragedies. The personal tragedies and losses are given context and scope within the larger tragedies of the pogroms against the Rum people. The Turks/Ottomans/Muslims are not demonised, but seen as humans - some of whom are good and some of whom are not. Some of whom protected and loved their Rum neighbours, and some of whom did not. Some of the most sympathetic and beautiful moments in the book occur between the Rum and their 'Ottoman' neighbours. Whether sympathy and consolation in relation to the atrocities that took place, or an almost father-son relationship between a Rum baker and an older Turkish baker.
The book contains beautiful, poetic, hilariousand emphatic idioms from both Greek and Turkish. It contains elements of culture including food, music, liturgy, language and prayers from Greek and Turkish traditions. It contains aspects of the history of the Rum people including violence, pogroms and forced migration. It is far from a religious book, but some of the inclusion of Orthodox prayer, liturgy and theology really resonated for me as an Orthodox Christian. So did the discussion of intergenerational trauma, which is not too far removed from the experiences of Copts.
Truly beautiful, albeit the pacing issues, and a book I will find myself daydreaming about for years to come.
April 10, 2022
I read A Recipe for Daphne as a personal challenge to read some of the long-listed books for the Dublin Literary Award. On the surface it seems like a light romance, but underneath it is much more than that. I kept puzzling how to describe it, until I found an interview on The World by Durrie Bouscaren and she said it so much better than I could:
"Anastasiadou’s book passes as a light, escapist novel with a love story. But at its core, it’s a meditation on identity and the scars of history.".
I think though, that it goes beyond that and examines cultural prejudices and how to move beyond them. It does this while examining a community and while there is a romance one could even say that it is a love story of the Rum Christian community in Istanbul.
The reader gets to know this elderly community, have tea with them, sit and gossip and even learn any number of off-color sayings.
"Anastasiadou’s book passes as a light, escapist novel with a love story. But at its core, it’s a meditation on identity and the scars of history.".
I think though, that it goes beyond that and examines cultural prejudices and how to move beyond them. It does this while examining a community and while there is a romance one could even say that it is a love story of the Rum Christian community in Istanbul.
The reader gets to know this elderly community, have tea with them, sit and gossip and even learn any number of off-color sayings.
January 10, 2021
A wonderful map of Istanbul. With all it’s cultural differences and entangled identities. It beautifully describes this enchanting place between two different worlds. It feels like you’re morphing from one image to another as you travel between the lines.
March 29, 2021
I thought this book was fantastic! It took me a bit to get used to the writing, but that is because there were so many words that I did not know the meaning of, since I was limited in my knowledge of Greek, Turkey, and Muslim culture. One advantage that I discovered reading on my iPad was the ability to quickly highlight and look up those words, which gave a greater, more vivid picture. This is one thing that I found to be very pleasurable about this book - the way the author paints pictures with words. For example, on page 8 "While walking beneath the grapevines that crawled over electric lines and drooped like pearls on a woman's chest,..." Isn't that just beautiful in your mind? I could definitely talk about that in book club.
Of course, there are many relationships in this book. Fanis, the older man who still pictures himself as a woman's man, but we find to be vulnerable and misunderstood. Kosmas, the young baker that is looking for a wife that is Rum (Turkish) so that he can keep the family lineage strong and make his mother, Rea, happy. Aliki, who is in love with Fanis. Dimitris. Julien who is the music professor who teaches the beautiful violinist, Selin. Gavriela, and her niece from the United States, the beguiling Daphne. All of the relationships intertwine, with the main characters, in my mind, being Fanis, Kosmas, and Daphne. So many twists and turns that are meaningful and can be discussed regarding male/female friendship, family relationships, and culture bias.
There was a lot to learn about the 1955 pogrom that occurred and how the fallout from that affected the lives of the people for the years to follow. How do people get over this kind of tragedy ad go on to live a life without fear of it reoccurring? How do they go on and learn to forgive?
