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Devojka na drvetu
GDE POBEĆI OD OKRUTNOSTI SVAKODNEVICE?
„Bezimena tinejdžerka penje se na najviše drvo u vekovima starom parku Gulhane rešena da tu provede ostatak života. Ubrzo nakon što se obrela na drvetu, upoznaje Junusa, usamljenog liftboja iz obližnjeg hotela, koji joj olakšava život na tom neobičnom mestu i s kojim će vremenom razviti uzbudljivu emotivnu vezu. Smeštena u napuštenom rodinom gnezdu, ona nam, preko priča o ljudima iz svoje okoline – jer, čovek je priča drugog čoveka – otkriva razloge koji su je nagnali da se odrekne života na zemlji.
U ovoj priči upoznaćete sudbine žena različitih generacija koje su bile i ostale žrtve društveno-socijalne nejednakosti, nasilja, rodne neravnopravnosti i pritisaka društva. Čućete nešto i o danima protesta u parku Gezi, smrti Ejmi Vajnhaus, kako je Britni Spirs doterala liniju, bombaškom napadu u Suruču u kom je grupa mladih ljudi stradala noseći igračke kurdskoj deci, pogromu Grka i Jermena 6. i 7. septembra 1955.
Istovremeno, ovaj roman je i vrsta priručnika za upoznavanje mladih naraštaja informatičke ere koji postoje u onlajn statusu, druže se isključivo na društvenim mrežama i govore sebi svojstvenim jezikom obilato koristeći psovke i kompjuterski žargon.” – Vesna Gazdić
Šebnem Išiguzel (1973) upoznajemo kao jedan od značajnijih glasova savremene turske književnosti. Autorka je više zbirki priča i romana, a za svoju prvu zbirku priča – Budućnost ti je svetla nagrađena je značajnim književnim priznanjem – nagradom „Junus Nadi”.
„Bezimena tinejdžerka penje se na najviše drvo u vekovima starom parku Gulhane rešena da tu provede ostatak života. Ubrzo nakon što se obrela na drvetu, upoznaje Junusa, usamljenog liftboja iz obližnjeg hotela, koji joj olakšava život na tom neobičnom mestu i s kojim će vremenom razviti uzbudljivu emotivnu vezu. Smeštena u napuštenom rodinom gnezdu, ona nam, preko priča o ljudima iz svoje okoline – jer, čovek je priča drugog čoveka – otkriva razloge koji su je nagnali da se odrekne života na zemlji.
U ovoj priči upoznaćete sudbine žena različitih generacija koje su bile i ostale žrtve društveno-socijalne nejednakosti, nasilja, rodne neravnopravnosti i pritisaka društva. Čućete nešto i o danima protesta u parku Gezi, smrti Ejmi Vajnhaus, kako je Britni Spirs doterala liniju, bombaškom napadu u Suruču u kom je grupa mladih ljudi stradala noseći igračke kurdskoj deci, pogromu Grka i Jermena 6. i 7. septembra 1955.
Istovremeno, ovaj roman je i vrsta priručnika za upoznavanje mladih naraštaja informatičke ere koji postoje u onlajn statusu, druže se isključivo na društvenim mrežama i govore sebi svojstvenim jezikom obilato koristeći psovke i kompjuterski žargon.” – Vesna Gazdić
Šebnem Išiguzel (1973) upoznajemo kao jedan od značajnijih glasova savremene turske književnosti. Autorka je više zbirki priča i romana, a za svoju prvu zbirku priča – Budućnost ti je svetla nagrađena je značajnim književnim priznanjem – nagradom „Junus Nadi”.
278 pages, Hardcover
First published December 1, 2016
4242 people are currently reading
6672 people want to read
About the author
Şebnem İşigüzel
23 books164 followers1973 yılında doğdu. İstanbul Üniversitesi’nde antropoloji okudu. İlk kitabı Hanene Ay Doğacak 1993 yılında yayımlandı. Aynı yıl Yunus Nadi Öykü Ödülü’ne değer bulundu. Sonra sırasıyla Öykümü Kim Anlatacak (öykü, 1994), Eski Dostum Kertenkele (roman, 1996), ağırlıklı olarak Radikal İki’de yayımlanan yazılarını topladığı Neşeli Kadınlar Arasında (deneme, 2000), Sarmaşık (roman, 2002), Çöplük (roman, 2004), Resmigeçit (roman, 2008), Kirpiklerimin Gölgesi (roman, 2010), Venüs (roman, 2013) ve Ağaçtaki Kız (roman, 2016) kitapları yayımlandı. 2016 yılında İletişim Yayınları tarafından yayımlanan Gözyaşı Konağı, Ada, 1876 adlı romanıyla Duygu Asena Roman Ödülü’nün sahibi oldu. Çocuklar için Annem, Kargalar ve Ben’i (2011) yazdı. Hayatını yazarak sürdüren Şebnem İşigüzel, Tamar ile Ararat’ın annesidir.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 397 reviews
October 18, 2019
The Girl in the Tree
I am so glad I stayed with this book through the very last line. . . .it took my breath away. The narrator pulls no punches, doesn’t spare you a bit of her free-associating, with no filter in place. Her heart, hurts and hopelessness hang out there for all to read. . .making for more uncomfortable moments in reading than I usually tolerate. That said, it was compelling in places that pushed me impatiently to the tale’s conclusion. Growing up is hard in the best of circumstances, in the best of times. Growing up when everything you love is a spent target. . . .that’s excruciating. Enough to make a girl climb a tree and stay there.
This is a bright, shiny read. . . 5 bright, shiny tears for a girl you won't forget. When you next walk under spreading trees I suspect you'll look up with a more interested eye. . .wait. . .is that a stork's nest?
