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THE ORACLE OF STAMBOUL is a magical historical novel about an astonishing eight-year-old girl in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. It is 1877, on the shores of the Black Sea, and the omens for the newborn Eleanora Cohen are hardly promising. Not only does her mother die in childbirth, but her village is being attacked by the Tsar's Royal Cavalry. However, despite this bad beginning, a sour stepmother and a traumatic journey in the hold of a ship, young Eleanora grows into a remarkably clever but very engaging child. And when a heartbreaking tragedy leaves her marooned in Istanbul, where spies and boarded-up harems and sudden death are as much a part of life as delicious spices, Paris fashions and rosewater, it is Eleanora's extraordinary courage and character which lead her straight to the Sultan's court, and to her salvation.
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I thoroughly enjoyed the poetic description of Turkey during the last days of the Ottoman Empire (1877), and I found myself entranced by the character of Eleonora, the girl prodigy who has such an affinity for literature. But, by the last third of the book, I was disappointed that the author just frittered away these strengths with a plot that kept meandering and fizzling out, until the book just ended with really no purpose.
Since this was a debut novel, I'm going to keep an eye out for his next book. He obviously has a talent for writing about a place and for creating interesting characters, he just needs to focus on a path and stay with it.
I had a difficult time rating this book. On one hand, it was very readable and almost lyrical. On the other hand, nothing happens and there are many missed opportunities for character development and drama. It also ends quite abruptly and unsatisfactorily. All in all, this book has a lot of potential but could have used significant edits.
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