Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
39th out of 275 books
—
245 voters
Bliss
Fifteen-year-old Meryem lives in a rural village in Eastern Anatolia, Turkey. Her simple, conventional way of life changes dramatically after her uncle, a sheikh in a dervish order, rapes her--and condemns her to death for shaming the family. Asked to carry out the "honor killing" is his son Cemal, a commando in the Turkish army. So begins a long, mystifying voyage for Mer...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
September 4th 2007
by St. Martin's Griffin
(first published 2002)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,676)
Three characters cross paths in O. Z. Livaneli’s Bliss: a professor facing a mid-life crisis; an ex-soldier experiencing PTSD; a young woman condemned to death by her family after being raped.
Bliss, translated by Çiğdem Aksoy Fromm, is my first—but certainly not my last—foray into Turkish literature. If I were hoping for a book promoting Turkish tourism, I would be sorely disappointed. Livaneli does not sugarcoat his native country. Instead, he exposes Turkey’s dark side: ethnic conflicts, shant...more
Bliss, translated by Çiğdem Aksoy Fromm, is my first—but certainly not my last—foray into Turkish literature. If I were hoping for a book promoting Turkish tourism, I would be sorely disappointed. Livaneli does not sugarcoat his native country. Instead, he exposes Turkey’s dark side: ethnic conflicts, shant...more
An interesting premise but a disturbing read set in contemporary Turkey guaranteed to remind American women why it's so much better to have been born here than there. A teenager who has been raped is judged to have 'shamed' her family and is sent off with her not-much-older soldier cousin, to be disposed of. They meet a wealthy Turkish professor lost in existential ennui, and there is a nominally happy ending, but rarely have I encountered such miserably unhappy people in such depressing circums...more
Not that long ago, I purchased a box full of $1.99 books from the internet, several of which I’ve already written entries about. All told, that shipment was lackluster, filled with books that were worth little more than a shrug and a Frisbee toss back into the box. I wasn’t expecting a trove of Penguin Classics or anything, so I’m not offended by a little light reading. I did get lucky, however, to receive the novel Bliss , by Turkish novelist O.Z. Livaneli. A scant 276 pages, Bliss captures...more
Feb 20, 2010
Kathleen Hagen
added it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2010-audio-books,
2010fiction
Bliss, by O.z. Livaneli, narrated by Anna Fields, produced by Blackstone Audio, downloaded from audible.com.
Meryem is a 15-year-old girl who, even before she is raped by her uncle, is considered an unlucky child, an outcast. Her mother died in childbirth when she was born, so she is blamed for the death of her mother. When her uncle rapes her, it is considered her fault because women are dirty and sinful. She is locked in the barn where her father’s third wife hopes she’ll kill herself, but she...more
Meryem is a 15-year-old girl who, even before she is raped by her uncle, is considered an unlucky child, an outcast. Her mother died in childbirth when she was born, so she is blamed for the death of her mother. When her uncle rapes her, it is considered her fault because women are dirty and sinful. She is locked in the barn where her father’s third wife hopes she’ll kill herself, but she...more
Oct 18, 2009
Evanston Public Library
added it
15 year old Meryem realizes early on that God hates her: why else would he make her a sinful woman? Why would he kill her mother at her birth? And more significantly, why would he let her be raped by her fearsome uncle, an ultraconservative Muslim sheikh who dominates her small Turkish village? With the family honor now stained, Meryem's cousin Cemal is given an assignment: take the fallen girl to Istanbul and kill her. Cemal and Meryem embark on a journey across a cross-section of Turkish socie...more
Bliss tells the story of three Turkish people at the beginning of the 21st century - Meryem, a small-village teenager with a 1st grade education; Chemal, from the same village and fighting the Kurds in the mountains; Irfan, a Harvard-trained professor who married an incredibly wealthy woman and moved to Istanbul.