A sincere thanks to Sebnem Isiguzel, AmazonCrossing and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I am so glad I stayed with this book through the very last line. . . .it took my breath away. The narrator pulls no punches, doesn’t spare you a bit of her free-associating, with no filter in place. Her heart, hurts and hopelessness hang out there for all to read. . .making for more uncomfortable moments in reading than I usually tolerate. That said, it was compelling in places that pushed me impatiently to the tale’s conclusion. Growing up is hard in the best of circumstances, in the best of times. Growing up when everything you love is a spent target. . . .that’s excruciating. Enough to make a girl climb a tree and stay there.
This is a bright, shiny read. . . 5 bright, shiny tears for a girl you won't forget. When you next walk under spreading trees I suspect you'll look up with a more interested eye. . .wait. . .is that a stork's nest?
A sincere thanks to Sebnem Isiguzel, AmazonCrossing and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 17, 2019
I struggled to get with the flow of this narrator, she is all over the shop. I think it is supposed to be representative of the fact that she herself has lost the plot or lost all hope? I'm intrigued to read more from this author but this one didn't speak to me at all. It is possible that I am a woman on the ground rather than a girl in the trees, so we were never going to connect anyway.
With thanks to AmazonCrossing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
#TheGirlInTheTree #NetGalley
With thanks to AmazonCrossing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.
#TheGirlInTheTree #NetGalley
June 24, 2020
Here's the thing: we can't live our lives by forgetting. All we can do is transform our past experiences into something else. And that's what we should do, turning them into memories that won't weigh on our hearts or drag us down into misery.
If I didn't know how to forget, who could? I found myself on the treetops because I was stuck with my memories. Because I longed to forget. Because I couldn't forget.
After a constant debate with myself whether I should continue reading this book or not, I stuck with it in the end.
The story takes place in 2013-2014, during the riots and political upheavals that shook Turkey. It's about a teenage girl who is so disillusioned with her life and safety that she decides on an impulse to climb the tallest tree in Gulhane Park and live in it as she thinks this will give her a better chance at survival, both from the unrest the city is in the grip of and her memories. During the length of the novel, the girl keeps recalling different memories of her best friends, grandmother, aunt, mother and father, most of whom are now dead as a direct and indirect result of the political upheaval in the country. She also finds an unexpected friend and love in a young man, Yunus, who works in a hotel opposite the park and who becomes her only companion with whom she shares her memories and stories with.
This book, if ones sticks with it, is not bad. I guess the writing would be an issue for some since most of it is the musings of the girl in the tree (we only get to know her name right at the end) and her recollections are not synchronised. She jumps backwards and forwards constantly which can confuse readers but this shows that the girl is confused too; there are times when the girl, herself, is not sure if she is dreaming or awake while recalling a memory which shows the struggle the girl is going through trying to keep a grip on her own reality and sanity.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher AmazonCrossing and the author Sebnem Isiguzel for the e-Arc of the book. This Arc is an English translation done by Mark David Wyers.
The book was published on April 16, 2020.
If I didn't know how to forget, who could? I found myself on the treetops because I was stuck with my memories. Because I longed to forget. Because I couldn't forget.
After a constant debate with myself whether I should continue reading this book or not, I stuck with it in the end.
The story takes place in 2013-2014, during the riots and political upheavals that shook Turkey. It's about a teenage girl who is so disillusioned with her life and safety that she decides on an impulse to climb the tallest tree in Gulhane Park and live in it as she thinks this will give her a better chance at survival, both from the unrest the city is in the grip of and her memories. During the length of the novel, the girl keeps recalling different memories of her best friends, grandmother, aunt, mother and father, most of whom are now dead as a direct and indirect result of the political upheaval in the country. She also finds an unexpected friend and love in a young man, Yunus, who works in a hotel opposite the park and who becomes her only companion with whom she shares her memories and stories with.
This book, if ones sticks with it, is not bad. I guess the writing would be an issue for some since most of it is the musings of the girl in the tree (we only get to know her name right at the end) and her recollections are not synchronised. She jumps backwards and forwards constantly which can confuse readers but this shows that the girl is confused too; there are times when the girl, herself, is not sure if she is dreaming or awake while recalling a memory which shows the struggle the girl is going through trying to keep a grip on her own reality and sanity.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher AmazonCrossing and the author Sebnem Isiguzel for the e-Arc of the book. This Arc is an English translation done by Mark David Wyers.
The book was published on April 16, 2020.
February 5, 2017
Şebnem İşigüzel, Türk yazarları arasında en iyi tanıdığım, hatta beraber büyüdüğüm, yazarlık serüvenini okur olarak paralel bir şekilde takip edebildiğim yazarlardan biridir. 'Sarmaşık' çıktığı zamanlarda, henüz ben çok gençken; beni büyülemiş ve edebiyata aşık etmişti. Akabinde de eski yazdıklarını hemen edinip tekrar tekrar okumuş, yeni çıkan kitaplarına da çıkışının haftasında açlıkla saldırmışımdır.
Kendiliğinden aramızda özel bir bağ oluştuğundan, onun kitaplarına biraz duygusal yaklaştığımı söylemem lazım. Henüz 2016'nın başında 'Gözyaşı Konağı, Ada' romanını yayımlamıştı İşigüzel ve bende 'Venüs'le edebi yoldan bağlanan, iyi bir roman okumanın tatminini yaratmıştı. Kendisiyle ilgili o kitabından mütevellit iletişime geçtiğimde, yeni bir roman için çok beklememiz gerekmeyeceğini söylemişti. Gerçekten de aynı yıl içerisinde, sene sonunda 'Ağaçtaki Kız'ın müjdesini verdi.
