Percy Jackson: The complete series (2005-2009)

Admittedly children's fiction is not usually my choice of literature but I read this pentalogy to support the reading of a nephew; he loves these books so I chose to read what he liked to engage in it more deeply. I did not initially intend to write up a blog about these books but since it did take up quite some of my reading time, I thought I may as well. Rick Riordan authored these books between 2005 and 2009, and my kindle edition was published by Puffin (Penguin). The whole series formed a 1149-paged text, so roughly 200 pages per book. I will summarise the content of the series (no spoilers), then look at a few general themes and share my personal reaction to the books.

The novels merge Greek mythology with contemporary American life, as Olympus has moved to America, the most powerful Western country in the world. We follow the adventures of Percy Jackson, who discovers he is a half blood (or a demi-god, like Hercules). This alters his experience of the world and towards himself, given that he begins as a "problem child", feeling unwanted both at home (due to his step-father) and at school (due to his ADHD and dyslexia). Discovering his new identity empowers him with a renewed sense of self-confidence and purpose. He finally feels important. Each book sends Percy on a new adventure to essentially save the (Western) world in incremental stages. They are written from a first-person perspective in the voice of Percy Jackson himself. 

A major recurring theme in the novels is that of environmentalism. Riordan consistently makes reference to various types of pollution ad how it is destroying the planet. In one of the books he delves a little deeper into the notion of animal mistreatment though the solutions are often simplistic, i.e. planting more trees and not selling meat to the "bad guys". He hardly addresses the issue that the "cheeseburger culture" that America embodies, is also participating to this. There is not enough critique into the culture that creates this destructive environment in my opinion. 

As with most action and fantasy fiction, there is a battle that the protagonist has to fight for and it is a battle of good versus evil. The battle in this series is essentially between saving or destroying the West as it is. While Riordan recognises that there are deficiencies in the West (namely pollution and bullying etc.) it still represents one of the best things in the world. This bias is understandable given the white American perspective it is written from but I cannot deny that it made me roll my eyes a little. However, in a more positive light, I did find the novels to be engaging simply due to the fact that there is a lot of action. It keeps the plot moving and the tense battle scenes keep up the suspense. In this respect, I can understand why young boys and girls may enjoy the series. 

Relationships are important in this series. Percy's relationship with his parents is central to his identity, due to simultaneously feeling deeply loved by his mother and neglected by his father and step-father. His poor relationship with academia adds to his insecurities and sense of instability. He tends towards befriending vulnerable peers, to protect them from bullies and this indicates his innate goodness and heroic inclinations. Through the course of the series his relationships develop, as he goes from 12 years old to 16 years old. He therefore has more complex challenges to face and more profound questions to ask himself in order to protect relationships he holds dear to him. 

Historical knowledge in relation to Greek mythology is given great importance in the plots of these novels. For those like my nephew, it compounds their interest in Greek mythology while for others, it may pique their interest in this alternative world. Having this knowledge saves the day in many of the encounters with mythological creatures, so I hope that this translates into a desire to take interest in research and learning for children; knowledge is power, after all. 

A couple of things that bothered me about the books were firstly, the elements seemingly "inspired by" Harry Potter (which was most evident in the first book). I have not read all of the Harry Potter books so cannot go into detail with these comparisons but there were a whole host of things that were evident in the first book especially that just made me feel like this series was not all that original. Though in the case of my nephew it seems like Greek mythology made him like Percy Jackson more than Harry Potter. I also was fatigued by the constant repetitions and reminders of what happened in the previous novel in each of the texts. Since I read them straight after each other, it seemed obvious and like a wasted explanation. In that sense, the descriptions bored me. However, I did notice that the books were released a year apart so for eager early fans (not 15 years behind like me), I can understand the value of these reminders (but maybe a glossary would have also done the job?). I also just did not like the Americanisation of things, just how junk food was referred to as normal food made me uncomfortable. Maybe that's my 'healthy adult' bias in there though. 

