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Title: Not compelling
Review: I was disappointed with this book and couldn't wait for it to be over. There were a couple of points in the book when I thought, yes, this is really going to be great, but they didn't last long.While I gained some insight into the complex political and social dynamics of the region, I found the story largely dry and confusing. I lost track of who people were and what faction they represented. I thought it was ridiculous that each time Ka felt a poem coming on everyone had to stop in their tracks for him to write it.I was hoping for a historical novel and this is more of a political primer. Perhaps the translation was bad. This is the first book of Pamuk's I have read. I could see that he has the capacity for beautiful prose, but it wasn't consistently represented in this novel.In contrast, I am now reading March by Gwendolyn Brooks. Her weaving of history and politics into a great story with beautiful character development and imagery makes for my kind of book!
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