'Ağaçtaki Kız' için söyleyebileceğim ilk şey daha önce okuduğumuz hiçbir İşigüzel romanına benzememesi. Onun edebiyatında alışık olduğumuz bir şey aslında bu. 'Hanene Ay Doğacak'ı yazan kadın 'Sarmaşık'ı, 'Çöplük'ü yazan kadın 'Resmigeçit'i, 'Kirpiklerimin Gölgesi'ni yazan kadın 'Venüs'ü yazarak abiyane tanımla okuru hep dumur etmişti. Şimdi yine bambaşka bir dil, anlatım ve roman var önümüzde. 'Ağaçtaki Kız'da derinden gelen İşigüzel sesi çok net hissediliyorken bir yandan da daha önce tanık olmadığımız çarpıcı, dinamik ve hızlı bir dil inşa oluyor.
Arka kapak yazısında "İçinden geçtiğimiz günlerin romanı." diye yazılmış. Gerçekten de öyle bir roman olmuş. İçinde yaşadığımız Türkiye'nin kırbaçlarından fazlaca yemiş genç bir kızın ağaçlar üzerine çıkarak orada yaşamaya karar vermesiyle yarı fantastik bir merkez seçen yazar, sonrasında karakterin tanıklıkları ile romanı genişletmiş. Sürekli bir duygudaşlık durumu içindeyiz karakterle. Zira yazarın ekstra bir çaba sarf etmesine gerek yok; çok yakın tarihimizde yaşadıklarımız konu oluyor. Öyle göze sokar gibi de değil. Arka planda, tam da etki ettiği haliyle. Emrah Serbes'in 'Deliduman' isimli romanı; içinden geçtiğimiz günlere tanıklık ettiği gerekçesiyle çok beğenilmiş, bazıları tarafından baş tacı edilmişti. Ama ben orada bir anlatıcının çabasını görmüştüm, bir edebiyatçının değil. İşigüzel ise sadece Gezi Olayları değil çok başka onlarca şeyi; tam da bir edebiyatçının bakabileceği bir gözle, dille romanlaştırmış. Bu kadar yakın tarihin olayları ya da twitter, facebook gibi internet zımbırtılarının romanlarda yer alması normalde beni esere yabancılaştırır. Fakat 'Ağaçtaki Kız'da böyle bir durum yaşamadım, zira romanın kurgulanış biçimi de, kendi kendini anlatma şekli de oluşabilecek bu yabancılaşmanın önüne geçmek ister gibi kurgulanmış. Bu tarz uzaklaşmaları avantaja çevirmeyi başarmış.
Kesinlikle okunmayı hak eden bir kitap! İyi okumalar!
8/10
Kendiliğinden aramızda özel bir bağ oluştuğundan, onun kitaplarına biraz duygusal yaklaştığımı söylemem lazım. Henüz 2016'nın başında 'Gözyaşı Konağı, Ada' romanını yayımlamıştı İşigüzel ve bende 'Venüs'le edebi yoldan bağlanan, iyi bir roman okumanın tatminini yaratmıştı. Kendisiyle ilgili o kitabından mütevellit iletişime geçtiğimde, yeni bir roman için çok beklememiz gerekmeyeceğini söylemişti. Gerçekten de aynı yıl içerisinde, sene sonunda 'Ağaçtaki Kız'ın müjdesini verdi.
'Ağaçtaki Kız' için söyleyebileceğim ilk şey daha önce okuduğumuz hiçbir İşigüzel romanına benzememesi. Onun edebiyatında alışık olduğumuz bir şey aslında bu. 'Hanene Ay Doğacak'ı yazan kadın 'Sarmaşık'ı, 'Çöplük'ü yazan kadın 'Resmigeçit'i, 'Kirpiklerimin Gölgesi'ni yazan kadın 'Venüs'ü yazarak abiyane tanımla okuru hep dumur etmişti. Şimdi yine bambaşka bir dil, anlatım ve roman var önümüzde. 'Ağaçtaki Kız'da derinden gelen İşigüzel sesi çok net hissediliyorken bir yandan da daha önce tanık olmadığımız çarpıcı, dinamik ve hızlı bir dil inşa oluyor.
Arka kapak yazısında "İçinden geçtiğimiz günlerin romanı." diye yazılmış. Gerçekten de öyle bir roman olmuş. İçinde yaşadığımız Türkiye'nin kırbaçlarından fazlaca yemiş genç bir kızın ağaçlar üzerine çıkarak orada yaşamaya karar vermesiyle yarı fantastik bir merkez seçen yazar, sonrasında karakterin tanıklıkları ile romanı genişletmiş. Sürekli bir duygudaşlık durumu içindeyiz karakterle. Zira yazarın ekstra bir çaba sarf etmesine gerek yok; çok yakın tarihimizde yaşadıklarımız konu oluyor. Öyle göze sokar gibi de değil. Arka planda, tam da etki ettiği haliyle. Emrah Serbes'in 'Deliduman' isimli romanı; içinden geçtiğimiz günlere tanıklık ettiği gerekçesiyle çok beğenilmiş, bazıları tarafından baş tacı edilmişti. Ama ben orada bir anlatıcının çabasını görmüştüm, bir edebiyatçının değil. İşigüzel ise sadece Gezi Olayları değil çok başka onlarca şeyi; tam da bir edebiyatçının bakabileceği bir gözle, dille romanlaştırmış. Bu kadar yakın tarihin olayları ya da twitter, facebook gibi internet zımbırtılarının romanlarda yer alması normalde beni esere yabancılaştırır. Fakat 'Ağaçtaki Kız'da böyle bir durum yaşamadım, zira romanın kurgulanış biçimi de, kendi kendini anlatma şekli de oluşabilecek bu yabancılaşmanın önüne geçmek ister gibi kurgulanmış. Bu tarz uzaklaşmaları avantaja çevirmeyi başarmış.
Kesinlikle okunmayı hak eden bir kitap! İyi okumalar!