Overall, I cannot say that this series is my favourite or that it takes me back to childhood but I recognise how some young children may identify with the feelings of being inadequate and are waiting (hoping) for their own personal moment of self-discovery, when they learn their power and purpose in the world. I also see how the action creates suspense and therefore makes them want to read on. I am not a fan of the biases of the novel, but I do hope that the historical parts of the novel encourage children to learn and retain their learning to apply to the real world. The themes of relationships and history are interlinked given that your "history" is where you have come from, which also reveals your relationships. 

Homegoing (2016)

I found Yaa Gyansi's novel Homegoing on my to-read list when I was choosing a title for a bookclub with my teenage niece and her mother at the beginning of lockdown. It made it on my list via bookstagram (though I can't quite recall who exactly made the recommendation). The novel was published by Penguin in 2016 and is 220 pages long (Kindle edition noted 315 pages). It consists of two parts with 14 chapters. The story spans a period of three hundred years, following the descendants of two Ghanaian sisters. I will explore the format and style of the book as well as discuss some of the key themes alongside my personal reflections. 

The novel begins with an Akan proverb that notes the importance of every member of the family. Gyansi then provides a family tree for the reader to refer back to. The structure of the novel follows a generational format, where each chapter follows a character of the next generation of one of the family lines. As such, the chapters are named after the focalised character. Homegoing is written with a third person narrator who focalises into the central character of the chapter, and through their interactions the reader engages with auxiliary characters. I found that this generational approach to the chapters was really effective and powerful in exploring how social conditions changed (if at all). It also permitted the author to navigate and demonstrate the effects of intergenerational traumas as well as lost lineage and identity. Since each character represents a familial generation as well as a socio-political environment, their chapter can almost be read as a short story, albeit interwoven with the preceding and succeeding narratives. 

Homegoing begins in Ghana at the beginning of colonisation and is implicated in the slave trade. The social dynamics are complex and hierarchies are being continuously challenged. This environment brings to the fore the dehumanising and racist discourse at the heart of these injustices. As one family line remains in Ghana and the other is sent to toil in America, Gyansi demonstrates how whiteness, whether in the context of slavery or colonisation and missionary efforts, shaped the characters' experiences on the two continents. That being said, she also highlights how colonisation and slavery have morphed to take on other forms in the present (i.e. modern day prison systems). It provokes debate as to how deeply rooted the problem really is to this day. 

Women and womanhood are a huge theme in the novel, and they explored from so many angles that my short paragraph definitely will not do it justice (perhaps someone can write an essay or thesis on the matter instead). However, I do still want to note some significant points. The matrilineal line of descendants is a distinct reminder of the status of women and the power of womanhood in society, especially given that they are also subject to violence, and risk being treated as assets, thus making them vulnerable. These oppositions consequently demonstrate the complexity of womanhood as we witness empowered femininity and subjugated femininity. In addition to this, we see how the trauma women experience is passed down through generations, compounding the struggles each generation inherits. 

I was pleased to read Gyansi's representation of (historic) tribal Africa, where polygamous households are a norm and not looked upon condescendingly. As with all family structures, there are complexities but it was refreshing to visualise a co-operative society with joint families where there is mutual respect between men and women, each bringing to the table their own contributions for the prosperity of the whole family. No doubt it is also a competitive society where tribes and tribesmen compete for strength, reputation and power, yet there is a notion of responsibility towards others that is enshrined in this, combatting excess selfishness.

Naturally, sex is a prerequisite to form generations in a family line and therefore sexual encounters are fairly frequent in the novel. I mention this in case you are selecting this for younger readers, as I was unaware of this when choosing to read this with my 13-year old niece. Her mother also read the book and decided she would rather her daughter read the book at a later age, as sexual violence is also explored. Otherwise, I found that these scenes were always relevant and carefully written, unlike some texts that are rather gratuitous and vulgar in this regard. Gyansi represents the nuances of sexual relations, as they demonstrate power dynamics between couples as well as sources of pleasure, or how they play an important spiritual and cultural role. I also considered Gyansi's writing to be sensitive to "forbidden" love and notions of homosexual desire.  