There are many great lines in the book that I found funny because they are sayings that they use in Turkey that we do not use in America. Or there were some great descriptions that I do not think an American author would think of using. I enjoyed reading those and highlighted those passages. And when Daphne mentioned the essay she wrote about the Balkanik pastry and Dimitris described it in such beautiful detail, I wanted to taste it. And so did Kosmas. And so his journey to find the recipe began.
And the real crux of the book turns out to be about ethnicity and racism. Daphne and Rea have their first argument about it early in the book when they are talking about the origin of the word "Rums." And at one point Fanis talks about how hosgoru means looking pleasantly upon other people and their ideas, which is so much better that "tolerating", which means you are just putting up with them.
So as you are reading this book, you will enjoy the words, the story, the characters, the underlying themes, and the different world views. I really thought it was a delightful read.
Of course, there are many relationships in this book. Fanis, the older man who still pictures himself as a woman's man, but we find to be vulnerable and misunderstood. Kosmas, the young baker that is looking for a wife that is Rum (Turkish) so that he can keep the family lineage strong and make his mother, Rea, happy. Aliki, who is in love with Fanis. Dimitris. Julien who is the music professor who teaches the beautiful violinist, Selin. Gavriela, and her niece from the United States, the beguiling Daphne. All of the relationships intertwine, with the main characters, in my mind, being Fanis, Kosmas, and Daphne. So many twists and turns that are meaningful and can be discussed regarding male/female friendship, family relationships, and culture bias.
There was a lot to learn about the 1955 pogrom that occurred and how the fallout from that affected the lives of the people for the years to follow. How do people get over this kind of tragedy ad go on to live a life without fear of it reoccurring? How do they go on and learn to forgive?
There are many great lines in the book that I found funny because they are sayings that they use in Turkey that we do not use in America. Or there were some great descriptions that I do not think an American author would think of using. I enjoyed reading those and highlighted those passages. And when Daphne mentioned the essay she wrote about the Balkanik pastry and Dimitris described it in such beautiful detail, I wanted to taste it. And so did Kosmas. And so his journey to find the recipe began.
And the real crux of the book turns out to be about ethnicity and racism. Daphne and Rea have their first argument about it early in the book when they are talking about the origin of the word "Rums." And at one point Fanis talks about how hosgoru means looking pleasantly upon other people and their ideas, which is so much better that "tolerating", which means you are just putting up with them.
So as you are reading this book, you will enjoy the words, the story, the characters, the underlying themes, and the different world views. I really thought it was a delightful read.
August 23, 2024
Odlična, sadržajna ljubavna priča sa dobrim istorijskim kontekstom. Vrednosti koje sam našao u ovoj priči, nalazim i u sopstvenoj porodici, što mi je mnogo zanimljivo, jer sam bliži tom kulturnom kodu nego ovom gore našem.
June 20, 2022
This won me over immediately by being pedantic about the caduceus vs the rod of Asclepius, but it earned four stars because I really felt engaged by the characters, their relationships, and the food descriptions.
November 19, 2024
At the start of this, I really thought it was going to be awful, but it evolved into quite a charming romance-with-a-point that explores the worlds of early 21st century Rum in Istanbul. The characters do deal with past trauma and present prejudice (not unrelated) but the emphasis tends towards sweet - and the arc is that of a traditional romance.
February 27, 2021
This book immersed me in a way that I experienced Istanbul in a new light, as if I was discovering the city I love all over again. So visually stimulating and vivid. I loved it from start to finish. It’s a sensual book of food, family, cultural heritage, and love, and I savored every page. Gorgeous debut that gets the complexities of a city and place with entangled histories and layers of meaning and identity.
January 16, 2021
As a foreigner living in Istanbul and fascinated by its rich history, I very much enjoyed reading A Recipe for Daphne. Personally romance novels are not my thing, but most of the time it seemed the plot used romance as an excuse to dive deeper into the culture and minds of the community. It's not easy writing about tragic events like the 1955 pogrom with an overall upbeat plot, and yet that's exactly what this book does. Its very clear message is: the Rum community may be small, dwindling and overall old, but it's not a victim, and it's here to stay.