8/10
January 2, 2020
At first, i liked it - i really liked the raw, heartbreaking and a bit jumpy style of writing. I wanted to give the main character a hug. But after 50%, i tried to hold on, i tried - really tried to like it. But the jumpy style was tiring and confusing and all the different people that came and went, made it hard. Plus the main character was so miserable in one moment and so in love and "pink skies and unicorn" in the next. It was just tiredsome. So i decided to DNF a 69%, i just had to stop.
October 21, 2021
This book was so dull I literally fell asleep listening to it.
Plot: ... oh, wait. I don't think there is one. It's basically just a girl in a tree rambling about her family for a ridiculously long time.
I opted for the audio on this one and honestly I don't think it really made a difference- I zoned out instead of having to just skim a whole lot. I'm not joking about falling asleep - I must have dozed through at least 20min of this book and still didn't feel like I'd missed anything.
The problem is that it's just a billion or so anecdotes from this girl's life featuring her two best friends, her mother, grandmother, aunts, etc. and all the details of their tiresome lives. Only it's not told in any logical kind of order - it's just the girl talking about whatever random thought she has next. A large part of the story focuses on how this one time a teacher told her she was a terrible writer and honestly I couldn't help but agree with the teacher. Maybe that's why this book was written so terribly? To lend it authenticity? Intentional or not, it did not work for me at all.
It flits between a bunch of random times in the past as well as the present where she's up a tree and flirting with this dude who works nearby. Their relationship is obviously important to the story but I just did not care one bit.
And that right there pretty much sums up my entire feelings about this book: I DID NOT CARE.
There are some dark themes about political unrest and defining freedom and all manner of violence and abuse, but they just could not hook me. I feel like the meat of a good story is here but the narrator ruins it by never letting you sit in those moments and feel anything. She just jumps straight back into that one time a teacher told her she was a terrible writer.
The bonus star is for the potential, and a ray of hope for people who have more patience than me. But for me it was mind-numbingly boring from start to finish.
If you're not hooked on the style after the first 50 pages, you may not want to bother. It honestly doesn't get much more dynamic, and there's no real chronology to it so if you're not interested straight away you're unlikely to become interested later.
I hope others get more out of it than I did, though.
Plot: ... oh, wait. I don't think there is one. It's basically just a girl in a tree rambling about her family for a ridiculously long time.
I opted for the audio on this one and honestly I don't think it really made a difference- I zoned out instead of having to just skim a whole lot. I'm not joking about falling asleep - I must have dozed through at least 20min of this book and still didn't feel like I'd missed anything.
The problem is that it's just a billion or so anecdotes from this girl's life featuring her two best friends, her mother, grandmother, aunts, etc. and all the details of their tiresome lives. Only it's not told in any logical kind of order - it's just the girl talking about whatever random thought she has next. A large part of the story focuses on how this one time a teacher told her she was a terrible writer and honestly I couldn't help but agree with the teacher. Maybe that's why this book was written so terribly? To lend it authenticity? Intentional or not, it did not work for me at all.
It flits between a bunch of random times in the past as well as the present where she's up a tree and flirting with this dude who works nearby. Their relationship is obviously important to the story but I just did not care one bit.
And that right there pretty much sums up my entire feelings about this book: I DID NOT CARE.
There are some dark themes about political unrest and defining freedom and all manner of violence and abuse, but they just could not hook me. I feel like the meat of a good story is here but the narrator ruins it by never letting you sit in those moments and feel anything. She just jumps straight back into that one time a teacher told her she was a terrible writer.
The bonus star is for the potential, and a ray of hope for people who have more patience than me. But for me it was mind-numbingly boring from start to finish.
If you're not hooked on the style after the first 50 pages, you may not want to bother. It honestly doesn't get much more dynamic, and there's no real chronology to it so if you're not interested straight away you're unlikely to become interested later.
I hope others get more out of it than I did, though.
April 17, 2020
Thanks to Netgalley and AmazonCrossing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Girl in the Tree is the first of Turkish novelist Sebnem Isiguzel's books to be translated into English. Set in Turkey, our young female protagonist has lived through her share of loss and decides to set a new path by living among the trees in Istanbul's Gulhane Park. As she sits in her tree, she relates her family's history and slowly reveals the numerous instances of her sorrow.
Admittedly, I had a little trouble feeling invested in the story. This could be partially due to translation or the fact that the protagonist has a way of digressing from her present and talking about other things. Once I realized that the story was shaped that way, I was much more interested and focused.
Goodreads review published 16/04/20
Publication date 16/04/20
The Girl in the Tree is the first of Turkish novelist Sebnem Isiguzel's books to be translated into English. Set in Turkey, our young female protagonist has lived through her share of loss and decides to set a new path by living among the trees in Istanbul's Gulhane Park. As she sits in her tree, she relates her family's history and slowly reveals the numerous instances of her sorrow.
Admittedly, I had a little trouble feeling invested in the story. This could be partially due to translation or the fact that the protagonist has a way of digressing from her present and talking about other things. Once I realized that the story was shaped that way, I was much more interested and focused.
Goodreads review published 16/04/20
Publication date 16/04/20
March 15, 2020
The first of Şebnem İşigüzel’s eight novels to be translated into English, The Girl in the Tree is a somewhat surreal tale. It does what it says on the tin - it’s the story of a young girl who decides to live out the rest of her life in a tree. While up there, she reflects on her family history and conducts a relationship with some guy she barely knows.
.
Narrated in a jumpy and bold first person, we get right inside our protagonist’s head, which can be disconcerting at times as her thoughts don’t follow any sort of linear pattern. One paragraph she’ll be regaling us with a funny tale about her foul-mouthed grandma and the next she’s recounting instances of shocking police brutality during protests. If you read some of the other reviews available, you’ll see they say the same thing: it ends up being difficult to follow.
.