Overall, Homegoing is an excellent novel that everyone ought to read for both the content and the writing style (age permitting). It deals with deep emotions and a realm of complex situations and scenarios that underline the complexity of history and the present of Black lives. Of course it is also heartbreaking to read this knowing that it is "merely" fiction, thus the reality of injustice must be significantly worse, however unpalatable that may seem. This is a valuable book because of the story it tells and it is also well-written and engaging in its form and style. The stories are a powerful reminder of just a fraction of the dark history of domination this world has seen. 

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Have you read this novel? What did you think of it? Comment your thoughts below, I'd love to hear what you thought. 

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A Little Life (2015)

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara was published by Picador in 2015. It was nominated for several literary prizes, including the Booker Prize (2015), Women's Prize for Fiction (2016) and the National Book Awards (2016). My kindle edition comprises 737 pages and the novel is divided into 7 parts, with three chapters each. I read this book with my siblings as part of our book club. My brother had been gifted it 6 years earlier and had only read a few pages. I am often hesitant to read American fiction but agreed to this one because it is by a woman of colour. I will briefly discuss the general outline of the novel and how it is written before exploring some of the core themes and my final thoughts.

The novel is about four graduate friends who are trying to make it in New York. We are immediately introduced to them, that is Malcolm, JB, Jude and Willem, through scenes of them together or in pairs. Yanagihara then focalises into each protagonist's background to contextualise them. Jude's contextualisation comes last, and is the most ambiguous and lingering. It consequently takes several chapters to finally piece together Jude's history. Generally, the novel follows a chronological structure, with some flashbacks which are interspersed with other narratives in the present and future, which discuss events retrospectively. The narrative spans around three decades, if not five.

Thematically, Yanagihara explores profoundly human and haunting social issues. The most obvious theme is that of friendship, but this is nuanced as she explores the spectrum from co-dependency to betrayal. In addition to this, the novel examines notions of belonging, race and ethnicity, identity, sexuality, understanding of success and fulfilment, addiction, disability, child abuse, mental health and family. As the protagonists are going from youth into adulthood, we witness their disillusionment of youth and their attempts to navigate adulthood. This requires facing up to their own insecurities or they risk ending up being self-sabotaged by them. 

Yanagihara varies the narrative voice throughout the novel, which adds diversity and offers different perspectives to specific events. Sometimes the narrative voice is in the third person with an 'omniscient' narrator who focalises into certain characters' lives and at other times it is in the first person (of either Harold or Willem). Gradually more of the novel focuses in onto Jude and the other characters' interactions with him. The writing style competently deals with dark themes with a lightness that does not overly traumatise the reader, yet Yanagihara is also able to effectively evoke shock, for example, of violent relationships. 

I noticed that this novel opposed traditional literature as it is a woman writing about four male protagonists. Though my brother remarked that it does not discuss manhood as such, and thus could have been equally a story about four women. In that respect, the novel is genderless. This fluidity of gender and sexuality has been one of the praised points in reviews. Moreover, it was interesting to note how Jude, considered an enigma, is race-less and genderless. This protects and frees him from the readers' bias and prejudice but it also means that the reader cannot place him. This neutrality emphasises that he lacks belonging to any "origin" and, for me, meant that I could not deeply empathise with him. 

Another remarkable feature of this novel is how secular it is. There is no belief system in place and it is a space that simply deals with everyone's emotions and subjectivities, which are thus taken as realities. Despite the presence of names with religious connotations, such as Father Gabriel, Ahmed and Jude St. Francis, there is extremely little religious critique or commentary, if at all. That is to say, none of the catastrophes or epiphanies in the book are attributed to religion. In this respect, the novel fully embraced a liberalism that I had never read in fiction before now. For me, it felt strange and somewhat hollow in some respects due to this; it seems to be a novel about just existing for the self and others, which is a struggle as both can massively betray you. 

