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11th out of 11 books
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Dervishes: A Novel
by
Beth Helms
The richly textured, panoramic story of an American mother and daughter stuck in the expatriate community of Ankara, Turkey, in 1975--each of them trying to discover a life in the larger world, each in way over her head
When she is twelve years old, Canada moves with her mother and father to Ankara, Turkey, where her father has been stationed by the government. It is
...morePaperback, 320 pages
Published
March 4th 2008
by Picador
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I enjoyed this story a great deal, but felt that the ending was a bit rushed which is why I didn't give it a higher rating. In a way, Dervishes is your classic "fish out of water" tale. The main character, Grace, seems out of place both geographically, as this novel is set in Turkey in the mid 70s, as well as within her own family. As the wife of a diplomat, she is flung into the world of "society wives", where the social norms are not what I would consider standard. In a...more
I just didn't enjoy this book. I picked it up when the author spoke at our library a few years ago, and finally got around to reading it, and I just found it a chore to get through. I hate stories (books or movies) where all the drama is artificially created because the characters won't just TALK to each other, and that was the whole premise of this book, basically. Everyone had secrets and no one would say what they were thinking, and so many of the problems could have just been solved if the p...more
Set in Turkey during the 1970s, this historical fiction novel tells of an American family who has been transferred to Turkey for a diplomatic post. The father is an Ambassador who spends most of his time away from his family on secretive and shady assignments. The family is used to moving frequently, having to constantly adapt to the new communities, surroundings, and languages. The perspective alternates between mother and daughter; Canada is a 12-year-old girl, used to making new friends, a...more
I read this because I planned to see the author speak at Northeastern with Marilyn S (but didn't because I was sick) and because my interest in Turkey (friend Nesrin). I wasn't sure about the structure -- first person 12 year old Canada's chapters alternate with 3rd person narrative of her mother's interwoven story, Grace. Grace is a Canadian married to an American who is posted around the world on secret missions -- some kind of military intelligence post. Their latest post lands them in Ankar...more
I'm not going to give plot details, because one reviewer here did a fine job of giving an overview already. Beth Helms was in my MFA program, and I know her to be a very austere writer with sparkling prose. This is a book to read, I think, if you love language, attention to setting and atmosphere, and fluid prose. I think it's also of structural interest to writers; I admire quite a bit the overall shape--fluctuating between Canada's past tense chapters and Grace's present tense.
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How on earth this thing got published, I have no idea. A terrible book, badly written, with no plot. The author herself has admitted "it's about nothing." It probably got published because of the overly glowing review given by Sara Gruen--which Gruen herself admits she never gave. Don't waste your money on this pathetic excuse for a book. The author herself admits "it's the only book I've got in me, and will never write another one." Thank goodness for small favors.
a haunting tale; I thought Beth Helms painted an exotic and mysterious picture of life in Ankara---a seemingly perfect mirror to life living abroad, especially given the time and political atmosphere depicted in her work.
The descriptions of the setting and daily life in Turkey during the seventies is well done. I felt the author rushed the ending of the novel. Beth Helm leaves it up to the reader's imagination of what may have happened to Canada and her mother Grace.
I found the ending unsatisfying, but enjoyed getting there.
troubled family issues
I was underwhelmed. Expected richer cultural information about Turkey. Rather, it was a book which surrounded a family stationed in Ankara during the cold war. Dad has a mysterious job with the State Dept or the CIA; Mom is frustrated, has an affair; daughter, often the narrator, goes through a lot of the growing up scenarios, most of which are typical and not so interesting.
Beautifully written, very evocative of a certain time and space. I was a bit let down by the ending, though.
I enjoyed this book a lot. The setting and the characters were interesting and sympathetic. I was a little disappointed in the resolution; I didn't feel like the daughter's story was carried through to a satisfactory point. But the ending was engaging overall. The atmosphere of the book was probably my favorite thing about the book.
Tight, well written first novel which tells the dark and mysterious story of an American State Department family living in Ankara, Turkey in the 1970's. I enjoyed it not only for the detective story style, but for the view it provides both into being an expat. It brought back memories of Turkey and my Peace Corps stint.
Some excellent writing here, and a few truly great metaphors. But Helm spent too much time polishing up her prose, and not enough thinking through crucial plot points. The revelations in the last 20 pages weren't exciting or shocking; they were fake and impossible to take seriously.
I loved this book about a foreign service wife in Turkey, but would have loved to hear from my friends who were in the foreign service. I continue to try to force it on them.
I liked the book better in the first half with the second half seeming to drag out. The author didn't have enough character development for me to keep interested in the plot.
I kept feeling like the book should be more interesting than it was. It is two stories, mother and daughter, about their adventures in Turkey.
Takes place in Turkey. Thought there would be more about Turkey but it's mostly about a girl and her melodramtic mother.
Kind of weird. Not what I was expecting. Also a little bit boring. But it was an interesting writing style.
This book is a haunting one, exploring the failure of a mother to connect with her daughter and husband.
Excellent! Embassy wives...gossip...and an awkard daughter caught in the middle. Loved it!
Good read, but sad in the end. Depressing lives of diplomat's families overseas.
started out a bit slow, but once I got into it I really enjoyed it.
Well-written, interesting story. A relatively light, easy read.
Really well written, keeps your attention, really depressing.
Robert Nagle
added it
Mary Chambers
marked it as to-read
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Beth Helms is the author of the story collection American Wives, which won the 2003 Iowa Short Fiction Award. She spent her childhood in Iran, Iraq, Germany, and Turkey, and now lives in upstate New York. Dervishes is her first novel.
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