Usually I’m a huge fan of stream of consciousness novels, as well as novels that jump back and forth in time, so I’m unsure why this one didn’t work for me. Maybe the transitions were too clunky. I also never really clicked with the narrator’s voice. İşigüzel does portray well the trials and tribulations of a young girl living through a politically tumultuous time, while also facing personal trauma. All the ingredients for a book I’d love were there but something just went wrong during the cooking (I’m bad at metaphors okay).
.
The translation by Mark David Wyers is very good though. I found the prose easy to read, if not particularly exciting stylistically, and he manages to keep the tone of a teenage girl all the way through.
.
I certainly wouldn’t be averse to reading more from this author in the future, hopefully I will click better with whatever novel of hers is translated next!
.
Narrated in a jumpy and bold first person, we get right inside our protagonist’s head, which can be disconcerting at times as her thoughts don’t follow any sort of linear pattern. One paragraph she’ll be regaling us with a funny tale about her foul-mouthed grandma and the next she’s recounting instances of shocking police brutality during protests. If you read some of the other reviews available, you’ll see they say the same thing: it ends up being difficult to follow.
.
Usually I’m a huge fan of stream of consciousness novels, as well as novels that jump back and forth in time, so I’m unsure why this one didn’t work for me. Maybe the transitions were too clunky. I also never really clicked with the narrator’s voice. İşigüzel does portray well the trials and tribulations of a young girl living through a politically tumultuous time, while also facing personal trauma. All the ingredients for a book I’d love were there but something just went wrong during the cooking (I’m bad at metaphors okay).
.
The translation by Mark David Wyers is very good though. I found the prose easy to read, if not particularly exciting stylistically, and he manages to keep the tone of a teenage girl all the way through.
.
I certainly wouldn’t be averse to reading more from this author in the future, hopefully I will click better with whatever novel of hers is translated next!
May 19, 2017
kurgu ve içerik olarak çok güzel ama dili olmamış bence. şebnem hanım yazar olarak kendisini saklamak için çok uğraşmış ama çoğu yerde bas bas bağıran bir yazar vardı. her şeyi aşırı tekrar etmiş ve bu tekrarı sık sık tekrar ediyorum çünkü böyle istiyorum şeklinde bir meşruiyet kazandırma çabasına girmiş.
dilinin zorlama olması dışında kitabın bir sorunu yok, son 5 yılda ülkede olan biteni gören yaşayan herkes için okuması hem kolay hem zor bir hikaye.
dilinin zorlama olması dışında kitabın bir sorunu yok, son 5 yılda ülkede olan biteni gören yaşayan herkes için okuması hem kolay hem zor bir hikaye.
July 2, 2020
I just can't get through it. Too stream of consciousness. Too jumpy. Too all over the place. Too meandering. I'm intrigued, I want to know what happens, I want to hear this tale. I want to finish. But after a month of trying and only getting halfway through, I cannot bring myself to pick the book up again.
June 20, 2023
Баш сам уживала читајући ово!
March 6, 2024
This novel takes place in 2013-2014, during the civil unrest, protests, and political upheavals in Türkiye. The protagonist, at first called only “the girl in the tree,” is a teenager who has been through the traumatic loss of friends in an act of violence. For self-protection and survival, she decides to hide. She climbs the tallest tree in Gülhane Park in Istanbul and lives in an abandoned stork’s nest. The storyline follows her memories of her best friends, aunt, grandmother, mother and father, many of whom are now deceased. She also develops a friendship with Yunus, a teenage boy who works in a hotel next to the park. He brings her food and other necessities.
It is a character-driven book requiring a bit of patience for a slow ramp-up. The girl’s memories are jumbled and asynchronous. I am sure the structure is intentional, portraying the confusion and alienation the girl is feeling. Unfortunately, it does not flow particularly well, and the constant shifts make it difficult to get fully invested in the narrative. I think the author does a good job of conveying how stress and violence influence a person’s mental state. By the end, we do find out the girl’s name. My interpretation is that naming herself shows that she is gradually reintegrating into herself and society. I liked it enough to read another book by this author. I read the English translation from the original Turkish.
3.5
It is a character-driven book requiring a bit of patience for a slow ramp-up. The girl’s memories are jumbled and asynchronous. I am sure the structure is intentional, portraying the confusion and alienation the girl is feeling. Unfortunately, it does not flow particularly well, and the constant shifts make it difficult to get fully invested in the narrative. I think the author does a good job of conveying how stress and violence influence a person’s mental state. By the end, we do find out the girl’s name. My interpretation is that naming herself shows that she is gradually reintegrating into herself and society. I liked it enough to read another book by this author. I read the English translation from the original Turkish.
3.5
July 1, 2019
The Girl in the Tree is by far the most breath taking book I have read in 2019.
I dont remember the last time I wept start to finish, but if you beed a good tear jerker, or just a mood boost, please pick this one up.
The author writes so poetically, and paints such a clear picture that you love the entire cast of characters even with their flaws.
This is a book I will want on my shelf to have on hand for gifts.
5 stars, wish I could give it 6
I dont remember the last time I wept start to finish, but if you beed a good tear jerker, or just a mood boost, please pick this one up.
The author writes so poetically, and paints such a clear picture that you love the entire cast of characters even with their flaws.
This is a book I will want on my shelf to have on hand for gifts.
5 stars, wish I could give it 6
April 26, 2020
The Girl In the Tree by Şebnem İşigüzel was published in Turkish in 2016 and translated by Mark Davis Wyers this year. Having had enough of politics, secrets, violence to women, loss of friends and family, and ridicule at school, our young narrator climbs one of the tallest trees in Gülhane Park and makes her home in a stork's nest. From way up high she catches the eye of Yunus who works at the neighbouring hotel. They strike up a friendship and soon fall in love. Our narrator (who remains unnamed until the end) believes that "life gets in the way of being able to speak about life. Here, I'm far from life, so I am able to do that." And do it she does, with sharp wit and musings about things most 17 year olds can't even imagine. The Gezi protests, Istanbul pogrom, what happens after death, inconstant love, and what it means to write are just a few of the topics she covers. This book made me smile and laugh, remember my own good and bad times, and it also wrung my heart out like a wet cloth. I will not soon forget the girl in the tree and would love for more of İşigüzel's novels to be translated
August 11, 2020
Getting past the first three chapters of this book was tough for me.