As the novel starts, Meryem has been shamed by being raped by her uncle, the religious leader of the family, and Chemal is supposed to "take her to Istanbul," which in her village means...more
As the novel starts, Meryem has been shamed by being raped by her uncle, the religious leader of the family, and Chemal is supposed to "take her to Istanbul," which in her village means...more
Reading this book made me realize that only a bragging tourist, as contrasted to a seeking traveler would have naively dreamed of going to Turkey to catch the latest "in" travel fever. Recently I've listened to a few people telling me, "you really must go to Turkey, Sherry" and I somehow thought they meant as a tourist--a modern rather than a bragging one, of course!--and then Livaneli took me to Turkey or brought it so me through Irfan, Cemal and Meryem's parallel and so dramatically different...more
Moving contemporary novel about a young Turkish girl who is raped, and then ostracized by her family. Her cousin, who has just completed his military service, is ordered to take her to Istanbul to kill her. However, once they arrive, he can't bring himself to complete his mission. Instead, they run away and eventually meet a middle aged professor who appears to be going through an identity crisis. The three of them head out on the professor's boat in search of a better life.
I saw the movie that...more
I saw the movie that...more
If modern Turkey can be distilled into a novel that plays out a nation's major issues through its three main characters, Bliss might be that book. There's Meryem, a naive teenage girl from the countryside, who has been raped by her uncle, a conservative religious cleric. Then there is her taciturn, sullen cousin, Cemal, who has just returned from fighting Kurdish guerillas in the mountains of eastern Turkey, and is dispatched to kill Meryem on the road, in order to clear the family honor. Meanwh...more
A well written book with an unusual construction in that the author introduces you to each of the three characters individually, but for much of the book you have no idea how their lives will intersect.
Meryem is the character who grows the most, but then she's the youngest and has been living in a very protected situation. She has very little education and by culture has been separated from the men as have all the women in the town. She is brutally raped by her uncle, the local Imam, who then s...more
Meryem is the character who grows the most, but then she's the youngest and has been living in a very protected situation. She has very little education and by culture has been separated from the men as have all the women in the town. She is brutally raped by her uncle, the local Imam, who then s...more
Jul 03, 2012
Doğan Kaytan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
read-2012,
drams-i-like
Kitabın içinde Avrupa ile Türkiye arasındaki uçurumlardan, New York ile İstanbul arasındaki benzerliklerden bahsede dursun; ben kitapta temel olarak şunları gördüm:
1. Asıl farklılıkların modern-cağdaş avrupalılarla gelenekçi Türkler arasında değil de, tamamen farklılığın Türkiye'deki Türklerin arasında olduğunu gördüm. Lüks restorantlarda yer ayırma derdiyle uğraşmamak için gereksiz yere dernek ve kuruluşlara bağışta bulununan entellektüel/elit kısımdan tutun, bir kadının saçını açık gördüğü içi...more
1. Asıl farklılıkların modern-cağdaş avrupalılarla gelenekçi Türkler arasında değil de, tamamen farklılığın Türkiye'deki Türklerin arasında olduğunu gördüm. Lüks restorantlarda yer ayırma derdiyle uğraşmamak için gereksiz yere dernek ve kuruluşlara bağışta bulununan entellektüel/elit kısımdan tutun, bir kadının saçını açık gördüğü içi...more
Really 4.5 stars for me. I had never heard of this author before and I'm really glad I read this (thank you, Asmah!). It was interesting to read not long after having read Orhan Pamuk's Snow. Some similar themes, and a similar time period, but very different stories. Livaneli took three central characters who at the beginning of the story were in different places and each dealing with a personal crisis. Their paths meet and each struggles with their crisis, undergoes some type of transformation,...more
A fascinating book.
Bliss tells the story of Meryem, a motherless rural village girl who lives in Eastern Turkey. She is raped by her powerful sheikh uncle, who then condemns her to death for the 'honor' of the family. This is a society where women are chattel. Luckily Meryem is too plucky to commit suicide (he has locked her in a shed with a rope, but she refuses his subtle hint). The sheikh then assigns the job of honor killing to his son Cemal, Meryem's war-scarred cousin, an army commando who...more
Bliss tells the story of Meryem, a motherless rural village girl who lives in Eastern Turkey. She is raped by her powerful sheikh uncle, who then condemns her to death for the 'honor' of the family. This is a society where women are chattel. Luckily Meryem is too plucky to commit suicide (he has locked her in a shed with a rope, but she refuses his subtle hint). The sheikh then assigns the job of honor killing to his son Cemal, Meryem's war-scarred cousin, an army commando who...more
I held off on reading this book for a while because the description sounds so depressing, but this was very misleading.