In sum, I found the writing to be fluid and I was glad that it did not have the American twang that I usually struggle with in American literature. It is a very well-written novel but is extremely long and I, personally, did not find it life changing and would argue that you could live a good life without ever reading it. 

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Have you read this novel? What did you think of it? Comment your thoughts below, I'd love to hear what you thought. 

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The Sultan's Daughter (2020)

An ARC of this fantasy novella, written by P.E. Gilbert was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review. The Sultan's Daughter is a quick read of 11 chapters and around 50 pages. It will be self-published by the author in July 2020 in print edition and kindle edition. I will offer a brief, spoiler-free outline of the novella before addressing a few key themes and my thoughts on how they were addressed. 

The story is a set in a pre-modern, oriental fantasy world, which has its own "Charted Map" found at the beginning of the book. This region forms a kingdom and experiences conflict due to power struggles linked to bloodline but more significantly relating to religious beliefs. The initial scene introduces the dying Sultan in his deathbed bestowing heavy responsibilities onto his daughter's shoulders. The rest of the plot relates to how she executes these last wishes. Gilbert provides several discussion questions at the end of the book to provoke further reflection on some of the plot's themes and events. 

The central theme of the novella is the fight between good and bad, which in this case is between the religiously devout and the religious fanatics of the imaginary faith that believes in Abyars as a deity. It is striking that the "hardline" Aybars' laws include lashing for fornication and cutting off hands for stealing and one of their erroneous desires is to want to wage a holy war to regain access to the holy city of Zenith. These parallels to things attributed to some Muslims and/ or governments or groups is hard to ignore. Ultimately we find two Eastern sects fighting each other for faith-based reasons, and these oppositions are not particularly nuanced or subtle. Interestingly the good side, show little evidence of actual devotion. There is much political commentary to be made in this respect, but I will not delve into this in this post. 

As the title suggests, this novella is about a young woman, namely Nalini, who is the Sultan's daughter. Nalini's character evolves significantly through the rapid turns of events.  She begins as a rather submissive and overly-obedient daughter. She later develops into a determined and, arguably, stubborn, albeit insecure, character. Personally, I did not find her character to be amiable. While I admit that not all protagonists need to be beautiful, I found it noteworthy that Nalini is described as one with "little beauty" and has a "darker complexion" than her husband Emilio, the fair-skinned heathen, who happens to be a more sympathetic character than Nalini herself. These characterisations are problematic especially when considering a post-colonial reading of texts. 

Moreover, with a largely male character cast and central female protagonist, there appears to be an attempt to assert feminine empowerment. This power is bestowed upon a woman by men, and Nalini is hesitant to accept it but does so mainly because it is not prohibited in the religious laws. While she is hard-working and demonstrates immense self-restraint, sometimes it is to unhealthy degrees and makes me question her actual competence. She seems to go from being an extremely passive feminine stereotype to someone trying to avoid association to femininity through any expression of weakness. In my opinion she is yet to reach her full potential by the end of the story. This transition of feminine expression requires more depth and nuance. 

The writing style of the novel is fluid. Gilbert makes use of a third-person narrator who focalises into Nalini's experience of events. In this respect, the novella's perspective is highly influenced by her subjectivities, including her inner turmoil and outer appearances. Due to this dual access, it is easier to criticise her more precisely than the other characters. I found Gilbert's discussion questions to be a a nice way to engage more thoughtfully in a short read. 

Overall, the novella was a quick read, with an eventful plot. In some ways it seems like it is not just an oriental fantasy but also an orientalist fantasy. Gilbert deals with major, complex issues and the length of the work may have been a restriction in fully exploring them with due justice. I would like to thank the author P.E. Gilbert for the opportunity to honestly review his hard work.

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Is this a novella genre that interests you? What do you normally like to read? Comment your thoughts below, I'd love to hear about your reading preferences. 

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Le Cri des Oiseaux Fous (2000)

This autobiographical novel was first introduced to me in my final year of my Bachelors (2014) in one of my French modules; it was one of the primary texts and one of the first full-length novels in French I was to read. I really enjoyed reading it at the time, and even revising the text during exam season! So I decided to re-read the novel to begin reading more in French again and to see how my relationship with the text has developed. I am writing this review in English for fellow French-reading anglophones, though there is a French version too. 

