“After all is said and done, what is life anyway? Aren't we all going to die in the end? I believe life is only worth living if, while we’re on earth, we can do honorable things.” “Last Train to Istanbul” is a phenomenal WWII novel set in Turkey and France, with one of the elements being a love story, and another being clandestine extractions of Jews via the Turkish government and foreign ministers aided by private citizens, from certain imprisonment/annihilation carried out by the Vichy as ordered by Hitler. “It’s interesting, she thought, that one isn’t scared of death from a distance, but when it is staring you in the face it feels like a merciless enemy that you desperately want to avoid.”I've read many books on WWII and the Holocaust. Some were military focused and others were more character/circumstance driven. But almost all were written by American or British authors. This novel, having been written by a Turkish author offered up a fresh new perspective. Turkey was one of the war’s neutrality countries. And she had/has a significant population of Spanish-descendant Jewish citizens.“In 1492 when the Spanish King Ferdinand expelled the Jews from Spain and stripped them of everything they had, the Ottoman sultan offered them refuge in his country, giving them freedom of religion, language, and commerce . . . Because of this, the Jews have been the most loyal of Ottoman subjects. They made no attempts to stab their hosts in the back like the other minorities.” However interesting, this isn't a historical tome on Turkey or the migration of Jews. And it isn't a political expose – though politics play a role and heighten the suspense. And despite religion being a key theme, “Last Train to Istanbul” isn't a subterfuge for religious rivalry or one-upmanship.“What was all this fuss about religion? Surely, she thought, religion should be practiced without thought of race or color, with all its ceremonies carried out in mosques, churches, and synagogues. God was worshiped in these communities, and people reached out to him and found peace in their souls.” Last Train to Istanbul: so much more than all the above. Courage, love, duty, honor, respect, tradition, family, friendship, compassion, religious freedom – all these deep resounding themes are the true jewels of Ayse Kulin’s magnificently woven story; as is the bittersweet marriage between Selva - the headstrong young muslin woman of regal means, and Rafael – the bright young common Jewish pharmacist; a paring that burns hot, then divides and laments before rising and unveiling what truly matters most to each other, to their families, and to the greater good of all. “Think carefully. We only have one life to live. We alone are responsible for it.”Beautifully written – superbly translated. Thank you Ayse Kulin for penning this extraordinary story. And thank you John W. Baker for bringing Kulin’s story to life in English; aside from a couple transitions and the hither/yon “Train” chapter, it was smooth reading. And lastly, a round of applause for the San Diego County Library system, and the Friends of the Library for making available such a wide spectrum of great books. Not quite five stars, but close. A highly respectable and recommendable read for fans of character-driven, historically relevant, humanitarian focused war stories.
I chose this book because the blurb had me hooked. I love WWII stories and was intrigued by the influence of Turkey during WWII, it was such an eye opener! This also involved intermarriage of a Muslim girl and Jewish boy which was interesting to read about. Turkey's neutral stance during WWII had a significant impact on the outcome of the war but it is not a topic that has had much coverage in contemporary literature. I did come away from the book with a better understanding of the people and history of Turkey.From the first pages I was engrossed and could not stop reading. There are 434 pages to this kindle book and I enjoyed every page. From the very beginning I was drawn into the lives of the two families in Turkey, the girls Sabiha and Selva were Muslim and Rafo who was from a Jewish family. Sabiha married Macit a Muslim government worker. Selva married Rafo against her parent's wishes and the couple fled to France to start a new life. This was in 1938 the beginning of Hitler's reign over Europe.The story covers both girls and the life they led during this time. Sabiha missed her sister and tried to keep in touch with her through her husband's co-worker, Taric when he was sent to France on government business. Turkey was trying to stay out of the war and stay neutral and it was a difficult for everyone. When Hitler took over France Selva and Rafo were living in Marseilles in southern France and thought they would be safe. They soon found out they had to be registered as Turkish citizens and became friends with the Turkish Consulate in Marseilles.A scrape with the Gestapo, urges Rafo and Selva to Paris. They then became involved with the underground resistance and work up a plan to have the Turkish government send a railroad car to Paris to pick up Turkish and Non-Turkish Jews to return them to Turkey. The book covers these events in great detail so you felt you were right there with them. This trip on the train was an amazing part of the book and very well depicted all the close calls and of the other people who filled this railroad car. Not all were Turkish but had forged papers and were looking to escape Hitler's Army.This book is fiction but has been loosely based on historic events and accounts from people who lived during this time period. Translation is a bit dodgy in some places but it generally reads pretty smoothly. I wish there was a map and a guide to pronouncing Turkish names/words. I did come away from the book with a better understanding of the people and history of Turkey.A solid 4/5!
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I got a copy of this book from Netgalley to review.I don't easily give 5 star reviews but I thought this book was a top historical novel. I call it a top historical novel because it sheds light on a piece of history that I did not know and works very well as a novel.The book has two themes. The first theme is that it is about two sisters in an aristocratic Turkish family where one marries someone in the Turkish Foreign Ministry and the other marries a Turkish Jew and has to move to France because neither family accepts a Muslim-Jewish marriage. This couple's problems are compounded when the Nazis invade France.A second theme of the book is how the Turkish Diplomats in France came to the aid of Turkish Jews and other Jews to get them out of France and away from the Nazi camps. Some of them really put themselves at risk to get the Jews out. This piece of history I found truly amazing and quite uplifting in a world where many people feel that Muslins aren't humanitarian.To make this more meaningful to me I wanted to mention that my mother is a Jewish German refugee. The American counsel in Breslau German needed to be bribed to process papers to get my mother and her family out of Germany. The US's State Department during WWII had a reputation for being anti-semitic.This novel works both as a good easy read and describes a piece of history that is not well known in the US.It shows that the author has been a screenwriter since some of the novel seems like a movie.
—Celia
Last Train to Istanbul was a fascinating read. It was interesting to see Turkey’s perspective as World War Two builds up and explodes across Europe. This novel interplays the personal drama of Selva and her family and the obstacles they face with the political situation and the actual figures involved in the diplomatic efforts. The events of World War Two and the treatment of the European Jews fit in with Selva’s personal story and her disagreements with her father and her family over the subject of religion.The character drama nonetheless was very interesting, especially as the reader learns more about what motivates most of the characters and what they are going through. I wish more time was spent on Selva and Sabiha’s father as he is a focal character to why Selva moved away. It also seemed as though Sabiha’s storyline was a little removed compared to everyone else, more contained than everyone else. While Last Train to Istanbul was an interesting read, I did find it a little startling and disappointing that the story ended very abruptly at the end. Nonetheless, readers who enjoy reading historical fiction set during World War Two and/or are looking to check out some Turkish titles may want to check this novel out. You can read this review in its entirety over at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2...
—Lianne
This is an interesting story but not terribly well written though it might be more the fault of the translation...I can't tell which is the culprit. The premise is good in that the book is based on the role of the Turks in WWII and their willingness to remain neutral. In doing so they tried hard to protect their people (no matter what religious beliefs, e.g., Muslim or Jewish) as well as those (many Jews) who needed protection from the Germans. At the heart of this book is the interplay between two sisters who grew up privileged in Turkey. One marries "appropriately" while the other chooses to marry with her heart and thus a mixed marriage with a Jewish man. Both she and her husband are excommunicated by their respective families and the impact of that is interwoven into much of the book. Again, the story is interesting with a very good backdrop though perhaps not told extremely well.
—Holly