There was no apparent story line, just the narrator rambling multiple random thoughts. It was extremely frustrating and hard to follow. At first I rationalized it must have just been badly translated; however every other paragraph has the phrase
“Allow me to apologize for repeating myself.”
This book has the mood of a person ranting on and on as if having a one sided mindless conversation.
The protagonists immaturity left me unsatisfied and unable to connect with her. Towards the end of the book I became accustomed to the writing style. It was like listening in on a therapy session.
My stubbornness and vast amount of free time kept me pushing past chapter after chapter.
Around the 50% mark the book did get better. Snippets of a storyline shone through but ultimately there was no substance.
The narrator would sprinkle in a few sentences that were emotionally intelligent regarding life and it’s meaning.
The ending left me wanting more. I don’t feel as if I gained anything after reading this book.
There was no apparent story line, just the narrator rambling multiple random thoughts. It was extremely frustrating and hard to follow. At first I rationalized it must have just been badly translated; however every other paragraph has the phrase
“Allow me to apologize for repeating myself.”
This book has the mood of a person ranting on and on as if having a one sided mindless conversation.
The protagonists immaturity left me unsatisfied and unable to connect with her. Towards the end of the book I became accustomed to the writing style. It was like listening in on a therapy session.
My stubbornness and vast amount of free time kept me pushing past chapter after chapter.
Around the 50% mark the book did get better. Snippets of a storyline shone through but ultimately there was no substance.
The narrator would sprinkle in a few sentences that were emotionally intelligent regarding life and it’s meaning.
The ending left me wanting more. I don’t feel as if I gained anything after reading this book.
August 23, 2018
Malesef kitabı okurken sık sık Özlem Hoca’ya hak verdim...
December 19, 2018
Kahkahalar kahkahalar... Kederli hatıraları üzerimizden silkip atmak için kullandığımız marifetli fırçalar.
4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bir Kutu Kitap'ın kitap seçimleri sayesinde kendi kitap raflarıma ulaşan Zeynep İşigüzel'den ilk romanımı okumuş oldum. Kitabı okuyup okumama konusunda kararsızdım ama hem farklı kapak tasarımı, ismi ve konusu gözüme çarptıkça kesin olarak okuyacağımı biliyordum. Nihayet kitaba başladığımda akıcı anlatımıyla karşılaşınca çok sevindim. Kurgunun kitaba ilk sayfadan itibaren renkli aktarılması çok hoşuma gitti. Kitap ilerledikçe Ağaçtaki Kız'ın öldüğünü söylediği arkadaşlarını anlatmasını dinliyoruz. İlk yüz sayfada kitapta sadece Ağaçtaki Kız'ın babaannesinin ünlü küfürlerine rastlıyorduk fakat sonrasında bu durum gitgide fazlalaşmaya başladı. Kitapta hem farklı bir argo dili var hem de ağır bir küfür kullanımı. Özellikle bazı kısımlar vardı ki o kadar bel altı argo vardı ki gerçekten keşke yazılmasaydı o satırlar. Ayrıca bu kadar ünlü bir yayınevinden çıkan bir kitapta Snapchat vb. sosyal medya unsurlarına bu kadar ağır değinilmesi ilk olarak biraz garibime gitti. Çok ağır argo kullanımları dışında genel olarak bu küfürlü yaklaşımın kitabı kendine has bir yere koyduğunu söyleyebilirim. Yazarın günümüz genç diline bu kadar yatkın olması ve bunu kaliteli bir şekilde aktarması ise kutlanacak bir durum.. Bazı yerleri okurken ağır eleştirsem ve hiç hoşuma gitmese de o merak hissi hiç peşimi bırakmadı. Kitabı biterene kadar düşüncelerimde net değildim ama bitirdiğimde aslında okurken çok da eğlendiğimi ve kurgunun işlenmesi bakımından beğendiğime karar verdim. Zaten Ağaçtaki Kız'ın hayata karşı duruşunu, düşüncelerini hep beğenerek okumuştum. Ayrıca geçmiş ve günümüz kısımlarına geçiş tarzı çok iyiydi. Meğer yazarın Türk edebiyatına kattığı bir sürü kitabı varmış. Aralarından en çok Kirpiklerimin Gölgesi kitabını merak ediyorum ve muhtemelen ileride okuyacağım. Sizlere de keyifli okumalar dilerim. Bu garip ama bir yandan da eğlenceli Ağaçtaki Kız kitabını umarım kendinizce seversiniz..
