What beautiful writing! Very emotional as only real life can be.Having grown up with this old style of writing and speaking, it is refreshing to see it, somehow Irfan Orga makes it seem as you are there.Please don't miss this opportunity to read this book. A true journey into Turkey, during her most trying times, it stirs the soul.

I read this book in Istanbul and it was fabulous. Orga's prose is beautiful (even if his spoken english was limited at the time), and reads more fluidly than most novels. A reader interested in Turkey and the Turks can do no better.

I was talked into buying this book by the owner of a book shop in the Sultan Ahmet, the old part of Istanbul. The back page had a guarantee that if I didn't like it, I could get my money back. What could I lose?

As it turns out, I couldn't put the book down. The way in which Mr. Orga's powerful use of words created visuals of old Istanbul and relevant cities was brilliant. The story became very three-dimensional right at the outset.

The account of Mr. Orga's family's survival during heart-wrenching times is inspiring; while the pain and suffering are so well conveyed, there is nothing gruesome about the book. The delicate way in which thoughts and events are described invokes the visuals and emotions the reader requires to feel the gravity of the situations; however, there is still a beauty of the human spirit that belies it all.

This is a story I would recommend to any reader who enjoys feeling a story, rather than just reading it; to readers whose inner world is affected, even if just a little bit, by experiencing a well-presented story.