This is a story of hope and triumph. It is very intense in places, but the overall feel is very hopeful and beautiful.
This is a story of hope and triumph. It is very intense in places, but the overall feel is very hopeful and beautiful.
Since living in Istanbul I have really been trying to read up on Turkish authors beyond the obvious of Orhan Pamuk and Elif Shafak. This novel by Livaneli really surprised me - a beautiful translation of an amazing story. All three main characters are so interesting and distinct and I'm not sure of many other authors who would be able to blend the stories of a fifteen year old girl, 50+ man, and 20 year old soldier together so seamlessly. The story had a lot of literary merit but on another leve...more
The characters in the novel Bliss provide an interesting cross-section of the various people in Turkey and their conflicting experiences, religious and political beliefs, and different social classes. It is hard to imagine such different worlds existing simultaneously in the same country- on the one side, the lavish world of the more Western Istanbul elite, represented by a professor undergoing an existentialist crisis, on the other side the religious and rural world, where customs such as honor...more
Mar 17, 2013
Asma
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
People interested in world peace
Recommended to Asma by:
Maggie
Shelves:
turkish
The novel tragically begins, a remote village blaming a fifteen-year-old girl for her rape. Issues of "patriarchy" and "women's empowerment" come to the fore. Meryem is not the only tragic victim in the story. Both her cousin Cemal and their sailing acquaintance Irfan are running away from psychological pain. Cemal has been a commando leader; Irfan cannot tolerate more contentiousness and falseness among his colleagues, i.e.,
"...Irfan yearned to surmount the restrictive, tiresome security of his...more
I highly recommend this book. After plowing through several two- and three-star books, I was excited to come across a book that was well written, and moving with universal themes as well as culturally specific content about colliding Turkish cultures. The universal themes of abandonment, rejection, subjugation,the clash beetween traditional and modern, and the experience of wounded individuals healing unfold in three interwoven stories of personal growth, those of Meriam a tormented victim of ra...more
Bliss is a novel about three people who live in modern-day Turkey: Meryem, a 15-year-old Muslim girl from Eastern Anatolia; Irfan, a professor in Istanbul; and Cemal, Meryem's cousin and a soldier fighting Kurdish guerillas. Meryem's uncle, a sheikh in an Islamic order, rapes her and then orders her death as an "honor killing" to save the family reputation following her "defilement." Cemal is assigned the honor killing and takes Meryem to Istanbul to carry it through. Meanwhile, Professor Irfan...more
Less well known than Orhan Pamuk, Livanelli is another literary exponent of the contradictions of modern day Turkish life. 15 year old Meryem realized early on that God hates her: why else would he make her a sinful woman? Why would he kill her mother at her birth? And more significantly, why would he let her be raped by her fearsome uncle, an ultraconservative Muslim sheikh who dominates her small village? With the family honor now stained, Meryem's cousin Cemal is given an assignment: take the...more
I initially bought this book because it sounded interesting and exotic. I knew very little of Turkish history, culture or politics prior to reading this book. Livaneli did a wonderful job of explaining the diversity and clash of cultures in modern-day Turkey.
My favorite character was Meryem, without a doubt. I had a really hard time relating to a village of people who would treat their own flesh and blood as a curse. They lock up this innocent girl indefinitely and then order her to be murdered...more
My favorite character was Meryem, without a doubt. I had a really hard time relating to a village of people who would treat their own flesh and blood as a curse. They lock up this innocent girl indefinitely and then order her to be murdered...more
I was instantly gripped by the plight and the core strength of the main character, a girl who is caught in the patriarchal system of a small village. The professor, at the opposite end of the social scale, is also a sympathetic character. While the plot pulled me along, I also greatly appreciated the insights into Turkish society that were so clearly delineated. These understandings helped us see how the people got into such perilous circumstances.