4/5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bir Kutu Kitap'ın kitap seçimleri sayesinde kendi kitap raflarıma ulaşan Zeynep İşigüzel'den ilk romanımı okumuş oldum. Kitabı okuyup okumama konusunda kararsızdım ama hem farklı kapak tasarımı, ismi ve konusu gözüme çarptıkça kesin olarak okuyacağımı biliyordum. Nihayet kitaba başladığımda akıcı anlatımıyla karşılaşınca çok sevindim. Kurgunun kitaba ilk sayfadan itibaren renkli aktarılması çok hoşuma gitti. Kitap ilerledikçe Ağaçtaki Kız'ın öldüğünü söylediği arkadaşlarını anlatmasını dinliyoruz. İlk yüz sayfada kitapta sadece Ağaçtaki Kız'ın babaannesinin ünlü küfürlerine rastlıyorduk fakat sonrasında bu durum gitgide fazlalaşmaya başladı. Kitapta hem farklı bir argo dili var hem de ağır bir küfür kullanımı. Özellikle bazı kısımlar vardı ki o kadar bel altı argo vardı ki gerçekten keşke yazılmasaydı o satırlar. Ayrıca bu kadar ünlü bir yayınevinden çıkan bir kitapta Snapchat vb. sosyal medya unsurlarına bu kadar ağır değinilmesi ilk olarak biraz garibime gitti. Çok ağır argo kullanımları dışında genel olarak bu küfürlü yaklaşımın kitabı kendine has bir yere koyduğunu söyleyebilirim. Yazarın günümüz genç diline bu kadar yatkın olması ve bunu kaliteli bir şekilde aktarması ise kutlanacak bir durum.. Bazı yerleri okurken ağır eleştirsem ve hiç hoşuma gitmese de o merak hissi hiç peşimi bırakmadı. Kitabı biterene kadar düşüncelerimde net değildim ama bitirdiğimde aslında okurken çok da eğlendiğimi ve kurgunun işlenmesi bakımından beğendiğime karar verdim. Zaten Ağaçtaki Kız'ın hayata karşı duruşunu, düşüncelerini hep beğenerek okumuştum. Ayrıca geçmiş ve günümüz kısımlarına geçiş tarzı çok iyiydi. Meğer yazarın Türk edebiyatına kattığı bir sürü kitabı varmış. Aralarından en çok Kirpiklerimin Gölgesi kitabını merak ediyorum ve muhtemelen ileride okuyacağım. Sizlere de keyifli okumalar dilerim. Bu garip ama bir yandan da eğlenceli Ağaçtaki Kız kitabını umarım kendinizce seversiniz..
May 15, 2020
Life is unsafe: brutal critiques of writing, school bullies, rape (both gang and date), lost jobs, assault, suicide, suicide bombings, genocide, poverty, abandonment, dark secrets, and more. The world is difficult for men, impossible for women, and worse for ethnic or religious minorities. Our 17-year-old narrator responds to the violence by climbing a tree and staying there.
The unnamed narrator – until the end – speaks/thinks in a stream of consciousness, hopping around in time, and mixing past and present. She combines pop and high culture, Western and Turkish literature, insight and cliché. And, to make things more difficult, she is simultaneously an authentic and unreliable narrator. When you were 17, were you able to be brutally honest with yourself, especially when your action/inaction led to a loved one's death or downfall? I would have had difficulty with that. Don’t expect too much of me. If I were stronger, I wouldn’t be the girl in the tree. I would be down there, among you (p. 20).
With most of the characters brutalized and traumatized, this sounds like a Debbie Downer of a book, yet our narrator's voice is engaging: I found myself in the treetops because I was stuck with my memories. Because I longed to forget. Because I couldn’t forget (p. 108). She loves her extended family – and we them – even as they are often very flawed.
She falls in love with a gentle and kind boy who also falls in love with her. Will she return to Earth? Will he join her? Does love conquer all? Does she work things out so she can return? (Read and find out.)
Originally written in Turkish, this is the first of Şebnem İşigüzel's novels to be translated into English – a beautiful and clear translation that maintains the directness of the narrator's strong voice. This was a lovely, playful, and thoughtful gift from Amazon for World Book Day.
The unnamed narrator – until the end – speaks/thinks in a stream of consciousness, hopping around in time, and mixing past and present. She combines pop and high culture, Western and Turkish literature, insight and cliché. And, to make things more difficult, she is simultaneously an authentic and unreliable narrator. When you were 17, were you able to be brutally honest with yourself, especially when your action/inaction led to a loved one's death or downfall? I would have had difficulty with that. Don’t expect too much of me. If I were stronger, I wouldn’t be the girl in the tree. I would be down there, among you (p. 20).
With most of the characters brutalized and traumatized, this sounds like a Debbie Downer of a book, yet our narrator's voice is engaging: I found myself in the treetops because I was stuck with my memories. Because I longed to forget. Because I couldn’t forget (p. 108). She loves her extended family – and we them – even as they are often very flawed.
She falls in love with a gentle and kind boy who also falls in love with her. Will she return to Earth? Will he join her? Does love conquer all? Does she work things out so she can return? (Read and find out.)
Originally written in Turkish, this is the first of Şebnem İşigüzel's novels to be translated into English – a beautiful and clear translation that maintains the directness of the narrator's strong voice. This was a lovely, playful, and thoughtful gift from Amazon for World Book Day.
May 13, 2020
Amazon World Book Day 2020
Turkey
“This is the story of a seventeen-year-old girl who wound up high in the branches of a tree one night.”
“I'm here for only one reason, and that is to die before death comes to get me.”
“Yes, I climbed up here so that I could be exempt from life. Not that anyone was going to come along and ask why, but still.”
“Secrets are bombs that slam into homes.”
“Because if you love something, it thrives. If you hate something, it dies.”
“Sadly, life is like that: shaped by things that are the furthest from our minds, things that we don't imagine could ever happen.”
“When I was three years old, playing by myself in that pool, I could've died. But I didn't. I survived. I clung to life. And I still am.”
“If your heart is beating in your chest, you have a story. Everything you feel, your life, hopes, dreams, and moments of darkness are all your stories.”
“The world below was a hurtful place indeed.”
Turkey
“This is the story of a seventeen-year-old girl who wound up high in the branches of a tree one night.”
“I'm here for only one reason, and that is to die before death comes to get me.”
“Yes, I climbed up here so that I could be exempt from life. Not that anyone was going to come along and ask why, but still.”
“Secrets are bombs that slam into homes.”
“Because if you love something, it thrives. If you hate something, it dies.”
“Sadly, life is like that: shaped by things that are the furthest from our minds, things that we don't imagine could ever happen.”
“When I was three years old, playing by myself in that pool, I could've died. But I didn't. I survived. I clung to life. And I still am.”
