You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

This book is on hold for me at my library. I'll be able to have it for at least a month. It's a fairly big one and the person who recommended it to me (Chrissie from Belgium) says I should 1. try to listen to it and 2. try to read it with someone.

Well, I can't do the first, so could someone please join me? For most of us I think it would count for the Globetrotting theme, or we could just read it for fun. You could certainly listen to it, of course.

It's on my list too, so I can read it with you. Are you talking sort of now? I'm not sure if I own it or if I need to get it from the library. I think they have it on audio and real book. Hmmm. I'll check it out. :-)

Found it!!!

Yay! So, I'm thinking, start about Feb 18th? (That's when some of my other library books are due and I'll have to either finish or renew them. :)

Cheryl and Suzie, I am curious to see how you feel about this book? Will it move you as it did me? I certainly hope so! I am not quite sure how important the narration by John Lee was for my appreciation......

OK, I have my new equipment. There is a ton to learn and it does not seem to be working properly since they must come and reinstall it! I will drop by when I can. This is the first time on GR with the new stuff.

Thanks for dropping in, Chrissie! I expect I'll have questions. I hope your new equipment works out for you soon and makes it easier for you to participate in everything you want to.

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "I expect I'll have questions. "

Questions? I am no expert on this book! I am sure we all will react differently to different sections. All of our interpretations are equally valid!

I was thinking more about background, like 'why would so and so of one ethnic group be suspicious of that other person from that other country' kind of thing.... I know *nothing* about the history of the area...

Maybe I should do a little research first? I recall you said in your review or in the comments something about when and where it was set? I should find out something about what was going on in the world these people lived in?

The book is very much about ethnic cleansing. It is about the conflict between the Turks and Greeks and how they view each other. Country border lines have been redrawn without connsideration for the people living there. There were forced migrations. The Greeks and Turks were expelled to fit the new border drawn up. And then the book is also about Attaturk. The time setting is the beginning of the 1900s, WW1 and the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the emergence of Turkey as a national entity.

Thank you! Knowing that much background will be a big help, Chrissie.

I've also got this on audiobook do I can read and listen. I listen whilst ironing but sometimes my mind wanders or I get called away, and I have found that having the book can help if I want to go back.

So, are you ready to start reading it nowish? I can start tonight (in about 4 hours) I think.

Now ish is fine by me. I think I'm just going to read what I can when i can and post my thoughts as I go along. Is that ok with you? Obviously reading yours too and commenting.

Great! I had a migraine, so I haven't started yet, but truly intend to tonight!

I'm only about 40 pp in - it's slow going because of 1. trying to figure out who's who and keep track of all the different ideas and perspectives and 2. the language is gorgeous and to be savored. I'm loving it so far.

I'm such a donkey! I have just realised the book I am listening to is The Wind Up Bird Chronicle! Fool. But I do have the real copy to read of the correct book. I was therefore confused as to your comment. Oh dear. Will start right book!

Ack! I hope you'll be ok and your head won't go buzzing off into some other world integrating the two... Well, probably not. That would be what would happen to me.

I do hope to get more than 40 more pp read tonight (starting in about 2 hours for me).

I'm sorry. I got to p 153, more than 1/4 done, and I'm just not going to be able to finish it after all. I was intrigued by some of the characters, but when even the most sympathetic behaved badly, and when the yuck factor got too high, I decided to back out. I'm just too vulnerable, I guess.

It does seem like an excellent book for the right readers, though, and I hope you like it!

Jeeze, books are strange. There are definitely yucky points, but the humor made it OK! For me this workded. Not for you, Cheryl. I am so sorry. I hope you borrowed it at the library.

No worries. I'll re-shelve it, and come back to it later. I had kind of over stretched myself adding this and having read a little last night I was a bit confused. So time out on this one.

Oh, yes, Chrissie - no worries. I did like the humor that I saw before I gave up. And it really is a lovely wonderful book - just not for me.

Suzie, I'm glad you're ok with re-shelving this. I do hope you try again later and enjoy it then.

Thanks for participating in a buddy read anyway - it was a good experiment at least! :)