March 27, 2021
The best armchair travel I've done this year. Superbly written, funny, profound, rich in culture and atmosphere, with characters so vivid that you are sure they are real. I learned a great deal about the culture of the Rum Polites (otherwise known as "Greeks") of Istanbul and their struggle to survive. When I finished, I missed them . . . they had become my friends while reading. Istanbul is the first place that I will visit as soon as I am able.
July 11, 2022
I read this book because I follow the author on Twitter and I know about her research and work on Istanbul Greeks, Greek/Turkish linguistic ties and she presents to us cultural idiosyncrasies of our country that we usually take for granted in everyday life.
I read it in a heartbeat, as it was a sweet little story about a community trying to maintain its cultural essence and survive in an ever-changing world. Part of it has to do with the burden of history but part of it comes from the natural course of life, old age, migration, peer pressure, competition. The characters were built deeply and so real, I feel like hopping on a bus to go see Fanis and Selin.
I was more content with the literary side of the book, especially the character depictions, but less satisfied with factual data. This could be because I’m a social scientist and I have the occupational hazard of seeking details :) When people immigrate, especially group that is traumatized, they seek to live in a diaspora. The diaspora -maybe deliberately- was avoided in the book. The community in Istanbul was presented as if in a bubble, whereas today they encounter a transformed yet still cosmopolitan life with other immigrants from different parts of the world. Historically, the 1955 pogrom and 1964 forced migration needs to be contextualized in Turkish politics, even in Turkish political economy, as both events were seeking to open up room for Turkish incomers into the city. And you can change your religion in Turkey, have a baby with no religion, and leave the form empty for the religion slot.
Overall, it was good book, well worth the time I put into it, and made me think about coexistence and the colors that drown in the grayness of our dull everyday struggles.
I read it in a heartbeat, as it was a sweet little story about a community trying to maintain its cultural essence and survive in an ever-changing world. Part of it has to do with the burden of history but part of it comes from the natural course of life, old age, migration, peer pressure, competition. The characters were built deeply and so real, I feel like hopping on a bus to go see Fanis and Selin.
I was more content with the literary side of the book, especially the character depictions, but less satisfied with factual data. This could be because I’m a social scientist and I have the occupational hazard of seeking details :) When people immigrate, especially group that is traumatized, they seek to live in a diaspora. The diaspora -maybe deliberately- was avoided in the book. The community in Istanbul was presented as if in a bubble, whereas today they encounter a transformed yet still cosmopolitan life with other immigrants from different parts of the world. Historically, the 1955 pogrom and 1964 forced migration needs to be contextualized in Turkish politics, even in Turkish political economy, as both events were seeking to open up room for Turkish incomers into the city. And you can change your religion in Turkey, have a baby with no religion, and leave the form empty for the religion slot.
Overall, it was good book, well worth the time I put into it, and made me think about coexistence and the colors that drown in the grayness of our dull everyday struggles.
May 7, 2021
This beautiful novel, set among Istanbul’s Rum, is a powerful, humane and loving portrait of a community and city. An elegant and moving piece of writing, it never strays into sentimentality. Highly recommended.
June 29, 2021
A lighthearted romantic comedy that is also a bittersweet valentine to pre-1955 Istanbul. I loved the details about music, food, and culture, including some really inventive curses in Greek and Turkish!
March 21, 2024
Start reading to travel to “The City” and taste the food through words. Stay reading for the poignant exploration of preserving culture and heritage.
December 18, 2023
En gullig kärlekshistoria och en kärleksförklaring till Istanbul. Jag fastnade inte riktigt för någon av karaktärerna, men boken bjuder på en så levande skildring av staden att det känns som att jag varit där. Skulle kunna bli en bra film!
July 18, 2023
a sweet love story, with a wonderful attention to historical detail and beautiful settings
June 28, 2022
A really charming book. A unique look into the Greek Christian community still living in Istanbul. The author really captured the atmosphere and the personality of Istanbul, and it made me feel like I knew the City but in actuality I have never been there. And the food descriptions!! Made me want to book a trip to Turkey!