A fine read, a good teacher.
A fine read, a good teacher.
Novel ini menarik untuk sedikit mendapat gambaran tentang negara Turki,
Banyak hal dalam kisah novel ini, mulai dari sekularisasi, konflik dengan gerakan separatis, wajib militer, dan pembunuhan atas dasar kehormatan,dan kalau bisa dibilang masalah percintaan sesama jenis
Banyak hal dalam novel ini, tidak pernah saya alami langsung, dan hanya saya dengar melalui televisi, tetapi sangat menarik untuk memahami apa yang terjadi di negara lain melalui karya sastra.
Banyak hal dalam kisah novel ini, mulai dari sekularisasi, konflik dengan gerakan separatis, wajib militer, dan pembunuhan atas dasar kehormatan,dan kalau bisa dibilang masalah percintaan sesama jenis
Banyak hal dalam novel ini, tidak pernah saya alami langsung, dan hanya saya dengar melalui televisi, tetapi sangat menarik untuk memahami apa yang terjadi di negara lain melalui karya sastra.
I listened to this book vs reading it. I think that I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it. Why? There seemed to be two parallel stories going on. With a book, I could flip back and forth...but not with a CD. Once the two parts came together, I appreciated the book more. I plan to re-listen to the book, even though I know how it ends. I chose this book as it takes place in Turkey. Actually, I believe that it was made into a movie in Turkey.
I am taking a group of students to Turkey in January, so my reading will be about Turkey for a while.
I LOVED this book. I love that it was written by a Turkish man. I LOVE how he presents the contrasts between modern and traditional Turkish society. The descriptions are beautiful and the story is interesting. My only criticism is that it ended a bit abruptly.
I LOVED this book. I love that it was written by a Turkish man. I LOVE how he presents the contrasts between modern and traditional Turkish society. The descriptions are beautiful and the story is interesting. My only criticism is that it ended a bit abruptly.
It's the best fiction novel I've read so far, with the three characters so well defined and justified and their stories seamlessly integrated into the novel, that the constant switch [between their stories] doesn't feel like a hinderance to its flow. My favorite story was that of the Professor, Irfan. The story is beautifully written, honest, and offers great insight into the Turkish culture without trying too hard, or without any obvious exposition.
I gave the book 4 stars in stead of 5 because...more
I gave the book 4 stars in stead of 5 because...more
Jul 04, 2010
Debbie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
strong stomached
Recommended to Debbie by:
goodreads
I still dont know why this book was titled Bliss after reading it . Meryam'sd life is anything but bliss before and after her rape by her Uncle. she is taught to loathe herself as a female , leaving me wondering whether anyone in this particular cultue can escape this self loathing. What a different Turkey than the one portrayed by Parmuk in Mueum of Innocence. I could not live in this one.
I would really prefer to give this book 3 1/2 stars. I liked the cultural issues depicted in the story, and I think choosing to portray the diversity of culture through 3 different characters was a good way to do this. The author did an excellent job writing in a manner in which we could understand the three main characters--although with the professor I was a little unsure of his desires, etc (but I think that was the point because he wasn't really sure himself). I probably would have given thi...more
This is a sad scary wartime story that takes place in Turkey. It is a convergence of three different characters who are affected by the times in three different ways. Their paths come together and they are all changed by it. Some parts were hard going but it is worth the time.
I was alternately angered and amazed by this book. Lots of undercurrents and ambiguities to keep you thinking, as well as interesting characters to make you laugh and cry. It reminded me that uneducated does not mean unintelligent, but misinformation can be hugely harmful.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The World's Liter...: BLISS by O.Z. Livaneli | 20 | 26 | Apr 13, 2013 01:10am |
Ömer Zülfü Livaneli is a Turkish folk musician (singer and composer), novelist, newspaper columnist, and film director who has been highly popular for decades. He is also a prominent left-wing and social-democrat politician, and was a member of the Turkish parliament for one term. Livaneli has been a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador since 1996.
More about Zülfü Livaneli...
Dec 07, 2012 08:14pm