“If your heart is beating in your chest, you have a story. Everything you feel, your life, hopes, dreams, and moments of darkness are all your stories.”
“The world below was a hurtful place indeed.”
December 28, 2019
Thank you netgalley for providing me this book . This book is by an award winning Turkish author and this book is very well crafted .
This is very serious book I cried a lot since begging to end . Author describes everything with great effort .
This is my first Turkish translated book in English which I am reading . This book is all about women and how they faced there lifes problem and the author describe her life through these womens life story .
This book is for literature fan and only for those who love too read very touching stories .
This is very serious book I cried a lot since begging to end . Author describes everything with great effort .
This is my first Turkish translated book in English which I am reading . This book is all about women and how they faced there lifes problem and the author describe her life through these womens life story .
This book is for literature fan and only for those who love too read very touching stories .
January 4, 2017
Ağaçtaki kızı çok sahici bulamadım. Anlatılanların ağaçtaki kızın zihninden değil yazarın zihninden geçtiği çok belli. Ayrıca her hikayeye yazarın siyaseti sokuşturma çabasını hissetmek okuyucu olarak beni yordu. Salt olaylara değil duyguya da yönelmeliydi bence yazar. Daha başarılı bir anlatı olabilirdi, biraz aceleye gelmiş sanki.
February 8, 2017
"Belki de tek ihtiyacımız olan şey, sevdiğimiz insanlarla huzurlu bir evde istediğimiz şarkıları söylemek, istediğimiz kadar kahkaha atmak." (s. 251)
"Hiç kimse izlemiyormuş gibi dans et, hiç incinmemiş gibi sev, hiç kimse dinlemiyormuş gibi şarkı söyle, dünya cennetmiş gibi yaşa! Bunlar iyi yaşamanın ve mutlu olmanın sırrıdır." (s. 77)
"Hiç kimse izlemiyormuş gibi dans et, hiç incinmemiş gibi sev, hiç kimse dinlemiyormuş gibi şarkı söyle, dünya cennetmiş gibi yaşa! Bunlar iyi yaşamanın ve mutlu olmanın sırrıdır." (s. 77)
May 5, 2020
I really wanted to like this book, it was so full
of promise but ultimately was just awful. the writing style is incredibly hard to follow, jumps all around with seemingly no points of connection so you end up not knowing what your reading or why it is there to being with. There are some very interesting points of clarity that communicate such depth of emotion and humanity that I would continue reading but In the end, it’s overdone, characters are not likable and I simply couldn’t follow the story.
of promise but ultimately was just awful. the writing style is incredibly hard to follow, jumps all around with seemingly no points of connection so you end up not knowing what your reading or why it is there to being with. There are some very interesting points of clarity that communicate such depth of emotion and humanity that I would continue reading but In the end, it’s overdone, characters are not likable and I simply couldn’t follow the story.
December 5, 2019
I have found it difficult to relate to the narrator/main character. The book was difficult to read. There were parts of it that made more sense than others. In priciple it could have been a brilliant book but it was unstructured and although I understand it was the thought process of the narrator it was just too much to keep me really invested.
September 10, 2021
Unusual style with a powerful message of a young woman struggling for self-discovery amidst an oppressive government. An unlikely love story provides an attentive ear. I liked this book but found myself confused by the way the author jumped backward and forwards and I could barely figure out what was current!
May 9, 2020
What was that?
I’m not sure if it is bad translation or what, but this is the 2nd book I have read from the free Kindle “World Reading” book selection and it is awful. So much rambling and no real ending.
I’m not sure if it is bad translation or what, but this is the 2nd book I have read from the free Kindle “World Reading” book selection and it is awful. So much rambling and no real ending.
September 25, 2023
Şebnem İşigüzel'in en kötü kitabı bana kalırsa. İlk defa okuyacaklar için Kirpiklerimin Gölgesi devasa bir başlangıç kitabı olacaktır. Kitaba yorum bile yapmazdım normalde kötü diye ama okumayı düşünenler için yazıyorum gerçekten 'kötü'.
Read
September 17, 2023I’m not rating this because I DNF’ed it.
And I didn’t DNF it cos I hated it.
It started out promising - I thought I had found a real gem.
But 20+% in, I found it repetitive, and it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere.
Sometimes I’m ok with a book like that.
But this wasn’t one of those experiences.
So I’m walking away from it.
If you’re interested in it, don’t let this deter you. Just read it at a time when you want to sit with a story instead of when you’re looking for something fast-paced.
And I didn’t DNF it cos I hated it.
It started out promising - I thought I had found a real gem.
But 20+% in, I found it repetitive, and it didn’t feel like it was going anywhere.
Sometimes I’m ok with a book like that.
But this wasn’t one of those experiences.
So I’m walking away from it.
If you’re interested in it, don’t let this deter you. Just read it at a time when you want to sit with a story instead of when you’re looking for something fast-paced.
March 21, 2019
Venüs ve gözyaşı konağını da çok farklı bulmuş ve sevmiştim. Şebnem işigüzel beni yine yanıltmadı. Yakın tarihten çarpıcı olayların detayları bulduğumuz bu roman bana çok gerçek geldi belki de bu sebepten. Üstelik genç bir kadının ağzından yazılması ve gençlerin kullandıkları o kelimelerin küfürlerin bolca kullanılması da sanki o gerçekliği arttırıyor.
April 1, 2023
Olisin kovasti halunnut pitää tästä, koska turkkilaista kirjallisuutta ei tule suomennettuna eteen usein. Kerrontatyyli oli kuitenkin sinänsä kiinnostavan alun jälkeen tosi rasittava, sillä puuhun kiivenneestä tytöstä syrjähdellään tajunnanvirtaisesti eri ihmisiin ja eri aikakausiin, enkä millään jaksanut koota tarinan palasia yhteen omassa mielessäni. Loppuosan luin lähinnä selailutekniikalla silmäillen.
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