September 25, 2025
Really good. Reading this on the plane to Istanbul was a great way to prepare me for my quick stop in Istanbul. It shed some light on the city's history, untangled identity from belonging, and showed how beauty and tragedy coexist. The book moved me to tears, made me laugh, and everything in between. Now, I am feeling pretty heavy, especially after standing in Agia Triada and Pera just this morning and imagining what the recipe for Daphne would have been, had the pogrom not occurred.
March 31, 2022
I really wish we could give half stars, because I would give A Recipe for Daphne for 3.5 stars. The Washington Post's review of the book brought it to my attention, and I really wanted to read the book, since I'm of Greek descent but don't really know much at all about the Rum community. I think Anastasiadou did a great job describing Constantinople and its pace of life. I liked seeing that the Greek Rum and Ottoman communities seemed to coexist in this story set in 2011, even though there were so many reminders of sad and tragic earlier times. The plot itself wasn't didn't grab me as much as the descriptions of the city, the life, the religion, and the Greek, Turkish, and even Spanish peppering the novel. There were a few times that the action seemed to jump kind of jarringly, and I had to go back a paragraph or two to see if I had overlooked a detail. It's a good debut and I hope Anastasiadou will continue to share her talent with us.
April 6, 2021
I attended the book presentation at the Panayia Greek church in Istanbul and purchased my copy there. I must say that perhaps if I had seen the book at a bookstore, I might not have picked it up. At first I was even a bit sceptical about the plot? I usually do not enjoy too many modern romance books. In that sense I must agree with the previous reviewer that the plot was somewhat predictable. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the humour and the warmth of the characters and loved that Istanbul as a city was very present in this work. It was a character in itself, not just a place where characters develop their stories! I feel though those not very familiar with the city and its (perhaps now diminishing) way of life might feel familiar and “cosy with the story”, nevertheless others would certainly still enjoy it. The characters come alive along with the city! Enjoyable and recommended read!
March 29, 2021
Charming and light, along the lines of Crossing Delancey and Moonstruck. A group of senior citizens spends pretty much all of their time getting together for tea and pastries. They're still carrying around trauma from ethnic violence in 1955. They also spend a lot of time thinking about romance. I liked the way the author worked in sometimes very, very earthy Greek and Turkish expressions.
This would make a cute movie (Stanley Tucci or Tony Shaloub as Fanis? Salma Hayek as Selin? Rami Youssef as Kosmas?). The plot is predictable, and some of the characters have in-group/out-group views that would probably have to be toned down, but a non-stop collection of pretty little scenes--I'd watch that.
This would make a cute movie (Stanley Tucci or Tony Shaloub as Fanis? Salma Hayek as Selin? Rami Youssef as Kosmas?). The plot is predictable, and some of the characters have in-group/out-group views that would probably have to be toned down, but a non-stop collection of pretty little scenes--I'd watch that.
February 8, 2025
I read this based on a recommendation for book set in Istanbul. And it delivers in that aspect. I loved how vividly the city is described and how we get insight into that southern lifestyle and southern family dynamics.
But while quirks of certain protagonists might seem charming in the beginning, or at least it seems as it was intended that way, to me it was simply weird. On the other hand that could be authentic too, if I didn’t get the feeling it was intended to be funny.
Plus this could use some major editing for weird sentences and simple errors that made the whole experience tiring.
But while quirks of certain protagonists might seem charming in the beginning, or at least it seems as it was intended that way, to me it was simply weird. On the other hand that could be authentic too, if I didn’t get the feeling it was intended to be funny.
Plus this could use some major editing for weird sentences and simple errors that made the whole experience tiring.
July 5, 2021
Unfortunately, I didn't find the locale or the leading men charming. And I kept wondering how the characters (some of whom were far from wealthy and not all of whom were retired, students, or on vacation) had the time and money to go so frequently to cafes and other eateries.
August 31, 2021
Amazing book! Enjoyed the dive into contemporary Istanbul Rum culture and relations while also experiencing the hauntings of the past. Would love to follow Daphne and Kosmas in their love and cultural journey!
April 26, 2021
A perfectly engaging love story!
September 27, 2023
If you wanna learn more about the Greek community of Istanbul, you should definitely read it!!
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