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World Hotels - My Name Is Red
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List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $10.17
Your Save: $ 4.78 ( 32% )
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Vintage
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 894.3533
EAN: 9780375706851
ISBN: 0375706852
Label: Vintage
Manufacturer: Vintage
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 432
Publication Date: 2002-08-27
Publisher: Vintage
Release Date: 2002-08-27
Studio: Vintage
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Editorial Reviews:
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At once a fiendishly devious mystery, a beguiling love story, and a brilliant symposium on the power of art, My Name Is Red is a transporting tale set amid the splendor and religious intrigue of sixteenth-century Istanbul, from one of the most prominent contemporary Turkish writers.
The Sultan has commissioned a cadre of the most acclaimed artists in the land to create a great book celebrating the glories of his realm. Their task: to illuminate the work in the European style. But because figurative art can be deemed an affront to Islam, this commission is a dangerous proposition indeed. The ruling elite therefore mustn’t know the full scope or nature of the project, and panic erupts when one of the chosen miniaturists disappears. The only clue to the mystery–or crime? –lies in the half-finished illuminations themselves. Part fantasy and part philosophical puzzle, My Name is Red is a kaleidoscopic journey to the intersection of art, religion, love, sex and power.
Translated from the Turkish by Erda M Göknar
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Ottoman Tale
Comment: Although this tale is set in Ottoman Istanbul, in the mid 15th Century, it is a very contemporary novel that deals with perceptions of art, (in this case the art of miniaturists) in an Islamic context. It is also a love story and a murder mystery, written from the point of view of all the major characters in the story. If you are interested in Turkish history, especially the period of the Ottoman take over over the Eastern Roman Empire, (Byzantium in 1453) this is a fascinating and exceptionally well crafted book. The main woman's character Shekire is a fascinating mix of a clever schemer, as well as a completely erotic female. Red is a little masterpiece.
Customer Rating:
Summary: I am a reader!
Comment: "My name is Red" is the third novel I've read so far from Orhan Pamuk, but after finishing the Black Book and reading the first page of this one, he became my favorite living author! Of course as an Iranian, I was privileged compared to other readers, as I already knew many of the stories mentioned in the book (like the story of Khusrov and Shirin, or Rostam and Sohrab, and many of other Ferdowsi's "The book of the kings" stories). Plus, I was also familiar with the Persian painting and Miniature and the work of painters like Bihzad (who halt the time!).
"My name is Red" is not a simple read, so please don't choose it if you're looking for reading a fun murder mystery! Still, its complexity is much less than many of Pamuk's other novels. This one is not all poetic philosophy...it has a clear plot, action, even a few dialogues! Plus, I found that by changing the point of view from chapter to chapter, as a reader I felt empathy and a true understanding toward each of the characters of the novel.
As expected, the beauty of Pamuk's prose and the poetry of this made-up world are breathtaking and I have to confess that I loved to explore in this labyrinth of story inside story. As if I was sharing the mysterious world of a king listening to Scheherazade's thousand and one unfinished tales.
Orhan pamuk mainly writes for lovers of true literature, so if you are one...then this book is definitely for you!
Customer Rating:
Summary: A worthwhile read
Comment: It took me a while to get through, but it was a very interesting, textured book: a love story combined with a murder mystery and a complex meditation on the power of images. The writing is good, overall, but I sometimes got impatient with the philosophizing.
So I skimmed.
On the whole, though, a worthwhile read.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Meandering Ride
Comment: The novel is clever rather than illuminating. For all its experimentation with structure, points of view, and language, it fails to engage. The story is meandering without leading anywhere meaningful. Its characters are found wanting in complexity and depth. In fact, the multiple narrators speak with the same voice, namely, the author's. There is a murder mystery, but it fails to excite. There is a love story, but it ignites no flame. The book poses as a psychologically complex novel rather than being one. And at four hundred odd pages, it's far too long.
Customer Rating:
Summary: My Name is Red
Comment: This used book order was delivered promptly, neatly, and in excellent shape! Thank you!
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