Istanbul is a truly fascinating city, and the book covers Pamuk's personal memories of it since childhood, and its transformation from the decadent seat of Ottoman power into one of Europe's most astonishingly beautiful and modern cities. What I regret is Pamuk's writing style which frequently veers off into historical minutiea that is a challenge to plod through, but if one skips those parts, he does shed an interesting light on life in Istanbul prior to the mass exodus of it's Greek inhabitants, and how their departure impoverished Turkey culturally in many ways. The Istanbul he depicts is a grey sombre place, caught in the cold-war struggle between the superpowers, living on a lost glorious past, contrary to what it is today. The inclusion of more personal memories would have added warmth and enhanced the book, which in its present state resembles a long rambling lecture by an old historian.Get more detail about Istanbul.
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