My edition was published by Le Serpent à Plumes in 2002, though it was originally published by Lanctot Éditeur in 2000. Dany Laferrière's 346-paged novel is divided into short time-stamped chapters during the course of 24 hours, which are the last 24 hours the author experiences in his homeland Haiti before being exiled indefinitely. It is written with a first-person narrative, following the protagonist's thoughts where he offers a very personal perception of people, things and events. I will explore some of the key themes and reflections in the book alongside my own reading experience. 

Vieux Os (Old Bones), La Ferrière's pseudonym, is driven to exile following the unprecedented assassination of his close friend Gasner. This assassination sets the scene of 1976 politics in Haiti, a country living under the harsh dictatorship of Baby Doc (Jean-Claude Duvalier) which is in itself a legacy of Papa Doc (Francois Duvalier). Therefore this a highly political novel, as we learn much about the culture and lifestyle this dictatorship creates. Vieux Os compares the two dictatorships with the latter seemingly even more corrupt than the former, yet both with their own approach to brutality and control. Such torture and suffering is no doubt feared yet there are notions of whether it is better to be tortured by your own (Haitian government) or by others, referring to suffering at the hands of white people in foreign countries or even during the period of enslavement. Does it matter who is subjecting you to mistreatment?

Gasner's assassination raises many reflections on the nature of friendship and various types of friendships that Vieux Os holds close to his heart. We learn the secret "codes" they hold between themselves as well as the rarity of good, safe friendships in a world ridden with spies, traitors and "tonton macoutes", the dictatorship's police force. Since friendship is the catalyst for exile in many ways, it cannot go without analysis in our very contemplative protagonist's mind. 

As we learn about Haiti's culture through our protagonist, we are soon exposed to its unique religious environment where two dominant religions reside: Catholicism and Vaudou (or Vodou). This religious dichotomy not only represents ancient practises versus colonial teachings, it also shows different approaches to faith and seeking strength and hope in the tense environment. Laferrière does not shy away from intertwining Vaudou gods or beliefs in his writing, even in subtle ways when recalling his deceased friend thus engaging the reader with the religion.

Women play an important role in Haiti and in Vieux Os' last day in the country. We are introduced to many different types of women, from the saintly, grief-stricken mothers to vulgar temptresses and many somewhere on the spectrum between those extremes. Thus Laferrière explores lust and temptation as well as love and commitment. We learn how women are integral to keeping homes and the country running, as men are so often being persecuted. Laferrière shines a light on the strength of womanhood in such extreme conditions. 

The novel also delves into the world of prostitution, a strategic industry nurtured by the dictatorship to contribute to weakening the population. Moreover, prostitutes have access to a world of deep, dark secrets and are thus valuable sources. In some ways we see the human side of such a vulnerable and potentially brutal career.

Overall, I found it a pleasure to read this autobiographical novel. Laferrière explores a vast range of themes connected to his life and nation from family and friendship to life and death. Because this novel is based on the author's real life experiences and many of the characters are presumed to be real to some capacity or another, I was left with the desire to know more about what happened to the author himself and his parents- which would mean I need to look for the corresponding books in his long series. I enjoyed the writing style as I found it amusing in places, which balanced out some of the sorrow

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Have you read this novel? What did you think of it? Comment your thoughts below, I'd love to hear what you thought. 

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Le Cri des Oiseaux Fous (2000) - français

Ce roman autobiographique écrit par Dany Laferrière m'a été présenté pour la première fois pendant ma licence de français. Il m'avait beaucoup plu à l'époque et je voulais le lire à nouveau afin de voir si mes impressions ont changé depuis. Mon édition est celle du “Serpent à Plumes” de 2002, mais le roman a été publiée une première fois par Lanctot Éditeur en 2000. Cette oeuvre de 346 pages est divisée en petits chapitres horodatés, en poursuivant les dernières 24 heures à Haiti avant l'exil indéfini de l'auteur. Il est écrit à la première personne et suit les pensées profondes du protagoniste qui propose des réflexions très personnelles à propos des choses, des gens et des événements. J'examinerai plusieurs thèmes importants et donnerai ma réaction personnelle dans ce compte-rendu. 

