false 1076753 9 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 Meryem as her shell-shocked cousin ushers her to the shining metropolis of Istanbul where another troubled soul, the Harvard-educated professor Irfan, embarks on his own journey of transformation-one that catapults him into the heart of Meryem and Cemal's conflict. The crossed-paths and interwoven destinies of these three characters makes for an affecting, by turns brutal and life-affirming portrayal of traditional and modern-day Turkey that no reader will soon forget. 'Livaneli is an essential force in Turkey's musical, cultural, and political scene.'--Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Prize Winner and author of Snow 'Bliss is eye-opening and deeply moving.'--Kirkus Reviews (starred)'Compelling [for] American readers ...hard to put down.'--The Cleveland Plain Dealer'With lush scenes of Turkish life and nuanced depictions of the [characters'] inner lives. . .a convergence of lost, likable souls.'--Entertainment WeeklyO. Z. Livaneli, one of Turkey's most prominent authors, is also an accomplished composer, and previously served as an elected member of the Turkish Parliament. For more information about his background and books, visit his website at www.livaneli.net. 1063466 2006 Bliss: A Novel total:247|5:43|4:98|3:82|2:19|1:5| 247 896 386 63 4 2 false false Mon Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 09 12:20:51 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 09 12:59:34 -0700 2008 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 int...more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 10:17:46 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 18 10:18:20 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Oct 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Sep 18 09:50:45 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 13 21:45:49 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 false false Tue Mar 04 12:12:43 -0800 2008 Tue Mar 04 12:14:35 -0800 2008 This is a story of hope and triumph. It is very intense in places, but the overall feel is very hopeful and beautiful.]]> 4 0 true false Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 30 19:08:41 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 30 19:08:59 -0700 2007
My favorite character was M...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Mar 02 21:12:01 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 02 21:19:48 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Mar 08 17:42:39 -0700 2009 Sun Mar 08 17:44:09 -0700 2009 1 0 false false Sat Nov 29 15:48:01 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 17:35:52 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Feb 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 15:46:16 -0800 2009 Wed Feb 25 15:50:12 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Apr 25 01:05:30 -0700 2009 Sat Apr 25 01:09:02 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Apr 19 06:24:20 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 06:26:38 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Aug 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 04:40:12 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 04:42:01 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 09 06:59:19 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 09 07:35:18 -0700 2008 Three Cups of Tea. The issue of "honor killings" in Turkey just made headlines about a week ago. The storyline was good and I learned things about modern day Turkey; however, Livaneli's narative is weak a...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Tue Aug 04 20:07:08 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 04 20:08:16 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Aug 16 06:32:51 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 19:08:10 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 16 06:32:51 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Oct 22 10:12:13 -0700 2008 Wed Nov 12 11:43:35 -0800 2008
T...more...]]> 4 0 false false Sat Oct 04 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 19 14:37:42 -0700 2008 Sun Oct 05 14:55:05 -0700 2008
The book was so well written that I felt like I could visualize each of the three main characters by...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Apr 18 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Apr 09 21:40:38 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 19 09:42:59 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sun Feb 08 14:08:01 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 08 14:10:12 -0800 2009 2 0 false false Tue Apr 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Mon Apr 06 20:30:12 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 13:12:28 -0700 2009
This book made me sad, but offered a very interesting view of rural Turkish life.]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1076753