Vieux Os, le pseudonyme de l'auteur dans le roman, est obligé de partir de son pays en exil après l'assassinat de son ami proche, Gasner. Les assassinats et l'exil sont des circonstances bien connues dans le contexte politique de Haiti sous la dictature de Baby Doc (Jean-Claude Duvalier), héritier du pays après le décès de son père Papa Doc (Francois Duvalier). Il s'agit donc de la politique de la dictature et ses conséquences dans la culture nationale. Vieux Os compare les deux dictatures où la première semblait être moins corrompue que la seconde, mais où chacune a eu sa manière de surveillance et de brutalité sur le peuple. Une réflexion approfondie amène la question importante suivante : vaut-il mieux être torturé par les siens (son propre gouvernement ou ses congénères) ou par des étrangers (rappelant l'oppression de l'esclavage, la colonisation et même la domination raciale)? Comment cela importe-t-il? 

En perdant soudainement un ami proche, Vieux Os se retrouve à analyser ses amitiés variées qu'il tient à coeur. Nous apprenons ses "codes" privés entre amis et aussi comment les bonnes amitiés, sans danger, sont si rares dans un monde rempli d'espions, de traîtres et de tontons macoutes, la police de la dictature. Les réflexions à propos de l'amitié de notre protagoniste contemplatif ne peuvent être ignorées car l'amitié est le catalyseur même de son exil.

La culture de Haiti révèle un environnement religieux unique qui consiste de deux religions principales: le Catholicisme et le Vaudou. Ces deux religions représentent à la fois les anciennes pratiques et les enseignements coloniaux; nous voyons aussi des approches différentes pour trouver l'espoir et la force dans les conditions difficiles. Laferrière entrelace son histoire avec les dieux et les croyances Vaudou de manière subtile et évidente. 

Les femmes jouent un rôle important dans le pays et durant les dernières 24 heures de Vieux Os dans le pays. Il nous présente des femmes de toutes sortes, des mamans angéliques accablées de douleur aux séductrices impétueuses, et toute une variété entre ces deux extrêmes. Ainsi, Laferrière nous présente une exploration du désir et de la tentation ainsi que l'amour pur et l'engagement. Les femmes semblent faire fonctionner le pays et leurs maisons pendant que les hommes font face à la persécution politique, ce qui souligne la force de la féminité dans des conditions extrêmes.

Le roman plonge aussi dans le monde de la prostitution, un secteur stratégique de la part de la dictature pour affaiblir la population. De plus, les prostituées sont des sources d’informations précieuses grâce à leur accès à un monde rempli des secrets les plus profonds. Nous découvrons aussi un côté humain à une profession tellement vulnérable et potentiellement brutale. 

Dans l'ensemble, le roman était encore une fois un plaisir à lire et j'ai pu l'apprécier différemment cette fois-ci comme mon français s’est amélioré. Laferrière étudie un grand nombre de thèmes liés à sa vie et son pays, de la famille et l'amitié à la vie et la mort. La présence de passages amusants compense la tristesse poignante. Parce que ce roman est inspiré de la vie réelle de l'auteur, je me suis retrouvée extrêmement curieuse de la suite des événements surtout par rapport à ses relations avec ses parents. Cette curiosité me poussera à chercher les romans correspondants que Laferrière a écrit.   

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Est-ce que vous avez lu ce roman? Comment vous l’avez trouvez? J’aimerais bien lire vos pensées ci-dessous! 

Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire (1998)

Lords of the Horizons: A History of the Ottoman Empire by Jason Goodwin was first published in 1998 by Chatto & Windus. The edition I read was published by Vintage (Random House) in 1999. My kindle edition comprises of 370 pages and it is divided into three parts, a total of 25 chapters with added Epilogue, a list of Ottoman Sultans, an Ottoman Chronology and Glossary at the end. This review is exceptional and I hesitated whether to write it at all, since I have not finished reading the whole book, and may not ever do so. However, I thought my reasons for halting this read were sufficient enough to be mentioned in a brief review. I will note my intentions for reading it as well as how I found it and why I stopped. 

My sister suggested we start a bookclub during our social distancing and self-isolation practises. With my brother also in the group we decided to read this book as it was on his "to-read" list as he had heard many good things about it and how it provided a good insight into Ottoman/ Turkish history. I agreed to this book because this period of history also interests me, yet I know little to nothing about it. It was also one of the cheaper options on the kindle bookstore (compared to our other candidates). I preferred the kindle option to avoid delivery logistics (waiting and over-burdening the system in this unusual climate). 

An initial critique of the book is that Goodwin failed to describe the context of Europe or Asia prior the Ottoman Empire, thus making it difficult to understand in which environment this empire emerged and how it changed the landscape of these places. We learn that the contemporary world still holds relics of this time gone by but unfortunately there is no real reference to the state of the world before Osman took power. 

In addition to this, it is also a massive shame that the root of the Empire, its values, its raison d'être and the character of its founder are hardly explored. This is apparently due to the seemingly little amount of information there is about Osman I but it seems unusual and like there was not enough justice done to discovering the foundational character of such a significantly powerful and old empire. The first two to three Ottoman leaders were not discussed in any great detail, which would have been of great interest and also would have better marked the distinction between the tribal origins to the sultanate that was later formed.  

It took me a couple of chapters to get into the writing style, but even then I found it less than engaging and far from captivating. I recognise that the Ottoman Empire spans over a vast amount of time (dating from 1300 to 1924) so this book made for an immense project in itself and it would be hardly possible to get into the minutia but even core events in the chronology were not written in a engaging manner. It felt haltingly described and somewhat patched together. In this sense I would disagree with the Time Out review that claimed that this book was "Perhaps the most readable history ever written". My sister also noted that the spelling of the names of the Ottoman leaders were inconsistent between the chronology and the actual book and were thus a tad confusing. 

When we changed books, I considered reading it alongside anyway, to not leave a book unfinished but then I decided against it because of the orientalist attitude and the misinformation shared by the writer. Three core examples of this include: 1) Goodwin attempts to describe the reason for the Sunni-Shi'a conflict and gets it completely wrong: he claims it is due to a disagreement about the Prophetic lineage coming from Ali or Fatima. (They do not disagree on this at all but differ as to whether Ali or Abu Bakr should have been the Caliph after the Prophet's demise). 2) He calls the Kaaba "the weird stone cube", which is highly disrespectful and inappropriate language. This is the direction of worship for all Muslims and marks a sacred geographical, historical and spiritual point in the world. 3) Goodwin describes the Black Stone, a corner stone in the Kaaba, as "God's eye on earth". No sane Muslim has every believed or claimed such a thing, and it is definitely not understood to serve this purpose at all. It is considered to be a sacred stone from the heavens that was initially white then darkened with the sins of mankind. It also is known to have no power, but is revered because the Prophet Muhammad showed respect towards it (i.e. kissed it). 

Since history books are an interpretation of historical events, that are substantiated through documental or other evidence, I felt like I could not really trust Goodwin's interpretation of a history I already know very little about given that he so blatantly made huge gaffes and showed his negative bias in this way. This is the main reason I did not continue reading his work, nor would I recommend it to others.

Admittedly, I only read a small percentage (my kindle told me 20%) of the book, and if my bookclub buddies had decided to proceed with the book, I would have gone along reading it. But since I did not have this commitment, I could not fully trust Goodwin's version of events, nor did I enjoy his writing style, I abandoned ship. 

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Have you read this book? What did you think? Have you ever found yourself abandoning a book? What made you do it? Let me know in the comments. 

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